He’d planned to take it slow, but they were too far gone, too far into the zone for anything other than raw, animal sex. Her eyes were closed, lips moving. Praying? Begging? No, she was calling his name… over and over again, the sound finally penetrating the deafening roar of blood rushing in his ears. The binding of her saol had finally loosened enough for her to move, and she rocked her pelvis unconsciously to the rhythm of their hearts.
“Hang on, baby,” he warned while sliding a hand between her thighs to spread them wider.
She locked her legs around his hips even as he plunged straight to her womb. With Dec surrounding her inside and out, her world vanished to nothing but the two of them. The feel of his skin, the taste of his mouth… the scorching heat as he held himself still inside of her… she was lost. There was no going back. She barely saw the golden web. Instead, she only saw the blue of his eyes an inch from hers as he claimed her mouth in a long tender kiss before the wild animal sex took over.
An hour later…
“Oh, God,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” he said.
Two hours later, she stretched languidly as he dropped sweet kisses over both pink nipples. He rubbed his stubbly chin over them, making her squeak in protest. Grinning tiredly, he smoothed over the pain with a soft sweep of his tongue.
She shivered and sighed. Everything he did was perfect. He was perfect. Damn.
Sniffing the air, he rose up on an elbow, proclaiming, “Good Lord, this place smells like sex.” He sniffed her neck, nibbling all the way around it in the process. “You smell like me. I like it.”
Wild monkey sex? No way. Too tame. What they did was off the charts. She’d actually screamed. Loudly. More than once. He’d brought her to the most mind-blowing orgasms she’d ever had. She’d practically launched herself off the bed during the second… or third one.
The flashback was so strong, her lady parts shuddered, and she couldn’t stifle a gasp.
“Did you just come?” he asked with a massively satisfied expression. “I didn’t even touch you this time.” He ran the back of his hand over her belly until it rested on her hip. “You are so soft; I can’t stop wanting you.”
Flushing hot pink, she couldn’t help the smile that burst through her embarrassment. “Are you using your powers on me? Surely this can’t be normal! I’ve had orgasms before, but this was… mmm, supernatural.” She erupted into giggles, gasping the last word out.
“Flattery will get you nowhere. But no, I’m not.” He tenderly kissed her bare shoulder and added, “There’s some wicked powerful chemistry between us, love.”
He was too friggin’ exhausted to move, so he didn’t bother to try. Instead, he cuddled his woman close. She wiggled her bitable butt, and Mr. Crowley actually opened his eye and stretched.
Oh, hell no! Go back to sleep! There’s such a thing as showing off.
She felt the twitch and moaned, low, throaty, and just a little amused. “Don’t even think about it. I’m slipping back into a coma…” Even as she protested, her breath quickened the second he trailed his fingers over her breast. The nipple hardened as he caught it gently.
Yep, he was all in. He was sure he could pull off another round. “Mmm, but maybe if we go really slow this time?”
Rori chuckled, “How can you be hard again?”
Stroking against her silky skin, he blamed her in the rough sexy voice she’d come to love tonight. “How can I not? You feel so good.”
Dec’s hand palmed her breast as if it was made for it. Her nipple hardened with a disturbing eagerness that had her wondering fuzzily if she’d lost control of herself. Her undersexed body didn’t seem to care that her brain was shutting down with exhaustion. No, it was already juicing up and moving on its own. Even as he fingered that traitorous nipple, her thighs parted and welcomed him back inside.
Curled on their sides, they made love in a slow dance this time. His mouth and tongue played over the nape of her neck in a lazy motion until she stiffened once more. Seeming to sense her fall, he bit down hard, sending them both over the edge.
This time, when he cuddled her close, they slept like the dead. Neither noticed their gleaming saols crisscrossing around them or the face watching in the window.
Chapter 15: Those Three Little Words
RAPHAEL BLEW ACROSS THE TOP OF HIS TEA before daring a sip. His natural immunity to cold temperatures didn’t reduce the pleasure of a steaming cup of Earl. If he had to pick a favorite tea, Earl Grey would be it. Mica always had some on hand especially for him. He appreciated her thoughtfulness; it was one of many qualities that made her a favorite.
