by Kari Thomas
He passed the nursery, Riana’s room, and several other bedrooms before stopping in front of a partially closed door. With a slight nudge of his boot he pushed the door open and walked inside.
Kira lifted her head when she heard the sound of the door closing behind them, the scent permeating the air one of familiarity and safety. As she turned her head, she could see they were in a bedroom.
Muted tones of dark blues, grays, and browns gave the room a masculine air and all the furniture was a dark cherry wood. The floor and walls were of a lighter shade. The hardwood floor was graced with a large oval rug that covered most of the area in front of a huge, velvet-covered bed. Instead of being arranged against a wall, the bed set in the middle of the room and faced a floor-to-ceiling glass picture window.
No drapes covered the window as it stretched from one length of the room to the other side. The world beyond the room was perfectly visible, a clear and beautiful view of the forest that loomed from across the estate’s wide expanse of emerald green lawn. Kira’s breath was caught by the incredible beauty outside the clear glass, to be stopped altogether when Aiden walked toward the bed.
He carefully placed her down on the navy blue covering on the bed, reaching up to remove her arms from around his neck. Her eyes were locked on his face until his dark, stormy gaze snared hers.
Stormy. Uh oh.
She shivered in dreaded anticipation. She knew he was going to blast her for her interference with Riana. But he didn’t need to have brought her here to lay into her about using witchcraft in his home. He could have done that downstairs.
She was still too exhausted to argue competently with him about the rights and wrongs of her decision and she hoped he would leave the battle for another day, when the fight would be fair. She shivered again, this time all too aware of the closeness of their bodies, his hands still holding her wrists, his mercury eyes boring into hers.
“What did you do to her?”
Kira blinked in surprise, not expecting a question from those sexy lips. “What?” She tried to pull her wrists free but he tightened his hold. “I helped her. You saw that.”
“Maybe.” He frowned, darkly contemplative, and she wanted to scowl right back at him but didn’t have the energy. His jaw muscles clenched. “What complications, or side effects, will she have from that spell you used on her?”
“You…ungrateful…callous…’’ she sputtered, searching for the right word, “…jerk! She was in pain! The only thing I did to her was to help relieve it!”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you asked her permission before using that spell.” His voice lowered to a deadly tone. “Sonia once told me that witches don’t need any permission, that having it before spell casting sometimes just makes it easier for the spell to do whatever the witch wants it to. Now. And later.”
Surprised shock hit her and Kira’s mouth gaped. She was speechless that Sonia had told such a blatant lie. And why? She shook her head in denial, not really understanding how Aiden could believe that she’d do something harmful to Riana.
But why wouldn’t he? He barely knew her.
If Sonia had told him such lies he had every right to be leery of magic. For just one brief moment she almost gave in to the petty need for revenge, allowing him to live with that assumption and fear. The power of it was heady. Too much so.
But she couldn’t do it. She had earned Riana’s trust. And she wanted his.
She took a calming breath and exhaled slowly. “Sonia lied.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “Such a thing isn’t possible. I asked Riana’s permission because a healing spell only works if the person is willing. And there’s no repercussions or aftereffects.”
He looked like he didn’t believe her. She wanted to punch him but couldn’t find the will to actually do it. Her strength was slowly – too slow for her peace of mind – returning. At that very moment she wanted nothing more than to get away from him, and she hated knowing she couldn’t do that.
She pulled and managed to yank her wrists free. She made a point of rubbing where his hands had left faint marks on her skin. He muttered something dark under his breath and reached out to capture her hands again, this time with more care before turning them over to stare at the bruises already forming on the soft skin of her wrists.
His black brows slanted down in anger. “Did I do this?” His touch was surprisingly gentle as he rubbed his thumb pad over the faint mark. She knew this touching was not a good idea and tried to pull free When all she really wanted was to stay perfectly still.
“I bruise easily,” she mentioned quietly, without any reprimand.
He released her hand and moved his fingers slowly up her arm, softly caressing. “Your skin is so soft,” he murmured. “I wasn’t thinking.” His hand reached her elbow and he stopped. He looked back into her eyes. “Or maybe I was thinking. Too much.”
Kira’s breath hitched. “I don’t understand.”
Just great. Her voice sounded so breathless, he was sure to notice the effect he was having on her. She had to stay calm and in control. The situation had suddenly become too tense. And it wasn’t angry tension building between them this time.
It was something much more compelling.
More sexual. More tempting.
Aiden’s heated gaze roamed over her face, stopping to visibly caress her parted lips. She couldn’t stop herself in time and her tongue darted out to wet her lips, leaving them glistening. He made a low sound, a deep groan that sounded suspiciously like a feral growl.
She couldn’t help it. Still breathless, she blurted out, “Why do you growl so much?”
Aiden’s eyes turned darker, lashes and lids dropping down to nearly conceal his hot gaze. His answer rumbled sexily from his chest, making her catch her breath again. “Because you make me.”
“Me?” Her voice was almost gone, her one word breathed out on a sigh. She would have sworn he could hear her heart racing, its tom-tom beat pounding in her ears.
