Page 35 of Ashborne Forged

I’ll give you a signal. If I lash out in future, if I’m hurting you, you use that to tell me, and I’ll listen. I’ll stop.”

“A signal?”

I nodded, scrambling, praying she wouldn’t ask me why I’d had reasons to use safe words in the past. “Yes, a word or phrase that is benign. But one we won’t use by accident. Something you can say to remind me. To tell me when I’m being harsh. And when you say it, I’ll remember to cool off.”

She swallowed, her eyes trailing off to the woods around her. “I… I’m not sure… it seems—”

The burn behind my navel surged, and I prayed for cool, clear mountain water to douse it. “Tell me the fire needs tending,” I blurted. “Remind me to douse the flame.”

Her brows pinched down over her nose. “The fire needs tending?”

“Yes, if I am being hot-headed. If I’m burning you, or others around me, remind me. Please. I’ll listen. You have my word.”

Sickened by my own short-sightedness and cruelty to her, I sucked in and pushed the memory away, but Grace nodded.

“If you’re hurting, or it stops being pleasurable, you use that signal,” I rasped.

“Douse the flame… tend the fire?”

I nodded. “Either one. That’s your safeguard. The moment you say either of those, I will stop whatever I’m doing immediately. Here, today. Tomorrow. Anywhere, Grace. You have my word.”

She blinked quickly again, but nodded. “I believe you.”

And her simple trust, given so easily, when I’d treated her so poorly, cracked something open in my chest. I hadn’t intended to kiss her yet, but I couldn’t resist. I opened a hand to catch her jaw in the cleft between my thumb and forefinger, holding her throat, but not applying pressure, lifting her chin, and with a thundering breath, I finally kissed her.

A tiny whimper broke from Grace’s throat as our lips touched, and I found her sweet tongue with mine. My hand on her throat trembled and twitched, the other grasping at her hip, as I walked her backward toward the bed, in slow, shuffling steps.

And when her legs hit the box frame and she overbalanced, I let her fall, but followed her with my hands, leaning over her. I would have kissed her again, stroked her, started the true seduction—but she’d misread my intent. She pushed up on her hands, drew her knees up to dig her heels into the bed, and scooted herself back, smiling, her eyes inviting me to follow.

I grinned back, but caught her ankle, shaking my head, and with one short, sharp tug, pulled her back to me, catching the other leg under her knee and opening her legs, pulling her up against me, hard.

Her mouth made an O of surprise, but dropping one leg when she was in the correct position—seated at the edge of the bed, both knees wide, so I stood between them—I caught the back of her neck and held her, kissing her deeply.

Then I broke the kiss with a sharp inhale, taking hold of myself. “Class is in session,” I rasped.

Grace giggled—until I kissed her again.

But as her breath ratcheted up, and her hands began to explore my neck and shoulders, I kissed my way down—down her neck, across her collarbones, down to her breast—using both hands on the backs of her thighs, pulling them wider to make room for my shoulders as I dropped to my knees once more, pausing only to suck at first one nipple, then the other.

Grace stiffened at those attentions, her back arching, and her hands sliding into my hair to hold me into the kiss. I would have broken her grip, but a sudden inspiration took me, and I smiled as I teased and laved that delicious peak.

‘Remember the safe words,’ I sent as I nipped, then opened my mouth wide and sucked.

Grace gasped and arched harder, but still pulled me in. “I will.”

‘Remember to tell me what you like.’

“I like it!” she squeaked.

Huffing with self-satisfied laughter, I began to tease her, nibbling, pinching that peak between my teeth, lightly at first, flicking it with my tongue. At the same time, I slipped one hand between her thighs, and found her, slick with want.

A growl rolled in my throat before I could stop it, and Grace shivered, but her fingers tightened in my hair.

‘Tell me.’

‘I like it!’ she whimpered. ‘Don’t stop!’

Still smiling, I cupped one hand under her thigh, then tipped her up so that she fell back once more, flat onto the bed, and sucked so hard as I did so, that her breast stretched for a moment, before breaking my suction with a soft pop!