Garnets or Bust

Epilogue

Six months later Tessa leaned forward, kissing her husband’s neck and hugging him so tight it almost hurt.

“A message arrived today,” she said. “My mother will be here in about a week.

She’s very excited to meet my new husband.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Daaron said, reaching down with one hand to rub her slightly swollen belly. The Danubians were thrilled about the pregnancy—they took it as a sign that the Goddess looked upon their lifemating with favor. He wasn’t sure he believed in the Goddess, but he’d never been happier in his life. And now that they were becoming a family, everything seemed different. Brighter and better somehow.

Glorious.

Tessa reached up to kiss his mouth and he lost track of his thoughts. He’d always been a man of lusty habits, able to go two or three times a night, but the speed his cock rose to meet her was almost embarrassing. It was always this way between them.

Intense. Some day he’d have to figure out a way to draw things out a little more.

She pulled back from the kiss, and smiled up at him. Then she looked at the bed pointedly, and gently pushed his chest. Daaron fell back, taking her with him. He reached for her breasts, but she stopped him, giving him a smile that was pure woman—filled with mystery and a knowing wisdom that he could only wonder at.

“I’m really excited to see my mother again,” she said, dropping kisses along his chest. “I hope it won’t offend you, but I have an old-fashioned way I’d like to show my appreciation.”

He looked at her, hoping desperately it would involve her lips on his body.

“Helping your mother is the least I could do,” he said. “You’ve made my life complete, Tessa. You don’t owe me anything.”

“You might think that, but I’m feeling a rather urgent need to make myself clear,” she said, giving him a smile. She dropped her head, kissing down to his nipple, suckling it with gentle insistence. Then she flicked it with her tongue and looked up.

Accepting defeat gracefully, Daaron relaxed against the bed, allowing her free reign. After a moment’s pause, she leaned down and bit his nipple.

He started.

“Just making sure you’re paying attention,” she said, and gave the tiny hurt a gentle kiss. Then she nuzzled down his body, finding the gentle rises and swells of his muscles and ribs. When she reached his stomach he froze, every part of his body focused on the feel of her lips grazing his sensitive flesh. With agonizing slowness, she kissed, licked and nipped her way to his navel, then darted her tongue inside. He felt it right at the base of his cock, as if a string connected the two spots. His balls tightened, and he clenched the muscles of his ass to keep from rearing up at her.

She gave a low laugh, full of power, and Daaron felt it run through his bones. He’d never heard anything sexier in his life. After long moments spent toying with him, she allowed the bottom of her chin to brush the tip of his straining cock. Once, twice, the skin catching as moisture welled up from his eager slit.

Tessa laid her cheek against his stomach and flicked her tongue out quickly, swirling it around his cock head. He gasped.

“I’d heard that men like it when women do that,” she said, her voice all innocence.

“I take it that rumor is accurate?”

He gave a groan, incapable of offering her any other answer. She opened her mouth, resting her lips against the round head and deliberately licking his slit, poking it with the tip of her tongue.

“Salty,” she whispered. “Yum.”

Daaron took a deep breath, trying to focus on the moment. Pressure built in his balls. He knew he’d come too fast if he wasn’t very, very careful. She was a heady drug, one he couldn’t begin to resist.

She sucked him in like a piece of candy, her mouth barely fitting around his girth.

She reached down with one hand, finding his testicles and cupping them. Then Tessa rolled the orbs between her fingers, pulling at them within the sac of skin. He shivered and she sucked him in deeply, continuing to roll and tug at his testicles.

Daaron closed his eyes, awash in sensation. He took deep, gulping breaths, desperate to calm himself. He wanted to savor this moment, and yet the more she touched him the greater his urgency grew.

He’d gotten blowjobs from the best, most expensive and exclusive pleasure workers in the Empire during his old life, but their skilled touch was nothing compared to Tessa’s at that moment. She was far from expert—for all her boldness, she was still perfecting her technique. Every once in a while her teeth grazed him. It should have hurt, but instead it turned him on. There was something so amazing, so sexy, about having been the first man inside a woman’s body. Each time they made love it was special, beautiful.

A blessing.

As the thought passed through his head, her tongue found the little notch on the underside of his cock head and flicked it. Suddenly he couldn’t think at all, he could only sink back into the exquisite, amazing feel of her mouth sucking him as she toyed with his balls. Then one wet finger slipped lower, trailing along his perineum to his anus. She massaged the opening gently until he relaxed, and slid her finger in. She found the swollen bump of his prostate and he stiffened and gasped.

Holy shit, when had she learned that?

Rubbing it, she pulled her mouth from his cock and he opened his eyes. She looked up at him, a strange little smile on her mouth.

“You really, really like this, don’t you?” she asked, her voice filled with wonder.

“You have no idea,” he replied. “Please don’t stop. I think I’m going to die if you don’t touch me more.”

