Tempting Auzed (Clecanian, #4)

by Victoria Aveline

With a small grin, she took him into her mouth. The buck of his hips was unexpected, as was the string of curses he let out at the feel of her tongue swirling around his head.

Her dark brown hair fell in waves over her back, and her lashes were lowered, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked him deeper into her mouth. His fingers itched to bury themselves in her hair and feel the rocking of her head back and forth, but he didn’t trust himself not to squeeze too tightly.

Like lightning, his hand shot down and speared into her hair just like he’d imagined, but instead of feeling her move on him, he tugged her away. She released him with a pop, breathing hard.

“You taste like sunshine.” A harsh groan exploded out of him, and his mouth descended on hers with enough force to push them both into the soft mattress.

Gripping her face with both his hands, he caught her gaze. “If I could only look at one thing as I lay dying, it’d be your face.”

“I’ve just never had sex this way before.” Her hand stilled while tracing the shell of his ear, and her eyes widened in shock. “Never?” Heat raced up his neck, and the urge to explain away his inexperience flared. “Clecanian females have pleasure centers deep inside, not outside. The easiest way to reach it is from behind.”

Rather than pushing into her right away, he remained on his haunches, admiring the view. He let his palms slide along her thighs and then higher, watching as her nipples pebbled into hard points and the flush returned to her chest.

With patience he didn’t know he had, he pressed into her core, tight and wet for him. She let out a moan of pleasure and buried her hand in his hair.

She arched her back up to him so sweetly, rocking her hips to help bury him deeper. When he was seated fully, he grazed his teeth over the side of her breast, nipping gently before moving to the other side.

Her cry only intensified, and he realized with a wide grin that in this position, the small pleasure center at her opening had direct contact with his body. No wonder she liked it.

Alex’s gaze grew concerned. Lowering to his forearms on either side of her shoulders, he framed her head with his hands and ran his gaze over her face, needing to look at her. Needing her to look at him.

She must’ve seen it in his eyes because her grin faded too. They gazed at each other. Warmth and passion and tenderness sparking between them and turning the joining of their bodies into something…more.

Clutching at his neck, she kissed him back and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. At length, he drew out of her and began rocking into her with slow thrusts, angling his hips so the pressure never left her pleasure center.

The purr that broke from his chest was deep and resonant. She whimpered into his mouth and shuddered underneath him, her orgasm already so close.

The rocking motion of his hips became rougher as he felt her muscles clench around him. He gazed down...

His shaft swelled inside her, the convulsions of her core too much for him to take. Slamming into her with his head buried against her cheek, he quickly found his own release. He roared against her hair as he came, pulsing inside her.

He’d do it, sacrifice the life he’d grown used to…but only if it meant forever. He’d need to convince her to become a demskiv. To be shunned and sneered at by most of the Clecanian population for the rest of their lives. He’d be treated even worse. Not only would he be considered a male who’d stolen a female away but one who’d stolen a human, someone else’s potential mate.

He was just too much. Too good. Too sexy. Too honorable. She’d already started wondering if it would be possible to see him every day and not be reduced to a sobbing puddle of tears and hormones.

Her body heated as other memories assailed her. He stilled, then turned to her with a raised brow and flaring nostrils. “If there weren’t cameras watching your every move, I’d take care of that need for you. But since I cannot, I’d kindly ask that you control yourself, female.” He shot her a wolfish grin, flashing white teeth, and she blushed.

“The competitor listing says he’s competing for eligibility.” When both humans shot him confused glances, he went on. “It means he got into trouble and his marriage eligibility was taken away. If the crime was minor enough and the allotted time has passed, some males can petition to compete for reinstatement of their eligibility. But they rarely win.

“Wh…what did she say?” Alex forced herself to ask. Auzed looked up at her, and his green eyes seethed with barely contained fury. “I’m no longer head guard.”

He crowded her. “And yes, I hesitated, but not because I’d be married to a demskiv. It’s because if we were together, I would worry about losing you every single day. So, thank you. You showed me I was spot on. I was going to lose you no matter what I did.”

From the corner of her eye, she noticed people floating toward them, but neither Meg nor Daunet were among the group. Ice sluiced down her spine. Fierad led. The king traveled behind, flanked by two soldiers. And there was one other person…Relli?

“Apologies, I’m just excited to see justice served. Auzed, I have a signed order here to have you swayed.”

“See, when the regents confirmed your resignation papers were in order, I realized that since you aren’t head guard anymore, there’s nothing stopping us from swaying you.”

“Did Alejandra say she’d marry you?” Fierad asked with a wide smile. Alex sucked in a breath. What could she do? Was there some kind of diversion she could make? “Yes, Alejandra said she’d marry me,” Auzed answered in a monotone.

