Page 101 of Akur

“I cannot offer you much. My life is dangerous, my world harsh. I am not…” His claws flexed against her skin. “I am not what most would consider a worthy mate. But if you would have me, everything I am is yours.”

She pressed her fingers against his lips, stopping his words.

“Everything you are?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Your honor? Your strength? Your stubbornness that drives me absolutely mad?” A soft laugh escaped her, watery but real. “Akur, don’t you understand? That’s exactly what I want. I…I want you, Akur. Scars, dangers, harsh world and all. I want your strength, your determination, your…” Her voice caught. “Your way of looking at me like I’m the only being in the universe. Like I’m…”

“Special?” He breathed. “Important?” He’d known she was both of those things, but he hadn’t known she was both those things forhim. Not till it had been almost too late.

He tugged her closer, his hands finding her hips despite the tremble in his digits, and she shuddered against him, lips finding his once more. He was never good with words. Action was his sort of thing. “I don’t have much strength left.” A faint smile tugged at his mouth. “So if you’re going to stop me, do it now.”

Her answer came as a giggle against his lips. “We can’t do that,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his jaw. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” His claws slipped beneath the fabric of her tunic to rest against her bare skin. “Just…slow.”

27

Akur

Kon-stahns inhaled deeply,nuzzling into him before a delicious shiver went through her frame. When she began peeling away the barriers between them, his lifeblood pumped so hard he swore he soaked the bandages. As the fabric slipped over her head, the sight of her left him breathless.

“Stars…you’re beautiful,” he rasped, drinking her in.

Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she reached for him, her hands gentle as they explored the planes of his chest, careful to avoid the bandages.

“You’re…hurting,” she murmured, her brow furrowed with concern as her fingers brushed against a particularly nasty gash near his ribs.

He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

She looked up then. A genuine smile crossed her face. Then her eyes went thoughtful. “I know what might make you feel better.”

“What?” he almost growled. He could already tell whatever it was would drive him to the edge of sanity.

“A blowjob.”

Akur paused. She’d mentioned that before. He remembered.

“You have promised this job of blows before.”

Kon-stahns giggled. “A what now?”

“I must admit, bright eyes. Getting blows of any nature wasn’t exactly what I was imagining…”

She chuckled this time before lifting a hand to wipe at her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m laughing. Days ago, I thought you were dead. The sun stopped shining.”

“Days?” He eased up slightly, wincing with the effort. “We have been on this vessel for many turns?”

Her mirth disappeared and she dipped her chin to her chest a few times.

And all that time, she’d been trying to keep him alive. “Kon-stahns…”

Her hand slid lower, her fingers tracing the line of his abdomen. Despite himself, his hips tilted upward into her touch.

“Maybe I need this more than you,” she whispered, gaze dropping to his hips. They were covered with a thin sheet of film he couldn’t name. Something she’d obviously spread there to give him some decency. “Let me show you what I mean.”

Her fingers dipped underneath the film and brushed against the sensitive slit of his pouch. He shuddered immediately, a wave of heat washing over him. He’d been so focused on her, on the feel of her hands on his skin, that he hadn’t realized how near to the edge he was already.

Kon-stahns slid down, gaze on his as she lowered her head. Her lips brushed against the sensitive skin of his inner thigh, sending shivers of pleasure radiating through him. He groaned, his hands tangling in her hair, his fingers tightening as she continued her exploration, her touch growing bolder, more confident.

She pressed her lips there, a soft, lingering contact that made him arch his back, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Then, the film barrier disappeared. Her lips found the slit of his pouch, her tongue tracing the sensitive line.

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