Page 50 of Given

But she refused to give up. “If I marry you without my brother’s permission it could lead to war.”

“Doubtful. Rolund might not fear the north, but his soldiers do. Human eyes can’t pierce the Deepnight. Men hate fighting monsters they can’t see.”

“And you consider yourself a monster?”

I smiled. “If I’m a monster, then so are you, sweetheart. Or at least half of one. You just told me the Sithistran First Queen banned your mother’s name. Why not wed me and live in a kingdom where you’re revered instead of reviled? Take advantage of the opportunity to make your own choices.”

Her chin went up a notch. “Do I have a choice now?”

The question caught me off guard. Not because she expected an answer, but because she already knew it. Her deep blue eyes—which normally lent her an air of innocence—were assessing. Calculating. She was politically savvy enough to know I’d already decided to wed her, and that my asking for her hand was merely a courtesy.

It only made me more determined to have her.

“What choices await you in Sithistra?” I walked a slow circle around her, and she turned with me, following me with wary eyes. “Do Rolund’s wives seem happy?” Her mouth tightened, and I knew my spies’ reports were accurate. “Don’t think for a minute he’ll make an exception to Sithistran polygamy for you. He’ll sell you to whichever lord offers him the most gold, and he won’t spare a single thought for your opinion on the matter. You’re a halfling, and human prejudice is thicker than Baylen’s blood in your veins.”

Doubt flickered in her eyes. I could sense her resolve weakening. Could scent her oh-so-responsive pussy growing wetter by the second. She’d spent time imagining herself in my bed. I’d wager my crown on it.

I kept circling her. “You could end up as a second wife. Is that a risk you’re willing to take? To spend your life in the shadow of another woman who resents your pedigree and your beauty?” I lowered my voice. “You would follow in your mother’s footsteps.”

The doubt turned to pain. Victory hovered within my reach.

I stopped. The bed was steps behind her, which was precisely where I wanted it. “You’ll never compete for my affection. Nor Doru has one queen. I want it to be you, Given. Marry me. Rule with me.”

Emotions raced through her eyes, one after another. There was doubt and hope and lust—and, finally, the sharp curve of the thorns I’d glimpsed in her gaze on occasion. “What does Lord Varick think of your proposal?”

Oh, she was going to make a magnificent queen. I let a smile touch my lips as I advanced toward her. “Leave the general to me.”

She took a cautious step back. “If I wed you, would you continue to—”

“Fuck him?” She sucked in a breath as I took her elbow and steered her around the end of the bed. I stepped into her, using my height and bulk to send her tumbling onto the bed. She went down with a delightful little gasp, and I pressed my advantage, sliding a knee between her thighs and letting my mouth hover above hers. I slid my knee higher, until it pressed firmly against her mound. I dug in, grinding over her pussy.

“Oh.” Her eyes darkened with lust, and I almost laughed out loud. She was so fucking ripe for it. I’d taken a gamble leaving her alone for a week. But my instincts had been correct. This was going to be too easy.

She arched slightly, seeking more friction. Even with the layers of skirts between us, her heat seared my skin. The memory of her perfect, pink clit glistening between her slick folds had dominated my thoughts over the past week. Sorry, Mother, but I would have made a terrible priest. Because while I’d knelt in the Sanctum and beseeched the gods to halt the Deepnight, my mind had returned again and again to Given of Sithistra’s cunt. She’d come so prettily on my fingers. I could only imagine how gorgeous she’d look coming around my dick.

I ran a hand up her leg, dragging her skirts up as I went. I bent her knee and propped the heel of her riding boot on the bed, exposing her silky white stocking and the creamy skin of her thigh. I eased back and took a moment to admire her. Fuck, that was pretty, her voluminous skirts bunched around her hips and her legs splayed open. I found the slit in her lacy drawers and pushed one finger into her silky heat.

Her wide blue eyes locked with mine. She made a low, kittenish sound that went straight to my cock.

