Up In Flames (Netherworld Series Book 2)

by Olivia Hutchinson

  When her fingertip ran along his lower lip, she felt the harsh breath he took on her skin. She traced the fullness there until all she wanted was to lean in and kiss where her fingers had been. And that was exactly what she did.

  She caught his lower lip between hers and her tongue traced where she had touched. A low groan erupted from the back of his throat as he opened his mouth and his tongue met hers. That wood burning scent that was distinctly his met her nose and she breathed him in. He tasted delicious, a mix between mint and a spicy warmth that made her lips tingle.

  And still he didn’t touch her. His hands hadn’t wavered from where they were planted at his sides. She was dying for him to touch her. Dying for him to pull the wretched towel away from her.

  When she pulled back, he opened his heavily lidded eyes. Her hands went to the top of the towel, determined to take it off herself if he wouldn’t help.

  “Wait,” he said, his voice low. Her arms dropped away from the fabric. He reached up, his fingers brushing over the top of her breast as he pulled away the towel and let it fall to the floor.

  His eyes slowly travelled over her skin as she stood in front of him. His hands ran down her sides, stopping to grip her waist.

  “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, pulling her closer to him.

  He pressed his lips to her neck and she let her head fall back. Slowly, he trailed kisses over her collarbone and between her suddenly heavy breasts. Her hands found his shoulders and she held on as his hand gripped her waist and he lifted her from the floor.

  She landed on her back on the bed when he spun her. He released her before leaning over her, bracing himself on either side of her as he bent down to meet her mouth. His hair fell, curtaining them as he kissed her until all thoughts were banished from her mind. All she could think about was him. The way he kissed her until she was breathless. The way he touched her, his hand tracing the curve of the underside of her breast.

  He cupped the mound, his mouth leaving hers to press against the flesh of her breast. He caught her nipple between his lips and she moaned, a soft sound as she arched against him. His tongue toyed with her until she couldn’t stand it and then he sucked the small bud until she was writhing beneath him.

  The sweet torture continued when he moved on to her other breast and repeated the process. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he trailed his hand down her side. He gripped her hip and pushed her higher in the bed. His mouth released her breast and he sat back, looking down at her.

  Her face felt hot as he looked down at her, his blue eyes darker than they had been before. His gaze landed on the juncture of her thighs and his nostrils flared. She shifted her hips slightly and he climbed to his feet.

  At first she thought he had changed his mind. She feared that in a second he was going to tell her why they had to stop, but then he pushed his sweatpants over his hips and she smiled. His cock sprang free, longer and thicker than she imagined it would be when he was fully aroused. Even soft he had been bigger than average, but hard was something else entirely.

  She couldn’t help the fear that tickled her. She hadn’t been with any man that came close to his size. When he sat on the bed next to her, he ran his hand down the length of her thigh.

  “Open your legs for me,” he said, the Irish timber of his voice becoming more pronounced as he continued to stroke her skin.

  She did as he asked and parted her legs. She lifted her knees and put her feet flat on the bed, baring her pussy for him. He put his hands on her knees and pushed her legs open further. His hands ran down the inside of her thighs and she lifted her hips to meet his exploring hands.

  He put one hand on the bed as he repositioned himself closer to her. His other hand had stopped at the crease of her inner thigh. Her heart pounded in sheer anticipation. She needed him to touch her, couldn’t stand waiting for him to. She bit her lip and couldn’t help but shift her hips again. The tips of his fingers brushed against her pussy lips and he instantly pulled back.

  “Behave yourself,” he chided, the corner of his mouth lifting, “and keep still.”

  A low whimper escaped her as she pressed her bottom into the bed in an effort to keep from wiggling. When he brushed the backs of his fingers over her slit, she jerked against him. It wasn’t enough and she was desperate for more. The small touches he did give her were driving her insane.

  “I see,” he said softly.

  He climbed further onto the bed and laid himself down between her legs. His arms encircled her thighs and pinned them against his shoulders, gaining full control of her lower body.

  His warm breath teased her pussy as he lowered his mouth to her. When his tongue ran up her slit, she jerked but this time he held her still. A moan tore from her lips and she entwined her fingers in his hair. His hot mouth found her clit and he latched on. His tongue twirled around the sensitive nub and she had to force herself to let go of his hair lest she hurt him.

  Her fingers dug into the bedding as he sucked her clit gently. She was ready to explode, blood was pounding through her veins and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. A little more of his delicious ministrations and he’d have her there. His mouth released her clit and moved further down to her lips. One at a time he pulled them into his mouth and then back up again to her clit. He either sucked on the bud or rolled his tongue over the sensitive flesh until her moans filled the room.

  Again and again he did this until she couldn’t stop the sounds she made. She was begging him to finish her. She couldn’t take much more of the delicious torture he put her through. Tearing at the bedding, she fought against his hold but he was relentless. He refused to release her, only holding her tighter against him.

  Finally, he caught her clit in his mouth once more and sucked her harder than he had before. It was bordering on painful but was just enough to send her over the edge. She came hard, crying out as her back arched.

