For a moment he could think of nothing to say. His brain could not seem to connect to his tongue. He was hundreds of years old, sexually experienced and able to bring a woman to orgasm several times while they had sex, but he felt as like a boy seeing his first naked woman. Inside the jeans, his cock leapt forward eagerly again, nodding as if in agreement with what his gaze saw.
Yes, very nice, where is the bed? Must have bed now. And oh, you are wearing too many articles of clothing. Where is that kilt?
Lacey hugged herself. “I know this is an old suit, but I liked the color, I didn’t have time to go shopping.”
Good thing she looked at his face and not his jeans. Drust cleared his throat. “Ah, it’s lovely. I’ve never seen you in ah, a swimsuit.”
“We haven’t exactly been beach buddies, wizard.”
Lacey’s typical dryness broke him free of his sexual stupor. He pointed to the hallway stairs. “There’s beach towels in the laundry area where the washer and dryer are. Go, enjoy yourself. Here.”
He waved a hand and conjured a bottle of sunscreen. “Do not forget this. You will need it.”
“Thanks.”
Their fingers brushed and she jumped back. So she felt it as well, that sizzling current of pure sexual energy. Her piercing green gaze met his and then he dropped his gaze to see the thin suit clearly showed her nipples standing at attention.
Not wanting to embarrass her, Drust went to the laundry room and found a women’s coverall for swimming, along with a beach towel. He handed both to her.
“In case the sun becomes too intense, you should wear this.”
But she did not shrug into it to cover her obvious interest. Instead, she clutched both items and stood motionless.
“Drust… what is it with you? Why do I feel as if there’s something between us, something that was there for a very long time and won’t end? Like a movie cliffhanger, and you keep waiting to see what happens next?”
Her lower lip wobbled even though she tried to smile as if this meant nothing. Drust saw through her tough outer layer. Lacey was sarcastic and brusque at times, because she had to put a barrier between herself and a sometimes cruel world.
Honesty was best. He was an all-powerful wizard and frustrated he did not have any more answers than Lacey did. Acting on instinct, he went to her and slid a hand around her neck, massaging the tense muscles in her neck.
“I don’t know. But let’s not worry about it. You said life is short and should be enjoyed and cherished for every moment. Go suntan on the beach. Go swimming. Relax. Let the movie play out its ending as it should.”
She stared at his mouth as he tried to fight his own rising desire for her. “Did I ever tell you I hate cliffhangers? I always like to write my own endings.”
His mouth twitched in a small smile. “Go.”
Drust pulled away before he surrendered to the temptation to kiss her. Because this time he would keep kissing her and not stop until they were naked and giving in to the feelings they both shared.
Feeling as celibate as an ancient monk, and far more sexually frustrated, he watched her head for the stairs. Drust rubbed his own neck. Ancient monks turned to reading and scholarly pursuits, and so would he.
Upstairs, one of the rooms had been converted to a library lined with books from novels to non-fiction. Sliding glass doors allowed in plenty of natural light and showed the pristine white sands beyond the house.
The book he needed was far more complex than a simple novel. Opening the book Caderyn had given him from the Shadow Wizard’s personal library, he began to read the ancient, cramped script.
An hour later, he knew everything about origin of the Shadow Lands, but was no closer to discovering the location of the entrance where Lacey must throw the book. He shut it, drumming his fingers upon the cracked leather cover.
Sway-backed coconut palms, their fronds rustling in the breeze, flanked the downstairs deck. Beckoning to him in a siren song, the turquoise waters of the outdoor pool sparkled in the sunlight.
You need to lighten up. Tristan was right. Why not enjoy himself for a little while? The box with the book was safely buried, and the sunshine called to him.
Not Lacey. No, not the allure of Lacey on the beach, sunning herself in that delectable swimsuit that showed her soft skin and rounded curves.
