“You frightened me,” he said, going to her and taking her hand.
“I didn’t mean to,” she said.
“You should have never left Twilla’s alone and don’t tell me that you had Thaw. Did you forget how easily it is to get lost in a snowstorm even with Thaw at your side?”
Snow rested her head on her husband’s chest. “I believe I had more confidence in making it to the keep since I was here at home.”
Her words pleased him, which annoyed him since she had been wrong to go off on her own and yet to hear her acknowledge that this was her home warmed his heart.
She raised her head. “I probably should have been a bit wiser in seeking out the cry for help myself, but I am glad Fasta is doing well and that I got a chance to come face to face with the creature.”
“You came face to face with it?” Tarass asked, thinking how close his wife had come to being harmed.
“I did. The creature placed its face almost on top of mine.” She scrunched her nose. “It had a horrible odor, but then what better way to hide your identity than to smell so badly one would turn her head away and not look closely.”
“You don’t believe in the dwarfs?”
“My mum taught me to respect the myths of our people and your people do the same. What is true and what are tales I cannot say, though I have my doubts.”
“I’ve thought the same. Someone wants to stir fear in the clan, but for what reason?” Tarass asked more of himself than Snow.
“There is one other thing I should tell you,” Snow said somewhat reluctantly.
Tarass got the feeling he wasn’t going to like what she was about to tell him. “What is it?”
Her reluctance remained as she drew out her words. “The creature said ‘we’re coming for you’.”
Anger and a bit of fear gripped Tarass as he rested his brow to hers. “I’d never let that happen, ást.”
“I know that. I know you’d always rescue me. You and Thaw.”
“Thaw and I work well together and we both will always keep you safe.”
Snow smiled. “And I will keep the both of you safe.”
Tarass chuckled purposely, since she couldn’t see his smile. “How will you do that?”
Snow brushed her lips over his. “I will shield you with my never-ending love.”
“Then I will feel safer than I ever have,” Tarass said and kissed her, his hands going to her tunic to tug it up, not wanting to wait any longer to make love to his wife. He moved his lips off hers long enough to pull the tunic over her head and toss it aside.
He worked her shift up, his hands going to caress her backside, giving it a playful squeeze. He was surprised when she pulled away from him.
“It’s my turn,” she said in a soft whisper and reached out, her hands feeling along his plaid until connecting with his belt and releasing it, then working to unravel the cloth that wound around him.
Tarass stood still, only moving his arms when necessary and keeping his lips locked to prevent the enjoyable moans from escaping when her hands lingered in intimate places. What proved the most difficult for him was when his plaid dropped to the floor and her hand found his manhood and her fingers closed around it.
“There’s still my shirt,” he reminded, fearful if she continued to stroke and tug his already stiff manhood that he’d come right there in her hand.
“I’ll get to that,” she said softly as her hand slid along his manhood to slip underneath and cup his sac gently. “It’s so pleasing to know that this all belongs to me.”
“Every bit of it, wife,” Tarass agreed.
Her hand returned to his engorged manhood, to tease it senseless, and he had difficulty keeping from dropping his head back and moaning in endless pleasure. Her touch had gone from innocent to experienced more quickly than he imagined, but then she enjoyed exploring him, finding out what pleased him and herself. And he had encouraged her every touch, exploring her with equal enthusiasm and pleasure.
He gasped when she hunched down and took him in her mouth. He was too close to the edge, too close to falling off into the abyss of pleasure, but she had tasted him once before and enjoyed it, and he didn’t want to spoil her fun or his.
He dropped his head back and groaned as she hungrily feasted on him. He silently warned himself not to let it go on too long. To stop her. Stop her before it was too late. Her mouth suddenly left him as if she heard his silent warnings.
“I’m going to come. I need you inside me. Your seed must be inside me,” she cried out anxiously.
Tarass whipped off his shirt, then her shift, lifted her, dropped her on the bed, spread her legs and entered her with such a hard thrust that she cried out.