Ronson's arms circled my waist, drawing me back into his warm chest. He always smelled a little smoky to me, but it was a much fresher and more intense scent than the sweat and fire clinging to my own skin, and I turned my face to breathe him in.

"I especially enjoy moving slowly with you, omega," he purred in my ear, taking advantage of my twisted neck to press kisses inside the open collar of his shirt I was still wearing.

Will you be disappointed when you learn my decision? I wondered, but I didn't want the answer. It had taken a long time to dig through voices that didn't belong to me in order to discover my own, but by that point, it was a relief to discover it at all.

"In fact, before we even entertain the bath, I think I ought to start by very slowly undressing you," he continued, one hand sliding up to tug the uppermost button of my collar. His claws were sharp and glossy black, and they clicked against the delicate brass buttons.

"You're teasing me," I said, rubbing my cheek on his clean sleeve and feeling a petty pleasure when I realized I'd marked it with soot.

"I'm seducing you. Although that sometimes comes in harmony with teasing," he said. "Mairwen, would you be disgusted with me if I hired someone specifically to make you better undergarments? Ones that didn't aim to press you flat?"

"You are obsessed," I gasped out with a laugh, glancing down at the now gaping shirt that revealed my most comfortable—although apparently still objectionable—set of stays.

"I am," Ronson answered, and then one claw sliced through the front band of material.

I growled, and Ronson growled back, bucking his hips against my ass. "I have to say yes now, or I won't have any undergarments at all."

"That's another very clever idea."

"Ronson!"

He gripped my shoulders and spun me to face him, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes the only clear sign of humor. I reached up and touched the firm line of his mouth, wondering what it might take to earn one of those startling and rare smiles, and his expression slackened as he stared down at me. My throat tightened, and for a moment there was no air—time had stopped.

He would ask what I'd done in the office, if I drank the tea, and I would tell him the truth, and then I'd know how he really felt about giving me such power.

His gaze darkened, and he stepped forward, guiding me backward, the moment vanishing and returning to this warm intent and anticipation.

"I don't think anyone really recognized me today," I said.

"I don't think this island really knows you, Mairwen," Ronson said, tipping his head.

My breath snagged in my chest. "And you do?"

"No. But I will." He pushed gently, and I found myself sitting on a wide cushioned bench. He stared down at me, imperious and impenetrable and handsome. "I have started my study in the most rudimentary way."

"Oh? What way is that?"

"Looking," he said, voice velvety. His thumb caught the collar of the shirt, drawing it aside to expose a long V of skin down my chest to my stomach.

"You've done more than look," I said, words dry.

Ronson's purr rattled with a laugh and he drew away, circling the bench. I tried to look over my shoulder, but a hand caught me by my hair, holding me in place. One muscled leg looped over the bench, pressing to my left side, and then a moment later, he was wrapped around me, thighs bracing my hips, arms curling around me. His claws dug into my thigh, spreading my legs apart.

"That's true. I've learned the sounds you make, the way you taste, how your skin feels under my hand, against my own."

I shivered, and Ronson draped an arm over my chest, sliding his hand down to cup and roll my breast in his grip. I straightened, pushing into that touch, tipping my head in invitation.

"Superficial observations, I'll admit, and not nearly thorough enough to satisfy my curiosity," he whispered in my ear, licking the lobe and then ducking his head to mouth against my throat. "But there's more, Mairwen. I know there is. And I intend to learn it all."

"You might be disappointed."

"You plan on withholding what I want to learn?" Ronson asked.

That's not what I meant, I thought, but decided not to say. I twisted, reaching a hand back to draw his mouth to mine.

"Not quite so slowly now, alpha, if you please," I murmured against his lips.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter NineteenMAIRWEN

The nest was perfect after all. It had taken me a fair amount of study, sweat, and tears to get it ready, but now that the work was done and the curtains were closed, I was able to enjoy the luxury I'd created. Walls layered in linen and velvet to keep our private world quiet and unpolluted. Down pillows and mattress pads piled high until I was fairly certain I'd recreated the sensation of lying in a cloud. A sensation that was even more luscious while gently crushed beneath the weight of a growling and purring man intent on kissing every inch of skin he could find.

"Ronson," I called, squirming in the outrageous cushion, reaching a hand out. He was too far away, down at my feet, his thumb digging into my arch and making me⁠—

I gasped, a weak cry slipping from my lips as something that was almost an orgasm raced up from my foot into my core and higher until it reached my heart.

He rumbled, lifting my foot, a ticklish kiss pressed to my instep, the bristles of his beard making me shudder.

"I've never taken a lover before."

I wondered why those words had come from his voice and not mine, and then sat up to blink at him. "You don't mean⁠—"

The nest was lit with just a few small hanging lamps, but it was enough to reveal the slight flush that bled over Ronson's cheeks.

"No," he choked out, a flash of a grin that only made me crave more. "I've been with other women…during other ruts. But human women can't last the entire rut, and I wasn't in a state to get to know them," Ronson said, sitting back on his heels.

I still had the urge to drag a sheet over my body and cover myself, but we were both entirely nude after the long soak in the bath, and there was a more tempting maneuver that would allow me to hide myself from view. I sat up, and Ronson's smile hitched as I helped myself to his lap, draping my arms over his shoulders and nestling my breasts to his chest. His hands took an eager grip of my ass, squeezing and clutching me closer, rigid cock wedged between our bellies.

"At least we are both new to one thing," I said, finding his shoulder conveniently in front of my lips and leaving a kiss there. "You're very warm. Are the betas warmer too?"

Ronson growled, and my hands tightened on his shoulder as he tipped me back into the soft mattress, the heavy weight of him dizzying and wonderful on top of me.

"Don't think about the betas, Mairwen," he said, hands caressing up my side, one gathering my hair in his fist to tug gently and tip my chin up. He kissed me, sharp teeth grazing over my lip, tongue stroking in as I gasped, stroking against my own. His body slid over mine, up and down, cock fitting nestling against my core and coating itself in my arousal.

"What if they do something else to draw you⁠—"

Ronson paused, lifting up just enough to stare down at me, a glow of candlelight reflected in his pupils, blazing in his darkness. "If they burn the whole island down or set a plague upon us or…I don't know, sink it like you suggested, then that will be the final note in the history of Bleake Isle. We should be fine, though. This is a very high tower, and it will take a long time for any danger to reach us."