Garrick’s POV
Kicking the door open so I could carry Selah through it, I crossed my room to the bed, tossing her down upon it.
Selah landed amongst a pile of pillows, half reclining.
The room was dark, brightened only by a few candles.
She was now covered only by a skimpy pair of underwear and her wispy brown dress that was pulled down low on her breasts.
The fabric floated up over her hips when she landed, so now it covered only her middle.
Her hair, those strands of pearly white, floated around her face like a halo.
I didn’t follow her down, instead I stood by the bed, looking down at her.
She reached toward one of the dress straps; to pull it back up or push it all the way off?
Didn’t matter.
I hadn’t said she could.
“Ah-ahh,” I tsked.
“I didn’t tell you to do that.”
Her hand froze; she eyed me with uncertainty.
A few seconds, then she lowered her hand onto the bed.
Obeying.
Though I knew she was still unsure about this, her eyes glowed and her face was flushed with hunger.
Her kiss-reddened lips trembled.
Those beautiful nipples hard against the material of her dress, and I’d bet my bag of gold that she wanted to lift her own hand to tweak them, just so she could have a moment’s satisfaction.
She didn’t move, however.
She merely watched and waited.
“Good girl.”
WHAT WILL YOU DO TO ME?
She signed with her fingers.
“Oh, a lot of things.” I sighed.
I’M NOT CALLING YOU MASTER, she instructed me, and I chuckled.
“You will if I tell you to,” I replied.
I reached down and pushed her hair away from her face, brushing my thumb over her lips.
“Won’t you, Selah?”
She blinked, her cheeks reddening, from anger?
From excitement?
Was a war going on behind those stormy gray eyes?
I couldn’t be sure, not until her tongue flicked at my thumb, as if she simply had to taste me.
And then she slowly nodded.
I had no intention of making her call me master; however, she had just agreed that I could.
Not forever, certainly not outside this bedroom.
But here and now, yes, I could, and she knew it.
Progress.
I began to pull my shirt up.
Selah watched closely, her breaths growing audible as she parted her lips and inhaled over them.
When I pulled the shirt off and dropped it to the floor, she groaned, approval and hunger warring in her expression.
Her hips thrust the tiniest bit, indicating she had no control over her body’s reaction.
I knew she wanted me desperately, wanted to touch me and explore me, as I wanted to explore her.
But not yet.
“Take that off,” I ordered, nodding toward her white dress.
She didn’t refuse, didn’t sign to me that I forgot to say please.
Selah was getting caught up in this.
My mate was enjoying it. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Crossing her arms over her breasts, already mostly revealed to my hungry gaze, she pushed the straps down, pulling her arms free, and letting the gown float into a puddle on her lap.
Her breasts were works of art, round and full, but not too heavy.
I watched as she pushed the gown down over her hips, then her thighs, until she could kick it out of the way.
It fluttered to the floor near my feet, a wisp of a thing, simple but so very erotic when it was taken off.
I stared, rubbing my hand on my jaw, noting the scratch of my stubble.
For a long moment, I looked at her, picking out all the places on her body where she would soon feel that scratch.
Those breasts, that throat, that stomach and the hollow beneath it, right above her pelvis.
And by the Moon Goddess, those legs and what lay between them.
“The underwear, too.” I instructed.
She licked her lips, apparently a little uncertain about stripping naked while I just stood there watching.
“Do it.” Her eyes flared, but not in annoyance.
She was just as excited as me.
It rolled off her in waves, electric and thrilling.
Selah might not have understood she wanted this, but I had.
Ever since I’d met her, I’d caught hints of how much she needed to maintain control over her own life.
She had made it clear she didn’t let down her guard, that she made rules and set boundaries.
I couldn’t blame her—given everything that she had suffered as an Omega, I could see why she was so on edge.
All of which just told me one thing: the decision had to be taken out of her hands so she would just experience this, rather than having to feel suspicious and ultimately not enjoy what we’re about to do.
“Did you not hear me?” I said, my tone holding an edge, my eyes on that slip of silk between her thighs.
Reaching for the elastic hem, she wriggled the underwear off.
As she pushed the underwear down her legs, she bent forward a little, her long, silver hair falling down onto her lap, covering the parts of her I most wanted to see.
She plucked the silky bit of nothing off and tossed it away to land with her white dress, then looked up at me.
That long hair still covered too much, including her breasts.
“Push your hair back.” She lifted her hands, twined her fingers through the long silver strands, then moved them back over her shoulders, revealing those breasts again.
