Page 49 of Aria's Desire

She was… perfect.

He trailed his gaze down the smooth expanse of her back, her skin a beautiful warm bronze, to her rounded ass, and the toned length of her legs.

He didn’t know whether he wanted to murder Rellik or hug him in thanks.

The idea of pleasuring one's mate in front of strangers was shocking to him. His people were fiercely possessive. He couldn’t imagine a male baring his female in such a way, nor could he imagine a female Thrarian allowing it. Just the thought of those people out there seeing his Aria like that made him want to kill things.

Strangely though, when he thought of Rellik, Tirox, or Kix watching as he brought her pleasure, the emotion that image sparked wasn’t anger… but desire.

Taking the cloth Rellik handed him with numb fingers, he knelt on the opposite side of the tub from him, watching Aria like a starved predator as she stepped in and sank into the steaming, scented water.

He tried, he really tried, to keep his eyes glued to her shoulder. She was already uncomfortable. He didn’t want to make it worse for her… and he didn’t think he could stand to see reluctance, or worse, revulsion on her face at the thought of them touching her. But when she leaned back, he couldn’t stop himself. His gaze zeroed in on the tight, puckered points of her breasts.

Realizing he’d frozen when he felt fingertips lightly touch the back of his hand, he startled slightly and jerked his head to look at her, belatedly trying to brace himself for what he’d see on her face.

Except she didn’t look disgusted or averse or uncomfortable. She was… smiling?

Stunned, Sin searched for any hint of the reluctance or revulsion he’d feared. There was none. Not so much as a whisper. Instead, her expression was soft, warm. Her small smile was amused, a little wry and, unless his eyes lied to him, aroused. He started to dismiss that as wishful thinking… and then her scent drifted up to him, carried on the steam.

Sucking in another sharp breath, Sin felt his heart stutter before hammering against his chest. He knew that scent. Dreamt of it. Stroked his cock to the memory of it. He knew if he reached between her thighs, he’d find her cunt wet, just as it had been in that cave.

Sliding her fingers over his hand, she held his gaze as she guided him to her, setting the cloth clenched tightly in his grip over her breast.

“Bathe me… my mate,” she breathed.

The words, and the whispered way she said them, set his blood on fire, but they were also a needed reminder that they had an audience. One that thought they were mated, one that wouldn’t understand his hesitation.

Trying to ignore his achingly hard cock and pretend this was normal, that it wasn’t only his second time touching her—or any female— like this, Sin began to rub the cloth over her chest in gentle circles. He kept his movements slow and exceedingly careful, partly so he didn’t accidentally scratch her soft skin with his claws and partly to draw out the exquisite torture for as long as possible.

Hyper focused, yet almost feeling like he was in a daze, Sin tried to commit every second to memory as he bathed her, struggling to maintain control so his movements at least appeared relaxed when he felt anything but.

That control almost snapped when her breath suddenly caught on a moan. Whipping his head up, he followed her gaze and found Rellik, who’d started at her feet, had his hand under the water, between her legs. Jealousy was instant and white-hot. Not that his friend was touching her, but that he’d beaten Sin to it.

It didn’t help his feelings at all that Rellik looked just as tortured as he felt.

With an odd mix of relief, dismay, and a masochistic kind of delight, he watched as Aria stood. Relief because he was nearing the limits of his self-control, dismay because it was over too soon, and maschistic delight because kneeling at her feet, staring up at her, nude and dripping, wasn’t any fucking easier, but goddamn was it good.

After helping her step out of the tub, he and Rellik worked together to dry and dress her. They had to get creative with the chest wrap, as it was meant for Gaiseshi females who had more than two breasts, but the covering for her hips, which ended up looking something like a short loincloth with a strip that went between her legs, was straightforward enough.

Rellik, proving he was either a very good friend or had realized Sin was going to murder him if he didn’t, stepped aside after a brief stare-off so Sin could wrap the loincloth around her.

Aria made a sound in the back of her throat at their short, silent exchange then muttered something almost too low for him to hear. He thought he heard something like ‘sharing is caring,’ but he could’ve been mistaken. He felt half delirious with need, so it was more than possible he heard wrong.

Finished, they stepped back to allow the three males to come forward and ensure she wasn’t hiding any weapons. They kept their touches brief, thankfully, and stepped away again after only a couple of seconds then bowed slightly and waved their hands in unison toward the door.

Arousal was replaced with worry so quickly it left him feeling vaguely ill.

He knew Aria could handle Rellik’s kin. He knew exactly how capable she was in a fight. But that didn’t lessen the fear twisting his gut. It was the same fear he felt every time he knew she was headed into danger and hadn’t lessened at all in the months he’d known her, regardless of having witnessed, repeatedly, how very, very skilled she was.

But, as he always did, he hid it and bit back the words of caution that wanted to rise. Sin would sooner cut out his tongue than take the chance his worry would make her doubt herself or his belief in her.

Instead, he forced a small smile to his face and murmured, “Do not hurt her too badly. She is your kin, now, after all.”

As though his words reminded Rellik that Aria was about to fight his sister, his face spasmed with alarm. “Ah, yes, as he said.” He hesitated, then added, “Perhaps take her down swiftly, to minimize the risk.”

“You do realize she’s got over a foot of height on me and probably close to fifty pounds,” Aria remarked, gazing up at them with raised brows.

Sin frowned, and nodded. “Yes. That is why I advised you not hurt her too badly.”

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