Passion of a Witch: A Wicked Series - Book 1

by K. D. Friedrich

  “Come on, Summer. Live a little. I dare you.”

  After tossing her the challenge, he flashed a wide grin, and raced toward the bank.

  Chapter 15

  Summer watched Kian's firm behind and hard muscles crash through the water and disappear within a huge splash. He rose to the surface, droplets cascading down his smooth, ripped chest.

  “Are you coming or are you chicken?”

  She pulled her lower lip through her teeth. “It isn't the best idea.”

  “No, but you want to do it anyway.” He lifted his hand and placed it over his heart. “I'll be on my best behavior. I swear.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Come on. Show me what you got, baby.

  Do it. You need to know freedom before you imprison yourself in a loveless marriage.

  A few more moments of hesitation were all it took for the voice in her head to convince her swimming naked in a lake with Kian was a good idea. She unbuttoned the front of her dress with deliberate leisure. Kian's cocky smile vanished, replaced by hot desire. She may be a virgin, but Summer knew when a man's eyes lit with lust.

  “Turn around,” she demanded. She shook her head when he didn't do as she asked. “Fine.”

  He stood in the lake and stared at her with soul-searching intensity. Slipping her hand underneath the material on her shoulder, she shimmied out of one side of her dress. Kian licked his full lips. With shaky hands, she tugged the other side of her bodice. Dark like the sky before a storm, his gaze followed her every move.

  “Take it off for me, Summer.”

  It wasn't a command, but a plea, an appeal to the sexual being within her to give him this gift, an endowment of her submission she would never give to another. She wasn't undressing out of obligation or duty. She wanted him to be the first to see her as no other ever had.

  Once the other shoulder sprang free, she let her dress fall to a puddle at her feet. Since witches didn't wear undergarments, she stood bare before him.

  “Summer.” His voice had grown deeper and hoarse. “Jesus, you're fucking perfect.”

  His hot gaze followed her like a predator waiting to pounce as she hurried to the water's edge. She sank into the water, making sure to find a spot where her breasts remained covered. The cool lake made her nipples tighten further. Yet her flesh remained heated.

  “See, this isn't bad, right?” His gaze refused to leave her.

  “I have to admit this is… nice.” She dipped her head back and allowed the water to saturate her hair. A light mist moved in from the soft grass, hovering all around them. She smiled. “The grove approves of our swim. It has been a while since we gave back to the lake.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Summer laid back and floated. “Witches have a kinship with the elements. Whatever we touch in nature receives a piece of our essence. In return, they give back to us. After our swim, the lake will be renewed. New life will flourish. Can you not feel the energy flowing around you?”

  He closed his eyes and grinned. “I feel something, baby, but I doubt it's the lake.”

  Summer rolled her eyes and continued to float. A sudden huge splash soaked her face. “Kian, how dare you?”

  “Oh, I dare. Race you to the big rock on the other side.” He took off. She peddled her feet fast, but he swam faster than any merman she'd ever seen.

  “I won,” he shouted. “I'm king of the world.”

  “No, you are a cheat.”

  “I won fair and square. You're just pissed you lost. I'm surprised. You're nothing but a sore loser.”

  She gave him a playful swat on his arm. “You are incorrigible.”

  He chuckled. A few moments of quiet passed between them. He brushed back his wet hair. “So… you're going to marry my cousin?”

  Startled by the question, she fell back and sucked in a mouthful of water, causing her to cough for a few seconds. “It would appear I am.”

  He moved closer, his amusement once again replaced with a dark storm in his eyes. “Why?”

  “What are you doing?” Her gaze darted around, looking for an escape route. “What do you mean 'why'? You know why.”

  He closed the last few inches separating them and cupped her cheek. For reasons she couldn't fathom, she allowed him the liberty.

  Why deny the truth? She wanted his touch, no matter how small or fleeting.

  His thumb caressed the curve of her chin as he licked his lips. The action drew her gaze to the slow, calculated glide of his tongue. Moonlight lit the sharp angles of his face. His hair, no longer spiked, fell in a scattered pattern on his head. With the upmost care, he drew a finger across her lower lip. Traces of power surged through his gentle touch, calling her, and she welcomed the energy like a long-lost love.