He went into the smaller bedroom where he’d stored a few pieces of clothing and changed into tan board shorts, a white T-shirt with a surfing logo and shoes he’d heard were called flip-flops. Sitting on the bed’s edge, Drust stretched out his bare legs, giving them a rueful look. Truly this modern clothing was more comfortable, but exposed much.
He wandered into the adjoining bathroom and studied himself in the mirror. Well-trimmed black beard and mustache, high cheekbones, physique trim but not muscular like some of the shifters he’d seen, teeth… he smiled. All of them in place and nicely white.
Good-looking? He’d supposed. Same way he’d looked for more than 900 years. Back in his mortal life he’d been far too busy trying to protect dragons and shifters and fighting in the violent Fae War than in his looks attracting females.
Oh, he’d never had any trouble, but somehow, women and raising a family became secondary to the larger issue of his people’s sufferings.
I look the same the way I did when I died. Well, better than that, considering how I died.
He’d once told Niki, Tristan’s mate, that he died in a carriage accident. It was a far easier and a less painful explanation than the real cause of his death.
Closing his eyes, he remembered when he’d danced with Niki in Tir Na-nog at a ball held in Tristan’s honor. Newly arrived to Tir Na-nog , happy to be reprieved from the Shadow Lands, he’d enjoyed the ball, but everything had seemed too overwhelming and fragile, as if it would shatter in a moment.
Drust rubbed his chin and stared at his reflection, realizing the uneasy truth. Ever since becoming a wizard of the Brehon, he’d been scared.
Scared of making mistakes and costing lives.
Scared of letting all that power go to his head.
Scared of failing his goddess and being returned to the Shadow Lands like one returned damaged goods to a modern department store.
Now he was scared for a different reason. What if he failed to find a way to save Lacey?
You are a wizard of the Brehon, he chastised himself. Danu did not give you all this magick to doubt yourself. If you find you cannot find an answer, you can ask the other wizards for assistance.
Stretching out his hands, he called forth his powers, watched his hands glow cobalt blue. Power used recklessly was never his desire. He always longed to do good with whatever resources and gifts he had at his disposal.
That had never changed.
The thought proved comforting.
Yet he could not deny Lacey had turned his carefully ordered world upside down. His normal sense of right and wrong had dipped into the shady areas of gray where questions proved more abundant than answers.
And now he found himself captivated by her in a very real male sense that had nothing to do with being her guardian and judge, the wizard who could aid her.
Or destroy her.
Without effort, he yanked the power back inside himself. Meditation always helped center him, meditation and quiet time in his crystal cavern. Perhaps here, on the beach, he could find the same.
He’d been here previously to this beach, but on a work assignment, aiding one of Tristan’s charges. Never for relaxation. Drust found himself laughing as he grabbed a towel and headed downstairs. Relaxation?
You don’t know the meaning of the word.
Well, if he was going to find out the meaning of that word, he must look the part. Drust conjured mirrored sunglasses and slid them on before stepping onto the ground floor veranda.
Lacey wasn’t at the pool. He thought about locking the house, chanted a simple spell instead to keep strangers out, and then headed for the beach.
A salty breeze
teased his cheeks and whipped at his shirt, while the sea oats protecting the shoreline waved at him. The brilliant blue sky remained cloudless and the bright sunshine beckoned. On the pristine white sands, Lacey sat in a beach chair she’d obviously found downstairs, her face lifted to the sun, a turquoise hat perched on her dark locks. Long, slim legs stretched out before her, she looked happier than he’d ever seen her.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
Lacey lifted the sunglasses to peer at him. “Help yourself. But use some SPF. The sun’s strong, even though it’s not summer yet, and you’re pale as winter snow.”
Snapping out his towel and laying it on the sand, he grinned and sat, stretching his legs out. “I am not, how do you say it? A beach bum.”
“Nothing wrong with a little sunshine now and then, wizard.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, broken by the lapping of the Gulf at the shore and the cries of gulls and sandpipers. Pelicans flew overhead, one dipping into the Gulf with a fierce splash.
