Missing the Present Read online

  * * * *

  With Ellora, there were no flinches or gasps, she moaned, and every inch of her came alive at his touch. He had one day left with her, and he didn’t know where to start.

  That Puck was a wily bastard. He found Voronwe’s ideal woman and dropped her in his lap, and then, he was going to take her away.

  He held her as she slept; the scent of sex still hung in the air. After all this time, there was a woman that he wanted to know more about, and she hadn’t asked him for anything except the way home. That was the one thing he didn’t want to give her.

  He stroked her softly as she slept, her skin the same texture as a rose petal in the mist. So, what were his options? He could hide her from Puck and the others, but that would make her hate him and create an end to moments like this.

  He supposed there was only one thing he could do. It had been a long time since he walked the world of mortals, but making a place there for himself would be an interesting thing.

  Since the eldest of the fey had retreated even further than Underhill, their little group of six kings controlled everything, as much as was needed. The amount of elder fey was sparse, and all of the underfey had made tunnels to the mortal realm. Only the elders claimed that they liked their realm as it was.

  Voronwe had been sure that he was done with the thought of humans, but there had been something in Puck’s passionate plea to let the realms intermingle again that had swayed him.

  He let his hand glide down the taut abdomen and over to the firm thighs covered in silky skin. Ellora was a treat for the senses, and he had not had a treat in a long time.

  He rested his chin on hers, and she turned to him, pressing up against him and flinging her leg over his thighs. She was still sound asleep and so open that she trusted him with her body completely exposed to him, and to his surprise, she was pressing against his cooler temperature rather than flinching from it.

  Modern women definitely were different, and he wanted to know more. Now, how was he going to go about it?

  * * * *

  She woke up, and the room was bright. The moment her eyes opened, there was a nuzzling at her breasts and a comfortably cool tongue moving across her skin. That might have been what woke her up, to begin with. She threaded her fingers through his hair and arched her back against his mouth. “More, please.”

  He grazed her with his teeth and sucked her nipple with polite ferocity. He moved to the other side and did the same.

  She shifted her legs together, and he moved a hand between them, sliding two fingers into her. He groaned against her skin when he felt how ready she was.

  He flipped her to her stomach, put a pillow under her hips, and slid into her while she bunched the sheets in her hands. She cried out as he began to move inside and against her. He paused.

  “Are you all right?”

  She twisted to look at his concerned expression. “I am fine. Sorry, that one caught me by surprise.”

  She fluttered around him, and his eyes widened.

  Elly murmured, “If I don’t like something, I will try and punch you. Agreed?”

  He chuckled and kissed her shoulder, nipping at her neck as he began to move again. “Agreed.”

  He slid through her aftershocks, and the tension started building again. Elly couldn’t push back in this position with her knees wide, hips supported, and her hands murdering the bedding. All she could do was move with him as best she could and focus on the feeling of his skin rubbing against her back, the hand cupping her breast, the sucking at her neck, and the slick slide inside her.

  She whimpered and tried to rock her hips for more pressure, but she was pinned and surrounded. When her orgasm hit, she bit the fabric in front of her and let out a shriek that the bed absorbed.

  He groaned and shook against her, his hips tight against her buttocks. He slowly slumped and kissed her neck again. “Good morning, Ellora.”

  She spat the bedding out of her mouth, and she whispered, “Good morning, Voronwe. I think I bit a hole in your sheet.”

  He looked and chuckled. “I am not worried about it. How are you feeling?”

  “Awkward. My centre of balance is under my breasts right now.” She gathered her arms under her, and he squashed her flat again. “Mean.”

  He chuckled and slid out of her. He left her for a moment, and then, he cleaned her up, much to her mortification. He got into every nook and cranny as well. She was a little flushed when he finished.

  She heard the sound of water in a bowl, and he was cleaning himself off as well. She wrinkled her nose and flipped off the pillow that now had suspiciously wet-looking marks on it.

  He murmured, “Keep the pillow.”

  She wasn’t sure what he was up to until he knelt at the side of the bed, grabbed her legs, and pulled her to the edge, then he shoved the dry side of the pillow under her backside.

  When the cool of his mouth pressed against her sex, she arched violently, and he wrapped his arms around her legs and hips to hold her down. He took his time with his tongue slowly lapping at her clit. As he dipped his tongue into her before dragging it up to her clit, she mewled.

  His hands moved to her breasts and gripped them as he licked and actually slurped at her. She covered her face with her hands and tried to ignore how easily her body responded to him. He knew just where to press, to push, to circle, and the excited tension in her built.

  She mewled and twisted before the rhythmic throbbing took over. He licked and sucked at the small bit of her orchestrating her response until she thwacked him on the side of the head with her knee. He backed off in surprise, and she winced as her body was still fluttering and pulsing inside. “I did tell you that I would hit you.”

  He blinked, and a slow smile crossed his lips. “You did. I recall it vividly. Now.”

  He licked his lips. “Your taste is addictive.”

  She wrestled the pillow out from under her hips and sat up. She braced herself on her hands. “You are really tall, aren’t you?”