  “Have you ever been kissed, Summer?” he whispered.

  No, she never craved the loving taste of another, until Kian.

  Speechless, she stared with hooded eyes, stricken still when the wild scent of Kian combined with the natural fragrance of the forest swirled around her. Her mouth parted. Goddess help her, she wanted a taste of him.

  Behind her, she heard the distant, tranquil sound of a waterfall, such an opposition to the frantic pounding of her heart.

  Lost in the arousal building within her, she hadn't seen him move closer, but all of a sudden his lips were an inch away, hovering before her. The temptation was an irresistible torment, forcing reason to battle against desire. Another man owned her future. Duty had taken away her choice. Being with Kian beneath the soft moonlight of the grove insulted the values of her people, her family, and herself.

  She couldn't do this.

  She wouldn't.

  The sudden burst of common sense forced her hands to press against his chest. His fingers speared through her wet curls, holding her to him, making her a prisoner to his lure.

  Beneath her palms, his muscles flexed. The heat of his body seared her objection, setting her denial aflame. She melted into him. When their gazes locked, she trembled. Hidden in his eyes, she found a promise, a solemn oath that no matter what she did, where she went, or what lies she told, he would never let her go.

  His hand pulled free from her hair and roamed along her throat, across the top of her chest, and closed over her breast. Her head fell back at the contact. He worked his fingers into a tender massage, kneading her sensitive flesh, rolling her sensitive nipple.

  “Summer.”

  Her whispered name was the final warning before he captured her lips.

  Tender, yet demanding, his mouth moved over hers. Sweet traces of the soda he drank with dinner remained on his lips. A sudden tender rush of power crashed over her skin, drawing a startled moan of pleasure from her. Urged by this erotic charge, she yanked him closer, bringing her chest flush to his. Still, she wasn’t close enough.

  The heavy thuds of his heart mirrored her racing pulse.

  She was falling, but how, when he held her so tight?

  He walked her into the smooth, moss-covered stone behind them, the impact lessened by the cage of his thick, strong arms. Against those cool, wet rocks, he plundered her mouth, captivating her soul with a simple kiss.

  No, not a simple kiss, a complex, exigent, dominating caress meant to claim every part of her.

  He brought his mouth to the curve of her neck, teasing her wet skin with his lips. As he nipped and sucked, bursts of pleasure exploded throughout her body.

  Courage and curiosity forced her hand to dip lower, stroking his tight, tone abs, and lower still to the rigid shaft pressing against her navel. When her fingers closed around his thickness, he groaned. “Easy, baby, or this will be over before it starts.”

  His reaction brought her joy. He was big and thick, harder than the stone against her back, yet softer than a silken petal of a rose.

  “You're hard, yet so soft,” she whispered.

  Although she hadn't known the pleasure of sex, Summer knew what to expect when it came to a man's anatomy. Kian exceeded all her expectations.

  “
Imagine when I'm inside you.”

  Yes, she wanted him sheathed to the hilt. Buried deep.

  No, a voice whispered. You must stop this. It sounded like her conscious giving her a warning. He kissed her again, shushing the inner voice in an instant.

  She tightened her grip on his cock, hoping to elicit another pleasured response. Kian did not disappoint. His sudden deep growl shattered the tranquility of the grove and brought an instant smile to her face.

  “You like teasing me, don't you?”

  “No, I like touching you.”

  He kissed his way along her jaw until his lips hovered at her ear.

  “Baby, your hand feels so fucking good wrapped around my cock. Don't stop.”

  She stroked him, unsure what he wanted. “I don't know what to do.”

  When he growled deeper, she knew he liked her ministration and she moved her hand faster. He nipped her throat, the pain creating a spark of excitement to surge through her. “You're doing just fine. Fucking perfect, baby.”

  He slid both hands around her hips and cupped her behind. “Kian.”

