Page 17 of The Twelve Nights of Halloheen

He let her guide him to sit and waited as she set the fire pit ablaze, warming the small area around them.

“I have a gift for you,” she said as she sat on the blankets facing him.

“You already gave me the spiner-tape,” he said with a confused rumble. “On the Night of Gifts when we all exchanged items in brightly wrapped paper. You gave me an entire case of spiner-tape. Remember? And when you found the hidden flat bread, you gave me the prize because you know I’m fond of pickled tolk.”

She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Spiner-tape and pickled tolk aren’t very good gifts.”

“But they are,” he argued. “I’ve already used the spiner-tape twice and ate half the pickled tolk.”

“I want to give you something better,” she said, ignoring his protest. “You’ve been so patient with me. I can’t tell you how amazing the last few days have been. Then I realized something today; I’m not afraid of your touch.”

He sounded an enthusiastic rattle. “Those words are the best gift you could ever give me!”

Biting her lip, she gestured at the blankets and pillows. “Well, I want to go further than words tonight. I thought maybe I could give you some pleasure back.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” he insisted, worried that she was pushing herself because she felt obligated. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the trust they’d built.

“I don’t feel obligated,” she assured him. “I want to go further. I think I’m ready for your hands. Not that your tongue isn’t talented, but I really want to feel your hands on me. Could we do that?”

Her words affected him so profoundly that the blood shot to his groin, making him slightly lightheaded for a sub-mark.

“I can’t think of anything I’d want to do more,” he answered, trying very hard not to growl.

Suddenly, she looked apprehensive. “But we might need to stop.”

“Loreline, all you have to do is make a single negative sound and I’ll stop. Remember the storage closet and the walking-torch leg?”

A confident smile unfurled across her face. “That’s right. You’re really good at the wholestellianthing.”

“You can tap on me, say no or stop, and everything halts,” he reminded her. The scent glands in his cheeks were full and aching. “But before we do anything, may I scent mark you?”

“I’d like that,” she murmured and climbed into his lap.

Isla

To Isla’s surprise, her heart wasn’t beating out of her chest. She felt calm and centered as she snuggled against Tisuran. As with all their previous intimate encounters, he kept his arms away from her, careful not to hold her in a way that would make her feel trapped.

Snuggling against his chest, she let contentment wash over her. “Okay,” she whispered.

He was sounding a strong, steady purr as he rubbed the scent glands in his cheeks into her hair. The air filled with the smell ofsweet maple, causing her to take a deep breath. She’d never get tired of that smell.

Despite the cool evening air, she felt overly warm. Heat was radiating off Tisuran, making her feel like she was surrounded by her own personal furnace. Now that her hair was saturated with bonding oil, he nuzzled her neck and pushed the collar of her omnie out of the way so he could kiss her shoulder.

She kept expecting him to bring his hands up to help undress her, but he didn’t. The spark of frustration surprised her. Was she annoyed that he was being so respectful?

No, that wasn’t it. She was irritated because she wasn’t being more adventurous.

Determined to make up for her earlier timidity, she wiggled around until she was kneeling between his legs and facing him. Her hands were shaking as she pulled at the ties to the omnie. The heavy garment fell open, revealing the thin wrap underneath.

After shrugging out of the omnie, she reached for the ties on the wrap, falling into a familiar rhythm of untying the ubiquitous garment. Everything stalled once the ties released. Gripping the front edges of the wrap, she froze in place. Her heart sped up and all she could hear was a roaring in her ears. Frustration hit her at the same time fear made her start swallowing compulsively.

She wanted this. She wanted to touch him and have him touch her. Wanted to see him naked, something she hadn’t experienced yet. She wanted more than his mouth on her.

But her hands were locked tight. She couldn’t get her fingers to release. Tears gathered in her eyes, obscuring her vision.

What was wrong with her?

“I have a suggestion,loreline.”

---