Page 6 of Green-Eyed Monster
“You are.” Solandis’s eyes sparked with mischief as she slid off the stool and danced around the kitchen island toward me. “Don’t hate Alistair. He’s important to me. I adore him, even if he’s kind of a prude and wouldn’t understand how your brute masculinity would be so…appealing… to me.”
Her grin was positively wicked, and the artichokes were entirely forgotten with that last statement.
“In fact, he would be positively disturbed to know how much your jealousy of him turns me on,” she said with a devious chuckle, letting me know I was doing a terrible job hiding my emotions.
I’d spent the last twenty-four hours stewing, and it was all leaking out of me now, relief and hope simmering in the space where bitterness and disappointment had been burrowing. I was still clutching the kitchen island, watching her with hawklike fascination as she popped up on her toes and brushed the gentlest kiss across my jaw. “What are you doing, Solandis?”
Her laugh was playful this time. “I’m curious about something.” My head swam with the scent of her in my nostrils, flower blossoms balanced with earth and moss.
“What are you curious about?” I asked, trying to maintain the thread of conversation even as my heart pounded and I caught myself listing toward her. She pulled off her gray sweater, revealing the soft, cream-colored camisole underneath. It was sheer enough to make out every swell and dip and pucker underneath with ease, and no matter how I tried to demand my eyes look away, they were glued.
“I’m trying to figure out how to seduce you,” she said as she studied me, and it sounded like she was talking to herself instead of me. My brain short-circuited, and my eyes snapped to her face, finally wrested away from her glorious breasts.
She skittered away from me with the widest grin I’ve ever seen, and I realized I’d already moved, prowling toward her, stalking her across the kitchen like an animal on the hunt. “Consider me seduced.”
Her answering squeal rang through the house as she darted for the open door of my bedroom, laughing as she ran.
“Is this a dream?” Was I going to wake up with wet shorts and an ache in my chest? I turned into the bedroom doorway to find her launching herself off my bed into my arms, her sweater draped on a dresser knob. I caught her against my chest, trying not to notice the way her breasts pressed against me through her thin lacy undershirt. “You’re making it really hard for me to continue this charade of being a gentleman,” I growled.
“Good,” she said through her laughter, and my heart threatened to pound right out of my chest. “I’ve been wanting you for weeks and as much as I love that you’re a gentleman, I’m much more interested in this side of you tonight.”
When her lips closed over mine, a hunger lit in me that threatened my control. The slick, slow slide of her lips and tongue left me panting, and very quickly there was nothing delicate or gentle about our kiss. I didn’t know how her pants came off, but by the time I had her pressed into my bed I was vaguely aware of her tiny hands deftly working the opening to mine.
I paused to take in her sweet face, noting she was flushed with arousal and her hands were yanking down my pants. Still, I wanted to be sure. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” she said emphatically, heaving for air. “Hard yes. Thank you for asking but I feel like I’m going to die because we’re wearing too many clothes.” Since she was wearing nothing but underwear and a camisole, I assumed she was referring to me and took pity on her, shucking my pants off onto the floor to join hers. I gave in to the pull of her tiny fingers against my back and arms, letting some of my weight rest on her, and we both groaned in pleasure.
Chapter 5
*Hyrak*
Solandis’s eyes flickered across my face as I leaned down to take her mouth again, and I quickly tugged some of my hair out of the clasp it was gathered in to let fall in front of my cheek. Having her attention on my face felt uncomfortable in a way that had become familiar since the small patches of white skin had appeared.
It’s not that I thought they looked bad. It was just jarring to look at my hands or glance in the mirror and not have the image line up with the version of myself that was fixed in my mind’s eye. The patches of white had developed quickly only a year or so ago, a simple genetic condition that made my skin stop producing pigment in some areas, and I still hadn’t grown accustomed to the change in my appearance.
There were other things I hadn't grown accustomed to as well, like the lingering stares and the questions strangers asked. Worse yet, the people who assumed it was some kind of contagious disease and made faces when they saw me or acted weird about it. That didn’t happen often, but the few times it did had been hurtful.
“Let me see you.” Solandis reached up to tuck the lock of hair back, making me shiver and my breath hitch when she trailed her fingernail along the skin behind my ear. The sensation shot straight to my groin, my erection stiffening to the point of discomfort. I fought against the desire to seek relief by pressing it into the bedding. “It would be such a shame to have all this beautiful orc on display and not be able to enjoy every inch,” she teased. My face flamed with heat.
“You don’t mind the marks, then?” I asked, and her eyes traced my body, sparkling with mischief.
“Hm,” she fairly purred as she trailed her fingertips up the backs of my arms. “If you were a plant, you’d be highly sought after,” she said with a pleased little smile, stroking her way around my arms and up to my neck, sliding a nail under my jawline.
I rolled my eyes at the comparison, but I couldn’t help my answering smile and a full body shudder, basking in the feel of her hands on my skin. “I’m not a plant,” I said, before it occurred to me that she was probably part plant herself.
“Thatisunfortunate,” she said, her grin becoming devilish. “But you’re still the most attractive guy I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Her fingers made their way back down and deftly began to undo the buttons at the neck of my shirt. “As much as I love buttoned-up-in-a-suit-Hyrak, I’m finding myself more curious about what’s underneath all this clothing. Is this okay?” She paused on a button halfway down the front of my shirt, waiting, and it took me a moment to realize she wanted an answer.
I’d gotten lost staring at the mounds of her tits, the sheer fabric of her camisole doing nothing to hide the sharp points of her nipples that jutted up on display. A lacy hem rode high on her ribcage, leaving on display a slightly dipped in waist and a soft, rounded belly that flowed beautifully into the swell of her hips.
The sight of her nestled here in my bed with her breasts on display, comfortable, content, and trusting—pleased—was enough to light up the more primal parts of my brain that wanted me to slip into a territorial rage and then rut her into the mattress. I tightened my grip on the sheets next to her so I wouldn’t be tempted to grip her too roughly.
“Hyrak?”
“Hm?” My gaze snapped up to her face to find her smile turned sweet and playful, her eyes hot and lingering affectionately on the exposed skin of my chest. What had she asked? She wanted my shirt off. I ripped it off, sending buttons flying everywhere. Her startled laughter cut off when I caught her bottom lip in mine.
Solandis answered with a moan, nipping and plying my mouth in return. I started to get lost in the molten slide of her tongue against mine until she broke our kiss, moving her hot mouth against my chin, my jaw, the side of my neck. When I felt her bite down on the sensitive skin there and simultaneously spread her legs for me, I was lost. My reaction was instinctive, hips thrusting against hers, my aching erection seeking relief against her heat. All the air gusted from my lungs in a growl.
I instinctively sought out the delicate curve of her neck, fighting against the desire to lock my teeth on it in a claiming grip, instead sucking and mouthing the sensitive flesh as gently as I could. My lips rubbed across her skin in a sultry caress, skating across her collarbone and shoulder, and she pulled her undershirt off when I tugged on it. Her breasts were so soft and beautiful, and the tip felt sublime as I suckled one into my mouth.
