Page 52 of Death and Desire

“Because I want—” She stopped short, unsure of how to say it, how to explain the need coursing through her, drawing her to him.

“What do you want, Violet?” His husky question wove deep into her mind, unraveling the remaining threads of her sanity.

“You already know, don’t you?” She blinked slowly, pulled into a dizzying haze of need. “Desire has a scent, remember?”

“I want to hear you say the words.” His deep voice unrooted something inside her until her hesitation snapped.

“I want you,” she murmured, her voice faltering.

His brow furrowed, forming a crease between his eyes. It was almost comical to see the look of confusion on his houndlike face. And yet, it endeared him to her more.

Violet pulled away from his grip, reaching up to trace her fingers along his jaw. His body tensed beneath her curious touch, but she heard a hum of appreciation in his throat as she stroked her thumb along his muzzle.

There was no fur, only silken skin beneath her fingertips. She traced the contours of his face, along his muzzle, until she reached the base of his ear. Using her nails, she scratched the curve lightly, up to where gold brushed her knuckles, then back down again.

A satisfied growl reverberated from deep within him.

“What is it you seek, my curious little flower?” Anubis rumbled in her ear.

Violet rose up on her toes, straining to bring herself closer to him. He arched down, meeting her halfway. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his muzzle. Another growl rumbled from his throat as she pressed her lips to his warm, soft snout.

“This is not what you want.”

“It is.” She kissed him again, her lips lingering there as her fingertips wandered along his neck, raking bare skin above the gold clasped around his throat. “Have you ever found pleasure with a human, Anubis?”

His breath hitched at her exploration. “I have watched for thousands of years but never indulged in the pursuit of this pleasure.”

Violet drew back, blinking at him. “Never?”

He shook his head. “If this is what you truly desire...”

Anubis’s arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to his chest. She squealed at the sudden movement, aware of his muscles and the press of the gold-banded garment around his hips pushing hard into her stomach.

“Then I will do my best to give you what you need.”

He strode three paces and sat on a bench beneath a palm tree. The same tree where they’d spoken days ago, before she knew who he truly was. She’d wanted him then, but now, fire burned beneath her skin.

Violet moaned at the sensations, rocking her hips as he settled her against him. Her gown rode high on her thighs as he positioned her on his lap.

“Show me what you need,” he murmured in her ear. “Teach me how to bring you pleasure.”

Heat blossomed deep in her chest. She’d been with men before, but only a few—fumbling, inexperienced men who had left her filled with shame and unfulfilled. But Anubis, even in his innocence, was no inexperienced youngster. He was a god, an observer of humanity for eons...and he was asking her to teach him.

Violet placed her hand over his, where it was pressed firmly to her hip. Gently, she guided it to where she needed his touch. Across her stomach, grazing the curve of her breasts. Her breath caught at the sensation pulsing beneath her skin. She wished they were in a secluded space where she could be uninhibited and bared to him. She longed to teach him properly, but her body thrummed with need. She wanted this.Now.

“No one can see us or hear us, my flower.”

He nuzzled her neck, again grazing her breast with his palm. She gasped when a curved nail found a peaked nipple hidden beneath the fabric.

Releasing his hand, she allowed him to take control. He explored her, first with one hand, then the other. His massive palms cupped her breasts, gently squeezing, taking their weight. She moaned.

“You like when I touch you?” he whispered against her throat. His teeth skimmed the juncture where it met her shoulder.

Anubis!she screamed in her mind.Please touch me lower.

“I want to hear yousayit,” he growled as his hands slowly slid over her hips.

“Touch me.” She gasped, writhing. Her body burned for his questing fingers...for his direct command. “Please.”

---