Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1)

by Elle Middaugh

  Hammer is raised. Awaiting contact in five... four... three...

  “But I care about you.”

  Two...

  Wait, what?

  My heart fluttered, rising just a bit from the pits of my stomach as hope filled me.

  “And,” he continued, despite my utter silence, “I want this thing between us to truly mean something. I know I tease you a lot about sex, and yes, at the beginning that’s all I really wanted, but now….” He shook his head as if even he wasn’t quite sure what he was trying to say.

  I leaned in and dropped my forehead to his. “You want to wait to have sex?”

  He bit his lip and stared at my mouth. “No. Not a chance in Hades. I just wanted you to know how I felt beforehand.”

  “And what do you feel?”

  He took a deep breath, and his chin bobbed beneath the water. “I feel like... you’re absolutely perfect... and I can already feel myself falling for you. And that terrifies the shit out of me.”

  My lips found his reflexively as heat and rosy adrenaline rushed through my system.

  “Me too,” I whispered against his mouth. “Except, I’m not scared.”

  I reached back and unhooked my bra, flinging the sopping wet mess into the boat. Then I slipped my panties down my legs and added them to the pile.

  Dan’s hands roved up my body, caressing every silken inch of my skin, taking care to avoid the areas I’d just uncovered.

  “What are you doing?” I asked with a curious little smile.

  He leaned in and gently kissed my neck, still avoiding the sexual areas that I desperately wanted him to touch. “I’m worshiping at your temple, just like I said I would.”

  I chuckled, though it came out a little breathless. “I’m sure that’s unnecessary. I’m ready for more of a possession than a praise.”

  He kissed up my neck then smirked. “Oh, Sexy Lexi, I don’t think you are.”

  And without another word, he continued to stroke my skin, up my outer thighs, across my waist, skimming the sides of my breasts, over my throat, then back down. It was amazing, the feel of his skin on my skin, the calm and relaxation it evoked while simultaneously building my anticipation for more.

  “Ever have a man go down on you underwater?” he asked, his words sending a heavy wave of heat soaring straight to my lady bits.

  “Ever have a man go down on me at all?” I asked, hinting at the truth.

  He moaned, a pleased sort of sound that had my thoughts going dark. “I’d be honored to be your first time. And your second, and your third. Just give me the word, and I’ll give you the possession that you crave.”

  Fucking Hades, he was hot.

  I might not have experienced lip service personally, but I’d definitely read about it in an ass-load of books. I knew the ecstasy it could bring if done right, and I had no doubt in my mind that Dan had perfected the act over the course of all those women before me.

  I nodded my consent, and with a wicked grin, he slipped underwater.

  His hands stroked my thighs, coaxing them up and over his shoulders while his face nestled into my crevasse. The next thing I knew, his tongue was on me, hot and kneading, slowly swirling around my clit with the ease and confidence of a seasoned serpent playing with his prey before devouring it whole. Whatever. For the first time since I’d started that analogy, I was actually looking forward to the snake eating the toad.

  His hands found my ass, squeezing me even closer to his face, his tongue pressing a little harder, his swirls slowly increasing in tempo. Tingles built, along with heat and pressure. The sensations crescendoed faster than anything I’d ever experienced: dicks or fingers—even when I pleasured myself.

  I raked my nails through his hair, pulling as the pressure built and my breaths came faster. Then the moaning started. I couldn’t stop it. The closer I got to coming, the less control I had over my own body. A second later, I was gone, crashing over the edge of a pleasure so intense, my body literally rippled with the power of it. I cried out so fucking loud I had no doubt that he’d heard it even underwater.

  When the swells of my orgasmic tidal wave finally calmed, he emerged behind me and went right back to stroking me in nonsexual ways. Up my legs and sides, down my arms and between my breasts, never touching a single erogenous zone.

  By the time my body was back to delirious calm and relaxation, he dipped back under and nestled his face back into my folds for round two—and three—before finally returning to the surface once more.

