Briar Rose and His Not-So-Charming Prince Read online

  “It’s not just a scratch.” I glowered at him. “It’s a serious wound. Take this situation seriously. You could have been killed.”

  “I realize that,” Leonard told me and pressed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “But it was a calculated risk. I’m a soldier, Briar. Sometimes, in battle, soldiers are wounded. It happens. You have to trust me to assess what I can and cannot handle.”

  I did trust him. I was the one who couldn’t handle the idea of him getting hurt. Perhaps it was cowardly, but just the thought of it made me nauseous. I clung to him wordlessly, exploring his chest and his neck with my fingers, making sure he was really there. Of course, this had an immediate effect on my mate. His dick hardened against my ass, and I felt my face flame. Leonard’s hold on me tightened, his strong hands coming to rest in the small of my back, slowly caressing the petals there.

  Tiny shudders of pleasure exploded through me, and I couldn’t help a moan. I rubbed against Leonard, aching for his touch, wanting to have him claim me. But yet again, we were interrupted by my far too protective godfather.

  “Do you mind?” Rosa asked, grabbing Leonard’s shoulder. “We were having a conversation here.”

  “Which seemed to lead to Briar calling out to me in a panic,” Leonard drawled back. Apparently, he was getting tired of Rosa always intruding. “Pardon me if I’m not that willing to allow you to get back to it.”

  “You’ll allow me and you’ll like it if you want to get into Briar’s petals,” Rosa replied, pushing Leonard at the other side of the bed. “Now sit, and for crying out loud, put something on.”

  He tossed a quilt at Leonard, and my mate caught it with ease. Much to my regret, he wrapped it around his waist, hiding his genitals from my sight. “Happy?” he asked.

  “Not really,” I mumbled, earning myself a wicked smile from Leonard and a glare from Rosa.

  “Listen closely, children,” Rosa said. “I’m only going to say this once. Lessons in Dryad Copulation Part One.”

  Leonard’s eyes widened. He obviously hadn’t expected that from Rosa, so whatever reply he might have wanted to come up was silenced. Rosa seemed satisfied with his achievement and shot my mate a small smirk. Of course, he’d never been one to get distracted easily, so his expression sobered and he proceeded to explain, “The first thing you need to learn, Arthurian, is how to part your dryad partner’s petals. You can’t tear them off like you would with clothes. It would hurt Briar, and it wouldn’t be conducive to successful intercourse. Therefore, you have to coax them off of Briar’s skin. You might have seen me just take one from him earlier, but it wouldn’t have been as easy to do if he’d been awake to feel the pain.”

  Leonard’s gaze went to me, and he eyed the petals speculatively. “All right. That makes sense. And how do I do that?”

  “A gentle massage at the base of each petal will cause pleasure in the dryad and make the petals fall by themselves. You did it earlier without realizing it. If you scanned Briar’s back now, you’ll notice his petals are parting there.”

  Leonard frowned, looking a little worried. “But if the petals fall for copulation, how do they reattach? Do they grow back?”

  “Good question,” Rosa said approvingly. “We’ll get to that later. Now, after parting his petals, it’s fairly straightforward and similar to what you might be aware of already. However, remember that dryad bodies self-lubricate, so you won’t need oil. For the purpose of this claiming, it would be preferable to keep it brief and expedient.”

  “That doesn’t sound too nice for Briar,” Leonard argued, already shaking his head. “I want to give him the best experience possible.”

  “I understand that, but the more pleasure you give him, the higher the chances are that he will pollinate.”

  I sighed heavily. “I really think that it’s a moot point by now. I imagine that Leonard just has to breathe on me and I’ll start pollinating.”

  Rosa groaned. “I suppose it was inevitable. Very well, but remember it will just make it harder for you later on.”

  “Wait a moment,” Leonard said, lifting a hand. “You’ve mentioned this process earlier, but you never really explained it.”

  “You’re clever for one of your kind, Arthurian,” Rosa said. “Surely you must understand what it means.”

  “Reproduction of a sort,” Leonard guessed. “I just can’t imagine how a person would pollinate. I’ve only ever seen it in flowers.”

