Read Oblige for Free Online Page B

room. It has a locking door.” He smiled.
    Lilia sighed. “Fine. Do you want a briefing today?”
    He offered her his arm. “If you like. You will have to repeat it tomorrow for my parents.”
    She nodded. “Right. I have to ask. Are you just here for a while or are you staying?”
    Xeric grinned. “We have unfettered access to the forest for ten years. I am staying for the next decade.”
    Lilia smiled. “I am sure if you start a family that it and Briel’s little one will get along just fine, being neighbours and all.”
    She tried to rein in her tongue. It tended to run away with her when she was tired.
    “Do you want children?”
    She shook her head. “No. I am too broken to deal with someone who depends on me like that.”
    As they walked the halls, she asked him. “What is it like to join a group of the purples?”
    He paused for a moment before he said, “It was the first time I felt like I was not an accident of birth. It felt right. While I kept in touch and visited my family, the forest and the rangers were home.”
    “I feel like that when I am working on organizing. I feel like I am where I am supposed to be. Nothing else matters.”
    They were in the family wing, and he guided her to a bedroom easily three times the size of hers. She untied the sash and carefully folded it as she removed it.
    He bustled about, placing a sleeping gown on the bed, and then, he removed himself to the bathroom.
    Lilia removed her tunic and folded it carefully. It was her only clothing option during daylight hours, so she wanted to make sure it stayed looking fresh.
    She slipped the gauzy sleeping gown over her head a moment before Xeric returned wearing a set of shorts and nothing else.
    “So, this is your version of keeping me safe?” She raised her brows as she folded the sheets back. She slid inside and sighed as her body unclenched. All the tension she had been using to hold herself upright suddenly gave way.
    She was pretty sure she was out before Xeric had answered her question.
     
    She felt something nuzzling at her cheek and opened her eyes. Her field of vision was filled with purple skin and dark hair.
    Xeric leaned back and then moved in, brushing his lips across hers. Once, twice and the third time, she leaned up to meet him.
    The kiss was soft and exploring. He gave her a chance to say no at every increase in intimacy.
    The sun was bright outside the window and saying no was not in her plans. He was kind, he was protective and he was hot.
    His light touch roamed over her back and hip, dancing across her thigh before stroking in between.
    Her sleeping gown was pulled slowly up and out of the way until his fingers were sliding against her sex, parting her and rubbing across her clit. She gasped against his lips and held him tightly.
    The width of his hand opened her thighs, and he slipped two fingers into her after teasing her for a moment. He thrust into her slowly as he continued to kiss her wildly.
    She twisted against his hand, and he pressed rhythmically on her clit until she gasped and twitched against him, letting her breath out on a low groan against his lips.
    When she stilled, he removed his hand and slid her sleep shirt down over her hips once again.
    “Good morning, Lilia.”
    His crystal eyes were gently amused.
    She licked her swollen lips and blinked. “Um, good morning, Xeric.”
    He winked and ran his hand down her back. “I believe that we should get to the business at hand.”
    She wished that he was talking about continuing the tangle of limbs, but she knew that he was referring to the actual business. With a sigh, she rolled to the edge of the bed and flipped the bedding back before grabbing the long tunic and stalking to the bathroom.
    The rush of energy that accompanied her orgasm worked on her better than any cup of coffee from home ever could. A shower would have to calm her down. If Xeric didn’t want to spend a day in bed with her, that was his loss. She would do the job she had