  With his arms locked around her, he pulled her flush to his arousal, trapping her hand between them. “I want you, Summer.” He dipped his finger along where she craved him the most, before slipping the digit inside her. He withdrew and then dipped into her welcoming heat once again, stretching her further. Her head fell back against the rock. “God, you are so wet for me, Summer. We're standing in a lake and you're the one soaking my fingers.”

  Her hand grew tighter around his shaft and pumped faster.

  “Baby, I'm almost there.” He groaned. “Almost fucking there.”

  “Kian, I'm going… going to…”

  He pressed his lips to her ear. “Come on. Show me what you like.”

  He played with her, twisting the coil in her belly tighter and tighter until it sprung. She cried out his name, exploding in his arms and sending a rush of power forth, showering everything around her in her energy, including Kian. He followed her a second later, releasing in her palm with her name on his lips.

  “Summer? Hey, Summer, where you at, girl?” The familiar voice shattered her euphoria.

  “Oh no.” She jumped out of his embrace and stumbled to the shore.

  “What's wrong?”

  Summer leapt out of the water and pulled her dress over her body a second before the tall figure emerged from the shadowed trail.

  “Tristan,” she whispered. The material clung to her wet hips, exposing her to the moonlight. She tugged it down hard.

  “Who the hell is Tristan?”

  “There you are. Figured you’d be here…” Tristan's wolfish grin vanished when his sights locked on Kian. He lifted a brow. “And who might this be. I know this isn't the dickhead Malcolm.”

  Kian climbed out of the water, unashamed of his lack of clothes. Summer squeezed her eyes closed tight. Her chin fell to her chest. She was shocked she didn't die of embarrassment.

  “Well, well, well, seems my sweet Summer isn't so sweet after all. She's got a little spice in her. I'm impressed.” He laughed as if delighted by the epiphany. “Whoever you are? Kudos for extracting the stick from her—”

  “Tristan,” she snapped.

  “Oh, come on now, honey. Be nice.” Tristan stalked closer.

  “This isn't what you think,” she lied. “Please, Tristan, please, don't tell your father.”

  “Your secret is safe with me, but it will cost you. Let's say… two dozen batches of those sweet nightshade cookies.”

  She frowned. “I can't make those. They are forbidden.”

  “Hmm… what was my dad's number at work?” He pulled out his cell.

  “All right, extortionist. Why are you here anyway?”

  Tristan cackled. “Dad wanted me to check on you, make sure you and Winter were okay out here all by your lonesome. As I can see and scent, you are far from lonely and you're being well taken care of.” He waggled his brow. His humor suddenly faded. “I assume Winter is sleeping in the house?” He took another deep sniff. He narrowed his eyes on Kian.

  “Yes,” said Summer.

  “Don't be so uptight. I'm glad to see you're living. You need to get some excitement in before you marry Muscles Malcolm. That pretty boy wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she had instructions tattooed on her ass. Judging by the charming shade of pink staining your cheeks, this one doesn't have a problem.”

  She didn't want to talk about Kian with Tristan. Arousal still hummed throughout her body, and no doubt his enhanced sense of smell detected it. Goddess, she needed to get away from there. Tristan's smirk made her want to scream.

  “I should go back to the house and check on Winter,” she blurted.

  “Go on, sweetheart. I'll meet you over there in a few.” Tristan grinned at Kian.

  Mortified, she tossed Kian one last fleeting glance before she hurried across the grove, up the path, and far away from Tristan's smug stare.

  ***

  Still semi-erect, Kian watched Summer's ass jiggle beneath her damp dress as she disappeared behind the thick foliage of the trail.

  Fingers snapped in front of his face. “Eyes here, lover boy.” Tristan's voice held a deep, scarier tone than earlier, and his easygoing demeanor disappeared.

  Something about the man set Kian on edge. The wildness in his eyes screamed for Kian to be vigilant. All of a sudden, Tristan leapt forward like a damn animal springing forth to catch tonight's dinner. Kian stumbled back and caught himself on a nearby tree.