  He laughed. “Compared to ancient humans, yes. Compared to you, not as much as I would have been centuries ago. I would be bending no matter who I was with.”

  She pulled her hair back and scowled at all the knots. “I must look either terrifying or terrified.”

  He rose up on his knees and kissed her. She tasted herself, but the mint was still there. “You look like you have had a pleasing time in my bed. Don’t worry, I can help with the tangles.”

  He ran his hands through her hair, and the locks unlocked and fell straight.

  “That is possibly the coolest thing I have seen you do.”

  Voronwe raised his brows. “Cool?”

  “Ah, modern reference. I guess it would translate into delightfully fascinating by my standards. But, cool still means a drop in temperature, so it was a joke. Sort of.”

  He chuckled and stroked her cheek. “I am beginning to think that I am missing out by not being in your century.”

  “Or my realm?”

  He nodded. “That as well. Now, I have to remember what humans eat.”

  She paused. “Am I supposed to eat while in Underhill? I always thought that was some kind of rule.”

  The winter king smiled. “Good point. I will just make it look like food, then.”

  Chapter Four

  “You know, I might ask an author I know to write a story about the feast of snow cones. It is surprisingly filling.” She sprawled in the chair at the end of the long table. “Still tastes better than anything I could come up with.”

  He inclined his head from ten feet away. “Thank you for the compliment, but you barely touched your snowbank.”

  She patted her stomach. “Far too filling.”

  She took a forkful of cake, braced it, and then let it fly. It missed. “Dang. I never had good aim when it came to projectiles.”

  He laughed in surprise. “Are you trying to start a food fight with me?”

  “I
most certainly am.”

  She got to her feet and threw a handful of cake at him. It splattered on his shoulder, and a bit struck his ear.

  He got to his feet, and the entire table full of contents lifted up and spattered all over her. She ended up sitting down in a riot of melting snow.

  Elly sniffled and sat in the snow. “You win.”

  He walked over to her and hauled her dripping self out of the slush. “Was there a doubt?”

  She made a face. “You got your shirt wet.”

  “Yes, and I am admiring my handiwork. That was a nicely worn shirt. It is nearly invisible.” He held her arm up and twirled her slowly. “Oh, yes. That is my reward for winning. You are very generous in defeat.”

  Elly laughed. “And you are magnanimous in victory.”

  He pulled her against him. “I truly am. So, you are here for another twelve hours. What do you want to do with it?”

  She backed him up until he was in his dining chair. “I was thinking of a little reciprocity.”

  “What?”

  She parted his thighs and knelt between them. She reached for the closure of his trousers, and her fingers were pushed aside by his much more efficient hands. She grinned. “Oh, good, you caught on.”

  Elly eased his cock free, and she examined it before taking the head in her mouth and swirling her tongue around. His fingers threaded in her hair, but he didn’t push. Apparently, he had been in this position before.

  She eased forward and sucked on the retreat, slowly eliciting groans, grunts, and his hands left her hair to grip the arms of his chair. She glanced up, and his head was back, the muscles taut, and the vein in his neck was throbbing. He shouted a warning, but she took it and swallowed as the cock in her mouth jetted in short pulses.

  She swallowed again and eased back off his erection. She got to her feet and pulled the wet tunic away from her skin. “You know, I am never sure what to do after that. It has just seemed like a good way to end an evening.”

  He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “It seems like a good way to start one.”

  He was kissing at her neck, and she sighed and leaned her head to one side. “It is going to suck going back home, but that is where I keep all my stuff.”

  He turned her head to kiss her. “What if you could spend time here... with me.”

  “As fun as this is, if this was all I was going to do, I would be bored out of my skull in a few months. Years at the outside.” She leaned back and gasped as his hand found its way under her tunic.

  “I would try to keep it interesting.” He slid his fingers slowly down her ass crack.

  She blinked and leaned away. “That is too interesting. Nope, nope, nope.”

  He laughed and wrapped her in his arms. “My hands are above your clothing for the remainder of this discussion.”

  Elly exhaled in relief. “This place is great, I think, but the world of the winter king was never meant for someone like me. I am a human; I need humans and their problems to interact with.”

  She looked around. “It would be a nice place to retire, but by then, I am gonna be old and wrinkly and a lot less interesting in bed or out of it.” She chuckled. “I already have the hobbies of a senior citizen. It is just a few decades, and I am done.”

  He sighed. “That is true. And that is why my people retreated. It hurts to watch you fade.”

  Elly felt a pang in her chest. “Of course. I am sorry. I forgot about your end of things. I am guessing that I will just head out and find the doorway or gateway or disappear or something.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  “You are letting me go. You said it yourself, it is selfish to keep things mixed between us if you are just keeping me to watch me fade... that’s not right. If I am just a fleeting entertainment... that’s done. It would hurt me to continue having sex, knowing that I am going to disappear in a few hours. It hurts me to stay and watch you go between sadness and frustration.” She pointed. “Just like that!”

  He blinked as she prodded him in the chest with two fingers. “There. That’s the face.”

