Chapter 54
"You keep interrupting me and I'm not fond of it," I shared irritably.
"You haven't complained before now," he replied. "And that's probably because it led to things like me going down on you and you had no problem with that. Now you got somethin' to say that I can feel by your change in mood doesn't need to be said, not right now, but for some reason you feel like f.u.c.kin' this up, and I'm not gonna let you. But you're not used to not getting what you want so suddenly you're 'not fond of it.'"
First things first.
"Going down on me?" I queried.
"Makin' you come with my mouth," he explained.
Well, that certainly was going down, for Noc's part. He just was so good at it, it made me fly high.
"That's explained," I went on then carried on. "Now I'll note if I have something to say, I'd like to be able to say it. And truthfully, I can't believe I even have to make the request."
"Not if you're f.u.c.kin' s.h.i.+t up," he returned.
"I'm not 'f.u.c.kin' s.h.i.+t up,'" I retorted.
He rolled into me so I had some of his weight at my hips, his long legs tangling in mine, and he lifted up on a bent elbow so he wasn't looming over me but he did have the dominant position.
This, my guess, though I wouldn't ever know for certain, was a ploy often used by Frey, Lahn and Tor when their wives were doing something, which they had every intention of containing, and such an occurrence happened in bed.
This, I also found irritating, at the same time I found it t.i.tillating.
Which was even more irritating.
Blast!
"You wanna talk about this." He pressed his hips into mine. "Us. Where we are. What we did. How it came about. And you wanna do it because you're freaked, thinkin' it happened too fast or it was the wrong direction for us to go, or whatever the f.u.c.k."
I didn't get the opportunity to confirm this was exactly what I wanted to do, he continued speaking.
"It didn't happen too fast, Frannie, it took too f.u.c.kin' long, in my opinion. And it wasn't the wrong direction. At least for me, I'm right where I wanted to be since practically the minute we met. You were in a bad place. I had to see to you. I did that. That's done. You're not in that place anymore so we're moving on and this," he again pressed his hips into mine, "is the direction we're moving in."
In truth, his "it took too f.u.c.kin' long, in my opinion" made me want to jump from the bed, shout with glee and perhaps dance a little jig.
Not to mention all the other delightful things he said (practically the minute we met!).
I was a much-changed Franka Drakkar.
But I was not that changed.
Therefore, instead of jumping from the bed, I asked crossly, "And I have no say about that?"
He was silent a moment before I could feel the tremor of his amus.e.m.e.nt shaking his body as he reminded me, "Frannie, baby, I've made you come three times, you're lying naked pressed to me and think I permanently got indentations in the backs of my thighs from the spikes on your heels. And before you latch on to that," he said the last swiftly, "that is not a complaint, nowhere near. Your heels could scar me, which they didn't, and taking that memory with me wherever I go would be fine with me. But you did not fight any of that, and, just pointing out, you still aren't. With all that, you wanna make a case you're not good with this direction?"
This was all true (though I was concerned about the indentations, Noc clearly didn't mind but those spikes appeared lethal, I hoped I caused no lasting damage).
And I absolutely did not want to make a case that I was not good with this direction.
I didn't admit that.
I stated, "I'm not pressed to you. You're pressed to me."
"Fair enough," he granted. "Three minutes ago, though, babe, you were pressed to me."
This, too, was true.
I snapped my mouth shut and fought grinding my teeth.
I saw his shadowed face get closer and I could see the white of his teeth.
Hmm.
How could I forget how b.l.o.o.d.y annoying Noc could be?
"So, to be clear, the direction you wish to go in is that we have relations?" I asked.
More trembling of his body (and voice) as he replied, "Yeah, sweetheart, I wanna have relations."
"And what of
"I'll amend. We've had relations. Tonight, we're gonna have more relations. And after we leave this room and get along with our lives, we'll continue to have relations, repeatedly and often."
This was most promising.
In order to confirm, I stated, "To end, you wish our direction to be about you being open to have s.e.x with me."
Unexpectedly, his mirth swept through the room with such speed, I froze against him in reaction to the change.
"You really asking me that s.h.i.+t?" he demanded, his voice low and there was a tremor to it, but it certainly was not humor.
It was anger.
Noc had never been angry at me.
Not once.
I didn't like it. Not at all.
I was concerned about the wisdom of my response, but the veracity of it couldn't be denied as I'd already "asked him that s.h.i.+t."
"Well...yes," I said hesitantly.
"You think all I want is your p.u.s.s.y?"