  He kissed up my throat before slipping his tongue into my mouth. It didn’t even taste weird; probably because the entire act had occurred underwater. “You want to do it again?”

  “Again?” I asked as if the man was crazy. “Don’t you want me to go down on you this time?”

  But to my surprise, he shook his head. “I get off on giving pleasure. It’s weird for me to take.”

  I slid my hands down the planes of his muscled chest and abs, teasing the trail of hair that led to his enormous erection. My breath shallowed. I was wet, the water around us was wet, but even with that amount of lubrication... would the damn thing even fit? I guess we were about to find out.

  “It would give me immense pleasure,” I moaned, stressing the key words one by one as I stroked him, “if you’d fuck me senseless, right here, right now.”

  He smirked, and his green eyes darkened. “As you wish, Sex Princess.”

  The next thing I knew, I was on my back in the bottom of the boat, and he was pressing into me, stretching me slowly, filling me completely. I was suddenly overcome with a strange sensation, feeling, emotion. I had no idea what it was, but it was vivid and all-consuming. It made me want to climb inside his skin and tuck myself into his rib cage next to his heart.

  He thrust slowly, taking his time to set every nerve in my body on fire, before pulling back most of the way and thrusting again. It was maddening.

  “Faster,” I groaned, and he immediately picked up the tempo.

  After the first three orgasms, my body was already primed for pleasure. All I had to do was rub my clit a bit while he hammered into me, and bam, number four tore through me like a hurricane.

  I wrapped my legs around him, and he groaned, pushing and pulling my hips as if it were me fucking him. Then he cried out as he came, the sound so primal and sexy it jolted my body into another wave of pulsating pleasure. By the time we stopped moving, I was absolutely spent, panting wildly into the crook of his neck.

  Five.

  Five fucking orgasms in one sex session.

  Had I died and gone to Elysium? Because it sure as hell felt like it.

  Chapter 24

  By the time I woke the following morning, it was almost noon and the whole castle was silent.

  I couldn’t believe not a single person had woken me. The unexpected strangeness instantly set me on edge. Was something wrong? Had something happened to the guys?

  I shimmied into a glimmering topaz-colored gown, grabbed Speedy for moral support, and tiptoed out into the hallway. Not a single servant passed us on our way. Had they all packed up in the middle of the night and left me behind? Surely not...

  Downstairs, I peeked into empty room after empty room, and I kicked my nervous walk into a fearful run. By the time I found Cal sitting alone in the dining room sipping a glass of water, I was out of breath and on the verge of tears.

  “Ah, morning, Peach. About time you woke up.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid thumping of my heart. “Where is everyone?”

  “I gave them the day off,” Cal said with an easy grin. “Today’s my date with you, and I wanted it to be just us.” His blue eyes drifted over to Speedy with a touch of disdain, and he smirked. “Well, almost just us.”

  Finally, the emptiness made sense in a way that was acceptable to me.

  I dropped Speedy into a vacant chair, fell into the seat beside him, and took another deep breath.

  Cal smiled wider, but his brows turned down in
the center. “Is that not okay?”

  “No, it’s perfectly fine. I just thought you guys, like, left me.”

  His smile disappeared. “Why would we leave you here alone?”

  I shrugged and ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. Maybe the Storm King gave you new orders overnight? Maybe he changed his mind about me, and he wanted you to hate me? There are a thousand scenarios we could come up with, I’m sure.”

  Cal reached across the table and rubbed the top of my hand with his thumb. “That’s why we have the honesty chats, Peach. If we keep everything out in the open, then there’s never a need for secrets. Every time the Storm King gives us an order, we discuss it with the group and try to find the best way to proceed. We don’t do anything alone anymore. We’re stronger as a group—emotionally, at least.”

  Speedy bleated quietly, and his tone almost sounded sad.

  I reached over and stroked the fur on his head. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay. Cal didn’t mean I’d be alone alone. I’ll always have you and you’ll always have me. That’s a given.”

