Raising Kane

by Long, Heather

  As if sensing his need, or acting on her own, she gripped his back and attempted to meet him stroke for stroke. Her words were lost under the sound of his heart, the gasps of her breath, and the tempestuous sweep of her emotions that cried out to him. The last finger grip he held on his control snapped.

  He slammed into her, hard. Her body clenched around him in a blistering fury. Their mouths came together in a kiss, her tongue stroking his as he rocked into her. The friction sent his temperature to molten levels and then he was lost in the sea of sensation—his, hers, and theirs.

  Evelyn cried out against his mouth. Her scream of pleasure vibrated through him as he pounded into her, a primitive, and raw claiming that branded him to his soul. His body and mind splintered under the erotic spasm of his muscles and the liquid heat burst out of him in a rush. He fell, tumbling through the passion until her arms locked on him and her legs wrapped firmly around his hips. She caught him, cradled him, and her voice held ferocity when she whispered, “I love you.”

  The force of it shattered him completely.

  Chapter 20

  Evelyn, Delight

  Spent from the storm of pleasure, she had no idea how long they lay in a tangle of limbs. Every part of their bodies kissed, the weight of him a rapturous feast for her senses. Floating back to earth, she pushed the damp hair away from his face and gazed into eyes so dark, she couldn’t see any color in them at all, as though his pupils had expanded to fill all the available space.

  From beneath the drunken weight of her bliss, disquiet awoke. “William?” Her voice sounded raw to her own ears, but she ignored the huskier notes.

  “Hmmm.” His hand moved against her hip, a lazy stroke and a sense of comfort.

  “Are you all right?” Had it been too much for him? Lord knew, he’d drowned her in it. Her mind still struggled to find a way to translate her thoughts into verbal action. No way could she move, even if he weren’t pinning her to the bed. Joy, simple and unmuted, flushed through her at the heated memory of their coupling, mirrored in the intimate clutch of his body still enveloped in hers.

  The only answer he managed was a grunt. He gave her hip a caress. “Sleep.”

  She giggled at the drowsy demand and he lifted his head to look at her. The quiver of her inner muscles flexing scraped over her senses, her soft flesh too sensitive to the friction. “You sound like a bear.”

  A boyish grin turned up his lips. “I didn’t growl.”

  “But you said sleep and, according to your lovely present, bears sleep a lot in winter.” Why on Earth she brought that up now, she had no idea, but it was the first thought to form fully in her scattered mind. Surprise filled his expression.

  “You had time to read it already?”

  “A little, while I waited for you.” It was read or hover at the top of the stairs to see what was taking him so long. She traced her fingers over the taut muscles of his shoulders. There was something raw and primal about him. When he’d first levered himself over her without his clothes, every muscle in his body stood out in stark relief. She could see the physical restraint he exercised and it touched her to her core. Every slow gentle brush tantalized her senses. Unfamiliar cravings had spilled through her with such force, she couldn’t imagine how he held onto his control.

  It was both frightening and terribly provocative. But when he’d let go, when he’d come inside of her… Her stomach clenched at the memory of the way the tendons in his neck stood out and the veins in his arms pulsed, the gentle, sweet man transformed to an utterly primal creature. The torrent of it tore her apart and put her together again. He’d fought his own passion to give her so much pleasure and, despite her lack of knowledge in this arena, she’d witnessed the battle he waged and savored his descent when he’d let go.

  “Hmm,” he settled against her again and nuzzled her throat, the soft lick of his tongue a new wonder for her to drink in. He stroked his hand up and fastened it to her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple. “I wanted to play with these.” The thoroughly masculine complaint made her laugh. Every brush of his thumb against her nipple sent another shock through her.

  “I don’t know if I could have withstood it.” She moistened her lips and his gaze was suddenly on hers, the darkness in his eyes retreating, but only a fraction. Touching her fingers to his cheek, she studied him. “Are you really all right?”

