[Phantom Islanders 02.0] Storm Revealed

by Ednah Walters

  I gripped his hair as each sweep of his tongue sent sensations through me. I’d had boyfriends back at home, but I’d never gone beyond first base. Their fumbling hands had turned me off.

  Storm licked his way to my nipple and thoughts of the past disappeared from my head. He took the tight nub into his mouth and sucked hard on it. I cried out as heat shot straight to the area between my legs. My hips lifted and pressed against him.

  He left one nipple, and cold rushed in to replace his hot mouth. The effect was just as stimulating. As he paid the same attention to my other breast, he played with the one, kneading it gently, tugging the tight tip.

  “Storm,” I whispered, the ache between my legs growing.

  “I’m here, lass.” But he didn’t slow down. He teased them with his teeth, my body jerking, the pleasure so intense it was painful.

  Needing to touch him too, I swept one hand under his shirt and stroked the scars on his back. He shuddered. I did it again, and his muscles leaped and a groan followed. He loved the feel of my hand on his skin. The realization was exciting. Would he love my lips on his skin, too?

  I couldn’t wait to find out because he was busy nipping his way down to my belly button. I caressed parts of him I could reach, then took his hand from my breast and brought it to my mouth. I kissed his hands and fingers, before taking one into my mouth and sucking on it. He froze and lifted his head, silver specks appearing in the turbulent pools of his eyes. I stopped, sure I’d done something wrong.

  “Don’t stop,” he begged. A groan escaped him when my mouth closed on his thumb. It became a rumble when I sucked on it. I grew bolder and rolled my tongue around it. The silver sparks in his eyes seemed to expand.

  Getting bolder, I slowly pulled his finger out of my mouth, rubbed the wet tip across my lips, then took it and a second one into my mouth again. The next second, he’d yanked his hand away from me and his mouth was on mine.

  Nothing else mattered, but his lips and the feelings building inside me. I yanked his shirt from his pants and slipped my hands under it to caress his stomach and his chest. I circled his waist and pulled him close, his erection nestling against my throbbing center. I reached to touch him.

  He lifted his head and said, “Today is about you, not me, mo rúnsearc.”

  “But I want to touch you, too,” I said, and he closed his eyes as though in pain. When he opened them, my breath caught. The sparks had spread in the swirling smoky silver, making his eyes glow.

  “I’ve waited a long time for your touch, but I will continue to wait. I must,” he vowed. “Right now, I need to breathe you in. Fill my lungs with your sweet scent.”

  He pushed my skirts lower and kissed his way down to my stomach. Luckily, I had worn my new satin underwear, which had an elastic waist. He pulled them down my hips. He didn’t give me a chance to be embarrassed. His tongue circled my belly button, his fingers skimming over my thighs, stroking so lightly I pressed against his hand for more. Having him so close to the throbbing area between my legs was slowly killing me. Still straddling me, he scooted lower, taking my clothes to my knees. He buried his nose between my legs and inhaled.

  “The sweetest scent,” he mumbled, his breath hot against my skin. “I bet you taste even sweeter.”

  He nuzzled my nether hairs, taking in deep breaths, a low growl rumbling through his chest. Any second, I expected him to grow fur and morph. The thought didn’t send panic through me. This was Storm. He’d never do anything to hurt me.

  He slid off the bed, pulled everything off me, and threw it over his shoulder. For a beat, he studied me. My hands fisted, body tense, and thighs pressed together. Part of me wanted to cover myself because he was fully clothed while I was naked. But the wanton part of me reveled in seeing the feverish glow in his eyes intensify.

  “By the gods, you are magnificent.” His eyes met mine. “Don’t make me wait for long to make you mine.”

  He ran a finger along my thighs until he reached my nether lips. My body shuddered and warmth crept to my face. He took his hand away, and I whimpered.

  “Open up for me, muh’Lexi.”

  “Storm,” I said on a sigh.

  “I want to see you.” Once again, the ache in his voice got to me, but I couldn’t spread them. God, I wanted to, but all this was new to me, and a sudden bout of shyness crept in. As though he knew it, he stopped tormenting me and slid beside me.

