DAY FIVE
INSATIABLE
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
KIERAN
Warm tea coated my tongue as I smiled between sips, one hand tucked behind my head while the other thumbed through a stack of missives Jeremiah had sent over for my review.
Arken was humming softly beneath her breath, and I wasn’t sure she even realized it…But it was very cute, and it wasn’t the first time I’d caught her. I could never quite make out the words she’d murmur to herself, but it was always the same tune—a gentle, lilting cadence that reminded me of Samhaven. It must’ve been a familiar melody, a comfort she’d brought from her home in the Brindlewoods.
Glancing up at her perfect form strewn comfortably across the far side of my bed, I could see she was getting toward the tail end of the novel she was reading. In about thirty minutes, that book was going to end up flying across the room. Either that or my head, for not warning her the romantic subplot withinThe Novosi Pirate Princeended in bitter tragedy and betrayal. But far be it from me to spoil an ending like that.
“I’m going to need to run out for an hour or two this afternoon,” Arken murmured without looking up at me. It’s like she knew I was staring.
“Regrettably, I have both an exam and a lecture tomorrow that I can’t miss. I need my notes for both, and wouldn’t mind a clean outfit or two, if that’s alright with you.”
“If that’s alright withme?” I kept my tone trained to levity and amusement, swallowing the more natural reaction. “I’m not your jailer, Asher. At least, not anymore. It’s been a while since you’ve committed any crimes.”
Even still, a dark part of me very muchdidwant to keep her locked up, stuck with me in this townhouse for an eternity.
“How do you know? I could very well be doing crimes while you sleep.” Arken smirked, turning a page before her expression grew a touch more serious. “But what I meant was—what I was trying to ask, rather…Is it alright if I come back afterward?”
Was italright? Gods, I’ll beg if I have to.
Because a softer, and perhaps even stronger part of me simply ached at the idea of her absence.
“I wouldn’t mind studying here,” she continued, worrying at her lower lip as if this was some sort of outlandish request. “If you’re not yet tired of my company.”
How areyounot tired ofmeyet, pretty girl?
“Tire of your company, Asher? Never. Stop touching you long enough to let you study? Questionable.”
“Mmm, I think I can manage to multitask.”
The quip immediately summoned a number of different fantasies in my mind’s eye.
Arken in my study, struggling to browse through her notes because my head is between her legs beneath the writing desk.
Arken, riding my cock with a textbook in hand, quill in the other, still attempting to scribble her little notes in the margins while crying out with pleasure at the same damn time.
Arken wearing sexy little reading glasses, slipping down the slope of her nose with every slow roll of my hips.
As much as I didn’t want to let her leave, the desire to go with her rose in equal measure. I opened my mouth to offer my escort, and then thought better of it, pressing my lips together before the impulsive words burst forth.
I knew that if I asked, Arken would say yes. She was eager to please me, a trait that was doing truly unspeakable things to my already-swollen ego. But I was also fairly confident that if Arken had wanted me to come with her, she would have asked me outright.
I knew the girl well enough to understand she didn’t always ask outright for what she wanted, especially when she thought the favor might inconvenience anybody. But over the last few days, within the newfound sanctity of these four walls, a different woman was emerging. A woman who didn’t justaskfor what she wanted from me…She fuckingtook it.
It was a simple example, but I’d felt such an odd burst of pride just hours ago as she’d left the room—toe-waltzing her way toward the kitchen. Recalling that adorable little habit of hers, I did make a mental note to sit down and teach her how to stretch her calves and ankles one of these days, though—because no fucking wonder her legs were always sore after training. As whimsical as she looked, the little forest sprite traipsing around on her tiptoes, walking around like that all the time meant she wasalwaysputting strain on those muscles. But I digress.
Arken had returned to my room with two cups of tea, setting one on the bedside table closest to me in comfortable silence. She had prepared them both without asking for my permission or even checking in with me to see if I’d wanted any. Naturally, I had—I always wanted tea. But the fact that within a matter of days, Arken had grown comfortable enough to move around my private space with ease, acting on her own impulses, instincts,and desires…It sort of made my heart swell. I really was proud of her.
But knowing that this casual confidence of hers had been growing as of late did suggest she would have told me if she wanted company, especially since she knew I had fuck-all to do today besides finishing up this stack of paperwork. It was a small effort to try not to let that observation wound my ego, because again, I knew her well.
The fact that Arken had shared space with me for this long was honestly both a compliment and a feat. I had known for a long time now that my presence didn’t wear or grate on Arken the way the presence of others so often did—and I took pride in that. However, I also knew that Arken was a sensitive soul and somebody who found her solace in solitude more than anything else.
After a long week or a bad day, she would often take at least a day or two to herself, happily locked away in her apartment before I inevitably pestered her enough to get her to come along on another adventure. But the woman had nearly died last week and hadn’t left my side since.