  A single nod. “Overwhelmed. Amazed. Sated. I could feel you, all of you.” Something in the last part of his statement stabbed at her heart—the absolute marvel in it. And then she remembered the rush of words fighting to escape her and the declaration she’d cried out in surrender.

  Heat scalded her face and she ducked her eyes to look at his chest. She’d said she loved him. He continued to massage her breast, but the touch soothed despite its erotic nature. “I…” What should she say? They’d shared their bodies and he continued to hold her, his caresses possessive and proprietary.

  “You love me.” The whispered words pounced her and she dared to look up at him. The warm, gentle smile on his face tugged at her heart. As though he found the knowledge the most amazing thing in the world.

  “Yes.” Though her bold declaration left her more than a little disconcerted, his reaction shifted something deep inside of her. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Perhaps she should have learned the rules to this type of interaction before engaging in their tryst.

  “Far from it, sweet lady,” he whispered and brushed her lips with the gentlest of kisses. “Say it again.”

  Uncharacteristic shyness filled her and she mumbled the words, and bit her lip. “I love you.” His face tightened and ecstasy filled his eyes. The utter happiness took her breath away and she touched his cheek in wonder. “You can feel it.”

  His grin widened and he nodded. “I can’t—I can’t describe it to you. I don’t have the words.”

  Laughter curled up from her toes and she hugged him to her. “I love you, William. I don’t need you to explain it to me.” He rolled onto his back and pulled her over with him until she sprawled across him. Her body twinged at the movement, a thoroughly pleasured ache, but she reveled in that sensation as with every other one.

  His hand curved over her hip and snugged her to him. But instead of the sleep he suggested earlier, he kept staring at her.

  “What?” It proved impossible to be self-conscious while draped across him in the nude. Particularly after the way he devastated her with his touch and his kisses.

  “I’m enjoying looking at you since you rushed me earlier.” The teasing compliment buoyed her and she rewarded him with a gentle kiss. Snuggling to him, she tucked her head on his shoulder and traced the scars on his chest. They’d startled her at first. The long slashes had to have been deep. Where they healed, the skin puckered and was left raised. Though most of him was a warm, gleaming golden, the scars were discolored as though they hadn’t mended correctly, marking him forever. Blistering anger erupted in her belly.

  “Hey,” William’s hand came to rest against the back of her head. “None of that. It was an accident.”

  “You said that black wolf attacked you…” Bile turned acrid in her throat. He’d lived through some horrible things, seen even more terrible things, and came out of the crucible still so tender and caring. It humbled her.

  “Yes, the black wolf did, but these scars aren’t from him.” His chest rumbled with the deep tone of his voice and she rubbed her cheek against him. “Noah healed most of the other while I was out. These scars are from Cody.”

  She lifted her head to look at him. “I thought he was your friend.”

  “He is my friend.” His voice gentled and the stroking hand on her hair eased her tension further. “He knocked me off my horse in wolf form when I first met him on the ranch. His intention was to intimidate, not to hurt. I think the injuries surprised him. I know the scars did and they made him damned uncomfortable. So no hating or blaming when you meet him. No anger. It’s done.” Mild tone or not, the comman
d was unmistakable, as was the implied promise.

  “Oh.” Startled by the proposition, she blinked rapidly.

  “You are going to meet them.” He drifted the caress down her face, the constant toying with her hair something she could really get used to. He kept sliding the strands through his fingers, returning to stroke her scalp, and back down again.

  “I guess I didn’t assume…” She loved him, she’d longed to be his lover and, it was so much more than she’d expected. But he’d had so many other women…

  A long suffering sigh and a hint of exasperation burst from him. The grip on her hair tightened and he kissed her until she had no breath left. When he finally let her up for air, his gaze held hers. “There are no other women in this bed or my life. Not like that, not anymore. Only you.”

