Page 53 of Silent Lucidity

Would she regret it if she didn’t stay with him?

He was an alien, adangerousstranger, and yet something about being with him felt right, feltreal.

Maybe she’d prematurely taken Tenthil’s words to heart. Maybe she’d allowed him to stir up some old, romantic notions and longings she’d thought lost to her forever, but…

“There’s still time to sleep,” Tenthil said softly.

Abella started and opened her eyes. Nothing in his breathing or heartbeat had changed to indicate he was awake. “Is there?”

An affirmative hum rose from his chest, vibrating against her hand to travel along her arm. It sent little tingles through her whole body. His rough and distorted voice, combined with his heat and his solid embrace, reignited the ever-present desire lurking in her core. And now that he was awake…

She breathed in deeply, taking in his clean, masculine scent, and brushed her nose against the base of his throat. His hand on her spine stiffened, his claws slightly pricking her skin where her shirt had ridden up to expose her lower back.

Suddenly, she wasn’t tired at all.

Abella slid her hand down, tracing the musculature of his abdomen, until it reached the edge of the blanket resting over his pelvis.

“Abella?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Hmm?” She lightly ran her fingers back and forth along the blanket’s edge; the low position of the fabric suggested his shirt wasn’t the only article of clothing he’d chosen forgo after his shower.

His stomach trembled, and his breath quickened. He grasped a fistful of the bedding with his free hand as his fingers against her back flexed, intensifying the scrape of his claws just enough to send another thrill through Abella. A bulge rose in the blanket only centimeters away from her fingers.

She pushed herself up, and when Tenthil moved to rise with her, Abella pressed her hand against his chest and shoved him back down. Their eyes met; his pupils were ringed by only the thinnest silver bands.

“Stay,” she said.

Confusion creased his brow, and his lips parted to reveal the tips of his fangs, but he remained in place as she brushed her fingers over his lower lip and the scars on either side on his mouth.

“Stay,” she repeated, running her hand down his chest and abdomen. When she reencountered the covers, she pushed them farther down. She turned her head to follow the path of her hand with her gaze until, finally, her eyes settled upon his erect cock.

At a glance, his shaft appeared like a human’s, but its alien features became apparent as Abella’s eyes further adjusted to the dim lighting. A series of overlapping ridges ran along its underside, and three rows of small knots swept back from its broad head to its base on the top. His sack rested beneath, totally hairless—just like the rest of his body apart from his head.

She hadn’t known what to except, couldn’t have guessed what he’d look like—and she’d seen plenty of alien cocks since Cullion had begun showing her off like an exotic pet in Twisted Nethers—but the sight of Tenthil’s throbbing erection sent a rush of heat through Abella. Her sex clenched in need; she could imagine the pleasure those knots and ridges would create inside her.

A bead of moisture pooled at the tip of his cock. Her mouth watered. Humans had a salty taste; would Tenthil? Or would he have a hint of sweet cinnamon, like his kisses?

Abella crawled farther down the bed, nudging his legs until he spread them and made room for her to kneel between his thighs. A spicy aroma filled her senses. She breathed it in deeply; it was coming from him. Supporting herself with one hand on the bed, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft.

He sucked in a sharp breath and tensed, raising his knees and grasping the bedding beside him. Abella glanced up to see his fangs bared and his wide eyes fully black. The sight of him, so affected by such a simple touch, triggered a flood of slick, wet heat between her legs. Her sex pulsed as she tightened her grip on him.

“Abella?” His raspy voice was thick with passion and uncertainty; she knew then that his tension wasn’t solely the result of pleasure. He was nervous.

She swiped her thumb over the tip of his cock, gathering the moisture there, and slid her fist down his length, relishing the feel of every knot and ridge along the way. She watched him closely; his gaze darted from her face to her hand and back again as a shudder wracked his body.

“Yes, Tenthil?” She slowly moved her hand back up.

His eyelids fluttered and his head tipped back; the only reply he offered was a low groan.

A smile spread across her lips. She pumped her hand a few more times, unable to tear her eyes away from his face, enthralled by his responses to her touch. He was…beautiful. She knew it was strange to describe a man in that way, especially Tenthil, but in that moment—to her—he was. All the worry, pain, and coldness had vanished from his face, giving her a glimpse of the man behind those scars.

A glimpse of a man whose choices had been stolen from him.

Abella looked down to see his cock seeping from the tip. Without a second thought, she lowered her head and took him into her mouth. His flavor—similar to the taste of his kiss, but richer—burst upon her tongue. She moaned, swallowing more of him.

Tenthil’s legs stiffened, and the bed dipped as he sat up suddenly. There were brief ripping sounds to either side of Abella, as though cloth were being torn, but she paid no attention.

He whispered her name; it was a question, a caress, a prayer.

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