“You are what I want. Never doubt that.” The directness of his words sears me.

The scales of Ari’s body press against my ass, smooth and cool before movement and slickness smear against the skin there. I swallow from nerves. On an anatomical level, I’m aware that males of our kind extrude their cocks but have never been on the receiving end.

Ari moans and the wet slide of a tapered thickness slides between my ass cheeks. I freeze at the size of him as the member moves between us even as our hips are flush.

Fear clogs my throat. “I’ve never…”

Embarrassment makes it hard to speak, but Ari stops moving, gentling his grip, stroking my cock lazily. The softness of the touch melts my tension.

“You’ve never…” Ari trails off, no ridicule in his voice. If anything, there’s a warmth. It makes it easier to finish my statement.

“Done this with a man.” Or with a serpent kin, though that’s hardly a surprise.

Ari kisses up my neck. “If I was a better man, I’d say we could keep it like this...”

His grip strokes up my cock as he trails off. He’s giving me an out. I should take it. I should settle for the sensation of him touching me, of his cock grinding against me, because I know if I give him all of me… I’ll never be the same. But logic isn’t ruling this encounter. Logic isn’t what broke down every hesitation.

“No. I want you. I want to feel you inside me,” I gasp.

If I break, I break for him, but he’ll never know that. I may not be able to hide how my body reacts to him, but he’ll never know how much further his reach extends, how embedded he is in my very soul.

Ari hums, pleased. “We’ll go slow.”

The end of his tail slaps against my ass cheek and I grunt as it slides between them, slick from whatever lubrication comes from Ari’s body and will soon be inside me.

His cock slides against my asshole at the same time as something slimmer penetrates me. I suck in a breath at the odd sensation.

“Easy, sweet, just the tail to start,” Ari says. His tail makes a coaxing circular motion and I flush hot.

The sound that leaves my throat when Ari strokes up my cock is undignified. He chuckles in my ear. “Does it feel good?”

“Yes,” I gasp. “T-Too good.”

Ari’s lips brush my neck, and he squeezes my erection mercilessly. “No coming yet, my viper.”

I wince, but the tickle of his tail against something inside me has my hips thrusting forward helplessly. “Ah!”

Ari groans into my ear and the coils of his tail get tighter around me. We repeat the actions and sounds I hardly recognize fall from my lips.

“Ari!” Desire eclipses my pride.

Ari slides his tail free with a whispered curse and I’m left panting until the tip of his cock curls against my asshole. I question the dexterity of that part of him but lose that train of thought at the way it circles the puckered entrance again. It spreads more lubrication and I groan helplessly as my body relaxes into each teasing lick.

“That’s it, my viper, relax for me.” Ari twists his hand around my cock, and I curse. Eventually his cock moves on from massaging my entrance to moving inside of me.

The tip of him enters me easily. I throb around the invasion and grunt, clutching any part of Ari I can reach, fingers sliding over scales.

“I know you like a little bit of pain, but I’ll be careful.” His wicked tone races fire up my spine as more of him slides inside me, widening as his length grows.

The stretch burns, but he goes slowly, whispering words I’ve never heard from another person before. If I weren’t having my insides rearranged by him, my brain might have picked up the soft sweet words, but all the stimulation makes it hard to breathe.

Each move is a soft pulse that presses against a place inside me and has me crying out.

“More,” I beg.

“Patience.” There’s a smile in Ari’s voice but it’s tight. “Don’t tempt me to give you more than you can handle.”

I groan in surrender.