  He released her legs a second later and pulled himself up between them, lowering himself down. Her body was still trembling as he aligned himself with her opening. He drove into her in a fluid motion, burying himself fully in her.

  Her body stretched around his cock, but the stinging pain that went with it was enough for her to stiffen beneath him. Liam froze where he was. She squeezed her eyes shut, silently begging the pain to subside. He pushed the stray hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

  “Look at me,” he said.

  Forcing her eyes open, she met his gaze. He stroked his fingers through her hair and kissed her gently. She could taste herself on his mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue meeting hers in a slow dance.

  Pain turned into discomfort and after a minute the discomfort turned into something else as she relaxed beneath him. She had never felt so full before and a familiar ache was beginning to build again.

  His mouth left hers and he watched her carefully, as if searching for any more signs of her discomfort.

  She was becoming desperate for him to move within her. “Please,” she moaned.

  It was all she had to say. An inch at a time he withdrew from her only to thrust his full length back inside. There was only intense pleasure.

  As he moved, she wrapped her legs around him, meeting each thrust. She held onto him and leaned up to press her mouth against his chest. She tasted the salt on his skin and sighed against his flesh.

  Liam increased the pace until he was slamming his hips against hers. Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to handle much more, she came apart. Her cry was deafening, her pussy squeezing around his cock.

  As soon as she came, he stopped and tried to pull away from her but her body wouldn’t let him. When her muscles relaxed a second later, he was able to pull out of her. With a long groan, he came, the liquid heat burning the skin of her thigh.

  He rolled off her and laid on his back. They both panted as they laid there, staring up at the ceiling as the shadows danced on the stone.

  She had never experienced sex like that before. It fi
gured that it would take a dragon to get her there, but she was glad for it. She could feel herself smiling and pulled herself to her feet a second later.

  “Where are you going?” she heard him ask behind her.

  “To clean up.”

  She left the bathroom door open as she washed between her legs and her thighs. The sensitive skin burned slightly but she shrugged it off and didn’t give it a second thought. The sudden chill in the air had her hurrying to get back into the bed next to him. He had pulled the blanket over himself and held it up for her when she came out of the bathroom. She climbed beneath it and he pulled her against his side. Sighing, she relaxed into him, her head resting on the crook of his shoulder.

  She fell asleep, the smell of burning wood and the heat of Liam’s body acting as her lullaby.

  Liam woke up before Heidi did. He didn’t need a window or a clock to tell him it was still early. Heidi was sleeping on her stomach, her arm thrown over his chest. Gently he picked her arm up and scooted out from beneath her, trying not to wake her. He didn’t have to worry about that. She was knocked out and he couldn’t blame her. After two days of being stuck in a fae nightmare, she deserved some uninterrupted sleep in a real bed.

  He made his way into the bathroom and took a quick shower before heading into the kitchen to make some breakfast. His stomach was already grumbling and he was in need of some nourishment after last night.

  Spending the night with her just proved to him that there was no way he could let her leave. He had never had an experience quite like the one they had shared. Of course he’d had sex before, the act was nothing new to him, but for some reason it felt new. He felt like a teenager again, his mind cloudy with lust and thinking with his dick instead of his head.

  It was an experience he intended to repeat. Multiple times.

  The only thing that had disturbed him was his inability to pull out of her when she came. Her muscles had gripped him so hard that pulling out was near impossible unless he wanted to be in pain. That didn’t bode well. He couldn’t let himself lose control and reach orgasm while still inside her or be put in the situation where he couldn’t pull out. There were too many problems that came with losing control and he knew he’d have to be careful.

  Liam had just dropped the steaks he had pulled from the fridge into the pan on his gas stove when he heard the buzz of his doorbell. The doorbell itself sat outside the cabin and it was only used by his family and occasionally, by a shifter. One shifter in particular.

  He turned off the burner and took his time climbing back up the steps to the front door. Whoever was bothering him at this time of morning and keeping him from his breakfast could wait for him to get there.

  Swinging the door open, he saw the man he anticipated.

  Jonah Cowan was one of New Freedom’s few police officers and the only man he welcomed at his doorstep beyond his relatives. And he was perhaps more welcome than even them.

  “Liam,” he said as a way of greeting. He was out of uniform today, dressed for hiking in a pair of khaki cargo pants, a hunter green shirt and a thin jacket. And from the smell of him, he had been hiking for a while and he wasn’t alone in the woods. It was the smell of a person that was vaguely familiar, yet he couldn’t place it.

  Liam stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him.

  “What brings you to me door, Jonah?”

  “I wish I could say it was to see how you were doing, but that’s not the case. You see I’m helping a friend of mine. She and her friend went hiking day before yesterday and her friend fell off the side of the ravine that leads into No-Man’s-Land. By the time she alerted me in town and we got down there, her friend was gone and I smelled fae in the area. I was hoping you’ve either seen or heard something. The girl is about yea high,” he said, holding his hand up to the middle of his chest.

  “I know who you’re talking about.”

  “You’ve seen her? Is she still alive?”

  “Aye.”

  “Wounded?”

  He shook his head.

  Jonah looked at him expectantly. “Did you see where she went?”

  “I have her.”