  Voronwe chuckled, and he grabbed her hand. “One more time. Then, I will send you home. I swear it.”

  She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “One last time.”

  He nodded, and his chair slid across the floor toward them. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He pulled her tunic up and over her head, unfastened his trousers, then he grimaced in frustration, and he was naked. “I am at your disposal.”

  Elly blinked. “Voronwe, are you sure you don’t want to do this?”

  He smiled and ran his hands over her back. She shivered and leaned forward, going up on her knees, and she muttered, “Still too tall. Bend down.”

  He bent his head, and she feathered a kiss to his forehead, following the flowing of a snowflake under his skin. She found another and trailed tiny kisses down his face as they tumbled under his forehead and down to his chin.

  It took him a few kisses to understand what she was doing, but when she followed a fluttering flake down his chest, he chuckled. “You don’t have to do that.”

  She slowly looked at him, and she said, “You are at my disposal, and I want to enjoy myself. I have been watching these snowflakes ever since I first saw you, and following a few has been in my mind.”

  He sat back and smiled. “Follow as you like.”

  The snowflakes under his skin became a blizzard. She blinked and sat back, disappointed. “Fine. Let’s just fuck.”

  He frowned. “What? I get excited; they move faster. You normally haven’t seen it because you were preoccupied at the time.”

  The blizzard slowed, and she blushed. “Sorry. I am used to people pushing past what I want. That is what I thought you were doing.”

  Voronwe ran his hand up her back. “Do what you like. I am here for you, at this moment, at this time.”

  She swallowed and nodded at his earnest expression. “Try to stay calm. Think about math or something.”

  “With my head down, I am staring at your breasts.”

  She burst out laughing and kissed his forehead. She ignored the snowflakes and worked her way down his face, across both eyes, the blade of his nose, and she leaned over to take the tip of each ear between her lips, flicking the point with his tongue.

  He shuddered, and his hands gripped her hips. He groaned, and she returned to his lips. He looked at her and turned his head. “More.”

  She smiled slightly and licked the tip of his ears again. His fingers clenched when she licked and then blew a warm stream of air across each in turn.

  “Oh, gods, that’s good. No one has ever dared before.”

  She smiled and returned to his lap. She kissed him slowly and rubbed her breasts against his chest as she rose and fell on her knees. His erection was between them, and he chuckled. “Sadist.”

  She laughed and said, “This is the part where you participate.”

  He slid a hand between them and two fingers into her as she resumed making out with him while he thrust slowly. He withdrew his fingers and set his erection against her. She groaned into his mouth as she lowered herself onto him.

  The slow dance was helped with his hands supporting her hips, and they moved together for minutes or hours or time stood still while they moaned, sighed, and groaned as they slowly moved toward release. When she felt herself cumming, she whispered, “No, it’s too soon.”

  He whispered back. “Don’t worry, there is no reason to stop. Just let go.”

  She gasped and twitched, but he kept her moving slowly on him. His jaw was tight as she gripped him tight. The pulses inside her went on and on, and then, she had control of her legs again as she moved on him again.

  He threaded his hand through her hair and held her head as they moved together again. Their kiss was hot, and it ramped up the sensations that had faded to embers. Her skin blazed, and she welcomed the cool slide inside her, against he
r, around her. They moved together, and when she felt the tension again, he thrust harder, and they groaned together.

  Elly looked at him, and the world filled with snowflakes. She heard Voronwe shout, and she was suddenly loose and floating through the realms.

  Elly slammed her hand down on the counter next to the gingerbread house and caught herself. She had gotten really dizzy for a moment, and when she felt the aftereffects of an orgasm, her eyes widened in shock.

  “Miss? Are you okay?” The shopkeeper came around to help her up, and she slowly straightened. “Are you all right?”

  She stood up and asked, “Can I get a glass of water?”

  He nodded. “Sure, there is a chair behind you. Please, sit.”

  She looked behind her and sat with her mittens and scarf and winter coat and a tingling running through her body. If she didn’t know better, she would say that she just had sex.

  Elly took the cup of water and swallowed small sips. She swished her mouth and swallowed. She frowned. “Did you put mint in this?”

  He chuckled and said, “No, just water.”

  She nodded and finished the glass. “Thank you. Um, I will take the gingerbread house.”

  He nodded. “Excellent. I will wrap it up. You rest until you aren’t lightheaded.”

  Elly smiled. “It is so weird. I was fine a moment ago, and then, my head was spinning.”

  The box was wrapped up in a matter of minutes, and she realized that she hadn’t even seen the price. “I am rather embarrassed. I don’t remember how much it was.”

  He grinned. “You already paid for it. Don’t you remember?”

  She pressed her fingers to her forehead and frowned. “I don’t remember that.”

  “I have included the receipt in the bag. You have excellent taste, by the way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Are you feeling better?”

  She nodded and got to her feet. She took the bag, smiled, and thanked him for the care he had taken with her. He waved her off, and she closed up her clothing before she stepped out into the cold again. She paused outside and inhaled slowly. She loved winter.