Page 23 of The Knotty Clause

“May I?” she asked softly, and felt him tremble as he nodded.

She slid her fingers into the silky thatch, searching for his hidden erection. She found the thick sheath and ran her fingers gently down the length of it. When she reached the base he jerked and she pressed more firmly against that spot. His cock sprang free, hot and hard against her palm, and he groaned.

The swollen length was as white as the rest of his skin, glistening in the dim light, but a thick red vein spiraled around the shaft, pulsing at her touch.

“You’re magnificent,” she whispered, tracing that tempting red line. “I want to taste you.”

CHAPTER 12

Yede froze at Gemma’s words. He couldn’t believe that she’d said that, that she’d touched him, that she was looking at him as if he were the best thing she’d ever seen.

She looked up at him, waiting for his response. His head spun. He wanted this—her touch, her warmth, the sweet look in her eyes—so much that he ached, but the fear was still there. His carefully constructed walls had crumbled, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. Images of his lost family flashed through his mind, followed by visions from his nightmare—Gemma and Liam vanishing into darkness.

He started to pull away.

“I can’t—” he began, but she curved her small fingers around his cock and he couldn’t move.

“Let me take care of you, Yede,” she said quietly. “It’s just you and me here. Nothing else exists.”

“But—”

“I know you’re scared. I am too. But running away won’t make it better.”

His muscles tensed, caught between flight and surrender, but he couldn’t deny the truth in her words. Three years of isolation and he felt as raw and vulnerable as he had the day he heard about his family.

“Let me take care of you,” she repeated and bent her head, her hair tumbling over his thighs.

The first touch of her lips on his sensitive shaft sent pleasure arcing through him, obliterating any further protest. His fingers curled against the stone as she licked a long path down his length.

“Mmm.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his and a shiver shot down his spine. “You taste wonderful. Sweet and minty.”

He barely managed to gasp out a thanks before she circled the tip of his cock with her tongue. The combination of her warm tongue and the cool air on his damp skin made him shudder. He could feel his pre-cum leaking from the tip of his cock, and her soft hum of pleasure vibrated through his body, leaving him quivering.

Her small hand couldn’t circle his entire shaft, and he felt the pressure of her fingers as she squeezed. She licked her way down the side of his erection until she reached the sensitive point where his cock emerged from the sheath. Her mouth was hot and wet as she sucked the tender flesh into her mouth.

He growled, his hips instinctively arching upwards, and she moaned and took him in even deeper. Her other hand stroked his length, the rhythm picking up pace. Her hair brushed against his stomach, and he buried his hand in the silky strands, needingsomething to hold onto as she worked his cock. Her tongue lapped at the base of his cock and he groaned. He was already on the verge of coming.

“You have to stop,” he gasped, but she only tightened her grip.

“Not yet.”

She licked her way back up to the tip of his cock, her hot little mouth impossible to resist. She looked up at him at her lips closed over him once more, her eyes dark with desire. She took him in deep, his entire cock surrounded by her hot, wet mouth, and he couldn’t hold back. He exploded, a roar escaping his lips as ecstasy ripped through his body and he erupted into her mouth. His body shuddered and his vision blurred as his seed poured out of him in pulse after pulse while she swallowed eagerly.

He fell backwards, his back hitting the stone with a thud, as the last of his climax shuddered through his body. He was completely spent, utterly drained, and shaken to the depths of his being. She smiled up at him, her face so warm and… loving that he panicked.

“I… I have to go.” He expected her to object, but she didn’t say anything, just watched as he scrambled awkwardly to his feet, her eyes dark and unreadable. “I’m sorry.”

He turned and fled, not even bothering to pick up his clothes before racing down the hallway and out into the blizzard. The water on his fur froze immediately, sending spikes of cold though his system but he ignored the pain, falling to his knees in the snow. The guilt battering him was far more painful, threatening to crush him. He’d allowed himself to hope, to feel, to connect—and in doing so, he’d risked not only his heart buthers as well. He had no right to offer her something he knew he couldn’t fully give.

Can I?

Memories flooded his mind—her smiling at him across the table, helping Liam with his lessons, concentrating on the decorations to brighten his home, the gentle way she’d broken through his defenses time and again.

I can’t lose her. I can’t lose them.

The thought of returning to his solitary existence, of never seeing her smile or hearing Liam’s laughter again, created an ache deeper than any he’d felt since losing his family.

The connection between them wasn’t something he could simply ignore or push aside, no matter how much safer that might feel. Every instinct screamed at him to retreat, to protect himself from potential pain, but for the first time in years, the walls he’d built didn’t feel like protection—they felt like a prison.

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