Lily and the Lion by Honey Phillips
Chapter Twelve
Leo’s face was in Lily’s neck again when she awoke. The clearing was filled with dappled light, and she realized that she had slept all night long. Something about the previous night demanded her attention, but it slipped away as he licked her neck with that wonderfully rough tongue. She shivered, and he lifted up over her and smiled down at her. His fangs flashed white, but she didn’t care, especially when she remembered how good they felt scraping across her swollen nipples.
“Good morning, love,” he whispered, and then he kissed her.
Fuck. It was every bit as erotic and sensual as she remembered, his rough tongue twining with hers as he explored her mouth. A low, persistent ache started between her thighs, and she tried to arch up against him. He chuckled, the deep sound making his chest reverberate against the tight points of her nipples. He abandoned her mouth, kissing his way down her body. Her breasts quivered in anticipation, but aside from one slow, thorough pull at each needy peak, he kept moving. He obviously had a different destination in mind.
Her breath caught as he pushed her thighs apart, his big hands easily spanning her flesh and the faint prickle of his claws a teasing reminder. He paused for a moment, studying her pussy. She would have been embarrassed if she hadn’t been so eager for him to continue.
“Beautiful,” he breathed and the hot rush of his breath against the damp flesh made her cry out. “That’s my girl.”
Something stirred in her memory, but then he swept that wonderful tongue from her weeping pussy to her throbbing clit and everything else disappeared. He feasted on her as hungrily as he had feasted on her mouth, his tongue everywhere, circling the throbbing little pearl of flesh and dipping far too quickly into her empty channel. By the time he focused on her clit and thrust a thick finger deep inside her, all she could do was clench her hands in his mane and hold on as her body exploded.
“Yes,” he growled. “Always so hot and wet and ready for me.”
His cock was notched at the entrance to her pussy before her brain finally began to work.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” she cried.
His cockhead pushed inside, stretching her in that wonderfully exciting way she remembered from the previous night, but he paused and looked up at her.
“Yes, love? Are you sore from yesterday?”
“No. Well, maybe a little but that’s not the point. When did you suddenly start speaking in complete sentences?”
He flashed her his cocky grin and slid another inch inside her. She fought back the urge to moan.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you. Slow and steady,” he added as if reminding himself.
Her hips wanted to roll up to meet him, but she forced herself to hold still.
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Why are you talking to me now?”
“I explained that last night,” he said absently. His eyes were focused on where their bodies joined as he pressed deeper. “Your sweet little cunt is so small, but look at the way it stretches to take me.”
Fuck.The dirty words in his deep, growling voice combined with the increasing stretch had her seeing stars, but she did her best to concentrate.
“No. I don’t remember.”
His hips snapped forward another inch and they both groaned, but her words finally seemed to penetrate and he looked back up at her, frowning.
“You really don’t remember?”
She did her best to ignore the desire thrumming through her body and tried to recall. Why was it so hazy? She suddenly remembered the cup of sap he kept passing her.
“What was in that drink?” she demanded.
An almost imperceptible expression of guilt flashed across his face, and her heart sank.
“It was ripened moni sap, just like I told you. I explained it to you last night.”
The memory hovered just out of reach. There was something, something about being trapped.
“You thought I was trying to trick you,” she said slowly.
“That’s right.” He smiled again, but it wasn’t the cocky grin this time. Instead, it was warm and soft and made her chest ache. “But you were exactly who you said you were.”
“But you weren’t,” she whispered.
His gaze snapped back to hers.
“What do you mean?”
“You tricked me. You pretended to be someone else.” More of her memories were returning, and an increasing anger mingled with her despair. “You made me waste three days when I could have been searching for my friends because you’re a rich, spoiled prick.”
He drew back as if she had slapped him. His cock slipped free, and even now, a foolish demanding part of her body regretted the loss.
“I knew I wanted to claim you the moment I saw you,” he protested. “I just had to be sure.”
“And it never occurred to you that I might want to be sure as well? Do you know how many men have lied to me? I actually thought you were different.”
“Lily, love, let me explain. I never intended to hurt you.”
He looked so sincerely upset that she almost reconsidered, but her battered heart just couldn’t take anymore.
“And to top it all off, you tried to get me drunk.”
The expression of horror on his face was almost convincing.
“I would never do such a thing. The moni sap only reveals the truth. It would never cause you to say or do something you didn’t genuinely want to do.”
“You claimed me.” That memory was crystal clear. “You said I was yours. And you were drinking it too.”
“As I said, it only makes you speak the truth.”