“No. Wait!” Fierad found his voice. “I don’t understand…” He spun on Relli. “Is this your doing? I’ve had my reservations about you, demskiv, but if you’d stoop to that level—” Relli let out a squeak as Fierad lunged at her.

But before any person could reach him, Wilson had propelled herself off Alex’s shoulder and buried her tiny claws into Fierad’s face. She scratched and blasted shrill trumpets into his ears.

“Relli, is it?” “Yes, Majesty.” She nodded with wide eyes. He gave her a small, restrained smile. “A superior treating a subordinate like that is unacceptable. I assure you, Fierad is in for a demotion as well as relocation. As I’m in charge of the rangers in Sauven, I’d like to formally apologize for his actions as well as his bias toward you.”

“Go nominate yourself, girl!” Alex whispered back, then watched her hop onto Fierad’s vacated travel platform.

“I was under the sway. I didn’t lie.” “But—” He focused on her, and his green eyes hardened. “You did offer to marry me. Once. You may not remember, since it clearly wasn’t sincere, but I do. A Clecanian male would never forget an offer like that.”

In the kitchen of the nest on their first night here. She’d been a moment away from breaking down, and she’d offered. But he’d turned her down. If I married you, it wouldn’t be to get out of a lie. And it wouldn’t be because you pity me or feel indebted or because you’re desperate.

No matter how many times she went over their crash-and-burn ending, she couldn’t get rid of her guilt. It wasn’t entirely her fault that he’d lost his job. Sauven had pushed for it, but she still felt bad that after all they’d been through, she was left with some hope of returning home and he was left with nothing. Would he find another job somewhere? Would she ever see him again?

He stopped a few feet from her house and stared at her door. All the windows were tinted, so while she could look out, he luckily couldn’t see her pressing her face to the glass like a lunatic.

“What is it?” Her voice was breathless. Normally she’d be embarrassed by how desperate she sounded. “I happened to see there was a new play coming to Tremanta. We…ah…we’d talked about it, so I figured—” He gestured to the card flippantly, as if the incredibly thoughtful gesture was no big deal. “There are two passes on there, so you can take someone else.” He caught her gaze. “Meg or Lily maybe.”

have to go.” He spun on his heel. Not knowing what she would say or how she’d explain herself, she caught his arm.

Quicker than lightning, his arm flashed out and wrapped around her. He slammed her tight against his body, his lips crashing over hers in a frenzied kiss.

Her tongue slid over his, and he groaned, taking her mouth in a punishing kiss. This wasn’t like before. There was no slow build, no whispered words or tender caresses. This was desperation incarnate.

He lifted off her body only long enough to hike up the short, flowy, pale-green dress she liked to sleep in. He pulled it up to her chin and delved his fingers between her thighs.

At some point, while the pulses of her orgasm burned through her, he’d freed himself from his pants. The broad head of his shaft probed her opening, and she spread her knees farther apart, needing him inside her.

In one harsh thrust he buried himself, stretching her wide, almost to the point of pain.

One hand fisting her hair, he thrust into her again, pressing his mouth to her forehead and growling with pleasure. With her arms clutching his waist and her legs wrapped around his hips, she basked in the knowledge that he was in her arms, loving her in his own wild way.

Thrusts growing frantic, his arms encircling her head tightened. He’d made love to her before, but now, he was claiming her. No matter where she went, she’d always be his.

He moaned and rocked his hips in exactly the right spot. Her orgasm crashed through her, inner muscles convulsing around his cock, still deep inside.

He pressed her face into the crook of his neck and bellowed, pulsing inside her and coating her core in hot liquid.

“I am reinstating you as head guard of the Pearl Temple.” She smiled with tight lips. Auzed couldn’t stop his jaw from going slack. He studied her face, his confusion warring with…indifference. “My Queen?”

“Alejandra? Did you… Where is she?” The Queens lips twitched. “She’s here in Tremanta. I didn’t swap her for your job if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well, Alejandra came to see me a few days ago.” And just like that, the tension shot back into his body. “She wanted to make a deal to get your job back for you. Very persistent, that one.”

“We came to an arrangement. I spoke to the regents of Sauven and explained that the strain of your time together in Sauven had soured you toward each other. They conceded that your forcible detention may have been excessive and agreed to let you resume your duties. I also promised to send a few willing humans to visit Sauven when the time came.”

“Since Alejandra will, in fact, be marrying another Tremantian instead of you, they agreed you’ve suffered enough.” Buzzing sounded in his ears, and he blinked, unseeing. What had she said? When her words finally registered, he roared, “What?”