“You.” He emphasized the gritted word with another tantalizing growl, a sound so sexy that her nerves felt scorched with the implication.
“I’m sorry.” She tried to smile but was sure it quivered at the edges. She was pretty sure he was teasing. At the thought she blinked rapidly.
Was teasing even a part of his nature?
“I don’t mean to.” Now he has me defending myself…
“I wonder.”
“You think I purposely make you want to growl at me every time we’re near each other?” She frowned at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a…”
“Why don’t you use another word besides ‘jerk’?” He scowled at her. “I’m getting tired of hearing it.”
“Oh, I can think of many other words to call you.”
Arrogant. Aggravating. Wild. Sexy. Uh oh! Time to think of something else.
“Really?” He grinned wolfishly and Kira bit back a groan. Surely she hadn’t said that aloud! Even his eyes were teasing. “I wouldn’t have guessed.” He abruptly stood, startling her, and his teasing tone disappeared. “Rest awhile. Riana will want to talk to you before you leave.”
“I’m fine now,” she lied. Her emotions were in a chaotic mess and she needed some private time to sort them out. But she didn’t think it would be a good idea if she stayed. “I can come back later.”
“Stop being so stubborn, little witch.”
“Speaking of calling each other names,” she muttered sarcastically. “You can stop calling me that, if you’re going to be using that derogatory tone every time. It’s rude, the way you say it.”
Aiden chuckled, startling her even more. “Come to think of it, there are a few other names I could call you, too.”
“I don’t want to know.” Especially if the names were related to that look of pure male heat he was spearing her with.
He was silent for long moments, his hot gaze never releasing hers. Just when she couldn’t take the tension another moment, he finally spoke. “I thi
nk I’ll just stick with ‘Kitty-Kira’. For now.”
Did he have to say that so sexily? Maybe it wasn’t so wise to ask this next question but she had to know. “Aiden, why did you bring me here? To this room?” He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He turned back to face her and the starkly sensual look on his face sent her pulses racing alarmingly. He slowly walked back to the bed, his movements smooth and catlike. His intense gaze snared hers, similar to a predator intent on keeping his prey immobilized.
“Because.” He bent towards her and grasped her chin in his large hand. “As I said, I wasn’t thinking. Or maybe I was thinking … too much.”
“Too much?” What was he really saying? And why did he look so reluctant to say it? Maybe she didn’t really want to know …
“All I could think about was carrying you to someplace safe.” His grip tightened on her chin for a brief moment. “And there’s no safer place than here, in my room, where I could watch over you while you rested.”
She was barely able to get the words out but had to. “Your room? Why do I need to be somewhere safe? Safe from what?”
His low laugh was mirthless. “Ironic, isn’t it. I wanted to keep you safe from … me.”
“I’m in danger from you?” Goddess help her, but she couldn’t squelch the rush of desire his words elicited.
“Always. Don’t ever forget. Not for one moment.” He released her chin and his hand made a slow caressing sweep down her throat. “I knew that if I brought you in here that decency would force me to keep my hands off you.” He smiled wickedly at her look of surprise. “I have to say I wanted to strangle you when you started canting that spell over Riana. Then, afterward, when I took Riana to her room, she told me that she had felt you take her pain into your own body. I couldn’t think straight after that. Guess I acted on instinct when I brought you here.”
She knew she shouldn’t ask. “Instinct?”
A low growl started up from his chest and rumbled out past his sensuous lips. “Strangling you was the last thing on my mind. Then.” He sat down on the bed beside her and grasped her shoulders before she could move back. “I came back down those stairs with every intention, every instinct, screaming at me to grab you off that floor and kiss you senseless. That, and…”
He took a deep breath, releasing it on a rough sigh. “But then I saw you sitting there, so exhausted you were near tipping over, and I knew that touching you, that way, wasn’t the smartest instinct I’d ever had.” He reached up and clasped a handful of her hair in his hand, bunching it tight and holding her head still. “Hell, sweetheart. When I do take you in my arms – to do more than just kiss you – it’s not going to be at a time when you’re too exhausted to participate.”
Kira was breathless, too speechless to respond.
He didn’t give her a chance, anyway. Before she could even attempt a protest, Aiden swooped in. Dark eyes glinting with fire, he leaned in and claimed her lips in a scorching kiss. Hot, hard, aggressive, his lips slanted over hers with a passionate force that drove her backwards and she opened her mouth in a gasp of shock. He took advantage, his tongue lunging into the wet recesses of her mouth while his hand tightened in her hair, snaring her, keeping her from moving. She’d never been kissed so savagely, so possessively. It shook her to her toes. She wanted to push him away.
She needed to think.
Ha! She had to just breathe!
But before she could even muster up a sound of protest Aiden broke off the kiss and lunged to his feet. He stared down at her, his eyes nearly black, and muttered darkly, “Don’t ever forget to be afraid of me, Kira. It might be the only thing that keeps you safe.” She watched him stalk from the room, slamming the door closed behind him.
She touched a shaky finger to her bruised lips, her voice as shaky as her hands. “Goddess, help me.”