  Insecurity had never been her weakness and, staring into those wonderfully dark eyes, his demand ringing loud in her ears, she acquiesced. He could have made her agree, motivated her with the torrent of his ability, but instead he’d coaxed her and kissed her. Love and trust for him swelled until she thought she might burst. “No one else.”

  “Only you.” And as if a demonstration were required, he tumbled her over onto her back and dropped his gaze to her breasts. “Which reminds me, do you mind if I play?”

  He didn’t wait for her answer the delectable proposition before capturing one nipple between his lips as he cupped and shaped her lower curves. The sensual assault was lethal in its attention to detail and her thoughts drizzled away into pure temptation. He rubbed his cheek against her breasts as he divided his attention from one nipple to the other. When he began to dip lower, kissing a path down her stomach, she writhed against the sheets. The relentless, demanding heat of his mouth against her sex sent her tumbling over the edge and she threw her head back.

  Surfacing to the lazy strokes of his tongue lapping at her sent another wave of tenderness and heat twining through her. He paid such thorough attention to her body that she was nearly boneless by the time he slid into her again. Soreness gave way to the most exquisite pleasure. He thrust her once more into the storm and she held onto him, her nails digging into his back, as he took her body in furious possession.

  Kid, Playtime

  He caught her around the waist and spun her around as she tried to dodge him. They landed in the hay, laughing. “No.” His tone was too playful to sound as stern as he’d intended.

  Evelyn giggled against him and stole another kiss before clambering out of the hay. “I thought I did all right.”

  “You didn’t get away. The point of this lesson is to get away from an attacker. You have to be willing to injure your opponent and, if not injure them, at least get around them.” He rose to his feet easily and spread his arms. “I have a longer reach than you do and my legs are longer.”

  Laughter tipped through her again. She backed up a step and flipped her braid back over her shoulder. He’d left their bed—he’d already begun to think of her bed as theirs—and headed down to work on his shields with Wyatt. He could almost handle the more violent emotions Wyatt could hit him with, but just before the midday meal Evelyn appeared in the barn. Quanto apparently dismissed her from her lessons to join them.

  Wyatt took charge the moment she’d stepped in the barn and asked her what she knew about self-defense. Could she handle a man attacking her? What about two? What about three? Was her gift the only thing she could rely on? The questions put her on edge, but Kid volunteered to ‘practice’ with her and their grappling ended in kisses more often than not. At some point, Wyatt had stalked out of the barn with a snort of disgust.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t really take you attacking me very seriously.” Humor twined with lust in her eyes. “Especially not when the penalty for being caught is a kiss.”

  The excitement rolling off her in waves was hard to ignore, shields or no shields. Clearing his throat, he put his hands on his hips and fought for a sober expression. “This is serious, Evelyn. What will you do if your gift fails you?”

  “It won’t. William, I can conjure anything. Animals, people, and, in the worst scenarios, I run and hide.” The unconcerned attitude bothered him and he didn’t try to disguise his reaction.

  “Evelyn, when I muted mine, when it didn’t work, I invited a man who tried to kill everyone onto the ranch and helped kill everyone in Dorado. If it hadn’t been for Scarlett, he would have successfully burned us out of our home, murdered every man, woman, child, and animal. If your gift fails, you have to know what to do.” Her safety mattered. She mattered.

  The sparkle in her eyes dulled and her smile faded. “But he was a firestarter. How would my knowing how to fight help in that situation?”

  “Micah doesn’t have an ability. He has his wits, his skill, his strength, and a gun.” Kid paced toward her. “He went up against people with powers, not once, but twice, and he won. Knowing how to defend yourself isn’t just a physical thing. It’s a mental one.”

  And it clicked inside of him, something she’d said when she first arrived about standing in the alleyway with her father. Filing the thought away, he intended to talk to Quanto about it before bringing it up to Evelyn. He didn’t want to scare her or upset her if he didn’t have to.

