131 Life with you part 6

Arei nudged Jos awake as they neared the inn. She'd fallen asleep against his chest. "Wake up, kitten. We've made it back." He jumped to the ground first then lifted her down. He took her hand and guided her to the bar. "When possible, could you send dinner and the bath to our room." He nodded to Jos who was holding one of his hands in both of hers and leaning her head against his arm. "As you can tell my bride is tired from our trip."

The voice of the Irish sailor chimed in from somewhere behind them with rude comments. Jos clung tightly to the hand in her grip as she looked around the room. Those men were trash. the worst of worst. She could smell their bad deeds from here. She glared at the man as he made jesters to her.

"Come, kitten." Arei said tugging her hand lightly. He followed her irritated gaze to the table. "Looks like the landlord here has yet to take out the trash." He called out loud enough for the barmaid and the men to hear before making his way up the stairs.

Shortly after entering their room, the maids brought in food and water and the stable boy the large tub. "I'd advise ye take the bath first. The stew is still boiling." The last of the maids said, trailing her eyes over Arei. He nodded a dismissal. Once the door closed, he watched as Jos sniffed the soaps the maids had left. After the third, she smiled and dipped it into the tub and lathered it as Arei had shown her the night before. He was about to make his excuses and leave the room when she asked.

"Would you wash my hair again, like last night?" A heavy blush crept up her neck as she asked.

Arei frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea, kitten. Things between us have already overstepped the boundaries.

"Please?" she whispered. She fumbled with the bar as it nearly slipped from her fingers. The soft light of the fire flickered backlighting her nervous features.

Arei dropped the saddlebags by the table and walked to her. He took the soap from her hands and brought her palm to his chest pressing them against his pounding chest. "Feel what you do to me?" He asked huskily. "You couldn't possibly understand the strains being this close to you with out having you is." He softened his grip on her hands but didn't release them.

Her head tilted as she looked from their hands to his troubled eyes. "Strain? But why? You have me, I'm right here." She said not understanding.

He released her hands and cupped her face in both his large hands. "Yes, you are right here, but I don't believe you understand what you're asking..." He ran the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. "Every time you ask me for things like this, every time you brush these lips across my body..." He met her confused but heated gaze, "Anytime you look at me like you are right now."

She furrowed her brows, her hands still resting against one massive peck. "Then show me, show me what it is I'm not understanding."

She shook her head before giving a timid answer. "I have seen them pressing their lips together and touching." She snarled her nose. "But it's not the way you touch me or kiss me... It's not like... lovers..."

Arei frowned, "It is exactly like lovers, kitten." He searched her eyes only finding confusion and innocence there. "Kitten, have you ever kissed another man?" He stroked the pad of his thumb across her lips watching as her eyes shut and her lips parted under his touch.

She shook her head against his light hold. "No... physical contact is not necessary to lore prey." Her words broke as a moan risked escape. When he remained silent for several minutes, her eyes flickered up to meet his. "What is it?" She asked in surprise, seeing confusion in his expression for the first time. "I can show you, if you like."

The urge to scoop her up and carry her to the bed that very second, was pushed aside only slightly by the intrigue of seeing the mysterious lore of the siren's she'd learned to use so well. He lowered and pressed a light kiss to her lips before whispering against them. "I believe I'd like to see that."

Jos let out a ragged breath. She closed her eyes and focused on her body, blinking when she felt the slight shift in her appearance. She took a step back and gently brushed his hands away from her.

Arei stared in aw as the beauty before him began to glisten under the faint glow of the fire. Her dazzling aqua eyes brightened, radiating their own faint light. He narrowed his eyes to her mouth, but her lips were closed. He glanced around the small room before looking down at her in amazement. "I swear, I can hear singing." He took a step to her, but she turned not breaking their eye contact. He followed as she walked toward the window and then as she backed onto the bed and scooted to the center. Once he was crawling across it after her, she closed her eyes and the faint blue glow died off along with the melodious music that had been filling the room. He shook his head as if to brush away a fog. He cupped her face bringing her eyes back up to meet his. "That was amazing. I wouldn't have guessed you'd be able to control me like that. I'm much older than you and in no way easily influenced."

"It works on nearly all... things..." She said watching the curiosity reflect in his eyes. "So there has never been a need to... touch... or kiss..." She struggled for words and he moved closer to her his hand still resting against her jaw. The flames of the fireplace flickered in his eyes causing them to resemble a turbulent sea on fire. She clamped her hands around his forearms and looked away. This was still part of the lore. "Please, I don't want you like this..."

His brows scrunched and the remainder of fog lifted from his mind. He studied her reddened cheeks and tightly shut eyes. He lowered his hands away from her face and slid them lightly down her arms until he reached her elbows. He pulled her gently toward him, closing the short distance between them. "Open your eyes, kitten. I'll admit your pull is amazing, but it's not enough to control or motivate my actions. I can stop the pull at any time I like. I only wanted to see what it was like." He studied her weary eyes. "Try it again and I'll prove it."