  “It’s somewhat similar. Basically, physical arousal from the part of a dryad causes this process in him or her, especially when the mate of the dryad is involved. While he pollinates, Briar will emanate nectar that contains special pheromones designed to draw his mate—in this case, you—to him. If it’s easier to understand, it’s like an animal heat. Also, if you heed this call, it’s very likely that he will fall pregnant.”

  Leonard’s breath caught. “Children. With Briar.”

  I wasn’t sure how to read his tone. Maybe he wanted children with me, or maybe he didn’t. Either way, it was unfair to just throw that at him. We’d only just met, and he was Arthurian. His ways were very different, and it was a miracle that he had been so open to the idea of mating me in the first place. Thinking about seedlings would have to wait.

  I gave Leonard an earnest look. “We don’t have to worry about that now. It’s far too soon anyway.”

  “I suppose,” Leonard replied. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Rosa again. “So this means that when we’re in the real world, I’ll have a hard time staying away from Briar.”

  “Precisely,” Rosa confirmed. “But you have to, because of the curse. Until every single dryad awakens and the witch is defeated, you two cannot have intercourse in the real world.”

  “Can we do it now?” I blurted out.

  My face heated as both Leonard and Rosa looked at me. I should have been embarrassed, but all this talk about petals parting and copulation had aroused me beyond measure. Rosa blinked at me then released a heavy sigh. Leonard’s nostrils flared, his green gaze turning almost black with desire. My petals trembled in response to his lust, and it occurred to me that it wouldn’t take a lot of work for them to fall off me.

  Rosa must have noticed that, too. “It’s pretty obvious that I’m no longer needed or wanted here,” he said. “One more thing. Regarding the petals—after you two are done, make sure you save some of Briar’s seed. Put the petals onto it and they will reattach.”

  Leonard nodded, although it wasn’t clear whether he was listening or not. With a final sigh, Rosa vanished, and we were finally left alone.

  The moment my godfather disappeared, I reached for the quilt around Leonard’s waist and pulled it off. “Come to me,” I said breathlessly. “Touch me.”

  Leonard crawled on top of me, his full lips split into a wide grin. “Mmmm…I think I just might.”

  Strong fingers trailed over my sides and reached my first petal. He massaged its base, slowly, sensuously, like he had all the time in the world. In seconds, I felt it detach, revealing the skin underneath.

  My mate lingered for a few seconds over the small part of my body which he had revealed, brushing his fingers over the oversensitive area. I arched my back and cried out, the almost painful pleasure that shot through me making me shudder in distressed ecstasy. No one had touched me there since my adulthood petals had grown in, because that was a privilege reserved for one’s mate. For that reason, his caress was all the more potent, like that mere brush of fingers reached my very core.

  Fortunately, or unfortunately, my mate pulled his hand away, depriving me from the ecstasy I had felt. I might have actually protested, except he passed onto the next petal and repeated the process. He was painfully patient, not rushing in the slightest, taking the time to explore the texture of the petals before they fell, then mapping the skin they had hidden. It almost seemed like he wanted to make a comparison between them. Whatever the reason, it was quickly driving me crazy, out of my mind because of my need for him.

  At one
point, my petals started falling with a mere brush of Leonard’s finger. Leonard didn’t even blink, and I would have deemed him unaffected if not for the way his deep-green eyes fixed me, like he was a predator and me a tasty morsel just waiting to be devoured.

  And oh, I craved that so much. Dryads were normally afraid of fire, but for the first time in my life, I wanted to burn, to be consumed by the blaze of his touch. Nothing else mattered except the passion that we shared.

  Finally, Leonard finished his quest of revealing my body. I was completely bare, the petals that had shielded my innocence and inexperience having succumbed to Leonard’s ministrations. It was very strange, because I didn’t remember ever being so exposed. The heat in his gaze made me tremble, reminding me that I truly didn’t know what to do after this point. Leonard didn’t seem to mind the fact that I’d never had a lover before, but the last thing I wanted was to disappoint him.