Yes, fear of him was there. She was smart enough to realize it was a necessity. But it wasn’t strong enough to keep her safe. Safe from the threat he represented.
And the way he made her feel.
Chapter Seven
He glided across the floor with cat-like grace and stood at the head of the bed. He watched her as she slept.
On his bed.
Aiden’s gut clenched, his body instantly hardening while he stared at Kira, peaceful and unaware. His hands curled themselves into fists, held clenched tightly at his sides to stop them from reaching out and touching her.
It took more will power than he had expected.
Her sun blonde curls spread over his pillow, long silky strands shimmering in the pale light of the bedside table lamp. Her right hand curved against her cheek, the other across her tiny, curved waist; places his hands yearned to be. She was completely relaxed, in the deepest of sleeps. Trusting.
Aiden ran his hands roughly through his hair then down the back of his neck, massaging stiff muscles. His body was so tense, so damn aching and hard, he felt ready to explode. His restraint was nearing its limits, despite everything he’d done to keep it leashed.
First it had been a cold shower…then working outside, moving himself as far away from the house as he was able. That hadn’t worked. He caught himself staring at his window, wondering if she was resting…or if she was awake.
He’d tried running through the woods. The freedom he usually felt while in cougar form, and one with Mother Earth, eluded him and pushed him into a vile mood. He had returned to the house, glaring at any who might talk to him, muttering crude words about women and their magic.
Fighting with Gavin, always good for releasing a little tension in the past, seemed a lost cause as well. His younger brother had been stubbornly uncommunicative once he’d discovered Kira was upstairs, sleeping in Aiden’s bed. He had done nothing more than lift his brow sardonically in silent condemnation before stomping out of the room, leaving Aiden to work through his frustration on his own.
His frustration with himself, the situation, his lack of control, all of these things had driven him to walk up the stairs. His want, his need, his hunger, simultaneously tormenting, had drawn him down the silent hallway and back to his bedroom.
Like a moth to a glittering flame.
He stood over her and allowed his eyes the freedom of roaming where they pleased. He finally was forced to admit to himself he had dreamed of her being there, in that exact spot. He had not thought that once she was there, when he had her where he wanted her, he would be forced to protect her…from himself.
Her breathing was soft, quiet, and her breasts moved with each deep breath, pushing her budded nipples against her thin lacy blouse. He bit back a hungry growl, one that rose from deep within his chest, the escaping sound a soft needy groan. He froze as she stirred, reacting to the low sound even in slumber. Her delicate brows rose for a moment, her bow-shaped lips curving into a tiny smile and he wondered what she was dreaming. It was as if she knew – felt his agony, his fight for control, and was playfully teasing him.
It nearly did him in.
He thought that her subconscious reaction would be more of her habitual disdain for him, not an enticing smile that hinted at…
He shook his head, resisting the urge to see how she’d react at his growl again and smiled at the irony. The little witch had him growling more, since she’d barreled into their lives, than he could ever remember doing before. Warning growls, angry growls, frustrated growls, irritated growls.
Hungry growls.
He knew that eventually, she would start noticing the habit wasn’t the norm and made a mental note to not to do it so much around her.
Right. Who was he kidding?
Every time he was around her his primal nature fought his human side for dominance, wanting to take her, possess her. Even now, standing so near to her sweet smelling body, he was forced to concentrate more than he liked on all the reasons he shouldn’t be near her.
His mouth watered, tempted by her scent.
His body craved the chance to taste her skin, to bring her pleasure. To lick and n
ip over every tempting inch was an erotic pleasure he burned to enjoy. The thought of tasting her satin flesh stoked his passion, a banked heat that waited impatiently to erupt.
The need to caress every silken inch of her curvaceous form simmered, heating his blood. His urges chafed his tenuous hold, pushed him ever closer to the edge of his teetering control, tested his restraints. He had to touch her.
Just one touch…
He leaned in and palmed her soft cheek. His hand curved possessively, long fingers sliding behind her ear while a sensitive thumb moved, without calculated thought, to caress her bottom lip. Her silky warmth seeped through his hypersensitive skin, sending sensuous shivers up his arm, causing his nape-hair to stand on end. His greedy thumb pressed lightly against her bottom lip, teasing her lips apart, feeling the moistness. His pulses leapt into overdrive when her mouth opened with a soft sigh, torturing his skin with a warm puff of air.
It took every ounce of will power to not move even closer, to swoop down, claim the sweet nectar of her kiss. The taste of her luscious mouth still lingered on his tongue, a flavor he never would forget.
But he wanted more. More than one taste. One touch.
One taste would be like pulling a succulent banquet from a starving man. A single touch would never suffice. That would be too brief. He knew he would crave more. He wanted nothing less than to claim her. Every inch. Every part.
He was driven to mark her skin with his kisses, his touch.
Cover her in his scent.
Brand her as his own.
The erotic images flooding his mind tore at his resolve. His hands pulled away from her body and he straightened, his fists clenched at his sides. His feet, planted firmly on the wood slats of the floor, were all that stopped him from taking what his body demanded was his right.