Page 63 of The Prince's Fealty

He kissed him and then murmured against his mouth, “You’re wearing too much clothing.”

“Is it my fault that you’re slow?” Pel challenged.

Tor got Pel stripped so fast that Pel was giggling practically uncontrollably as they finally wound up rolling around on the bedroll naked together. The delightful sound made Tor grin hugely and then lean in to kiss the laughter from his lips.

Then he moved to kiss Pel’s jaw, his throat, his shoulder, his chest, glorying in every naked inch of him, in the warm, vital skin of the man who’d stuck by Tor, even when he’d been foolish and done dangerous things.

Pel believed in Tor enough to pledge his Fealty to him, to throw his lot in with Tor’s no matter what. Pel had seen Tor make big mistakes, had seen the worst of him, and he still believed in Tor, and that meant everything.

Wild hope, warm affection, and scorching arousal fizzed through Tor like a buzz under his skin. He’d really had no idea that he could feel so much at once in intimate moments, and it made the previous encounters he’d had seem a bit empty in comparison. They’d beenfun, of course, but this was somuch more.

As Tor kissed his way down Pel’s sternum, the pale skin untouched by the sun, he became suddenly aware that he was approaching Pel’s stomach. He paused awkwardly and pulled back a little.

“Uh, not to ruin the mood, but would it be all right if I said hello to the baby?” Tor asked uncertainly.

He still wasn’t completely sure how Pel felt about this, and he didn’t want to mess up.

Thankfully, Pel smiled faintly. “Go ahead.”

Tor leaned in to press a kiss to Pel’s stomach. There were no visible changes in his body as far as Tor could see, but the knowledge that there was a baby in there was enough to change Tor’s perception. Pel wasgrowing their baby. Tor really wished they’d had the chance to talk about this and actually make a decision, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret anything. When he thought of Hena and Par and Cala, the idea of having his own child to love seemed weirdly possible.

Of course, someone had recently tried to kill Cala, which obviously meant that Tor had to grind them into dust so that the world was a safe place for his niece and every child everywhere, including this one who hadn’t been born yet, but whom Tor was going to protect with everything in him.

“Baby, I can’t wait until you get here,” Tor told them.

“But please, take your time to safely grow first,” Pel pointed out with a sardonic expression for Tor.

“And listen to your father,” Tor continued smoothly, as if that’s what he’d been intending to say all along. “He’s going to be the one full of sensible advice who probably prevents you from getting too many broken bones as a child. But if you need an adventure, then you should come to me, and we’ll fix everything we break before your father ever finds out.”

Pel shook his head, but the exasperation on his face was also softened by fondness, and his hands came up to delve into Tor’s hair. Tor pressed another kiss to the soft skin of Pel’s abdomen, and then he flashed a grin up at the man, because he was more than half hard, and Torhadsort of distracted them.

“Anything you’d like me to do while I’m down here?”

Pel smiled at him. “You might as well make yourself useful.”

Tor’s smile deepened right before he ducked down a little lower and swallowed the man whole. It was tempting to tease him, but truthfully, it had beenweekssince they’dlast had sex. Never mind that Tor had been unconscious for most of it; that was still unacceptable.

Once Tor had taken the edge off with an orgasm or three, they could see about slow and leisurely. But right now, he had a mission. He sucked harder, and Pel clutched at his hair more forcefully, his hips stuttering forward, the little pinpricks of sensation adding to the pleasure that was roaring through Tor. He grabbed Pel’s ass and encouraged him to bury himself down Tor’s throat.

No one else got to see Pel like this, no one else got to watch him come apart with a soft cry as Tor greedily swallowed his come. Tor released him as he softened, and Pel’s head flopped back against the blankets.

He gasped out, “Please keep in mind that I’ve been desperate for you for days.”

“Just the way I like you,” Tor said cheekily.

“So come and fuck me,” he ordered.

They got Pel arranged on his hands and knees, and Tor stretched him open carefully with the oil that he was so glad they still had with them. It had gone all the way to Alossa, and apparently, even in their rush to flee, Pel or one of the others had packed it up. Obviously, it now needed to be a policy that they had oil with them wherever they went, just in case the mood struck.

Tor was achingly hard, but he teased Pel with his fingers until he was arching back against Tor and cursing at him.

Tor wasn’t sure if this could be attributed to pregnant behavior—over the years, he’d heard variously that it made people very horny, that it turned them off sex all together, or that it made no difference—or if it was just due to the fact that they’d been inadvertently separated thanks to Tor’s magical coma.

He supposed it didn’t matter. He loved Pel squirming desperately on his fingers, and he wanted to bring him pleasure even more than he wanted to get himself off—though he wouldn’t complain at all if they achieved this together.

“Would you get on with it, you tease!” Pel snapped, and then threatened, “Do you want me to take care of myself?”

Tor definitely didn’t want that, so he batted Pel’s hand away and slowly pushed inside, immense satisfaction filling him as he slid home. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was the knowledge that they were bonded, that they were going to have a baby, or that it had been so long after Tor had messed up so badly, but this felt like a culmination, like the pinnacle of everything Tor had ever wanted to achieve. His eyesfluttered closed for a moment as he drew in several deep breaths and tried to get himself under control. He was here with Pel, bringing him pleasure, both of them alive and well, and that was the best feeling.