Perfect.
“Lie down.” Moving slowly, she did, reclining on the pile of cushions.
Twisting her hair, she let it fall across the pillows in a vivid white splash against the pillowcase.
One hand remained on the bed, relaxed and vulnerable, the other rested on her flat stomach.
My attention, however, was drawn a little bit lower.
I ground my teeth, clenching my jaw to hold myself together.
That tuft of blonde curls at the apex of her thighs was small and angled, a little arrow pointing down toward her inner lips, concealed between her coyly closed legs.
“Let me see all of you.”
This time, she didn’t hesitate.
She was captured by the excitement.
Bending one knee, she slid her foot up, letting her legs fall open.
I groaned at the sight of that erotically smooth flesh between them; the curls were only at the very top, just for decoration.
Such pretty decoration.
But Goddess, was it pretty without them.
I had never been with a woman who was quite as beautiful as my mate.
The thought of burying my mouth in her, licking into those juicy crevices, finding her hard little clitoris and working it with my tongue until she screamed, made my cock ache.
“You are beautiful,” I said.
THANK YOU, Selah signed with her hands, looking pleased by the compliment.
It couldn’t have been the first time she had heard it, since she was drop-dead gorgeous. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Then again, considering the life she probably lived as a slave before I met her, maybe she didn’t hear it all that often.
“Beautiful,” I repeated, because it needed to be said twice.
I reached for my belt, unfastened it and pulled it out quickly.
The leather cracked as it left the loops of my pants.
Selah stiffened, her hands fisting, and I knew what thought had flashed across that brilliant mind.
I hated that her thoughts had instinctively gone to such a place.
Had someone abused her?
Was that why she found it so impossible to give herself over and trust me completely?
“I’d never hurt you,” I assured her, sure she’d already accepted that deep down, but might need to hear it anyway.
She nodded, swallowing visibly as her eyelids fluttered with some fear still.
I noted the reaction, surer of my suspicion.
Somewhere along the way, someone had hurt her, maybe not emotionally, but definitely physically.
The very idea of someone hurting her infuriated me, but I didn’t want her to sense anger in me and tense up.
So I forced it away and gave her a sexy, self-assured smile as I reached for the waistband of my trousers.
The tension left her as she watched me, and she sighed as I unbuttoned, then unzipped my trousers.
I had to pull the material away to get the zipper down over my rigid cock.
I had never been this hard; the brush of my own fingers through the cotton of my shorts made me flinch.
I didn’t drop the pants, letting them hang low on my hips.
I did reach for the elastic waistband of my boxer briefs, though, pulling them down a little.
Never tearing my eyes off her, I grabbed my dick, big and throbbing, letting her see how much I wanted her.
Stroking myself lazily, I acknowledged that her hands would be so much better, but I wasn’t yet ready to let her do anything but lie there and take what I planned to give her.
She devoured me with her stare, so approving and wanting, and my own hunger dug into me even more brutally.
It clawed at me, made me almost desperate to rip off my clothes and just take her until neither of us could think, much less move.
But that wasn’t how this was going to go down.
Hmm.
Speaking of which…
I sat on the corner of the bed, touching her bare foot, trailing my fingers up her long leg.
Selah’s eyes fell closed and she arched her back.
Her skin was incredibly soft against my hand, and it got even softer the higher I went.
Her thighs were exquisite.
As I reached the top of one and moved my hand inward, brushing my fingertips through that tiny landing patch of curls, she trembled.
I knew what she wanted, what she craved.
I could see the pearly tip of her clitoris, and the glisten of arousal on her lips: she was dying for me to make the touch ever so much more intimate.
She didn’t say a word, didn’t make a single demand, didn’t even thrust up toward my hand.
She was relaxed now.
She trusted me, assured I wouldn’t leave her high and dry.
Willing to let me set the pace.
I would not disappoint her.
I bent to press my mouth on the hollow just inside her hip, tracing my tongue across the skin, tasting a faint tinge of salt.
Sweat.
I was making her hot.
Maybe next time, I’d use an ice cube to cool her off.
Still driving her mad with those soft strokes in the hollow just above her opening, I began to kiss my way up her body.
I nibbled at her hip bone, licked the indentation of her waist, detouring over to dip my tongue into her belly button.
She quivered beneath me, and when I glanced up, I found her eyes closed and her mouth shaking.
That beautiful hair surrounded her like a halo, and her flushed face had never looked more lovely.