Sitting in a yoga position, Drust closed his eyes.
“What are you doing? Meditating?”
“Relaxing.”
“Huh. You look like you’re trying to solve the world’s vast problems, wizard. I know how to get you to relax.”
Sex? His lower half asked eagerly. Yes, yes, I can relax that way, very much so.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the water. Lacey gurgled with laughter as she tugged him into the surf and then pushed him down. He landed with a splash, sputtering.
Maybe once he would have been mad at her for breaking his focus, but he sat there, grinning at her and whipping off the sunglasses, then running a hand through his wet hair. “You could have simply asked. I know how to swim.”
“Oh yeah? Race you!”
Charmed, he watched her paddle out to where the water was waist high and then swim in strong, sure strokes. He waved a hand and clothed himself in blue swim trunks, getting rid of the shorts and T-shirt. Drust joined her in swimming until they could no longer touch the sand.
Perhaps he should worry they were too far away from the shore and Lacey might tire. But the Gulf was delightful, the water warm and salty, and with the sunshine beating upon his bare shoulders and head, he finally felt tension slide off him.
Besides, if anything happened, he could always rescue her. Not a bad idea. He liked the image of himself coming to Lacey’s rescue, like a knight of old.
Like you did that one time long ago when you were mortal.
Frowning, he tapped the side of his head, trying to reason where that came from. Memories had surfaced more and more, signaling they had been lovers when he was a mortal.
But he could not be certain.
“You got water in your ear?” she pointed to his ear.
“No. Trying to clear my head.”
Lacey sighed. “Easy to do out here. Hey, do we dragons float?”
Before he could answer, she shifted into her dragon form, displacing a lot of water and causing a large enough wake to disturb a boat racing past. Drust sputtered as her slitted eyes regarded him. Lacey began to sink below the surface.
Then she shifted back, quickly clothing herself in her bathing suit again. “Guess that answers my question.”
He laughed again. There was something so innocent and joyful about her, he did not wish it to end.
Treading water beside him, Lacey gestured to the gentle waves. “So? Now are you relaxed?”
“Very much so.” He splashed her and she laughed, splashing him back.
He liked the sound of her laughter. Carefree and light, it warmed him from the inside out.
She tilted her head at him. “Why do you wear your hair so short? Ever think of growing it out? I think you’d look great with longer hair.”
Startled, he considered it. “It is the same as when I was mortal. I never had it any other way.”
You’re so vain. Still, he waved a hand and his hair grew to touch his shoulders and edge his cheeks, the black locks curly and shaggy. Drust touched his head. “This is why. I forgot the curls.”
No mistaking the admiration in her green gaze. “It looks great longer.”
“Oh?” He considered, arched a brow. “How about this?”
His hair grew longer than hers, his bangs covering his entire face.
She laughed again. “Now you look like a hippie from the Sixties. The first one was nice.”
So he left his hair like the first style she admired.
A pod of dolphins, chasing bait fish, swam close to them. Drust pointed them out.
One of the mammals came closer to investigate. Drust held out his hand and the dolphin nosed it.
“Wow, I’ve never seen one this close.”
“Hold out your hand.”
She reached out and the dolphin slid by, then surfaced and playfully splashed her with his nose.
“You told him to do that,” Lacey made a mock face.
Laughing, he shook his head. “Dolphins have minds of their own.”
Lacey tilted her head. “Is it a real dolphin or a shifter? I can’t tell.”
Unable to see the creature’s aura in the bright sunlight, Drust squinted. “A real one, I believe.”
Suddenly the dolphin circled them, swimming faster and faster. Bemused he treaded water and watched the mammal carefully, lest the creature decide to harm Lacey. But the dolphin only leapt over Lacey, splashing in the water. She cried out in delight and clapped her hands.
“Beautiful!”
Then the dolphin dove beneath the sea water and he felt something push him hard, towards Lacey. So hard he was caught off guard, and landed in her arms.
Drust wrapped his arms around her to steady them both, while the dolphin swam away.