  He had already done so much for me even if from the very first moment I’d stepped into his life, I’d only asked and taken. I craved to be a good mate, to show him that I could take care of him just like he took care of me.

  With that in mind, I reached for his dick. Sadly, I moved too fast and struck my forehead against Leonard’s chin. Leonard hissed and moved back, while I fell on the bed, dazed at the shock of the impact. Instants later, Leonard crawled over me again, the desire that had been in his gaze replaced by concern.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Are you hurt?”

  Way to shatter the moment, Briar. We’d been so close to what I’d been waiting for, and I had to go and ruin it. I shook my head, incipient tears burning at the corners of my eyes. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I don’t know anything about all of this.”

  “Let me worry about that,” Leonard said, his frown melting into gentle smile. “I’ll take care of you. Just relax and let me love you.”

  Leonard peppered my face with kisses, his hands gently caressing my sides, the skin he had earlier exposed. He didn’t rush, avoiding touching the areas where I most wanted him. It worked, because my brief foray into self-pity melted away, leaving behind only the need to be with my mate.

  “Leonard,” I called out, “please…”

  I didn’t even fully realize what I was asking for, just that I couldn’t take this slow torture for much longer. I might not have intellectually had much knowledge about what our intercourse would entail, but my body knew what it craved—having Leonard’s hard dick piercing me, taking me, claiming me.

  My lover kept me from explaining what I had in mind in the most beautiful way possible, by crushing our mouths together. This time, the kiss was nothing like those butterfly-light pecks he had teased me with. At first, he licked over the seam of my lips, and I instinctively opened my mouth. I was rewarded when Leonard thrust his tongue into my wet cavern. After that, he simply ravaged me, taking my mouth with almost brutal passion. My natural clumsiness didn’t matter anymore, not when I surrendered to him. In his mastery, I found guidance, and my nervousness disappeared. I felt so very safe with him, so loved and so desired.

  When Leonard broke the kiss, we were both breathing hard. I was now more than ready to be taken, and I decided to tell Leonard this. “Leonard, please…Inside me.”

  Much to my dismay, Leonard disagreed. “Tsk, tsk.” He shook his head. “You know how pollination is a process? So is lovemaking, and anticipation is part of it.”

  Anticipation? I’d been anticipating his arrival for the past centuries. All right, I hadn’t been cognizant for most of that time, but my body was still starved for his touch, for his affection.

  I must have looked pretty put out, because Leonard brushed his thumb over my lips. They felt swollen from his kisses, but I parted them, sucking on his finger like I wanted to do with his dick. Goddess, there were so many things I craved. My mind was all over the place, my instincts awakened by Leonard’s touch and his presence.

  Leonard’s eyes had that look again, the one that promised the most delicious retribution for me fellating his finger. Even so, he didn’t pounce on me again. “Hush, my flower,” he said instead. “I promise you that I’ll give you what you need.”

  Gently, he started to kiss down my chest, his clever fingers stopping over my nipples to rub the sensitive nubs. Shocks of ecstasy flashed through me as my mate teased the bits of flesh. It almost seemed like they were directly connected to my cock, and the twists and slight pinches Leonard tortured me with also caused my dick to throb painfully.

  Leonard was relentless, both worshipful and ruthless at the same time. He explored every inch of me with his fingers, with his tongue, driving me higher and higher on the peaks of pleasure. When he wiggled his slick muscle into my belly button, I almost came on the spot.

  I started to writhe so hard that I almost pushed Leonard off me. However, Leonard held onto my hips, never once ceasing his ministrations on me. In fact, he became even more thorough, apparently quite interested in my reactions.

  If I’d been able to speak, I could have answered his questions. I would have told him that belly buttons were erogenous zones for all dryads, because that area—the one regularly covered by petals—was the strongest connected to our roots, to the way we’d been born and how we would eventually reproduce. But I definitely couldn’t muster the ability to form words, since even coherent thought was a problem. My dick leaked copious amounts of pre-cum, more and more liquid flowing from the tip in response to the flicks of his tongue.

  Just as I thought I would truly lose my mind, Leonard abandoned my belly button. I experienced a small moment in which I felt both bereft and relieved, but it didn’t last. Seconds later, his hot mouth engulfed my aching dick.

