Page 51 of Take No Prisoners
Efren must have taken the lick as a challenge because he sucked Niall down with so much force, Niall couldn't think for a few seconds. The tingle of Efren's beard on his raised thigh almost tickled, but it felt so good he didn't care. He forgot what he was doing, relishing in sensation until Efren's blunt nails pinched the skin at his hip, reminding him to reciprocate.
He did his best to copy Efren's movements, rolling his lips over his teeth so he wouldn't hurt Efren as he took him in. He tried to take Efren deep and choked. His eyelashes beaded with tears, but he refused to give up, trying again and again to work past his gag reflex until he could take most of Efren's cock. The rest, he grasped with his fingers, loving the feel of hot silky skin above and coarse hair below. He loved how each twirl of his tongue inside Efren's foreskin made the captain's legs tremble. Efren was already close, and Niall had pushed him to that edge. Niall took pride in his efforts, the same contentedness he felt from his pottery.
Efren's tongue teased the opening in Niall's cock head, and he nearly lost it, popping off Efren's cock to take a deep breath to steady his nerves. He wanted to last, but he was quickly losing that battle. He took another shuddering breath and returned to Efren's cock, possibly too aggressively. Tears filled his eyes again, but he held on, gently tugging on Efren's balls.
This time, Efren moaned around his cock and salty-sweet liquid pooled in Niall's mouth. He tried his best to swallow it all down.
He'd done that. He'd pushed Efren over the edge first. That knowledge made him come undone, and he spilled into Efren's mouth. He whimpered around Efren's cock from the intensity.
Efren continued sucking and licking Niall through every twitch and shudder. Niall kept his mouth latched onto Efren, as well, loving the feel of Efren's softening cock as he held it in his mouth.
The sound of a door opening below sent them both scrambling.
"That will be Stan," Efren said. "I'll race you to the beach."
Niall was lost in the sound of footfalls on the stairs. When he glanced at the foot of the bed, the last place he'd seen Efren, there was no one there, only drapes fluttering in the early morning breeze.
Niall tossed the sheets aside and bounced across the mattress to the foot of the bed. There was a balcony outside the window. He hopped onto it and quickly found the ladder down to the beach. Luckily, the only spectators were more trees so dense they blocked the view.
Efren let out a whoop as he dove face-first into the ocean. Niall almost lost his footing trying to follow and half-slid to the bottom of the ladder. He passed two towels tossed carelessly in the sand above the tide line and he kept running, diving in behind Efren and tackling him in the roiling surf.
"Nice balcony."
"I didn't have a chance to show you around last night."
Efren tossed him a bar of soap. He almost let it sail past, but a spray of water caught it and held it in place for him.
"Convenient."
Efren laughed. "I suppose. I need to work off the big meal we had yesterday. You'll want to eat up for breakfast, too. Magic burns more calories than sex, which burns enough as it is."
Niall's soapy fingers touched on spots still sensitive from their morning exertions, and his whole body felt too warm. Was that all this was? A little morning workout? He didn't dare ask, for fear Efren would call it more harmless fun, same as on the ship.
Niall had been foolish, he realized as the sun broke free of the horizon. He was already too attached. He liked Efren far beyond a bedfellow but telling him that would be a disaster. Whether he admitted it or not, the captain was still hung up on Vadim. The death weaver had weaved a spell over Efren's heart, one so tight Niall wasn't sure there was room for anyone else.
Niall needed to guard his own heart before he broke it all on his own.
Chapter 12
Efren
Petri, the lovely person Efren paid to clean his house weekly, even when he wasn't there, also ran a food stand. Efren followed his nose to the delicious smell of fried chicken gravy. Petri themself wore a light linen wrap with a thick red belt around their waist. Their black hair was twisted into a bun on top of their head, a look they often kept after changing into linen pants and a tunic for afternoon chores.
"Captain Efren," Petri said. "Good to see you. I will get out to your house later today to air it out."
"No rush." Efren held up two fingers to indicate he was paying for Niall's meal, as well. "Anything break while I was gone?"
"We had one bad storm, but the roof held. The earth weavers have been around to fix the weak spots. No leaks this time."
After six months, Efren had expected more repairs, but Petri's preventive maintenance for the last six years had kept Efren from needing the more expensive repairs his neighbors bemoaned after each storm.
"I've purchased the small cabin next door, as well."
"Yes." Petri grinned. "That needs a new roof, and the lovely Olivia would probably like some colorful paint on the windowsills."
"How did you know it was Olivia's?" Efren asked.
They laughed. "Captain Efren, the entire island knew the moment Martiz's middle son stepped foot in the Den." The Sea Dog's Den was the main watering hole on the island. "There's only one way to get him to keep a secret."
