Gilded in Gold Ch. 07-08

"Close your eyes," she told him. With a sardonic look, he never the less complied. He heard the whisper of her skirt as she moved closer to him, the slight hesitation of her steps.

"I want to play," Tibby whispered into his ear as she slipped his own blind fold over his eyes and turned him around with a push to his back. She began to count down from a hundred and Xerxes lifted the blind fold, turned and saw she actually had both her hands over her eyes.

Deciding to indulge her, he moved away from her with the perfect destination in mind. He sent out signals to her as she finally finished her count and began to hunt him. He wasn't worried she'd run into any other men since he'd warded off this area for her seduction tonight. As she rounded the corner, Xerxes hid behind the thick column of the gazebo entrance. Sending out one last signal, he waited to capture his prey.

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Author's note: please read important updates!!!!

Yah, double dose! I'd originally planned this scene within ch. 7 but it just got too long so I moved it on over to 8. Edited by the fantastic AdrianaBelen. Comment and rate :)

The updated lineup will probably be the pirate mm I promised, then By Night, My Love, a continuation of The Dark in Your Blue Eyes (since I've gotten great feedback on that), and the last chapter for Sweet Submissive. So see, comments do influence what I write or not, so yah comment people.

p.s. kudos to all who actually take the time to read my long author's notes :D

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Ch. 8

For a man with a blindfold on, Ezekiel moved pretty fast. He kept sending out little hints that lead her to a beautiful and secluded gazebo, lit only by the generated moon in the sky. Although he hadn't directly said he was in the shadowy gazebo, a sixth sense told her he was waiting for her there. Hesitating a bit on the threshold, she took a deep breath and ducked inside.

Menacing shadows lurked from every direction and she hesitantly called out for Ezekiel. Her answer came in a swift kiss on the nape of her neck. Whirling around, she saw more shadows. A hard tug at the back of dress loosened her bodice and her hands flew up to the neck to preserve her modesty. Moving in a continuous circle, she tried to pin point exactly where her mischievous lover was. Getting a little dizzy, she almost toppled over when Ezekiel appeared in front of her and kissed her. Forgetting her drooping bodice, she clutched at his shoulders.

"Mina said I can't say no," She breathed into his mouth while her hands were busy shoving his jacket off his shoulders.

"Technically you caught me and I have no intention of saying no."

Grinning, Tibby trailed kisses down his neck, unbuttoning his shirt and placing a kiss on every inch of revealed flesh. "Brought down by a technicality, am I?"

Tibby yelped when Ezekiel's leg wound around hers and tripped her onto her back. He wrapped his arms tightly around her so that she was only slightly jostled when she fell. The brunt of the fall fell on Ezekiel's hands and knees.

"Brought down by your gullibility," he corrected. "I'd never leave something so important on something so unreliable." There was a hint of something...something she couldn't quite put a finger on. His words held a darker, deeper meaning and Tibby wondered if her own naiveté and her desperation was leading her down a path that darker than the one she was on.

But he gave her no further time to think; probably having noticed the inkling of uncertainly creeping in her eyes, he kissed her. Tibby concentrated all her being into that kiss, banishing all her doubts and worries to the back of mind. Ezekiel wasted no time pulling down the gauzy straps of her dress. Unlike last time, she helped him, this time urged by her reckless resolve.

He licked a path down her sternum, completely bypassing her neglected breasts. Swirling his tongue into her navel, he pointed his tongue and dipped it into the cusp. She'd never known that place was sensitive but it seemed there was a direct connection of nerves from her belly button to those fluttering butterflies that signaled her undoing. Hooking his fingers around her dress and panties, he swept them from her body and flung them away. Tibby tented her legs and dug her heels into the cool cement, curling her toes.

So that's what they meant by a toe-curling sensation.

Ezekiel moved down her stomach and licked along the crease where her thighs met her hips, teasingly dipping into where they met at a v at the core of her body. But he didn't penetrate, just lapped at the surface of her skin.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe, to think, to even feel anything beyond what Ezekiel granted her. Spreading her arms out, she searched for anything to grab onto but all she was met with was his long forgotten jacket.

Ezekiel's surprisingly soft lips moved down her thigh, mapping every line of claimed territory on her body.

"Turn over," his husky voice commanded.