  Pure bliss exploded over me, and my mind just about melted. I was distantly aware of crying out my mate’s name, over and over, like a prayer. Leonard bobbed his head up and down my dick, sometimes sucking me deep, other times just leisurely licking the tip.

  I wanted to cling to this moment, to the pleasure Leonard so selflessly gave me and the sight of him bent between my legs. I wanted to make it last, and preferably return the favor. Alas, I was a young dryad with his mate sucking his dick for the first time. Dream world or not, I was hungry for his touch and unable to resist it. And so, it was all over with embarrassing swiftness. Before I knew it, I was arching my back and coming, filling my mate’s mouth with my seed.

  I really might have felt mortified, except Leonard seriously didn’t seem to mind. He gulped down every last drop of my cum, drinking it in greedily while making grunts of enjoyment.

  When he finally released me, he licked his lips and grinned. “Like roses. So sweet.”

  For a few moments, I just stared at him, trying to get my head to stop spinning. He hummed thoughtfully, as if he’d just remembered something. “Oh dear. It seems that I forgot to leave any of your cum for your petals to reattach. Ah well. I guess I’ll just have to make you orgasm again.”

  In spite of having just climaxed, I was instantly as hard as a rock once more. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I would start to pollinate, but I couldn’t have stopped it to save my life, and right now, it didn’t seem important. I just knew I needed him inside me.

  Leonard’s smile vanished as his gaze fixed on my still-insistent erection. I spread my legs, bending myself practically in half to expose my nether opening to my mate. I was pretty flexible due to my dryad nature, but Leonard still seemed mindful of my comfort. He supported my legs on his shoulders, never once looking away from my face.

  He reached between my ass cheeks and groaned when he found my nether channel already lubricated. My body had already prepared itself for Leonard’s invasion. In fact, I was so ready to be claimed by him that it hurt. I wanted to urge him to claim me, to ask him to fuck me just like I had earlier. But while Leonard seemed to have preserved a measure of his coherence, I was all over the place. I only managed to utter one single word. “Leonard…”

  Thankfully, it was enough. My mate slid a finger insid
e my channel, and I moaned, wordlessly begging for more. The sensation was foreign, somewhat weird, but definitely amazing and more than a little pleasurable. I couldn’t even remember how to tense up. It felt too good. It was too beautiful, too right.

  When my body swallowed up my mate’s first finger, Leonard added another one. He moved them gently inside me, obviously for the purpose of preparing me further. I really couldn’t see a point to it, at least until Leonard crooked his digits inside me and hit a spot that made stars burst in my vision.

  Unable to control myself, I pushed back against the impaling digits, seeking more. Fortunately for my sanity, Leonard needed me as much as I needed him. He continued to finger-fuck for a little while longer, but soon, he deemed me ready—or at least as ready as I was going to get.

  At last, after what seemed like forever, Leonard pulled his digits out of me. Seconds later, something thick and blunt nudged at my opening. In one smooth thrust, Leonard slid inside me.

  I had thought I’d known the meaning of pleasure. At the very least, the orgasm Leonard had drawn out of me should have taught me that much. But nothing I had ever experienced had prepared me for the moment when Leonard’s cock finally pierced me.

  It was like I was blooming inside, over and over. Leonard inched into my channel slowly, allowing me to get used to the sensation of being invaded. However, his girth was such that the penetration still burned. There was a little pain, that slight ache that usually came with growth and development. This time, it brought pleasure, an ecstasy that I had never imagined even in my wildest dreams.

  At last, Leonard was completely seated inside me. He didn’t move, giving me time to adjust. I felt so full of him, both physically and emotionally. Nothing else existed for me now, only Leonard and the way he was touching me, marking me as his. His heat, his scent, his gaze, and oh, the way his cock stretched me so beautiful—everything about him had me completely and utterly enraptured.

  “Good?” Leonard asked, his voice somewhat strained. Even now, he worried about me and was impossibly careful. I wondered if it was true that a person could fall in love with his mate a little more with every second that passed.