  “She’s here?” He looked shocked, but Liam supposed that was expected. It’s not like he’d ever had a house guest before. He didn’t even let Jonah inside the cabin and he liked him. Considered him a friend even.

  “She was taken by the fae. I bargained for her back and now she’s here.”

  “Bargained for her? Why didn’t they just kill her on sight? What did the fae want with a human?”

  Jonah had confirmed what Liam had suspected the night before. “They believe she’s a witch.”

  Jonah rubbed his hands over his buzzed brown hair. “I know for a fact that she’s human. I smelled the magic on Maggie, but when I asked her about it, she said that they had practiced magic with some other friends of theirs. I never would have believed that the fae would think they were witches because of it.”

  Liam didn’t know Jonah’s personal feelings regarding humans. There had been much debate over the years as to whether or not Netherworld creatures should have relationships with them, provided secrecy was maintained. Not only was Heidi not in the dark regarding him, her eyes were wide open to the existence of the fae as well.

  And surprisingly enough, she hadn’t freaked out. No more than anyone in her situation would have. The fae tried to kill her and she had hung in there. She did what he had told her to and they had made it out in one piece. He had to give credit where credit was due, and Heidi had certainly surprised him.

  Any question of him taking her home was answered. She wasn’t going anywhere and that was for her own safety. The council, as difficult and stupid as they may be, did not take kindly to a human running around and screaming she’d been kidnapped by fairies and had sex with a dragon.

  He hadn’t wanted to take her back, even though she had wanted to go. She was his, even if she was human. Liam made the decision in an instant.

  “Take your friend back to town and get out of the woods. The fae are riled and they’ll be coming soon enough. Their plans are already set.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because Roarke wanted me to join him.”

  Jonah’s mouth dropped open. When he regained his voice, he asked, “And what did you do?”

  “What do you think I did? I had no choice but to agree. Heidi and I barely made it out. Lost the fae princess in the process and we were pursued, but they’ll be back. And they’ll be back for blood the next time,” Liam said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  He couldn’t make Jonah heed his warning, but his friend was no fool either. He knew all about what treacheries the fae were capable of. He had brought their victims out of the woods to be buried with their own kind.

  “I have to warn the town,” Jonah said, stepping back toward the edge of the porch. “I have to get Maggie out of the woods. Get Heidi and we’ll go.”

  “She stays here. With me.”

  “You can’t just keep her, Liam,” Jonah warned, watching Liam’s reaction closely.

  “I can and I will.” He had no desire to let her go. He certainly didn’t trust Jonah with her, even though he’d proved himself capable time and again.

  Jonah shook his head. “It’s not safe for her out here. I’m not even going to touch on the fact that you can’t keep a human.”

  “She’s safe with me,” he insisted. “I’m keeping her. She was given to me in a contract.”

  Jonah took a deep breath. “Contract or no, you can’t keep a human. It doesn’t work like that. She’s not a piece of land or gold that can be traded for or sold.”

  Smoke curled out of Liam’s nostrils as he glared at Jonah. “I’m keeping her. She’s safest with me. This discussion is over.”

  “I don’t have time to argue with you,” Jonah said, taking a step back. “I’m going to get Maggie back to town.”

  With a curt nod, Jonah turned and jumped off the porch to the
ground. He raised his hand to Liam as he ran from the shack, into the trees.

  Liam raised his hand to his friend before going back inside and bolting the door. Not that the bolt would keep anyone out if they were determined to get in, but it made him feel safer. Of course if anyone was fool enough to wander into a dragon’s lair, they deserved what they got. Especially when that dragon was keeping watch over his treasure.

  He headed back downstairs to finish making his breakfast but stopped in the door of his bedroom to check on her. He didn’t know why he felt the need to make sure she was safe and out of harm’s way, but there was nothing stopping him from doing just that.

  She was sprawled out on the bed, the covers kicked down around her feet. Her naked body enticed him to crawl into the bed next to her and repeat what they had done the night before. When his eyes caught the red splotches on the back of her thigh, he took a step toward her.

  Sure enough, they weren’t just splotches. They were first degree burns in the same spot where he had spilled himself on her last night. He wondered if she had even noticed that she had been burned. He doubted it. Regardless if she knew or not, it wasn’t a mistake he was going to repeat. The next time he took her—and there would be a next time—he would just have to be more careful.

  Liam studied the way she clung to the pillow, her brown hair fanned out behind her, and took a guess that she’d be out for a while longer. He was safe to make the phone call that he knew shouldn’t be pushed off for much longer, even for the steaks waiting for him in the kitchen. Collum would be waiting to know what had transpired between himself and Roarke and he needed to warn his district commander that they were no longer in the good graces of the fae before Roarke returned to Boston.

  He left Heidi sleeping in his bed and went into the living room. A large tapestry hung on the wall. Two angels blowing their trumpets stared at him as he pushed aside the thick fabric. A narrow entryway lay hidden behind. He turned on his side to squeeze through and followed the dark hall to the chamber beyond. He found a candle sitting on the mantle of the large unlit fireplace and put the wick in his mouth. When he pulled it out, the candle was lit and he set it back on the stone.