Jewels and Feathers (Race Games 3)

CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX

They were silent on the trip back to the hotel. Though a few eyes stared after them because of the blood splattering their clothing, none dared to stop them. It was Manhattan after all. So many could continue without looking too closely at the strange group exiting a black limo. The moment they were inside their room, they collectively relaxed. Muni immediately kicked off her heels the same time as Eirik kicked off his own shoes, watching as Brin and Vidar followed. Vidar drew his sword from his spine and leaned it against the wall before shrugging from the suit jacket he’d been wearing.

Because of their position to the dragon, Muni and Vidar had been splattered the most with blood. It had been hot at first touch—dragons burned hotter than the average creature—but it was easy to ignore. Muni, however, wasn’t certain that it hadn’t hurt Vidar and so she wanted to check him over.

The hotel room came with an elaborate bathroom. A large jet tub took up the center of the area as well as a shower large enough for all four of them. Muni looked around at all of them, a question in her eyes.

“I’ll wait,” Vidar murmured. “Blood isn’t so bad.”

But Muni paused before holding out her hand toward him. “You’re welcome to join me, warrior.”

It was Vidar’s turn to freeze, clear hesitation in his eyes as he thought over her offer. If he turned her down, Muni would accept that, but if he accepted? She waited for long seconds with her hand outstretched toward him. And then, in a move that made something inside of her flip, he slid his large, rough hand into hers and allowed her to lead him toward the bathroom.

Brin watched with a grin on his face, clearly ecstatic at the turn of events. Eirik tilted his head and watched. Muni had the briefest glance at the heat in his eyes before she closed the door to the room, shutting the other two outside.

Without waiting for Vidar to change his mind, Muni moved over to the tub and turned the knobs, testing the water with her fingers before she stopped the drain and allowed it to fill. The bathroom began to quickly steam up as she poured in a few of the scented bottles on the edge. The entire time, Vidar watched silently.

“If this makes you uncomfortable, I apologize for my forwardness,” she said, not daring to look in case she saw something in his eyes she didn’t wish to see.

She could feel him tilt his head, felt the moment he moved closer. “There’s something sensual about killing a man,” he answered instead. “When you know you’re on a battlefield and there are enemies, the moment you have to act without hesitation, there’s something wholly satisfying about protecting those you care about.”

Muni turned toward him, standing before him in a bloodstained dress covered with jewels. “I don’t need protection.”

“I realize that,” he agreed. “That doesn’t mean the instinct to protect goes away.”

He said the words as if an apology for acting quick, for deciding to kill the dragon when Muni could have very well done it herself. Instead of commenting on it, Muni couldn’t get passed his earlier words.

“You said you care?”

He shrugged, dismissive. “I killed a man for you.”

“You’ve done more for people you hate,” she pointed out.

A rare smile tugged at Vidar’s lips, and it made her stomach flip. “You’re right.” Moving forward until he was right in front of her, Vidar turned her gently by her shoulders until her back was to him. With the careful fingers of a man who knew his strength, Vidar tugged at the zipper that held her dress together until it reached the bottom. Because of the jewels, the dress was heavy enough that, once loosened, it pooled around her feet, revealing her entire naked back to him. She heard him suck in a breath, but he didn’t reach for her, not yet.

“I’m prepared to do what I can to help you,” he rasped, clear desire in his voice.

“What changed?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. She didn’t turn so he could see her front, not yet. She needed his answer first.

His eyes met hers without flinching. “Nothing except for my own misgivings. I was so desperate to cling to the past, to my guilt, I couldn’t see what was before me.” Strong fingers stroked down her spine, sending shivers across her body. “I want to draw you like this.”

“You’re welcome to,” she murmured, and then turned to him. He audibly sucked in his breath at the sight of her breasts and the deep V between her thighs. With a knowing smile, Muni reached toward the buttons of his shirt. “Come along, Viking. We’ll clean up and then the others can use the bathroom.”

Vidar didn’t move as she loosened his shirt and pushed it from his shoulders. When she would have reached for the button of his pants, he stopped her with tight fingers around her wrists. She could see his arousal pressing against the slacks, could feel the tension in his aura. But he didn’t stop her because he wanted to stop. Instead, he kicked off his shoes and freed his arousal himself, kicking the clothing to the side as if it wasn’t expensive at all. Without waiting another moment, Vidar scooped her into his arms and walked them both into the nearly full bathtub, submerging them to their shoulders. Whatever magic filled the tub so fast, Muni was thankful for it.