  The kiss he gave me was long and so gentle it demolished all my inhibitions. My bones melted. The gentleness disappeared as hunger replaced it. I hung on as my world tilted.

  He trailed the kiss along my jawline, nibbling my skin, nipping, then soothing with his tongue. “I never want you to be embarrassed about wanting me or your body’s response to my touch, Lexi.” He nipped my shoulder, and my breath caught. “You’ll learn to seek me out whenever you want to have your way with me.”

  “I’m not like that,” I gasped, and he lifted his head. The glow in his eyes had dimmed a little. I wanted them burning. I caressed his arms, shoulders, and the scars I could reach. His response didn’t disappoint. “I’m a private person.”

  “The look in your eyes says you are everything I’ve ever dreamed of. The way you kiss me and look at me screams it.” The glow in his eyes intensified. “You will walk into a tavern when I’m drinking with friends, kiss me, and push me into a secluded corner because you want me and can’t wait.”

  The idea was intriguing, and just like that, the ache between my legs returned with much stronger intensity. “That’s never going to happen.”

  He chuckled. “You will seduce me once a week, lass.”

  “What if I want to do it more than once?” I asked, kissing his shoulder. His neck.

  “You get one day. The remaining six are mine.” He eased between my legs and added, “And when you become a shieldmaiden, I’ll stalk you at every port after each raid because the need to mate intensifies after a fight. The fiercer the fight, the more I’ll need you.”

  His words were making me want him something real bad. I wrapped my legs around him. He went back to exploring and teasing my breasts while I whimpered and bucked. His voice ebbed and flowed.

  “And when I’m entertaining my friends”—a lick—“you will storm into the room and order them out”—he suckled one so hard I cried out—“then grab my hand to lead me to our bedchamber.”

  I grabbed his head and kissed him, shutting him up. His chest shook with laughter. I reached down past his stomach and closed my hand around him. Well, almost, and his laughter turned into a growl.

  “Kraken’s breath. You unman me.” His head lifted, and silver eyes bored into mine. They’d gone smoky and churned with feelings I was just discovering.

  I forgot to breathe. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone there. Even as the thought crossed my mind, my grip tightened and his eyes rolled into their sockets.

  “I need to claim you or go crazy,” he growled.

  I didn’t care what he did as long as he made the ache go away. My chest hurt, my breathing grew rapid, and my entire body was taut and ready to explode.

  Carefully, Storm reached down, took my hand, and pushed it above my head. He did the same with the other, then kissed his way down my body. When he buried his face where my legs met, cold air rushed over me as he inhaled my arousal.

  I needed him to touch me there. I was so desperate my legs fell apart for him. He moved and, at the same time, pushed my knees apart, lifting them up and out. The excitement and need was too much, and I stopped caring that he was looking at me down there.

  He swept his tongue across the folds and along my most sensitive spot, and I nearly pushed him off me. Nothing had prepared me for this. Not the sensual exploration expanding my limited world or his naughty words. I watched him as he savored me like I was the sweetest treat in the world.

  It felt so good and decadent, and I wanted more. He pinned my hips down and closed his mouth over my clit, sucking hard on it, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. I cried
out and jerked, but he was unstoppable. Sensations rolled through me. With everything he did and said, he reshaped my world, my existence, and my essence.

  He wreaked havoc on my senses, redefining what I thought I knew about my body and its needs. I bucked uncontrollably. I reached down and pulled him closer, needing to ease the ache mushrooming to every corner of my body. The more he gave, the more my body craved. My thighs clamped his head, and my hands sank into his hair, probably giving him more scars.

  Moving fast, Storm rolled us over so I was on top of him, pressing my mound to his face, his hands gripping my butt cheeks. The angle was different but left me open to him. The bed stopped my knees from gripping his head, and his hands refused to let me move.