  Tristan rose to his full height. “I don't know what you got going on with her, but she's the wrong girl for you. Got me. She's to marry into a very powerful family. They might not resort to outright violence, but trust me there are other ways to assure they get what they want.”

  “They can try.”

  “You got some set of balls for a—”

  “Human, yeah, I know all about you guys. And for your information,” he snapped as he stepped closer, his anger rising, “I'm not all human.”

  A wicked grin spread on Tristan's face. His eyes glowed like yellow embers. “And for your information, I'm not all witch.” He hissed, showing fangs. Kian jumped back. Tristan burst into laughter. “I knew I sensed power on you. I figured sweet Summer left her mark. We witches and werewolves love to mark our territory.” Tristan strolled past him. He glanced over at the trail Summer disappeared down. “I envy you. She's a hot piece.”

  “Don't talk about her like that.”

  Tristan waved off his comment. “I've known Summer since she belted her first cry. My father and her father grew up together. My brother and I were raised alongside her since birth. She's part of my pack and under my family's protection.” He filled Kian's personal space, moving faster than humanly possible. “As for Winter, you lay a finger on her and I'll rip out your fucking heart.” His eyes glowed bright amber.

  Kian refused to cower. “You can try.”

  “Oh, there is no try, boy. Whether it's me, my brother, or my father, in the end, you'll be missing some vital organ. We protect what's ours.”

  “It's a good thing I don't plan on hurting Summer or Winter.”

  Tristan growled at the mention of Winter. He grabbed Kian by the collar. “Did you touch her too?”

  “No, of course not.” He struggled, but it was useless. The man had a grip like a damn iron vice.

  “I smell her on you.” Tristan shoved him back.

  “She hugged me before she went to bed. I'd never do anything to her. She reminds me of my damn kid sister.”

  “Keep it that way.” Tristan’s glowing eyes receded to a darker brown. After a few tense moments, he flashed a wolfish grin and patted Kian's back. Claws pressed against his shoulder, but they didn't break his skin. “Since we're in agreement… I'm loving your truck out there. Sweet graphics on the hood, man.”

  ***

  Summer watched Kian climb into his truck from the safety of her living room, her body tingled and remnants of heat from h
is ministrations plagued her. Goddess be, she had never felt more alive than when he held her in his arms. His hands dominated, yet, to her surprise, remained tender. She hated the idea of submitting to any man, but she found Kian's control exciting, sexy, and addicting.

  She watched Tristan lean into the window of Kian's truck. What were they talking about? What could they possibly have to discuss?

  Tristan threw his head back and let out a loud chuckle. Whatever nonsense they spoke of, Tristan found it amusing. With Tristan, it was always nonsense.

  Shifters tended to be egotistical males—wolves worse than most. Add the fact that Tristan shared his animal side with witch genetics and you had one dangerous, self-centered, smug creature on your hands.

  When Kian drove away, she was able to breathe again. Tristan snapped his head in her direction and winked. She jumped back from the window and closed her eyes. When she dared to peek outside, she caught sight of Tristan getting into his car with a huge grin.

  Goddess be, she was in trouble.

  Chapter 16

  Summer lay naked in a field of wildflowers. Bright sunlight warmed her skin. Her hands, bound above her head with red silk, stayed locked in place, held by some invisible force. Kian grinned as he tied a blindfold around her head, covering her beautiful olive-green eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice was throaty and so fucking hot he almost shot his load right there.

  “I'm having my wicked way with you, my sexy witch.”

  “I cannot resist you, my love.”

  “That's how I like it.”

  He had her. Summer was right where he needed her to be, before him like a tasty feast, and he starved for her.

  He leaned in to taste her full lips. The moment when his mouth brushed hers, a sudden loud, incessant banging shattered his fantasy, sucking him out of heaven and back to reality.

  A murderous rant left Kian's lips. He jumped out of bed, growling at whoever ruined his erotic dream.

  “All right, all right,” Kian grumbled.

  He snatched the pair of sweatpants off the floor and covered his raging hard-on. Fantasies about Summer had become the norm every time he closed his damn eyes. The banging continued as he lumbered across the hallway toward the door.