Page 56 of Tail Me No Lies
His lips claimed hers instead of answering. Or maybe that was the answer. She melted against him, losing herself in the feel of him as they lay on the blanket.
“You carry my heart,” he said when he eventually rolled away. “I cannot leave. I will not leave you.”
“Geral outed you. It’s not safe for you to stay.” Ruth regretted the words the instant she said them. She wasn’t trying to make Nox leave, but she’d rather he be safe than with her. “It’s not safe here anymore, is it?”
Night sounds filled the air. The grass whispered in the breeze. Sparkle bugs surrounded them. The stars stretched above, twinkling lights on a black velvet sky. Nox held her hand, their fingers laced together.
Ruth desperately wanted to turn her head and study Nox’s profile, to memorize the way he looked when the stars reflected in his eyes, but she couldn’t. Not yet. This feeling inside her was too new, too fragile, and she had to shield it from hurt, just in case he decided to leave after all.
“I will not act out of panic because of one male who spouts nonsense. However, there are risks if I remain,” he said, finally speaking. “I doubt Geral has the means to get a message to my uncle. He does not mix with the same crowd as my uncle and me. However, it is a possibility.”
The tension in her chest eased. “That sounds like you’re staying.”
“If you will have me. There is no one else for me, Ruth, but you must know the risk. My uncle is not a forgiving male.”
Ruth rolled to face him and propped herself up on an elbow. “I’ll have you.”
He tugged her to him, rolling until he had her pinned under him. “Be certain,” he warned. “I intend to claim you, and I will never let you go.”
She lifted her head to press a light kiss to his lips. “The specimens are almost ready to harvest. Another three weeks and we can leave. Go anywhere. Disappear. I can go back to Earth if I have to.”
The future was uncertain, shifting and filled with the unknown, but that did not matter if they were together. “I’ve never been more certain. I’ve known since the moment I saw you walk off that shuttle.”
He grinned, exposing his fangs. “I believe you said ‘no’ when you saw me.”
“If you want to get technical.”
“Oh, I want to get very technical.” He rocked his hips forward.
Ruth groaned. “I’m wearing too many clothes. Do something about that.”
“Bossy,” he murmured, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Assertive.”
“Mine.” His lips captured hers in a soft, slow kiss and grew heated as it deepened.
Ruth didn’t know how or the precise moment when, but Nox won her heart. The attraction had been instant and so blatant that even she couldn’t miss the signs. Love, though, was subtle. It was every dinner when Nox asked about the day’s work and listened, genuinely interested. It was the way he made sure she stopped for a break at midday and ate. The way he was absolutely ready to rip people to shreds for looking at her the wrong way, and, yes, she could admit to being not the greatest person in the world for loving that. For loving him. He was far from perfect, but he was hers. Perfect for her.
She felt a tug at the edge of her panties before they were torn away. Nox held the fabric to his nose and inhaled. His pupils widened, making his eyes appear black. Starlight shone in them.
He growled before lunging for her. He pushed up the fabric of her dress, exposing her stomach. His kisses blazed a trail downwards. He caressed and licked every inch he could reach, like he was determined to memorize her curves.
Ruth stroked the soft skin of his ears. A shudder ran through him. He paused, his eyes closed, and he leaned his head into her hand.
His eyes snapped open. His hand sought the juncture of her thighs. He stroked her there, parting her folds and teasing a path from her clit to her entrance. “I will mark you as mine. Tell me now if you do not want my claim.”
She didn’t have to think about it. “I want you to claim me. Make me yours.”
His finger rubbed circles around her clit, easily bringing her to the brink. It wasn’t fair the way he played her body like an instrument. Every touch was right.
He kissed the inside bend of her knee and the soft flesh of her inner thigh, then he pushed inside her.
She felt an overwhelming pressure as her body adjusted to his size. He pulled back, dragging his length and all the nodules on his cock along her channel. When he surged forward, she felt every inch of him. With his arms planted on either side of her head, Nox stared down at her with a hungry gaze as his hips snapped forward. She rose to meet him, their bodies joining in a furious rush of ecstasy.
He flipped her over and put her on her knees. Her head down, the dress fell forward, exposing her. He filled her again, slamming into her with enough force that she cried out in surprise. She couldn’t think. He drove out all rational thought until it was only them and their breathing and their heartbeats.
Nox