  Cal rolled his eyes and propped both hands under his chin. “Does the sloth have to attend today’s festivities? Or will the gods shine down upon me and let us leave him behind?”

  I smirked. “As long as we get him some more leafy twigs and make sure he stays in my room where it’s safe, then we can leave him.”

  “Excellent. Let’s take a quick trip outside and gather up his supplies. We’re almost late for lunch already because someone decided to sleep in so long. Must’ve been a rough night.” He quickly threw both hands into the air and shook his head. “I don’t even want to know.”

  In all honesty, my date with Dan had been perfect. But today was about Cal, and I didn’t want to compare them in any way. All four brothers were totally different men, and they each deserved the chance to shine without the others’ shadows looming over their heads.

  After we got Speedy situated, I took Cal’s arm and he led us into the main dining hall. On the long table before us were sweets and treats and chocolate galore. My stomach sang for joy as my mouth watered.

  I raised a brow at Cal as I slipped inside. "Goodies for breakfast?"

  "Breakfast for you, maybe. Lunch for me. And who says you can't have dessert as the main course?"

  I sniffed out a laugh and choose a seat across from him. "Madam Annette would probably seriously disagree."

  He grinned, and we sat down at the same time. "Well, Madam Annette isn't here, is she? What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

  We each took plates and started piling on the desserts.

  "So..." I said, before I tried my first mouthwatering bite of syrup-covered brownie. Mmm. Elysium. "If you woke up tomorrow with a new magical ability, what would you want it to be?"

  His brows furrowed, but his smile remained. "I don't know. Why?"

  "It's just a game of questions. You can ask me questions back, if you want. I think it'll help us get to know one another better."

  He rubbed his chin where a layer of golden stubble had grown in. "Okay... well, I guess I'd want... peace powers. The ability to soothe discord and calm fury. That'd help with foreign and internal affairs, for sure, but it would also stop the Storm King in a nonviolent way."

  I cocked my head. I supposed he really did try to avoid violence whenever he possibly could, no matter what the personal sacrifice may be. It just surprised me that he'd want a nonviolent end for his sadistic father. Given the choice, I'd probably torture his dumb ass like he did his countless victims, then kill him slowly in the most painful way possible—whatever that happened to be. Maybe I needed to start asking more questions during Taron and Tamara's lessons?

  "My turn." Cal pointed a finger at me. "How'd you acquire the sloth?"

  I laughed out loud. "Um, let's see. It was a few days after Adam broke up with me. Well, I'm assuming he broke up with me. I don't know what else you'd call leaving without a word in the middle of the night and never coming back."

  Cal nodded his sympathetic agreement.

  "I was depressed and taking even more alone time than before—avoiding Mom and Gemma whenever I could, hanging out in the woods and listening to the sounds of nature just to get out of my own head. And then I found Speedy. He was hanging in a branch looking so freaking adorable, and for the first time in days, I smiled. I knew I was going to need him around if I hoped to get over my sadness and grief, so I just kind of kept him. Hopefully he doesn't resent me for it."

  Cal grinned. "I think he'd have been dead ages ago if you hadn't taken him in. He owes you his life a hundred times over."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but the little bugger has an affinity for suicide attempts. Sometimes I think he actually wants to die, and I'm the selfish one for keeping him around."

  "I'm pretty sure wild animals all have survival as their main goal. He might be accident prone, but I seriously doubt he wants to die."

  "I hope you're right." Before silence had a chance to settle in, I asked Cal another question. "What do you value most in a relationship?"

  He chuckled. "Well, I'd say honesty, but I get that whether they want me to or not. So, probably... reliability. I want to know I can depend on the people I care about, and vice versa."

  And in the fucked-up world we lived in, reliability was hard to come by. The Storm King could ruin anything and everything in an instant.

  "I want to be a reliable part of your life," I told him. And I meant it. Whether a friend, wife, secret lover, or whatever... I wanted to be there if he ever needed me. If any of the guys needed me.

  "Thanks, Peach. I want to be there for you too."

