Forbidden Craving: The Nymph King / The Beautiful Ashes. Gena Showalter
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“No, me.”
“I neeeed you.”
Then, “Valerian! You came back for me.”
All three swung around to beckon him over.
Mated nymphs didn’t usually attract females with the same potency and fervor as unmated ones. Still. He pulled Shaye in front of him, using her as a shield.
“Take one and go, Aeson.”
“You’re taking me.” The black beauty stepped forward and clasped Aeson’s hand.
He gazed at her with adoration as he led her from the room.
The other two females pouted.
Shaye humphed. “So. You’re a pimp as well as king.”
He ignored her and waved in his cousin’s direction. “Joachim is in need of a lover. Any interest?”
Both women sashayed to him without question.
“You’re so big,” the darker skin woman cooed.
“And strong,” added the delightfully plump redhead.
Joachim backed away, determined to resist. “I’ve already made my choice?” he said, the words a question rather than a statement. “The...the pale one is to be mine, and I must guard her door this night. For that reason, you...cannot...touch...me. Touch me.” The last was an unrestrained moan of helpless capitulation.
They’d reached him, their hands already stroking him.
Valerian almost grinned. “Shaye won’t mind if you forgo standing guard at her door this night. A man has needs, and she understands.” Or rather, he prayed she understood.
“Needs,” the lost-in-a-passion-haze warrior repeated.
“I need your naked skin sliding against mine,” the redhead said, breathless.
“I need you, hot in my mouth.”
Joachim audibly swallowed. “Valerian,” he began, a tremor in his tone.
Shouldn’t smile. “Go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“The pale one—”
“Will remain untouched.” Tonight. Only tonight. “I’ve given you my word, and I’ll keep it.” Even if Shaye begged him for more.
The thought caused him to harden painfully. He wanted her to beg.
The redhead shoved her friend and jumped into Joachim’s arms. “I’ll make you forget her.”
“I trust you, cousin.” Joachim strode away then, and the woman clung to him.
“Wait,” Valerian called. “Take the other to Shivawn. If you’d like a man of your own?” he asked her.
She brightened. “Yes, please.”
Joachim held out his hand, and the other woman eagerly rushed over to claim it.
The trio disappeared beyond the corner.
Valerian allowed his grin to peek through. He had Shaye to himself, Joachim otherwise occupied.
“Unbelievable,” Shaye muttered.
He gripped her shoulders to twist her around. “Just what do you find so unbelievable?”
“The amount of communal sex to be had, of course. Haven’t you people heard of STDs?” Her pique painted her cheeks a soft shade of rose. As if the moon would soon vanish in place of the sun.
Lust boiled in his blood. He’d touched the softness of her skin today, but he had yet to taste her. He’d held her, but he had yet to make love to her. He wanted to strip her. To sink deep inside her. To pound, hard and fast, pleasuring her with long, demanding strokes.
She looked at him, as if she herself had just realized they were finally alone, and her nostrils flared. With desire?
He fisted his hands at his sides to keep himself from reaching out again.
“Listen to me very closely.” The words were nothing more than a growl of barely restrained need. “I want you, but I can’t have you. If you don’t lock yourself inside the suite right now, I’m going to forget my vow to leave you untouched and use every weapon in my sensual arsenal to tempt you.”
Her eyes widened, the rich velvet-brown flicking with sparks of arousal. Her breath caught, and she inched away from him.
“If you exit the suite,” he added, “I’ll view it as an invitation to begin your seduction.”
She spun on her heel and sprinted past the door. Click.
For a long while, Valerian stood in place, desperate to follow her, willing the door to open.
When his blood cooled, he scrubbed his face with a shaky hand. Having a mate was going to be murder on his body, it seemed, for he foresaw a long, painful night ahead—with no real end in sight.
SHAYE’S HEART THUNDERED in her chest, pounding so hard she feared her ribs would crack; her ears rang loudly, and she covered them with her hands to block out the awful sound. She sank onto the edge of a decadent made-for-sex bed with red silk sheets and a velvet comforter.
Not daring to breathe, she stared at the door.
She remained in that exact position for over an hour, anticipatory. Part of her wanted Valerian to storm inside the room to begin seducing her.
Begin. As if he hadn’t already.
Before she’d left him, his gaze had scorched her. If she’d remained with him, that heat would have burned her alive.
A new card idea had taken root. We should probably have sex before we rush into dating.
She gulped. If any man could tempt her...
No! She wouldn’t be a fool for lust or love or whatever the heck he wanted to call...whatever the heck was going on between them, accepting whatever crap he happened to dish.
She rested her head against the bedpost, which was intricately carved with—what else?—naked females.
So far Valerian had proved to be a man of his word—which meant he would remain guard just outside the door all freaking night.
He would always tell her the truth, huh?
“This is your personal love shack, right? And those three women, you bagged and tagged them?” she called.
A pause. She expected the silence to continue.
Then he said, “Yes.”
Well, well. The truth, even when it hurt. A rarity. A trait she admired greatly and had always hoped to find in someone else.
Maybe I should stay with him? Just for a little while.
Okay, wow. Part of her had to be looking for any reason to stay. Which was the very reason she had to escape tonight. No way she should stick around until morning, when he and the other warrior, Joachim, would fight for ownership of her, as if she were property.
“I’m not a trophy,” she muttered. “I’m not a prize for Valerian and his sex squad to battle to the death over.”
“Yes, Moon, you are.”
The huskiness of his voice gave her a jolt of pure pleasure, making her heart skip a beat and heat coast over her skin.
Trembling now, she jumped to her feet and traversed one of the bridges, careful to avoid the pits. She paced. A large, sunken tub had been filled with bubbling water. Or the water never drained. Tendrils of steam curled to the vaulted crystal ceiling, which showcased the now turbulent ocean above. Waves churned