Gracelessly, she flipped onto her stomach. A hot flush worked its way down her face to her neck when she realized he was probably getting quite an eyeful of her buttocks. Warm hands settled at her hips, his thumbs resting on the slight indents right above her tempting cheeks.

An embarrassing squeak left her lips when she felt the molten heat of his mouth seal over the back of her knee, the flesh there surprisingly sensitive. He bit the delicate tendons gently, and then laved away the small wound with loving strokes. Her leg jerked when he moved those clever lips up towards back of her thigh. The chill air brushed over her dampened skin, raising tiny goose bumps all over her body.

Keening loudly, she moaned for him to do something, anything. His dark chuckle against her thigh told her that he heard her plea and he was choosing to ignore it. Moving up to her buttocks, he nipped at the edge. His tongue traced nonsensical patterns into her plump flesh.

"Stop...Stop teasing me!" Tibby wailed. She wanted him inside her already.

"I'm at your command, love," Ezekiel promised as he flipped her onto her back and mounted her. He'd lost his shirt in the past few minutes but his pants still hung onto his narrow hips.

Curling her legs around his waist, she shifted onto one elbow and stared at him. Strong, defined muscles bunched and moved under his hot skin. With tentative fingers, she trailed her fingers down his sharp collarbone, catching the tip of his nipple with her nail. Her eyes devoured him as her hands curled and clawed down his ridged abs. Ezekiel sucked in a harsh breath, his nostrils flared.

She looked into his dark eyes where only a small glint of white was visible, the rest of his face thrown in shadows as she moved her hand down to the buttons on his pants. Her hands fumbled at the opening and he shoved them down his hips to bunch at his knees. Still keeping eye contact, Tibby closed her hand around his thick length. A flutter of fear jumped inside her. It was so big, so thick. It would be impossible to fit that thing inside of her.

Looking down, she tentatively moved her hand up and down the angry looking cock. Thick purple veins ran up the length to the slightly pink mushroom head leaking copious amounts of whitish fluid. Scooping some up on her finger, she brought the liquid to her lips.

A slightly sweet and bitter taste burst on her tongue. He groaned above her and she quickly removed her fingers, fearing she'd done something wrong.

"I..."

Ezekiel quieted her and dropped himself over her body.

"I'm scared. Feel," Tibby brought up his hand over her beating heart. Her whole body was trembling and sweating.

Ezekiel guided her other hand to his own chest, sealing her hand over his beating heart.

"Breathe for me," he whispered. He took her lips in a kiss, their tongues sliding in a wet and dirty dance. It was sloppy and messy and fast. She moaned into his mouth, placing her tongue into his mouth.

Ezekiel finally managed to lose his pants and he was just as naked as Tibby. This was it, she was losing her virginity. Tibby broke the kiss, gulping in a lungful of air. She felt his blunt head nudge at her hot opening, the tip of his spongy head splitting open her lips. Panting, she waited for him to thrust.

Ezekiel moved his hips in small forward thrusts, getting her used to his thickness. Her wetness enveloped him and the excess ran down her pussy and coated her thighs. The head of his cock slipped inside her, moving to rest on her maidenhead.

The pressure increased inside of her uncomfortably. A slight burning sensation radiated outward from her pussy and she struggled to not cry out. She shoved her fist into her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. With a sudden thrust, Ezekiel shoved into her until half of his cock disappeared into her wet warmth. Tibby groaned against her fist as he continued to rock inside her until the tip touched at her cervix.

It felt like she was being ripped apart. A burning pain ripped across her body. Ezekiel kissed her cheek, licking away the wayward tears she never knew she'd cried.

"It's okay, just relax. God, you feel so good, you're beautiful," he murmured into her hair. His chest vibrated soothingly against her tense body. He continued to mummer sweet nothings until Tibby felt her body relax under his.

Urging his lips closer to her, she pressed a closed mouthed kiss against him. Ezekiel slowly slid his cock out of her, rasping against her abused tissues. It still hurt, but not as much as before. He looked down at her, as if asking permission; she nodded for him to continue. He thrust in and out of her in a slow rhythm, letting her get used to his invasion. A small tingle sparked when the head of his caught a particular bundle of nerves and she arched her hips into her thrust. That new angle brought her clit in contact to his pubic bone and she gasped. Rubbing up against him with his every trust, she felt every nerve in her body come alive to the waves of pleasure crashing through her.

