Want +FIC

“You’ll stop me if you don’t wish to proceed any further? It is your body, little one.”

Adhara bit her lip and nodded. Halsin pulled her securely into his lap and encircled her hips with one arm while his other hand fiddled with the hem of her tunic.

“I’m ready,” she said.

At that, he slid the fabric of her shirt up, dragging his calloused hand along the planes of her stomach. Adhara held her breath as Halsin’s hand roamed cautiously, his fingers tracing the curve of her waist and running soft trails along her skin. She was well acquainted with his deft healing touches; as she relaxed slightly, she found that these affectionate strokes were not dissimilar. They were guided by the same protective essence, making his intimate touches comforting in a way she hadn’t expected.

Halsin felt her tense abdominal muscles slacken beneath his touch.

“Does this feel good, my heart?”

She surprised herself by answering with an earnest and emphatic nod yes. Halsin’s hands were large and heavy and far from soft, yet he held and stroked her with practiced tenderness. She was precious to him; she could feel it in the way he dragged fingertips up her spine, in the lazy circles he traced around her shoulders, in the way both his hands stilled on her back for startled moment when he felt the skin under her shoulder blades turn flinty.

Adhara smiled as she looked into the adoring face of the man cradling her body. The sensation of Halsin’s calloused palms scratching against the layers of her scales eased Adhara into an awareness of her body. She felt safe here. Protected. Desired. Loved.

She shivered—a pleasant tremble—under his hands, rough from a lifetime of handling things with care.

With care.

What a difference it made.

Beautifully written by the amazing Mothermoth92 @tumblr (tysm!!!)