  I didn't have his gift of discernment, but for some reason, I could feel that he was telling the truth. There was a warmth and sincerity radiating within him.

  "Cal," I began, as I puzzled this freaky ability of mine out. "Do you think empathy could be my extra power?"

  "Empathy? How so?"

  I shook my head. "Like, I'm pretty sure I can feel other people's emotions. If someone's jealous, I can sense it. If someone's scared, I can sense it. I'm pretty sure I've felt desire, sadness, and adoration too. And just now, I felt your earnestness. I knew you meant what you said."

  His eyebrows rose, and he grabbed a cookie off his plate, taking a giant bite. "I think it's completely possible and incredibly useful. It should help you navigate the waters of foreign and internal affairs."

  "How so?" I asked, taking a cookie off my own plate and crunching into it.

  "Because in politics, people say one thing but mean another. If you know what they're feeling when they say it, then you'll know the true meaning behind their words, no matter what they're saying."

  I nodded, savoring the sweet and crumbly goodness as it fell apart in my mouth. Gods, I loved sweets. It was probably a good thing I couldn't afford them back in Blackleaf—I'd have been bigger than a bear at the beginning of hibernation.

  "Speaking of politics," I said as another idiotic idea came to mind. "Can I see the kingdom of Timberlune for myself?"

  Cal reached for a brownie and put a healthy dollop of pudding on top. "How and why would you want to do this?"

  "How? Well, you're the Sky Prince, right? You could totally fly us there. It's not far, if I recall correctly from Professor Samson's history lessons. And why? I guess because I want to know as much as I can about my fellow kingdoms. They're either about to be our allies or our enemies, and either way, I think it might help for me to know what their culture is like."

  Cal swallowed his brownie and patted his lips with a white cloth. "When?"

  I looked around at nothing in particular, watching as the sunlight danced across our desserts. "Um, today? Like, after lunch?"

  He folded his hands beneath his chin, and his lips thinned as he thought. "It wouldn't be an official visit; you're not ready for that. But royals aren't allowed to cross the border unofficially. So, it'd have to be a secret. We'd have to go undercover as two average, everyday fae."

&nb
sp; My eyes lit up at the thought. "Sounds dangerous."

  His brows darted up to his golden hairline. "You relish the prospect of danger? I suppose that explains a few things about your erratic behavior."

  I scoffed. "Oh, please. Running into the forest after you discover a painful secret is not all that erratic."

  "First of all, it wasn't a secret. We’ve been over this. And second, you think going to Bria's homeland is going to be any less painful for you?"

  I shrugged, but still, an inkling of jealousy crawled within me. "It'll be fine. I really just want to see how they live and act when they’re in their element."

  He sighed. "Very well. I'm strong enough to carry us both, and by the time we're ready to head home, I should have recouped enough to carry us back."

  "Perfect. Oh, wait. Unless... you had something else entirely planned for the day?"

  He shrugged. "Not really. I knew I wanted to spend some time with you away from everyone else, but beyond that, I just assumed we'd lounge around and talk. It's fine if we chat while walking through Timberlune. We'll just have to be careful what we say."

  I shoved a cube of fudge into my mouth, eating quicker now that I had an end goal. "I'm surprised you're not thoroughly against breaking fae law by taking me there. You seem so noble and pedantic most of the time."

  His blue eyes rolled sarcastically. "Pedantic. Nice word. Now I see why Ben calls you Lexicon.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him, and he grinned.

  “They broke the treaty when their ambassador glamoured you. This is nothing compared to that."

  "Do all fae have the ability to glamour people?" I asked, because I hadn't thought to before.

  "That's like asking, 'do all people have the ability to murder?' The answer is yes, but most respectable fae wouldn't do it."

  I jammed in one last mouthful of chocolate before my stomach started churning. “I’m pretty sure I ate too many sweets.”

  Until a moment ago, I wouldn’t have believed such a thing was even possible.

  Cal chuckled and rose from his chair. “If you’ve had your fill, then let’s get going.”