Stars burst behind her eyelids. Her hands scrabbled frantically against his shoulders until he grabbed them and held them above her head. She was grateful for that makeshift restraint, finding she liked something to pull against. It gave her something to hold onto, letting her know no matter how far she fell, the hard tug at her wrists would always ground her.

Tibby screamed when she felt a fiery burn consume her lower half, spreading like brushfire along her nerves and burning everything in its wake. The pleasure was almost unbearable. A myriad of colors shattered the black canvas of her mind. She continued to fall into her climax, her interior muscles milking Ezekiel's cock.

From a distance, she heard his groans as he followed her over the edge and came inside her. A hot liquid splashed against her cervix, filling her up with his release. His heavy weight dropped down to her flushed body, keeping her grounded in reality.

Everything was fuzzy; the muted sounds of the night buzzed in her ear. Tibby blinked open her eyes and saw Ezekiel lying beside her. Her head rested on his outstretched arm, his other placed reassuringly over her stomach. His head was bent over her shoulder, nibbling at her skin.

Tibby turned her face into the crook of Ezekiel's arm, inhaling deeply his musky scent. Her heartbeat was just settling down into a normal rate, the sweat cooling uncomfortably on her skin when Ezekiel broke the silence.

"Marry me."

Tibby shook her head slightly; trying to clear the post-sex haziness hat seemed to be clouding her mind. She doubted she'd heard that right.

"What?"

A soft smile tipped his lip. "I'm asking you to marry and come away with me."

"You can't be serious. I- we- why?" Tibby finally settled on one of the questions running around in her confused and sex-addled brain.

A hard mask came over his face. "I want you. I'm probably half in love with you. And I hate how your brother looks at you, like you belong to him. I want you to belong to me."

"I-I don't know what to say." This was just meant to be a temporary escape but Ezekiel was offering her so much more. He was offering her freedom.

"You don't know the risk, the danger," Tibby despaired, tears creeping into her eyes. "You're being reckless. You have no idea what Daniel is capable of. He's done terrible, terrible things!" Tibby yelled at him. She sat up and shoved away from him, suddenly angry at Ezekiel. It was cruel of him to dangle hope in front of her when it was futile.

"Dammit, Tibby I care about you. I can take care of myself and I don't need you to worry about me," he snapped at her back but she was too busy searching for her clothes.

Nothing in her life was ever perfect. Just this once, she'd thought to secret away a perfect memory but Ezekiel just had to go and ruin it. Finally locating the jumbled mess of her dress, she hurried into the wrinkled mess. She didn't even bother with the black panties, she was so upset.

"I've lived with Daniel my entire life," she said blandly as she got up, noticing Ezekiel too, was decently dressed again. "If you knew him the way I do, you'll know why I have to be worried for you. Doing this," Tibby gestured to the space between them "was a huge risk. You can't care for me at all and you certainly can't marry me."

"Then tell me why you did this? If you're so worried, why risk it?" he challenged. Tibby looked away, the night sounds becoming magnified in the silence.

He closed the distance between them, catching hold of her shoulder and bringing her attention back to him.

"Why risk it when you know what your brother is capable of?" he whispered lowly. "Is it because you were just looking for a temporary escape? A memory to see you through his groping? His rape?"

Tibby silently nodded her head, avoiding his gaze. "But..."

She gulped, gathering spit into her dry mouth and swallowing it down her parched throat. "But if I didn't care for you, then Daniel couldn't hurt you if he found out. But now..."

"Now you care for me. It might not be love but it's something."

Tibby nodded again, unable to give voice to her feelings. As if actually saying it out loud would make it irrevocable.

"Then marry me," Ezekiel pleaded, touching his forehead down to her. She shook her head as silent sobs wracked her body. "Marry me. I can give you everything you want, the freedom you crave. I can tell by the way you flinch away from Daniel's touch that you want to escape."

"I don't having anything or anyone to escape to," Tibby cried. "Freedom? What is freedom? I'll still be lonely."

"No, no," he denied vehemently. "You'll have me. You'll have my love. Let me protect you for once. Give me the opportunity to make you smile without Daniel lurking over your shoulder. Let me love you."

