Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) Jonathan Michael (red novels .txt) 📖

“Information, huh? I might be able to help, but, umm…” She smiles and forces her hand between my legs. “Ooh!” She squeezes while batting her eyelashes. “Is that what I get in return?”

I retrieve a handful of ribs from my purse and open my palm. To my surprise, there are several gold ribs and a few silvers. I snap my fingers closed and shuffle them back in, scrambling to find a few coppers. I know better than to flaunt coin like that in a place like this.  But I never thought Fika would be gracious enough to offer me such a fortune. I hold out three coppers.

She slides her hand from my groin and closes my fist around the coin, looking about suspiciously to see if anyone is watching. “That’s a start, I suppose…” she whispers. “But I’ll need more than that. Follow me.”

I don’t know if I like where this is heading.

Ash grazes my hand with gentle fingers and interlocks them with my own. She examines it momentarily, leaving me confounded, then smiles and leads me up a flight of stairs. She takes a seat on a bed, twisting her fingers in and out of her hair, and motions for me to join her.

“Ash, please, I’m only here to find my sis…uh…a friend, I mean. That’s all.”

“And I’m only here to educate you.” She smiles. “Sit down.”

I submit and take a seat, ensuring there is plenty of distance between us. She absolves that immediately by scooting closer. Her eyes are beautiful. Seductive. Looking into them alone fashions temptation. With her soft, silky skin and revealing undergarments, she is nearly irresistible. Her leg touches mine just the slightest, and my insides flutter and grow warm. She places her hand on my thigh, and I shudder.

“Easy,” she whispers.

I have to resist. I must. I’m here for Jaymes. I can’t spare time for my own desires. I shuffle, nearing the end of the bed.

“I have a confession to make…” I say, hoping my lack of experience will turn her away. “I…umm…I’ve never been with a woman…before.”

Ash looks at me with a sincere smile and laces her fingers through my own as she scoots closer. She places my hand on her inner thigh. Her skin is so soft and warm. My fingers roam with a noticeable quiver. She adjusts to face me and places both hands on my shoulders, focusing on me. “It’s okay. I’ve never been with a man before.”

Now she just mocks me. I force my hand away. “I’m serious. I don’t appreciate you making light of it.”

“I wouldn’t ever,” Ash replies. She grabs my hand again with both of hers and holds it. “I know you think me a liar, and that is understandable. How could a pillow girl be a maiden, for Susy’s sake? But that is not my role here. I’m honest when I say I’ve never been with a man. My maidenhood has yet to be taken from me and I don’t intend to change that.”

“Then, what are we doing?” I ask.

“Just because I’ve never been with a man in that sense, doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced a man.” She slips off her camisole and pulls my hand to her chest, forcing—or rather guiding—me to caress her breasts. “You want something I have, and I want something you have. It’s only fair we trade.”

The touch of her soft skin pushes me beyond resistance. I surrender to my urges and impulsively squeeze harder.

“Softer,” she commands. I ease up, and a shuddering breath escapes her. She guides my hand down her abdomen until it slips between her legs. She lies back on the bed, her supple figure screaming for me to grab hold.

Utterly confused of what I am expected to do with my hand between her legs, I do what I desire and massage her, attempting to follow her cues until her body tenses and shivers. Eyes closed and her tender lips partly open, she breathes heavily. I cannot resist. I lean over top of her and kiss her lips. And I kiss her neck. I move lower and kiss her midsection, then lower. The taste is suspiciously sweet, like a strawberry.

She slips off her undergarments and disrobes me.

“I want to feel you,” she whispers.

Suddenly eager to fulfill her needs, I submit to her desires. Eventually her body tenses, and she squeezes me tight. It subsides, and I fall next to her on the bed. I feel accomplished yet disgusted. What have I done?

We lie next to each other on the bed for a moment, collecting ourselves. Or in my case, regurgitating all the shame I just soaked up with my choices. “My father once told me part of being a man is being able to control your impulses and emotions. I want to apologize. I should have refused you. It doesn’t feel right taking a woman for the first time who isn’t fully engaged. That’s not me. That’s not who I want to be.”

“I beg to differ based on what climbed out of your trousers,” she rips back at me, all seduction abandoned from her character. “So what’s the problem? Are you afraid?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. What about you?” I reply, tensions rising. “You expect me to believe you’ve never been with a man before?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s true, why now?” My hairline is damp, and my heart beats hastily.

“I couldn’t resist. Your hands. They’re strong yet gentle too. You’re…effective with them. And that tongue. Most men who enjoy the pleasures of Madrone’s are not accustomed to working with their hands. Tongues, perhaps, but in an off-putting manner. You… You’re unique.”

“I shouldn’t be here.” I reach for my garments, and she reaches for my hand.

“You probably won’t believe this either, but I’m certain that was my first…” She pauses then continues with barely a whisper. “…climax.”

“Tigershit!