Page 189 of A Soul to Guide

He turned his skull to the side in the hopes of hiding the shift, but his sight flickered back to purple when he peeked at her.

Then again...If she rejected having all of him inside her, it might show if he were to make a mistake asking for her to bond with him. If she accepted it, wanted it – something that was permanent – would it reveal if she had deeper feelings for him?

He didn’t want to damage whatever was happening between them by asking for her soul too soon. But this? He could play with it, test her, see if it was safe for him to lay his craving desire before her.

There’s only one way to find out.

Why did Raewyn get the impression that wasn’t what he’d been intending to ask? It hadn’t really been a question, either.

Still, she was a little confused by his statement.

Knot me? Like the Taihee?It was a sexual function that only certain species could perform.

The heat drained from her face, not in trepidation, but in realisation.So that’s what the twisted ring at the base of his cock is!It was the biggest face palm moment she could’ve had.

She’d held it, licked it, felt it swell, and she’d never put two and two together. Then again, how was she supposed to know? She’d never experienced one before.

Purple sparks flashed in her sight. Whatever awkwardness Merikh had just uttered fell away, and he reached forward to cup under her chin.

He slightly lifted her until she was halfway out of the water and slipped his front fangs against her cheek. His breath washed over her, dancing into her hair around her ear.

“Yes, my little starshine, I want to knot that pretty body of yours,” he rumbled in his gruff voice, causing her to shiver.

A quiet squeal left her when he slipped his arm around her waist and lifted her completely from the water. He folded her onto his crossed legs so that her knees were resting on his thighs while the backs of her feet were over his shins.

My little starshine? He’s never called me that before.

He’d called her a little fairy, but nothing with ‘my’ in front of it. Who was this possessive Duskwalker and what did they do with Merikh? She didn’t think he’d ever give her a playful pet name.

“My little starshine?” she rasped when he slipped his tongue from her collarbone up to her jawline. “Can’t you call me Rae?”

“I don’t want to call you something everyone else does,” he uttered as he licked across her ear. “I want to name you after something bright and mesmerising, just like you.”

Such sentimental words had her turning to putty in his big hands.

Her nipples, which had softened due to the warmth of his body pressing against hers, tightened again. Tenderness pooled in her belly, and it only grew as he began licking drops of water from her sternum and shoulders, as though every part of her was tasty.

“So how about it?” One hand gripped her backside to knead a cheek, while the other palmed her thigh before cupping her entire pussy. “Will you take me deeper here?”

“That’s not possible,” she whispered, dabbing her tongue at the seam of her lips as she ground against his rough hand in welcome.

He took in a deeper breath than usual, and she wasn’t sure if it was to take in her scent, or a breath of courage. Who knew with Merikh; he could be both hot and cold at the same time – difficult to read.

“But it is,” he said, gently rubbing her clit between two fingers as he drew away. His sharp claws tickled her abdomen when he palmed it. “I can change you so that my cock can fit, my little starshine, and I would...adoreit if you would hold all of me.”

Merikh had changed much over the past two weeks since they’d truly started touching. He could be endearing when he wanted to be, could be direct, but not like now. Something was different.

Raewyn had a funny feeling he was asking for more than just deeper pleasure.

She leaned back, and it gave him more freedom to slip his hand further under her dress until he was cupping a breast. Raewyn flinched the first time his thumb flicked over her nipple before she settled into its teasing rhythm.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” she panted, wishing her voice wasn’t so coarse already.

“Because it may be permanent,” he answered, licking up her throat. She lifted her head as goosebumps broke out in his tongue’s wake. “I don’t know if I can undo it.”

Was that why he was being so coquettish? It was like he was trying to bring her into a heated state where she’d be more inclined to do whatever he wanted, so long as it felt good. His touches, his words, his persistent but teasing licks, they were distracting.

This is the first time he’s asked me for something I haven’t instigated.She could understand why he hadn’t asked her before; there was a high likelihood she may have denied him.

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