She wanted to believe him, but too many emotions were warring within her.
“I have to—”
The sound of an engine interrupted her. Leo looked up, then quickly gathered up her discarded clothing and passed it to her.
“Get dressed. We’re about to have company.”
“Company?”
“Yes. I sent a message last night asking for us to be picked up today. Once I realized you were telling the truth—” he winced guiltily “—I knew that we needed to arrange a search for your friends. And we can’t do that from here.”
She was still staring at him in shock and he growled impatiently, pulling her to her feet and trying to fasten her outfit back in place.
“As much as I hate to cover up this delightful body, no one sees what is mine.”
“I never said I was yours.”
He had started to turn away to pick up his loincloth, but he turned back at her quiet words and pulled her against him, lifting her chin so that she was looking directly into his face.
“Yes, you did, Lily. And it was the truth.”
Leotra fumed silentlyas the hovercopter carried them back to his lodge. He didn’t like the speculative way his two Bukharan guards were eyeing Lily. He tugged her closer against his side, trying to angle his position so that less of her delicious body was visible. She was still stiff in his arms, but fortunately she didn’t resist.
He was afraid that if she did, the primitive instincts that she aroused would have urged him to claim her again, no matter who was present. But more than that, he missed the soft willing Lily from last night—and this morning before she started to question him. Had she truly not remembered? Was it possible that the moni sap acted differently on humans? What if she hadn’t spoken the truth?
No.He refused to believe that. She had told him that she belonged to him and he refused to accept any other possibility.
When they reached his lodge, she barely reacted. He had been sure she would be impressed by the luxurious surroundings, but she barely gave them a glance, walking stiffly next to him as he hurried her to his quarters. He would even have preferred fiery, challenging Lily to this stiff little automaton.
“Master Leotra?” Hudomo asked, hurrying along behind him. “Is everything all right? I would have sent a hovercopter for you earlier, but your message said that you wished to be alone.” He shot a curious glance at Lily, then coughed discreetly. “Would you like me to arrange transport for your… companion?”
The implication horrified him, and rage washed over Leotra’s vision as he turned, looming over Hudomo as his claws flexed.
“You will use respect when you speak of Mistress Lily.”
“Mi… Mistress Lily?”
Fuck. He hadn’t intended to announce that quite so quickly, especially with Lily acting the way she was. It would be all over the household within an hour and undoubtedly spreading to Yangu before the end of the day.
But it was too late now, and he refused to have any regrets. She was his.
“Yes,” he bit. “Now send an assortment of food and drink to my sitting room. Make sure all the meat is cooked. And send a female servant as well. Have her wait in the sitting area until I send for her.”
Hudomo nodded nervously and hurried off, and Leotra turned to find Lily glaring at him. Oh yes, that was much better.
“Is something wrong?”
“I can’t believe you just told him to send somebody to stand around and wait for you.”
“Actually, she will be waiting for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes.” He took a step closer and bent his head, breathing in her soothing scent. “As much as I enjoy the outfit you are wearing, I assume you would prefer more clothing.”
Her breath stuttered, and he smiled. No matter what she said with her words, her body already recognized him as her mate.
She pushed at him with her tiny fist, and he obligingly stepped back.
“What about my friends?”
“I will check to see if there’s any information as soon as we reach my—our—rooms.”
For the first time, she seemed to actually notice her surroundings. Her eyes traveled over the inlaid wood floor to the tasteful sculptures set in niches along the corridor. Unfortunately, she still didn’t look either pleased or impressed. If anything, she looked more annoyed.
“I wasn’t wrong when I called you a rich, spoiled… person, was I?” she muttered.
“Actually, you called me a rich, spoiled prick.” He stepped closer again, crowding her against the front of his body. “If I understand the translation protocol correctly, you were actually referring to my cock. Which is not rich, but was undoubtedly spoiled by your hot little cunt. I can’t wait to spoil him again with another delicious taste of you.”
Her eyes widened, and he could feel the hard little tips of her breasts branding his chest before he stepped back.
“Whenever you’re ready, of course,” he added.
She gave the most delightful little growl, and he laughed, suddenly sure that this was going to work out after all.
“Now, we’re going to go to our rooms and I’m going to bathe you and feed you and dress you while we see if we can find out what happened to your friends.”
Still glaring up at him, she didn’t move. He pretended to sigh as he gently turned her in the right direction, then smacked her ass. She jumped, and the smell of her arousal flooded the corridor as she started walking.
Oh, yes, this was going to be perfect.
