Page 75 of Claimed By Stone
I nodded as I took some lavender soap in my hands and worked up a lather. First, I started with her hair, washing itbefore I added in fragrant oils. Then I moved to her body, reveling in the way her soft, lush skin felt beneath my hands. My knot pulsed, and my tusks ached for her.
It was almost time. Only one more thing to do, and that was to make her fall apart on my hands and in my mouth multiple times before we left the comfort of this warm water.
I ran a hand slowly along her arm, her thigh, just to touch her. Just to feel her here. She tilted her head back and kissed me—slow and lingering, her lips tasting like promise.
The moment unraveled between us like a thread pulled loose. Her kiss deepened, and I was helpless to resist her.
"Let me take care of you," I whispered against her mouth, and she nodded, already breathless.
We moved from the water to the warm stone bench beside the spring. I laid her down carefully. Her body trembled beneath my touch, not with fear, but with anticipation. With trust.
I worshipped her the way only an orc mate could, with slow fingers and soft kisses, coaxing pleasure from her until she gasped my name like it was sacred.
Then I sank in one thick finger, and I latched my mouth onto her breast, letting my tongue flick over the nipple there. She began to moan and grind on my hand.
"That's right, little mate. Take what you need and come on my hand."
I continued to work my fingers in and out of her as my thumb began to rub circles on her clit. I'd made her come with my hand enough times now to know what tempo and pressure she liked to drive her wild. She threw her head back in a moan as she came on my hand.
"That was one, little flame. You're going to give me another," I said as I began to kiss lower. I kissed over the mound of her soft belly before I adjusted her and pulled her to the edge of the bench, draping her legs over my shoulders.
First, I lowered my head and sniffed her. I loved the smell of her. She usually smelled like wildflowers and old books. But here she smelled like wildflower honey, and I needed a taste.
I licked her with the flat of my tongue from her entrance up to her clit. She moaned and gripped my hair.
I gave her a few slow, long licks before I buried my tongue in her entrance, lapping up all her wonderful honey. As my tusks grazed her soft skin there, the urge to claim her was screaming in my body. It was almost time, and I couldn’t wait until she came like this.
I then began to lick small circles around her clit.
"Oh, Thavros, that's it."
I continued to lick her and suck on her clit. I could do this forever and never tire. She was perfect.
She came loudly with her thighs around my head and her fingers tangled in my hair, and the sound of it nearly undid me.
I took my time bringing her back, covering every inch of her skin with devotion before I pulled her deeper into the water with me, cradling her against my chest. Her fingers traced lazy patterns along my ribs, her breath still uneven but soft with contentment. I felt like my soul had finally unclenched. Like maybe—just maybe—we had outrun the worst of it.
"I feel… different," she murmured after a while.
I stiffened slightly, brushing her hair off her shoulder so I could see her face. “Different how?”
She shook her head, eyes thoughtful. “I don’t know. Lighter? Like something shifted.”
I smiled and kissed her brow. “That’s what it feels like to be cherished.”
She didn’t answer right away. Her hand pressed flat to my chest, right over my heart, and I could feel her tension creep back in. “Do you think the bond is already forming?”
My heart thudded. “We’re close. But the full bond… that comes when you accept the bite. The claiming.”
"Speaking of the claiming, is it time yet? I don't think I can wait another minute."
I dropped my head and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Yes, my mate. It is time."
I stood and walked out of the hot springs, took her to the bed, and carefully laid her down.
"You're so careful with me," she said as she tucked a lock of damp hair behind my ear.
"I will never be careless with you," I said with a cocked eyebrow. "But the claiming will be powerful and wild. I will not be gentle."
