Page 13 of Cruel As A Tree

I lifted my head to look down, but then suddenly the whole mound was moving, shifting under me like a living carpet. Ididn't have time to get off of it as it rolled me, a magic carpet ride that only went horizontal and down, sliding off of the mound to the flatter surface of the forest floor and tumbling me until I rolled up against something hard, warm, and man-shaped. It wasn't a carpet, but a blanket.

My hand landed on a warm, muscular chest as my body pressed up against his side.

I looked up at the slumbering form of the Lord of the Forest.

His eyes were closed, his face soft and relaxed even as it was tilted towards me, inches away from my own face, with the same inhuman beauty that made my heart ache a little to look at him. I knew I shouldn't be taken in by a pretty face and chiseled abs. Beauty did not equal goodness, but there was still a part of me that wanted to reach forward and brush a lock of his green hair from his forehead. I stared at his lips, so close to me, remembering how they felt on my neck, and wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

I let out a sigh at the thought.

If I woke him with a kiss, he would likely wake up, flip me over, and fuck me in the moss.

The lower muscles in my abdomen tightened at the thought, squeezing in and lifting up in anticipation at the thought. After I had rested, I had spent a good amount of my time thinking about how he came onto me hard and fast, pushing past my hesitation but stopping right at the point where it was far too much for me to handle. I really liked it. I wanted more of it, more of him. Even just laying here next to him was setting me on fire.

But just because he had licked my knee five days ago didn't mean he wanted me to kiss him while he was sleeping.

It also didn't mean I wanted to turn into some sort of fruit.

I was pretty sure Veveron was using the fruit example as a metaphor, but there was always the chance she meant it literally. At the very least, fruit was meant to be eaten, and this guy wasa feral forest deity. Who knew what would happen if I gave in to my desires. What I did know is that I couldn't sit here and just keep staring at his stupid gorgeous face anymore if I wanted to avoid kissing it.

"Lord Lorthian," I said in a soft voice, just above a whisper.

The corner of his lip twitched as if he were suppressing a smile, but he didn't open his eyes. His breath remained calm and steady, not changing as it would if he were going from a deep sleep to awakening.

I pressed my lips together as I thought about how the forest had guided me, how the moss blanket rolled me just perfectly so that I would smoosh up against his naked chest. He could control the forest, right? I sat up abruptly, looking down at him as he remained, the perfect image of peaceful slumber.

That heat in my body roared with mischief, the desire to play with him the way he was playing with me, even if it was playing with fire.

Besides, Veveron said he had to take me as his mate.

She didn't say I would change if I just fooled around with him.

I let my gaze drop down his body, then let my head follow, moving my lips so that they were mere inches from those mouth-watering abs. I didn't touch them, I just breathed on his skin, letting my hair brush against his flesh. His hips twitched, small suppressed movements in response to my teasing. I got lower, to the spot where his silk pants were melting into a lush fur, a happy trail starting just under his belly button. The trail led to a heavy mound between his legs, one that changed from a cloth-covered bulge to a fleshy sack as I watched.

I scooted down, my breasts pressing against his thigh, my arm snaking over the other side of him to support myself as I leaned down, brushing my nose against the sensitive skin that was oh so close to the penetrating power between his legs but notquite there. He smelled like vanilla and honey, and my mouth began to water. I didn't hesitate. I bit him there, just below the belly button, not hard enough to break skin but hard enough to demand his full attention.

"Lady Lillian," he said, a wicked chuckle underlining his words. "Do you mean to eat me?"

I looked up to see him sitting up on his elbows and smiling down at me, the crinkling in the corner of his eyes sending a flutter through my chest. His looking at me with such joyfulness triggered a happiness in my own heart that was sharp and beautiful at the same time.

I licked my lips and his eyes flicked down to them, his smile growing wider.

"I don't know," I said. "Depends on if you think you can hold still or not."

Roots shot out of the ground, wrapping around his wrists and ankles and pinning them back down against the ground. His grin grew wider and he lifted one eyebrow as if in a challenge.

"My body is yours to play with," he said, his voice deep and sultry.

I opened my mouth, exposing my teeth as if I was going to bite him again, but instead of chomping, I planted a soft kiss, just a little lower down from his belly button, a few inches away from the sack that had grown more taunt. I could see a narrow pink tip poking out from a fold in the sack. I moved lower, kissing as I went, the scent of vanilla and honey growing stronger as his thick length began to emerge from the sack. I planted a kiss as close as I could get without touching, and he groaned, straining against the restraints he placed on himself as he lifted his hips, brushing himself against me. I moved my head up so I could see better.

His length had slid out what I hoped was entirely given that it was a lot larger than I was used to, leaving the sack hanging under it like a normal one would if he were out all the time.

He was thick and tawny, perhaps eight or nine inches but I couldn't be sure, with a girth too wide to close my fingers around which was a bit concerning, but the tip of him was narrow, so if I did decide to go all the way with him it should start off easy and stretch me out as he went, though I wasn't sure he couldn't fully fit all the way. At the base near the top, where the flesh of his sack had folded back, was a series of ridged bumps, one of which jutted up like a soft padded hook. I leaned down and touched it with my tongue, eliciting a gasp from him. It was firm yet soft to my touch.

"That is sensitive," he murmured. "Please don't bite it."

I glanced up at him to see him still smiling at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

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