Jos nodded and closed her eyes again. The bioluminescence of her skin and eyes lit the room once again in a faint blue glow and the sirens' melody danced fluently through the room. She trailed her eyes from the bed up his body, pausing only briefly at the bulge tenting his trousers. Her eyes met his heavily entranced eyes. Just as she was about to shut her eyes and break the spell he caught her chin.

"Don't look away." He said. He blinked three rapid times before holding her gaze again. This time his eyes were clear, the tent of her bioluminous glow mixing with the flicker of the flames, making his hazel eyes far more enchanting than any spell could ever dream to be. "See?" He lowered his lips to hers and gave her a teasing kiss. "Any thing I do with you will be of my own will, trust me." He held her gaze. "But that doesn't change my mind. As much as I want you as well, it isn't wise for me to take you now." He kissed her now pouting lips. "I want to see you freed first, do you understand?"

She nodded but didn't seem convinced. Her eyes dropped to his chest where her hands now rested. She brushed her fingers across the soft fabric of his shirt, lingering on the press of his nipples and metal against the fabric. A jerk of the thick tent of his trousers brought her attention to his groin causing the fabric to tighten and jump again as hands pulled her face back upward. She tilted her head when she met disapproving eyes. She licked her lips, finding them suddenly dry.

"That is exactly the thing I'm referring to, kitten." He pulled her closer causing her hands to land on his corded thighs. His mouth lowered to hers in a more heated kiss, nipping the lip she'd just licked. "We want the same things, but now is not the time." He smiled warmly down at her. "Once the final review through the courts are over, and you are free I'll explain everything and the choice will be yours."

She frowned, "But why can't I choose now? I know what I want now!" Her hands quickly shot up as she pounced toward him. Her lips landed hard against his, but his mountainous body didn't budge. When she pulled back, she said searching his eyes her hands still holding his jaws firmly. "I want you."

Arei shook his head. "You don't even know me, kitten, not really." He watched has she let her body sink back to the mattress between his thick thighs. Her gaze averted every part of his body, staring instead at her own hands that now rested in her lap. He used her upset as opportunity. Moving to the edge of the bed and turning to stare out the window at the cloudy night sky, he said. "Go take your bath before the waters are cold. I'll come wash your hair once you're in." He watched her reflection in the glass as she undressed with her back to him and slowly slumped into the waters.

"Alright, I'm in." Her tiny voice squeaked. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them.

Arei sighed as he pushed himself up from the bed. He walked over to the chair positioned by the tub and took the bar of soap from it. He dipped it into the waters and lathered it into his hands as he had the night before. He then began massaging her scalp as he had as well. When he heard muffled sniffles from the tub, he murmured. "I don't mean to upset you or be harsh, it's just-"

Her tearful words interrupted him. "It is still as you said before, isn't it? You haven't changed your mind after all. You still don't see me as a woman..." She flicked a bubble with her finger in irritation. "I wish you'd never seen me in child form. Maybe then it would be different. You would want to hold me like you do the others in bars..." Her words trailed off.

His voice held a note of desperation and longing that filled her heart with a hope that had been nearly lost the day she'd tried telling him her feelings. She pushed herself up from the water and threw her arms around his neck, molding her lips to his as she pressed her upper body into his chest.

He growled and stood up, bringing her dripping body up with his. He lifted her wet body from the tub and her legs instantly wrapped around his waist. His hands slid over her slick back, holding her tighter to his chest as he pressed against her lips with his tongue for the first time. He smiled against her lips as her eyes popped open and she tentatively parted her lips. He gently plunged his tongue into her mouth to brush across and tease hers. He held her gaze as she met his tongue with her own experimentally. He chuckled pulling back for a brief moment. "That, love, is a proper kiss between lovers." He smiled as her eyes widened and her mouth came back to his eagerly.

His hand had just slipped down to squeeze one perfectly rounded butt cheek when the door of the room opened. His eyes shot to the door immediately. Recognizing the maid as one of the many who'd offered herself to him over the past two days, he narrowed his eyes and pulled Jos even tighter to him. "Do you mind? My wife and I are enjoying each other's company at the moment."

The girl looked embarrassed as she stumbled across her words. "I...I'm sorry, I was jus here to collect your plates and see if ye needed anything else."

When she only stood in the open doorway Arei growled, pulling the cloak from the chair and covering Jos's bare back as she buried her face in the bend of his neck. "As you can tell we have been preoccupied. I will bring them when we are finished and you can wait until morning to remove the tub. There are no need for interruptions tonight." He narrowed his eyes farther and barked. "Now leave."

The girl jerked to attention and quickly stepped back out of the door, but unfortunately his gruffness had made Jos jerk as well. He carried her over to the bed and set her closest to the fire. Tucking the cloak around her, he turned and retrieved the shirt from last night and handed it to her. He ran his hand through his hair as he watched her. Her eyes were glued to the wet material of his thin linen shirt and the wet, clinging material of his trousers. He let out a low groan. He really should be thanking the maid. He ran his hand through his hair as he forced himself to turn toward the nightstand. "Turn round and I'll brush out your hair." He needed distraction right now that would take his mind off the way her hungry eyes focused on his hard cock or the way her wet body had felt pressed against it. It would be another long night sleeping in the cold waters of the tub .