I wasn't certain I'd heard him correctly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You think all I want is your p.u.s.s.y."
The first was uttered as a statement that was also an incredulous question.
The second was uttered just as a statement.
An insulting one.
I lost my concern at his anger and got that way myself.
"Well, I should hope not," I snapped, pulling out from under him, undecided about what to do once I was free of him, though focused on doing just that.
However I was with Noc. He was a man. A dominant one. A strong one.
Not to mention, he already had his arm around me.
It being thus, he simply used it to drag me right back where I was.
"I need to use the commode," I lied.
"You so do not," he returned.
"You're correct. I don't need to use the commode. I need a moment away from you for I'm angry at you and my temper is formidable. It being so, I've found it best, if I can't use it to an advantage, to absent myself when it flares."
"Franka, to make things clear, just in case the impossible is happening and you're missing any of this, what I want from you is not just s.e.x. It's anything you got to give to me. Including your formidable temper. So, babe, if you got somethin' to say, say it. And if you don't mind, it'd be cool you started with telling me why you're p.i.s.sed when you just said straight out that you thought all I wanted from you was being open to f.u.c.k you."
By the G.o.ds!
How on earth could he think that's what I said?
"I did not say any such thing," I rejoined.
"You did."
"I did not."
"I got a good memory but I don't need it seein' as it wasn't even two minutes ago you said, 'you wish our direction to be about you being open to have s.e.x with me.' Are you denying that now?" he asked.
"Of course not," I answered.
Noc pulled slightly away, the temperature in the room decreased and that chill frosted his words as he commanded, "So again, explain to me how it is you're p.i.s.sed when you just said all I'm angling for is your p.u.s.s.y, which means you think that's all I've been angling for when it comes to you."
b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l!
He'd lost his mind!
"I did not say that, Noc," I snapped.
He pulled away further and his voice started rising when he returned, "You f.u.c.kin' did, Franka, and you just f.u.c.kin' confirmed you did."
My voice was rising too. "I did not, Noctorno!"
"Do not call me that," he gritted between his teeth.
"Do not claim I mean ridiculous, offensive things when I don't," I retorted.
"Then tell me what you meant," he ordered.
"You're fond of me," I bit out.
"Yeah," he bit back.
"You missed me when we were apart."
"Uh...yeah, been over that. What's this-?"
I interrupted him. "And you're very aware I felt the same for you with both. So, my a.s.sumption, indeed my hope would be that what we had would remain. Being fond of each other. Enjoying each other's company and therefore spending a goodly amount of time in it. But our direction...now...is the addition that you wish to be open to have s.e.x with me."
He had no reply to that.
This was not a surprise.
He'd jumped to conclusions, he should have known better and, again, I had no direct experience, but I would a.s.sert it was a good guess that a man such as him-regardless of the profoundness of his ability to be gentle and kind-would have an overabundance of pride.
So when he was wrong he would not be eager to admit that.
This was something that angered me even more.
And because of that, I did not keep my mouth shut.
"I can't imagine how, in all the time you've spent with me, Noctorno, that you would ever consider I'd think such about you. I have a midnight soul, it's true, but light s.h.i.+nes upon it every once in a while. I feel its warmth when it does and it means everything to me. Everything. So much of everything, you've given me your light and there are precisely five beings I'd take a lash for...Kristian, Josette, Timofei, Frantz and you."
"Frannie-" he whispered, his tone much changed.
But I was angry.
In other words, there was no stopping me.
"And just in case you missed any of it, I thoroughly enjoyed your lovemaking. I've never had the like. It's abandoned. It's somehow freeing. You make even when I'm giving something to you about you giving something to me, and I don't know how you accomplish that but it's a thing of beauty. So, to be honest, even if I didn't have all the other parts of Noctorno Hawthorne that you've given me, parts I cherish, I would not mind in the slightest that all you wanted was my p.u.s.s.y."
He again did not reply.
I had nothing more to say and since he wasn't letting me go, I was forced to wait it out for it was undignified to struggle.
As I waited, I started making plans, doing this in my head. These being finding Valentine with magic, demanding she come, take me to her and Josette, and that she do this immediately. If she did not, I'd do it and she'd not yet taught me how to spirit myself. She told me not to practice without her either.
"The results, cherie, if you did something wrong, could be drastic," she'd warned.
If she didn't do it, I still was going to. I didn't care if I ended up in oblivion (for a spell, that obviously wouldn't do for eternity).