“Wherever she goes, I imagine,” Nic replied mildly. “Your mother was here. She delivered the lunch you sent up a flag for. We arranged for us to go to their house for dinner this evening.”
Standing, he snatched the towel from her and tied it around his waist—not before she noted he was still at half-mast from her earlier teasing and looked to be waxing rather than waning—then he stepped out of the tub, taking one long stride to grab another towel from the stack. At least they had plenty of dry towels. Probably a necessity in eternally damp Meresin. It would be nice to put a tiny fire elemental in with them so they’d be warm. Small luxuries.
“What do you mean ‘we’?” Gabriel asked, brisking drying himself. Nic didn’t mind the show at all, so she reclined on a chaise in the corner. She’d wondered why the pretty antique had been put in the bathing chamber. In case one needed to take a break from grooming? But it served nicely as a soft spot from which to admire her wizard. His youthful collision with moon magic had turned all his body hair silver—except his brows, lashes, and the single lock at his temple—and the paleness of the hair did a lovely job of becoming invisible enough to show all of his skin while highlighting the sculpted lines of his warrior’s body with a silvery shimmer.
“Nic?” Gabriel prompted, raising one dark brow.
“Hmm? Oh, ‘we’ being your mother and me. Don’t be grumpy about it.”
“I’m not being grumpy about it,” he retorted, quite grumpily indeed. “Why do we have to go to their house? It’s a tiny cottage. Not at all what you’re accustomed to.”
“Honestly, Gabriel,” she said on a sigh as she sat up, no longer enjoying the recline, “you make me sound like a snob. I’m interested to see more of Meresin, and it makes more sense for us to go to the hot food than for them to drag it here.”
He grimaced. “I know that living in this wreck of a house is little better than being on the road.”
“I didn’t say that. And we’re working on it.”
“We’re going backwards, if anything,” he corrected. Then, before she could reply to that—though combatting his current black mood and defeatism wasn’t something she enjoyed bashing her own skull against—he asked, “So, where did Selly go—or should I ask, how?”
“Over the balcony,” Nic supplied blandly, figuring there was no reason to hide it from him. “She ran when your mother knocked. I’m pretty sure that’s how she got in. She’s impressively fast and agile.”
“I wanted to talk with her,” he grumbled.
“I know, and I tried to keep her here. Ultimately, there wasn’t much I could do.”
“It’s not your fault. I apologize.” He blew out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “I know I’m irritable and taking it out on you.”
“You’ve had a lousy couple of days, so you’re forgiven. Also, sexual frustration is likely a contributor,” she pointed out with a sweet smile. “Want me to help with that?”
“I was thinking food,” he replied with a half smile, but the tenting in his towel showed otherwise.
“The food is waiting, and this won’t take long.” She extended a hand to him. “Why don’t you come over here?”
She thought he might refuse, but he came to her, taking her hand and then sitting beside her. Running a hand down her back, he kissed her, softly and tenderly. “I’m so sorry about the hunters.”
“Why? You dispatched them. That’s all that matters.”
He grimaced at that. “And I’m sorry I’m being a bastard. Wallowing in self-loathing, then alternating between sullenness and sudden explosions of anger,” he quoted her wryly.
“My intense and brooding wizard,” she agreed, combing her fingers through his hair, then trailing them over his lovely shoulders. Coaxing him to lie back, she kissed her way down his throat, his skin warm, steaming soft from the bath, spicy from his soap. Working her way down his muscled chest, she tasted him, nibbling at his nipples so he groaned, his hands tightening on her. When she reached the towel, she untied it, feeling as if she unwrapped a special gift selected just for her. Laying the towel open, she unveiled his cock, thrusting from its silver frame of sleek hair to lie against Gabriel’s flat abdomen. Delicious.
His hands on her waist, he urged her upward. “Come here,” he murmured.
“No,” she replied coyly. “You stay there.” And she slid between his strong thighs onto the tiled floor, parting them as she went. Gorgeous view.
“Nic, what are you—” He broke off on a choked gasp as she leaned forward, delicately licking his tightly drawn scrotum, inhaling his musky scent.
“Shh. Lie back and enjoy.” Cupping his balls in one hand and wrapping the other around his shaft, she experimented with the silky feel of his skin, how it moved over the turgid tissues beneath. The veins stood out against his skin, and she ran her tongue along one, gratified when he groaned, cock flexing under her lips, his hands delving into her hair.
“Nic, you don’t have to do this.”
“I want to.” To forestall further protest, she pulled the soft head into her mouth, delighted to feel his surrender as he let his head fall back. Perhaps this was the purpose of the chaise; it certainly worked well for it. Savoring the tension in his thighs, at the feel of him in her mouth, she swirled her tongue, seeking the tremors of most intense response. She’d never done this before, but steamier novels described such scenes. It gave her a sensual rush, too, to be kneeling at his feet and tending to him—in a way he’d otherwise object to.
If the wizard wouldn’t make her kneel for him, she’d find other ways to experience it.
As expected, it didn’t take long, nor did it fortunately require much technique on her part. He tried to stop her in time, ever the gentlemen, but she ignored his hands urging her upward, tightening her clasp on his shaft and sucking him deeper into her mouth. When he came, the rush of magic filled her as his seed filled her mouth, rich and powerful, silver moonlight and seawater, nurturing and fulfilling.
Very pleased with her first attempt, she continued kissing him through the aftershocks, licking the sweet, softening shaft and head, raining soft kisses on his groin and thighs. She could kiss him like this forever, savoring his relaxation and sense of deep pleasure. Gabriel might despise her familiar nature, but she couldn’t help it that, at a core level, she wanted to make him happy. At least, in this one way, she could do that, and please herself too.