“Soaking wet,” I growled, inhaling her scent. “But I need you even wetter, sweetheart.” She was tight as a fist. Untested. I liked to think of myself as enlightened, especially when it came to sex. A female’s value had nothing to do with her virginity. But knowing I was the first man to touch her this way raised something raw and primal inside me. I withdrew my finger slightly, then pushed it back in, sinking deeper. I hooked it, stroking over that elusive spot guaranteed to drive her crazy. “You like the idea of me fucking Varick, don’t you, Princess?” I gave her tight little cunt a few pumps, drawing forth delicious sounds that made my dick ache. She moaned again, her eyelids fluttering. I put my lips against her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret about the general, beautiful girl. He fucks me. Never the other way around.”

Her white-blond hair spilled across the bed, framing her blushing face. At my revelation, her pussy rewarded me with more slick heat, and I chuckled and pushed another finger inside her, gliding easily. I moved my fingers apart, carefully stretching her. “Oh Princess, you’re a naughty little thing, aren’t you?” Fingers deep in her drenched pussy, I stroked my thumb in light circles over her clit. She whimpered, her soft breath puffing over my face. “You want to watch Varick fuck me?” I pressed my thumb harder, and she made a sound that bordered on a squeal. “Or maybe you want me to fuck you while he fucks my ass. We could do that, you know. We could do a lot of things, the three of us. Just imagine it, two men in bed with you. Two sets of lips on this gorgeous body, on your nipples and your sweet, juicy pussy. Two cocks filling you. Stretching you. Making you come.”

“Laurent…” Her cheeks were a brilliant pink, and I knew she would have turned her head away if she thought I’d let her get away with it. She settled for closing her eyes, her silky lashes like fans on her heated cheeks. “You can’t…oh…” Her hips lifted as I fondled her clit again. Such a delicate little dub, so tiny and sweet. She was soft everywhere, so different from a man. And I was a greedy bastard because I wanted all of it. The hard and the soft. I’d always been that way, finding equal heat in a woman’s curves and the firm roundness of a man’s shoulder. I liked to fuck. I liked to be fucked. It was as simple as that.

Given’s scent filled my lungs. She was perfect. And so fucking responsive. Gods, I wouldn’t need oil with this woman. Her pussy juiced like a fountain.

“I need to taste you,” I murmured. Her eyes flew open as I trailed open-mouthed kisses down her chest and stomach. I didn’t give her time to think about what was happening. With a quick tug, I ripped her drawers open and pressed my mouth to her glistening pussy. I pushed her thighs wide and rolled the bar in my tongue right over her clit.

She went rigid in the best way, her hands grabbing fistfuls of my hair. When I chanced a look up, she stared at me with that pouty, sexy mouth open on a breathy cry of wonder.

“You taste as sweet as I imagined,” I told her. I reached up and pushed on her stomach until she flopped back down. “Now lie back and let me make you come.” I spread her open with my thumbs and speared her with my tongue. Honey. Her arousal was like the sweetest honey. Intoxicating. My fangs throbbed with the need to take even more from her. To mix all that honey with the rich blood that filled her clit and her slick, puffy folds. It would be so easy to bite her right over her plump mound. The sight of her red blood on her pale skin would be exquisite.

But she wasn’t ready. A week of blood-wine and medicines mixed by the Sanctum’s priests wasn’t enough. And while she was absolutely made for sex, she was still innocent. Better to ease her into all the pleasures I had planned for her. We were going to do everything. I was sure of it. I was going to know Given of Sithistra inside and out.

I held her open and dragged my tongue ring down her folds while her soft cries drifted around my ears. Her thighs trembled as I sucked her clit into my mouth and pulsed the metal bar against it, flicking and fluttering the delicate point. Her skirts rustled and the bed squeaked softly. Her cries turned to moans, and she ground her pussy against my face, smearing her juices over my nose and mouth. She kept one hand in my hair and flung the other above her head, where she gathered the sheet in a tight fist.

“You like this,” I told her between damp kisses, just in case she hadn’t figured it out. “You like having your pussy eaten, sweetheart.” I pulled back long enough to wink at her. “Good thing I’ve got an insatiable appetite.” I nipped at her inner thigh and went back to licking her.

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