53. Sex Drive

Sona’s gaze flicked down to Taos’ bulge—quickly looking back up to his glazed expression. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she repeated herself from the last time they were here. This time however she kept her hair out of the way and her arms pinned to her sides, even if it was difficult to.
Taos’ voice was hoarse just like last time, but luckily his words were more intelligent. “Can we start where we left off *now*?”
“Where…where was that?”
Taos moved through the water toward her with barely a sound. His hungry eyes scanned her up and down, unable to decide what he wanted to fixate on. She didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or complimented. At least the embarrassment had subsided. *“Your breasts—fuck, Sona. You should not be embarrassed about those.”*
She didn’t know what to fixate on either; that damned expression? His physique? Memories of the temple bathhouse were resurfacing. And for some damned reason, the most colorful one was seeing the veiny V between his hipbones.
So much had changed since then.
“I believe,” Taos hummed, “I had the intention to kiss you in more places than one.”
She’d lost her virginity to Conri when she was sixteen. They’d experienced their first heat and rut and it was like a door creaking open before slamming outward. Her sexual desire had flamed in her core and suddenly her mind could only hold one thought, her body poised for only one goal: to satiate that near-uncontrollable lust. If she didn’t get release, she would implode.
Every time after that for the next nine years was satisfactory. She knew Conri’s body as well as he knew hers. They knew what each other liked and would know how to achieve total pleasure. She loved the familiarity of him and their shared excitement to try new things. Not just sexually, but sensually.
Now…everything was unfamiliar and she feared that the things Taos might like she might not.
A few days ago, she didn’t want to kiss Taos on the mouth. He didn’t turn her on the way she did to him. But he’d already kissed her chest. She’d already knotted her fingers in his damp hair. She told herself she wanted to be on solid ground to take her time in showing him her body.
Well, she was now. And she was already half-naked. And so was he.
Unbidden, Cerise’s drawl replayed in her mind, *“A request for you from me: just fuck my brother already, his horniness is getting on my last nerve.”*
Seeing his constantly hard cock was getting obnoxious.
“What places?” she murmured, his body inches away now, head tilted down to admire the new perspective view of hers. Her chest rose and fell heavy, but like always, Taos’ heartbeat was strong and steady. Did he ever falter? Was he ever unsure? Ever feel anything that made his heart lose its composure?
No. Taos Redbone was an apex predator. Nothing was above him, so what did he have to fear?
*Losing me*, she thought suddenly. And then inwardly laughed. *Don’t be ridiculous*.
*But remember in the field? The terror in his voice when he called your name?*
Searching his dark eyes, it was hard to imagine him having any feelings that didn’t involve anger or inappropriate humor. There was no space in his personality for fear.
Just rage, sarcasm, and sex drive.
And impossibly, great restraint in the first and third things.
What would Taos be like if he didn’t hold himself back?
It made Sona’s throat dry.
“You already know them.” Taos’ fingers teased hers on both hands until they were interlocked. He drew closer. His chin tilted forward; hers tilted up. His mouth quirked. “You’re almost pocket-sized, trinket.”
“I’m not fragile.”
A flash of amusement. “I don’t think you are. Anything but.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “What do you want to kiss first?”
“I think you already know that, too.”
“There’s another place that’s tied.”
“Lips or breasts, you mean,” he clarified with a hint of fangs in his sideways grin. “They *are* equally enticing. Do you have a preference?”
Sona never had strong fetishes, even small ones, but she always loved when Conri trailed kisses down her sternum…all the way down to below her navel. Inadvertently, her hand went to her stomach.
She realized the motion too late; she was holding hands with Taos, and she’d brought his knuckles to brush her skin there. It registered to him that was where she wanted his lips.
“Wait,” she breathed. “Not there.”
He recognized by her tone that there was a strong reason why. His eyes narrowed ever so briefly. Instead of identifying Conri, he said, “Are you familiar with being kissed there?”
*No sense in lying*. She looked down and admitted softly, “Every night when I was pregnant with Raff…”
“Do you want more pups?”
Her head jerked up, nearly headbutting him. “What?”
“Do you like being a mother?” Taos’ voice was rough and serious, even curious.
She remembered being terrified of what he would do when he learned she had a son already. Now she didn’t mind telling him—ignoring the first question—that, “I love being a mother.”
“Hm.”
He stroked his thumbs on the backs of her fingers and laughed nervously. “This took a turn.”
Taos hummed, bringing her hand to his lips, looking at her with hooded eyes. “Believe me, trinket, this isn’t the form of flirting I prefer.”
“What is?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Well,” Taos purred, releasing her hands lingering, sinking into the water. Sona was so short and he so tall that when he came to his knees, his head was level with her chest—convenient. “I can give you a sample.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Is that consent?”
“...Yes.”
Taos looked at her pointedly. “Sona.”
“Yes.” *Moon goddess help me*. “Thank you for asking.”
“Add ‘respectable’ to my list of admirable qualities. I’ll go slow.”
Taos’ hands encompassed her hipbones, pulling her stomach to his face. When his mouth met the soft flesh of her belly, an unbidden moan escaped her lips.
“So much for that feast,” she gasped.
“*You* are the feast, Sona.”