Lacey’s expression turned to concern.
“Hey are you ok? That was odd.”
“Fine.” He liked this, his arms around her, holding her soft body close, no one else around. No duties, no one shrieking at him they needed help. Just the two of them, as if they were alone in the world.
It had been so long since he’d held a woman in his arms. Too long, and yet he’d had little desire to pursue the opposite sex for a brief fling in his bed. Somehow it seemed tawdry and cheap, and he wanted something more.
Needed something more, as if it were not enough to placate his body’s needs.
He couldn’t help himself. Drust placed a single, brief kiss on her wet mouth. Lacey’s eyes widened and she licked her lips, but she did not draw away.
He did.
“We should return to the house. It’s getting late and you need dinner.” Drust looked upward at the sky. “I thought I’d grill you steak, or fresh salmon, whatever you prefer, and then we can go to the beach again to watch the sunset.”
Her expression turned radiant. “I’d love that. Steak is great. Thank you.”
They swam back to shore.
Neither of them noticed the dolphin silently swimming to a pelican hovering in the air. The pelican shifted into a figure in black, floating on the air above the salty waters.
Tristan smiled as he watched Drust and Lacey. Sometimes even old friends needed a little help. He conjured a fish, tossed the fat treat to the dolphin, now rearing its head above the water.“Well done. Go, join your pod now.”
The dolphin gulped down the fish, nodded, and swam off, leaving the Silver Wizard alone, floating on the air above the Gulf. And then he too vanished, snapping his fingers and disappearing into thin air.
Lacey didn’t know what to make of the Coldfire Wizard.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine having this formidable, nearly omnipotent being as a housemate.
Cooking her dinner!
That moment in the water as well. No, several moments in the water. He’d seemed younger and much more fun. And when she’d admired his new hair length, he left it that way.
Flattering for certain. Oddly touching as well, for she suspected she’d found a vuln
erable chink in his battle armor he showed to the world.
Drust liked her. Lacey felt like a schoolgirl with her first crush. No denying his reaction, though, when they’d flirted in the water. And his kiss, so brief and yet sensual…
Every female nerve ending fired with sweet anticipation and hope.
And then he’d drawn away. Talk about disappointment. And yet she knew it was for the best. As much as she quivered with anticipation when he drew near, deep inside she knew her feelings bordered on dangerous. One thing to become vulnerable to a twatwaffle like her ex, who only wanted sex she refused to give him.
Another to bare herself, body and soul, to a wizard with the power to end her life. She didn’t have the emotional strength for that leap of faith.
Make a wish, he’d told her.
And so she silently wished they’d always be together, forever. The wish of the deepest recesses of her heart, not the whimsical one about him wearing a kilt.
She could not voice aloud the wish, for it was too precious, too intimate and filled with yearning, the same yearning she’d experienced in those dreams where they had been together in a past life.
Far easier to pretend she did not care as much about Drust.
Less chance of getting hurt.
As she sat on a lounge chair at the downstairs veranda watching Drust grill two thick steaks, she had to admit she enjoyed being pampered.
No one had ever cooked for her before. Evie had once in a while, but Evie’s talents were not in the kitchen. Her dear, sweet sister could burn water. So she’d ended up preparing all the meals, trying to make cuts of beef last and giving the best portions to Evie, who had a malformed wing and needed to consume more meat to shift into dragon.
Lacey curled her legs beneath her, watching him turn the steaks with the expertise of a master chef. He was good at everything he did.
Bet a guy like that would be amazing in bed as well. A flush ignited her face.
Seeing him turn down the heat under the steaks she called out, “Want me to set the table?”
“I’ve got it.” Drust slid the steaks onto two china plates and when she turned around, the outdoor table was covered with a blue and white checked cloth. Silverware sat before two chairs, along with a bottle of red wine and two sparkling glass goblets. The setting was casual, and yet there was something deeply intimate about dining out here alone with him.
THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14 Page 17