  Lifting her hands in a show of surrender, Evelyn nodded. “All right. I’ll try harder, but it’s still very difficult to take you seriously as an attacker.”

  “Then worry less about my intentions and more about getting away…Unless you’d like me to spank you the next time I catch you?” He lunged forward and, to her credit, she danced to the side and raced for the door. Kid streaked after her and she dodged him, darting around the edge of the barn and racing for the hill. He caught her at the crest and turned, tumbling at the last minute so he took the brunt of the fall. She landed on top of him and all the air whooshed out of him.

  “Hmm…” She laughed looking down at him. “I think since I’m on top, I win.” Her lips brushed over his and he opened his mouth to the kiss, thrusting his hand into her hair to keep her still. Her thighs straddled his hips and he arched upwards, nibbling her lower lip before sweeping his tongue to duel with hers.

  Icy water splashed against them in a drenching wave and Evelyn shrieked. Spluttering Kid looked up to meet Wyatt’s nearly expressionless face. “You both seem to have failed the exercise of getting away from each other. Let’s start again.”

  Evelyn, Dawn

  Dawn teased her eyelids, the sunlight an unwelcome burn. She turned away from it, snuggling against the hard, masculine body sprawled next to her. Eyes flicking open, she found Kid’s lazy smile waiting for her. It didn’t matter how many nights she spent in his arms or how many times she woke up to him, it was always a jolt. Today proved no exception.

  “You always look so happy with morning,” she grumbled and burrowed against his chest, pulling the cover up to block the light out.

  “I wake up and see you. What’s not to be happy about?” And he said things like that and her heart did this twist in her chest. She peeked up at him, melting on the inside, and sighed.

  He trailed his fingers up her side and her body stirred. She groaned, it didn’t matter that everything ached. Every day brought new physical challenges and she had been having an increasingly hard time disguising it—especially when it came to hiking, which Quanto insisted on every day. Exhausted and weary, his touch melted her every time.

  “Sore?” Concern etched into the word.

  She tried to hide her wince and, at his upraised brows, dropped her forehead to his chest. “It really isn’t fair that you can feel all of that.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. You don’t mind when I do this.” Wrenching pleasure spiked through her, erasing the aches and pains and she shuddered from the wild bliss wracking her every nerve. She collapsed, quivering in reaction against him.

  “Oh!” Her thoughts scattered and he cradled her, soothing her down from the orgasm—a word she’d begun to associate purely with William’s name. “That’s new.” Tre
mors quaked over her body and she curved closer to him.

  “I thought it might be possible.” A hint of smug pride tinged his words. Not that she could fault him, since he’d simply powered pleasure through her and she’d come apart as if in the throes of sensual assault. “But I hadn’t tested it until now.”

  “You are dangerous.” Still, she put lie to any reproach in the words by stretching out like a cat against him. The decadent ambush turned her muscles pliant and eased her soreness.

  “But you love me.” His boyish charm and the absolute delight with which he said the words captivated her. She didn’t know whether it was that he couldn’t believe it or that it so enchanted him. He said it out loud frequently, as though to relive the moment, but it always brought her joy to see him so happy.

  “Yes, I do. Please tell me it’s not my turn to make breakfast.” She would be content staying in bed the rest of the day. “Be bad enough when I have to go walking with Quanto later…”

  “It’s not, don’t worry. You can go back to sleep and you don’t have to work with Quanto today.” He traced a pattern along her spine and over her hip.

  Her eyes drifted close. Languorous, she relaxed and considered taking his advice and sleeping. William didn’t say anything and she floated for a moment, but the continued silence coupled with the repetitive pattern he traced on her skin nudged something inside of her and she opened her eyes to sneak a look at him. His gaze was on the ceiling. The line of his jaw tensed, and his expression seemed almost distracted.

  The pleasure, the words, and the way he’d damn near coaxed her back into the sleep she wanted… “William Kane.” She sat up, the covers pooling at her waist. “What’s wrong?”