Without waiting for Vidar to act, Muni moved to grab a sponge from the edge. She poured soap onto the sponge and began to rub it across Vidar’s chest, cleaning him. Carefully, she washed the blood away, before moving up to his eyes where the paint began to run and wiping at it carefully. When she was done, he dropped beneath the water, removing the suds and the rest of the paint himself. When he came back up, he grabbed the sponge and repeated the same movements on her, cleaning her with care, until they were both so turned on, Muni wasn’t sure she could stand it any longer.

“Do you resent me for bringing you from Valhalla?” she asked him softly, keeping her distance.

He didn’t like that. Strong fingers wrapped around her hips and dragged her to him, and then he took a seat in the molded seats and settled her on his lap. “I thought I did at first. Now, I know I don’t.”

“You’re certain?”

Instead of answering, Vidar shifted them, moving her to the edge of the bathtub and sitting her on the edge. Then, with her above him and looking into her eyes, he moved between her thighs.

“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,” he grunted before focusing on her core.

Muni couldn’t help but thread her hand into his long hair, now wet and loose around his shoulders. Taking that for the invitation it was, Vidar leaned in and placed his lips against her core, his tongue dancing across clit in a way that made her toes curl where they still hung in the water.

“Oh,” she breathed, her fingers tightening in his hair until he was pressed so tightly against her, she wasn’t certain he could breathe. He didn’t seem to mind. His strong fingers clenched painfully on her thighs, no doubt leaving bruises that would fade in a few seconds time, but Muni didn’t care. The pleasure his mouth gave her far outweighed anything else. For a second, he’d forgotten his strength, but she wasn’t human, wasn’t breakable.

With a shudder, her thighs began to shake and then an orgasm exploded through her without warning, forcing her thighs to clench around shoulders. She would have collapsed backward if his hands didn’t immediately scoop her from the ledge and lower her back in the water. The warmth of the water clashed with the chill being out in the cool air conditioning left, a shock that somehow made her pleasure greater.

“Glorious,” Vidar growled against her skin before he sucked her nipple into his mouth. “Seeing you lose this battle.”

“Who says I’m losing?” she rasped, digging her nails into the muscles of his shoulders. Moving, she positioned her core over his rigid length where it sat beneath the water. Then, looking into his eyes, she began to lower herself onto him, watching the groan leave his lips. “Perhaps, it’s you who is losing.”

His hands grabbed her hips and pressed her down gently, faster but not hurting her. “I’ll allow you this victory,” he grunted, before stroking inside her.

Muni threw her head back but a strong hand around her throat forced her to meet his eyes again.

“If you’re to win, you have to see it, raven,” he grunted, and then there were no more words.

Vidar began to stroke inside of her quickly, touching places inside that made her lose control. Her wings itched to sprout from her back, but she knew in the tub, it would only waterlog them. With their aggressive movements, the water began to splash over the sides, making a mess of the floor, but neither of them seemed to care. Together, they rose higher and higher, until the rhythm grew frantic. Vidar slammed his lips against hers and began to groan, making noises that only made Muni’s own release slam forward quicker. With a soft cry, Muni exploded around him, her claws leaving marks on his back as she came with a violent force. At her release, Vidar tumbled after. Her core pulsed around him, milking him, until he began to fill her with his own finish. His length jumped inside her, until she collapsed in his arms. Without complaint, he held her weight, uncaring, as they both shook and came down together.

“You’re not going to change your mind?” Muni asked, and she was ashamed of the vulnerability in those words. It wasn’t wise to reveal her feelings, but Vidar only held her tighter.

“No,” he answered, certain.

Muni held him tighter in return, so he knew she wouldn’t change her mind either. After all, she wasn’t the only one with insecurities.

It was sometime later, after the water began to grow cold, that they slipped from the bathtub, dried themselves off, and collapsed onto the bed while Eirik and Brin went to clean themselves up. Neither one of them complained about the time it took them in the bathroom. But before Muni fell into sleep, she felt multiple kisses on her forehead.

She only held on tighter.