QueensQuest by Suz deMello Read Free Book Online

wood, the same forest where I’d
had that memorable encounter with Rall and Parron.
    The recollection heated my blood, as did the rocking motion
of my horse and the saddle pressing against my pussy. And Kaldir, mounted,
again recalled the mythic sheikhs of Araby. His robes flowed behind him as his
stallion trotted through the wood, and he controlled the restive beast with an
easy masculine power that sent a sultry thrill through my body.
    Was Kaldir the one?
    I slowed to a stop. “Are you hungry?” I asked, dismounting.
    “In a manner of speaking.” He joined me on the ground and we
walked, holding our horses’ reins. ’Twas a pleasant morning. Second moonrise
was nigh, the moist air perfumed by gardenias and pines.
    I took off my helmet and let it dangle from one hand by the
chinstrap. “There is a village yonder, a short walk from here. The inn is quite
good.”
    “I am not hungry for food, Audryn.” He stopped me with a
hand on my arm.
    Yes. I drew an excited breath and he slid his hand up
my arm to my neck and into my hair, untying the ribbon that held it at my nape.
I swayed closer to him and he didn’t disappoint me. Dropping the stallion’s
reins, Kaldir thrust both hands into my hair, clasping my head, bringing me
closer. His full, soft lips brushed mine, sending need quivering through me. I
sipped his breaths through my half-open mouth and nibbled at his lips with
mine. He flicked my mouth with his tongue and I pressed against him, for I
wanted to feel all of him against all of me.
    His body matched mine in height, but he was lean and hard
with muscle. He released my head to glide his fingertips down my back, and my
flesh quivered in response. He cupped my buttocks and pulled me snugly against
him. The thin robes he wore did not impede his erection. Its heat seemed to
burn through the fabric separating us right into my clit.
    I wanted to tease him, tantalize him as much as he tempted
me. I nipped his lower lip and he groaned before opening my mouth with his. He
slowly took my mouth with his tongue, sliding it inside me slowly but
inexorably. One hand returned to caress my face, play with my hair while he
continued to fondle my bottom. I could feel his glorious hardness against my
mound.
    He broke away from me, his breath ragged. “This inn—does it
have large, soft beds?”
    “It does, but I know a better place… We need not wait.”
    Taking his hand, I led him deeper into the wood, our
well-trained horses following. I made for a great tree in the heart of the
forest. Cloven by a lightning strike, it had a cleft in its trunk floored by
leaves and pine duff.
    Kaldir’s grip drew my attention and I lifted his hand to
examine it. In contrast to the dark backs of his hands, his palms were pink and
laced with scars, some old, some new. I traced one with a fingertip, and he
said, “Chemical burns.”
    “From what substances?”
    “To be candid, I really cannot remember. There have been so
many.” His smile was tinged with apology.
    “Didn’t the accidents hurt? Why wouldn’t you wear gloves?”
    He shrugged. “Yes, the spills hurt a little, but gloves make
me clumsier. I ruined an experiment of several months’ duration the first time
I wore gloves.”
    “What do you study?”
    “The reproductive processes of, um…certain cells.”
    “Cells. Has this line of inquiry direct application?”
    “Mayhap, in the agricultural arena.” He sounded discomfited.
    I raised my brows. “Agriculture in the desert?” What was
Kaldir hiding?
    “Given enough water, yes. That is why the negotiations with
the Darksiders are so important.”
    “Ah. If you can import enough ice from the Darkside
glaciers, you can develop hydroponics.”
    We had reached the tree, and I leaned against it, smiling at
Kaldir. The horses wandered off, foraging.
    He stroked wisps of my hair away from my face. “You’re a
continual surprise, Queen Audryn. So young but so knowledgeable.”
    “I have to be.”
    “I am sorry for