  I gripped the pillows as he pushed me toward a release. Then he eased one long finger inside me and my world exploded, spun right off of its axis, and showed me, once again, that this thing between us had nothing to do with the Veil and the supernatural being he was. It was a chemistry that could not be quantified. I yelled out Storm’s name, the sound muffled by the pillows.

  Was it going to stop? I didn’t want it to, and neither did he because he didn’t let me go. Nothing else mattered but the feelings coursing through my body. He gripped me closer and continued to savor my responses. The delicious shivers still shook my body when he slid from under me.

  “I’m claiming you now, Lexi.” His words reached me as though from afar. He could have asked anything of me and I would have agreed.

  “Yes,” I said on a sigh.

  His teeth sank into my butt cheek, and my body jerked as the pain shot up my spine and my entire body tightened, the pain and pleasure mingling. He soothed where he’d bitten with licks and kisses until my body went limp. Occasional tremors continued to rock through me.

  “You are mine now, lass,” he whispered, dropping kisses up my back until he reached my shoulder.

  I pried my eyes open and found him smiling down at me, head propped on the heel of his hand. That smile was way too smug, but I wasn’t complaining. He was one gifted pirate, and I wanted to learn how to please him, too.

  “The sweetest scent and taste of all, but then I already knew that.”

  I didn’t know how to react, so I just watched him and hoped I wasn’t blushing.

  “You’re not just in my head and my heart, mo rúnsearc. You are in my blood. I can now go and raid a happy man.” He kissed me. “‘I’m a private person,’ you said.” He planted a kiss on my shoulder. “I’m not like that.” He touched his head. “Do I have any hair left?”

  This time, I buried my face in his chest while he chuckled.

  “Are you being shy? After adding to my scars and pulling out my hair?”

  I knew he was only teasing me, but I did go crazy those last few moments.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  “No apologies for love marks.” He lifted my chin, gave me another kiss, and rolled off the bed in one smooth motion. He tucked in his shirt. “I’m going to show them off.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  He grinned.

  Oh, he would. I sat up, then remembered I was still naked when his eyes went to my chest. I grabbed a pillow and covered my front while he laughed.

  “Your shyness is cute, but I’m going to cure you of it,” he vowed. He disappeared into the dressing room and returned with a vest and one of his captain coats. He shrugged them on. He looked dashing.

  Something shifted in my stomach. I didn’t want him to leave. “Don’t I have to claim you now?”

  He stopped, his eyes darkening. “Only if you want to.”

  I wasn’t sure I was ready for the responsibility that came with that tradition.

  “Do you want to?” he asked.

  I wanted to nod but hesitated. The eagerness in his eyes dimmed when I didn’t respond. He stroked my cheek.

  “Claim me soon, lass. I don’t think I can wait much longer.”

  Maybe I shouldn’t have hesitated. “When will you be back?”

  “In about five days. The girls we Harvested will be told the truth about us, and I want to be here when that happens.”

  “Why?”

  “Some girls can’t handle the revelation and need reassurance, and I don’t know if Ryun is up to the task.” He frowned. “I’ll check with him before I leave.”

  “What happened to Skylar?” When he frowned, I added, “The girl you planned to send to the Undine Court but kept here.”

  “I’ve given her chances because of you, but I’m close to dragging her down to the Undine City myself.”

  “What happened?”

  “Too many incidents to count. She’s on a hunger strike now.”

  That couldn’t be good. “Maybe I should talk to her.”

  “No. I thought about asking Ryun to talk to her, but I don’t think he can handle her. He is going through a rough patch without a Tuh’ren pissing him off. He’s likely to do something we’d all regret.”

  “What about Levi? He can be very nice when he wants to be.”

  “I’ll be happy to tell him you said so. He bowed out because he would have strangled her. She has colorful language, and Levi doesn’t take kindly to being called names. He is very sensitive.”

  “Then let me talk to her. I’m from her world and understand what she’s going through.”

  “No. She’s not receiving guests until she learns to behave.”

  “That’s so mean. She’s probably scared and worried about her cousin.”

  “They are all worried about their families, but they haven’t reacted the way she did.” He frowned. “Deck can deal with her when he returns from Hy’Brasil.”

