Page 40 of The Mage's Rake
“Perhaps this calls for a-a victory celebration,” I added in a mumble.
“Eh?” Hugh cocked his head and then winked at me, reassuring me that he’d heard me loud and clear.
“Idiot,” I muttered, pushing away from him.
“Your rooms?”
For a split second, I hesitated, but then I nodded.
“Sure.”
“Your place feels more homey than mine,” Hugh said as we strolled down the empty hall. “I don’t know if it’s the bookshelves, the plants, or the second laboratory you stuffed in the corner somehow. My room in comparison feels… more like a room in the barracks. Maybe I need to put a bit of you in there somewhere.”
“Well,” I chuckled, “I’m sure I could find some use for a third workstation—“
“Gods. Three? You really need three?”
Joking and laughing, we made our way to my chambers. I was snorting with laughter as we slipped into my rooms, but even though my teasing took on more flirtatious tones, Hugh seemed to want to take his time. He pulled me onto his lap as he took a seat in my largest armchair—but only after he had stoked the fire and rang for some tea and freshly toasted crumpets.
Half an hour later, kissing his warm, butter-flavored lips, I couldn’t help but moan with contentment. Spending the cold Wintermas nights with the warmth that was Hugh was more than I had ever hoped for. Perhaps the rest of the castle was celebrating Wintermas with cheer and chatter and drinking. I, for my part, was happy to simply spend this quiet moment with Hugh.
Buttons popped every which way as Hugh dragged my robes and cotton shirt back, baring my shoulders. Even as his tongueand teeth drew moans out of me, my touches brought Hugh alive. His heartbeat pattered beneath my palm, and I could feel his hard length now pressed against the light cotton between us. My fingers remapped the velvet of his skin, the hard muscles that flexed beneath.
As his lips and tongue traced fresh paths along my jaw and down to my now-bared neck and chest, I half-purred, half-moaned. The fire of his touch inflamed me, and I clung to him, pulling on his shoulders demandingly. I was now straddling his lap, grinding myself against him, but he held me back easily, clearly wanting to take his time. Instead, his lips returned to mine, and his tongue sought out my own. It was a lighthearted duel that intensified as passion drove us to the edge.
It was overwhelming. Emotions rose like a great ocean wave, combined with everything that I had experienced that evening—joy, accomplishment, terror, fear, and pride. There was so much I wished to do, so much I had hoped to accomplish.Nyria and Gaia granting, tonight, I would achieve it all. That or…
Pushing the dark thought away, I focused on the present, on Hugh. With a grunt, Hugh lifted me up and heaved himself to his feet. Our lips parted, and I groaned, glaring at him lustfully. He chuckled and dragged me to my room, where we proceeded to play a game of “distract the tomcat while unclothing each other”. It ended with laughter and breathless kisses.
After pressing me against the pillows and searching out my preferred oils, Hugh paused for a moment. His brown eyes traced lovingly over me. Before, I had always seen myself as scrawny, ungainly, and awkward, but somehow, when Hugh looked at me, I felt handsome, precious even. I blushed and fidgeted.
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” I challenged him.
Hugh’s reddish-brown tail flicked lazily, and his golden-flecked eyes flared a little. His fingers rose to gently lift myspectacles off the tip of my nose and set them aside. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on my lips, as soft as a butterfly’s touch.
“I was just thinking,” he said.
“Bad habit, I heard,” I joked.
Hugh hummed, tilted his head, and contemplated me. This close, I could see the gold flecks in his eyes. Gold and sunlight and hay and horses. His scents surrounded me with a summer’s day warmth that I couldn’t help but bask in. I wondered what he could see in my eyes, experience in my scent.
“I just feel… so happy,” he finally said, his voice deepening with emotion. “So happy… and I want you to be as happy as I am.”
“I am,” I replied softly.
My hands rose to link about his neck. The soft strands of his hair brushed against my fingers. I found myself tangling my hands in his wavy hair and gently massaging the back of his neck in silent encouragement. When he leaned down to offer me another kiss, my tongue enthusiastically dove past his lips, drawn by the invitation of his touch. When we drew apart to find our breath again, the corners of my eyes pricked with unshed tears. Tears of joy.
“Make me even happier,” I whispered. “I challenge you.”
Chapter 17
Hugh
Aknight rises to any challenge placed before him. Alan’s words, roughened with emotion, and his glimmering violet eyes nearly pushed me over the edge. I wanted to devour his lips with kisses and fuck him senseless. Every inch of me screamed to prove my dominance and claim my victory, but I knew that there was more than one way to win the battle. Instead of rushing us to the climactic end, I vowed to take my time and make this moment a night he would remember. Alan Carwick was about to discover my indomitable will and control.
Flashing him with a mischievous grin that made him glare at me reflexively, I began to tease him with light kisses. My lips slowly traced a teasing path down his lightly muscled jaw and neck to the pale velvet of his chest. There, my tongue flicked out to lazily curl around the hard nub of his left nipple. Alan gasped and shuddered, once again releasing the scent I had come to recognize—the familiar scent of smoky wood fire and incense, and behind it all, the teasing hint of rain before the storm.
Alan’s hands, now resting on my shoulder, gripped me hard as he arched up into my touch. A soft moan escaped him, sending shivers down my spine. Desire chased through me, and despite the fact that he couldn’t touch me, I was rock hard from the sight of Alan’s will slowly disintegrating beneath my fingertips and tongue.