She flicked his cock head with her tongue again and he shuddered. Pre-come welled up in the slit. Her tongue darted out again and she tasted him, her finger massaging his prostate, working it until he shivered and moaned.

“Mmmmm, that’s nice,” she said. “I’ve read about this, but it’s fascinating to learn about it in a bit more…hands-on kind of way.”

She dipped her head once more, playing with his cock, nuzzling it and rubbing it against her cheeks, swirling his fluid around her face. That was just too much, he couldn’t take any more torture.

Daaron reached down into her hair with both hands, gently guiding her mouth to his cock. Tessa took the hint, sucking him in deeply as she stroked his nether gland steadily. She seemed to understand that he’d had enough of teasing, that it was time to take things seriously. She sucked and his cock hit the back of her mouth. Then she swallowed and he slid into her throat. Holy Goddess, that was new too. The tightness of mouth and throat was almost more than he could handle. His cock was so hard, so hungry and eager for her body that he wasn’t sure he’d last another minute.

Her fingers continued to play with his balls, but he’d moved past the need for stimulation there. The root of his cock ached to be touched, and he grabbed her free hand, clasping it around his length. Now she held him in every way possible.

Daaron dropped both his hands to the bed, bracing himself to keep from thrusting his hips up and hurting her. Her head bobbed up and down as she sucked him, erotic in her abandon. He’d never been so aroused in his entire life. Never. In that moment he thanked the Goddess for their strange marriage, regardless of how irregularly it had begun.

In fact, he couldn’t figure out why he’d waited so long to take her. It would have been so easy to sneak up and steal her braids in the lab at night. Back then it had never occurred to him that he wanted her for longer than an evening. Now he knew better.

Tessa belonged to him and he’d die before giving her up.

Her head flew up and down, fingers squeezing him tightly as he shuddered with need and the first tremors of approaching orgasm. Her touch on his prostate was almost painful, it felt so good. She sensed his urgency, working him faster and faster, sucking him hard until her cheeks caved him. He moaned and thrashed his head, heart pounding and breath tight in his chest. Then he couldn’t breathe at all as waves of intense pleasure and release washed through him. His hips bucked, spraying seed into her waiting mouth. She sucked him eagerly, swallowing his essence. After a moment she pulled slowly away, sitting up on the bed beside him.

“I appreciate what you did for my mother,” she said, wiping her rosy mouth delicately with one hand.

“If that’s how you thank me, I’m going to have to think of some other things to make you grateful,” he said weakly. “Although probably not too soon. I don’t think I can handle anything like that again for a while.”

“Oh really?” she asked, her tone arch and challenging. “I heard you can handle quite a bit. In fact, I heard that you took on four girls at one party back in school. In front of everyone. Any truth to that rumor?”

“I wouldn’t dream of discussing my past with you,” he said, rolling forward to sit up. He shot her a smug smile. “But if I did, I might clarify that it was six.”

Tessa raised her eyebrows, and they both laughed.

“Arrogant,” she said.

“Stubborn,” he countered, leaning over and kissing her.

“Spoiled.”

“Rotten,” he agreed, smiling. “And you should be too. I have a present for you.

Consider it a very late engagement gift.”

Tessa perked up.

“What is it?” she demanded, and he laughed. He reached to the bedside table, opening a drawer and pulling out a small jewelry case. He offered it to her and she opened it.

Inside was a silver-filigreed necklace set with garnets. Cerulean star garnets, the center one nearly as big as her eye.

“My garnets,” she said, awed. She looked up at him and laughed. “Do you realize this necklace is worth more than most people will see in their lifetimes?”

“Yes, but fortunately none of those people will ever encounter it,” he replied. “You can only wear it here, on New Danube.”

“You know the people are calling it Saurellia, after you,” she said, drawing the necklace out of the box and holding it up. “Nobody likes New Danube. Leezal says we need a new name for a new place.”

Daaron scowled.

“It makes me feel stupid, pompous,” he said. “Only a fool names a planet after himself.”

“You aren’t doing the naming,” she said. “So be nice.” She poked him in the chest for emphasis, and he sighed, willing to let the point go for the moment.

“Do you want me to help you put on your necklace?”

She shook her head. “Before we do anything I want to get cleaned up.”

“You need some help?” he asked hopefully. She shook her head, laughing.

“If we do that, it’ll take forever. I’m showering alone.”

“No, you aren’t. You have to obey me, remember?”

“If I do, Leezal will kill me,” she said, smirking. “I can’t risk your heir’s health and safety, Daaron. I’ll just have to ignore your orders.”

“Damn Warrens woman,” he said, sweeping her up into her arms. She shrieked, laughing and pounding at his chest playfully. “You’ll do what you’re told.”

“If I must,” she replied, stilling as he leaned down to kiss her. “But only because you finally gave me my garnets.”

Then his lips took hers and there was no more need for conversation.