Against all sanity, Tibby felt the word "yes" clambering through all her doubts and fears from the small, hidden place deep inside her heart.; the places that hoarded all of her childhood dreams, a knight in shining armor.

"Say yes," he urged, kissing her. Tibby tipped her head in a nod, submitting herself to him.

Ezekiel smiled widely at her compliance. "I want to hear you say yes, love."

It was almost indiscernible; the sounds of the faraway reveler overpowering her answer but Ezekiel heard it none the less.

"Yes."

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~That was some grade A acting.~

Xerxes ignored Eli's sneering comment as he looked down at Tibby. His walls had been weakened when he'd been... Just the thought made his dick rise again but now wasn't the time for that. He had to get Tibby to think they were getting married. There were only two more days before the Midnight Gardens ended.

"Yes?" He grinned widely, almost tasting the victory.

"Yes," she whispered again shyly. She went up on her tip toes and brushed an achingly sweet kiss against his lips. He felt something lurch against his chest but he determinately stamped it down. Now wasn't the time for any self doubts.

"Marry me now."

Tibby bit her lip indecisively but nodded her head anyways. Marriages were a mental vow between two partners but that was only for Psychs. As a human, it would only be one sided. He would have open access to her mind while the same would be denied to her. Even with equally powered partners, a lot of trust was shared between the two. All she had to ask herself was if she trusted him.

"I-I trust you. I think I'm in love with you, too."

Xerxes knew she wasn't. She was just caught up in his web of lies, confusing her lust with romance. The situation with her brother was blinding her to the greater danger he posed to her.

He probed into her mind and felt her opening up to him. Quickly drawing up the same slave contract that in a different light closely mirrored that of a marriage contract, he bonded himself to her. It was almost funny how the dictates of the long outlawed slavery bindings could be spun easily into marriage vows. Between loving couples, it was a show of how much each trusted the other to take care of them. Since Tibby was just a human, she wouldn't be able to tell, let alone feel the difference. To her, shed feel his presence presiding over her walls.

Eli raged against his mind, screaming at him that there were other ways. But Xerxes had already binded Tibby to himself, without returning the favor.

Tibby gasped as she felt him invading every corner of her mind, displacing Daniel as the primary guardian in her life.

"We're married?"

Ezekiel nodded as Tibby threw herself at him and hugged him tight.

"You'll take me away from Daniel? You'll-you'll protect me?"

You bastard. You didn't have to do this to her.

For a moment, Xerxes thought it was Eli speaking against him, but it was a deeper tone. All his reasoning for doing this to her was beaten down by a sudden sense of guilt. He didn't want to feel anything for this girl. He hated how he found he could breathe easier when he was with her but at the same time couldn't choke down a breath when she turned that innocent smile on him. Hated how she made him feel vulnerable.

"Yes," he lied, his voice monotone. "Yes, I'll..." But he couldn't finish his lie. He didn't have to as Tibby showered his face with small, sweet kisses, her tears smearing onto his cold skin. He closed his eyes against her affection, holding back the little boy inside him who craved such comfort. Not even his mother had held him with the same, all-encompassing feeling of security that Tibby did. It was ridiculous that a girl who couldn't even protect herself against her abusive brother, who needed protection from him made him feel safe for the very first time in his life.

He was a man; he didn't need to feel safe. Utterly disgusted with his maudlin emotions, he forced a leer onto his face and took Tibby's mouth in a decidedly untamed kiss. All the anger he felt at himself, he put into that kiss. His teeth smashed against her lips, cutting into her fragile flesh and drawing blood. She began to struggle in his arms so he loosened his hold. Murmuring apologies for his roughness against her cut lip, he licked away the blood.

He kissed her again, this time gentler and more like the loving husband he was supposed to be. Why that thought left a vile taste in his mouth...well, he chose to ignore that.

"Let me get you back to your room," he finally separated his mouth from hers, their lips slick with their shared saliva. He groaned in lust when she licked away the taste of them from her red lips. She beamed up at him and followed him as he led her back to her room.

Tibby stayed silent through their walk, almost in a daze. He could feel her conflicting feelings of confusion and hope and a small budding of light that he dared not look at too closely. He'd thought she had mistaken her shallow feeling for love but what if he was wrong. What if she did love him? He'd be a monster if that were true. He still was a monster to have done this to her. But the thought of Gianna strengthened his resolve.