  “How?”

  “He has his way of dealing with difficult lasses,” Storm said vaguely.

  I didn’t like the sound of that. Despite Storm’s stance, I planned on finding out where they were keeping Skylar. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering as he traced my ear.

  “Don’t try to visit Skylar while I’m gone, Lexi. From the look in your eyes, I can tell you are plotting something.” He pressed a kiss on my lips. “If Decabel fails to reason with her, I’ll be forced to escort her to Undine City. It might be the perfect place for her.”

  “Home with her family is better,” I threw in the dig.

  He chuckled. “Tenacious to the core, aren’t you? Next time you talk to Delia, ask her what happened to her younger sister or Zale’s niece. Then there’s little Meda. We are still searching for her mother.” He gave me a lingering kiss and whispered, “You are mine now.”

  “I thought I was before we met.”

  “You were, but this makes it official. I don’t want you to worry about anything while I’m gone. I’ll be back before you know it.” He reached under the bed for the silver dagger and stood. Without removing it from its protective cloth, he pushed it into a sheath strapped to his chest. Dread coursed through me.

  “I hate that dagger,” I whispered.

  Storm chuckled. “Don’t worry, lass. I’ll try not to put myself in a situation where I’m forced to use it.”

  Blood drained from my head. “That’s not funny. When I claim you, will I feel you, too? Know when you are in danger?”

  He stopped, his expression becoming serious. “Yes.”

  “Then I want to claim you. Right now.”

  The smile that transformed his face made me feel like an idiot for having hesitated earlier. He sat on the bed and ran his knuckles up and down my arm.

  “You’re not ready, lass. I don’t want fear to influence your decision. I can wait. And don’t be afraid for me. I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not fear. I wanted to earlier, except I wasn’t sure I was ready for the responsibility that comes with it. But I am. If you are in danger, I want to know, Storm. If anything happens to you, I want those responsible to pay.”

  He grinned. “I’d hate to have you as an enemy.”

  I backhanded his chest. “I’m serious, Storm. Turn a
round so I can claim you.”

  He pressed his forehead against mine. “I’m crazy about you, lass, and I’d love nothing more than to have you claim me, but we’re not doing this. Not now. If you still feel the same way when I return, claim me the second I step off the ship. No, don’t let me leave the damn ship. We’ll use the cabin.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “The right one this time.”

  Damn it. I’d missed the opportunity to claim him, and now I had a feeling it was too late. This trip to Hy’Brasil bothered me.

  I pressed my finger on his forehead and pushed him away. “You’re not remotely funny. Why did Deck go back to Hy’Brasil anyway when it’s dangerous?”

  “A girl he believes is his true mate is getting mated. He planned to kidnap her.”

  Of course, it had something to do with a true mate. At least it was good to know they didn’t reserve kidnapping to just us Tuh’rens.

  “Please, be careful out there.”

  “I will return to you whole, and then you can make me yours.” He pressed his lips to my forehead and stood. “We’ll also discuss your brother’s situation when I return.”

  “This is not about my brother. This is about us and what that stupid dagger could…” Then what he’d said registered. “You want to discuss Tommy’s situation?”

  He nodded. “Yes, lass. When I return. For now, I don’t want you to worry about him either.”

  Ugly crying coming up. I didn’t hold back like I’d done with Mr. Sinclair. I tackle hugged Storm, kissed every inch of his face while crying. I didn’t care that I was butt naked. He fell back on the bed, chuckling.

  “Now I know how to turn you into an agreeable lass.”

  I didn’t even care that he was making fun of me. I kissed him and hugged him and messed up his coat. I didn’t want him to go. It took several more minutes before I calmed down enough for him to leave.

  “You sure you’ll be okay?” he asked, walking backward.

  I nodded, still celebrating on the inside and fighting more tears. The second the door closed behind him, I plopped back on the bed and laughed. First the nod. Now this. He was making it easy for me to fall in love with him. Every day, he did something that chipped at my defenses.