Although it wasn’t yet Christmas, winter had settled in with no intention of leaving any time soon. It had been snowing steadily for two weeks with another 12 inches forecast for the weekend. If he was human, he might’ve found the cold temperatures and barely passable roads troublesome, but he didn’t. No, he found the majesty of acres of snow something to rejoice in, not complain about. The farmhouse sat nestled between a copse of beautiful tall pines on one side and a leafless deciduous forest on the other. Its two acres of rolling lawn was a perfect playground for his three rambunctious grandsons. Those three miracles were presently dozing in the nursery after an hour of snowman building. No, he wouldn’t trade the snow for anything.
Declan was in the middle of debriefing him on all that had happened with his latest charge. The young warrior spoke with his usual animation, waving his arms to make his points, changing the inflection in his voice to stress particularly worrisome problems. All he needed to do was nod his head and make some sounds of understanding at the correct times. Declan would continue without expecting more interaction until he was completely finished.
Vastly amused at Declan’s attempts to hide his feelings for Rori, he sipped at his tea and finally commented, “It seems our Rori is a woman of many secrets. Have you told her?”
Dec scrubbed a hand over his shaggy hair, shoving his bangs away from his forehead for the thousandth time. Cocking his head to listen for Rori, he shook his head at his maker’s question. “Not yet. This is too massive to just dump it on her. I want to have all the facts first. Will you help me?”
Before Raphael could respond, they were interrupted by Mica’s delivery of lunch. It looked like turkey, avocado, and Havarti sandwiches--with a dill pickle on the side. There were many reasons he loved this woman. Her spoiling him with food only synched the deal.
She dropped a couple of napkins on the table and said, “Here you go, guys. Need anything else before I go back downstairs? Rori’s waiting for me.”
Dec answered for both of them. “Thanks, sweetheart. You know we don’t want to put you out, but I’ll never say no to lunch. How’s our girl doing?”
He and Rori had arrived just before this latest storm hit two days ago. After spending some time helping Rori get reacquainted with everyone, he’d set up a training plan. Today was the first day of said plan. Mica agreed to start with some basic muscle-building exercises before he started throwing Rori around the basement--her words, not his.
Mica was dressed in black yoga pants and a loose long-sleeved t-shirt with black and red Sketchers. Her hair was braided into a long tail that she pinned haphazardly to the top of her head. Her cheeks were rosy, eyes sparkling. She was in her element. The complete lack of sweat stains was a testament to her level of fitness. The ladies had been downstairs for an hour already. Rori was looking pretty rough the last time he’d poked his head down the stairwell. Of course, he would cut out his tongue before mentioning that little factoid to anyone.
Mica rolled her eyes and replied, “Our girl is doing perfectly. She’s got a lot of natural grace and strong bones. Once we build her some muscle, she’ll be fine. You’re not worried, are you?”
“Nope. Not even a little bit. She’s a lot stronger than she seems. She just needs to learn the skills to protect herself. My life is dangerous on a good day. I don’t want to worry about her when I have to be out of town
.”
Both Raphael and Mica stared with surprise before breaking into nearly identical grins.
“Ah.” Tapping at his chin, Raphael spoke thoughtfully, “I see.”
Dec flushed beet red the second the words left his lips. He might have tried to take them back, but his brain didn’t cooperate. Instead, his mouth opened and closed twice before he clamped it shut. Shit.
Mica burst out laughing and gave his shoulder a squeeze before saying, “I see too. No wonder she was stiff this morning. She blamed it on the bed.”
He tossed Rori a towel and pretended to tie his shoe so he could scrutinize her from the corner of his eye. Was she doing too much? Pushing too hard? She swiped at the bead of sweat slipping down her face. Did she need more water? Her face was red. Maybe she was doing too much. He was teaching her to drop and roll today. Her eyes were bright, happy. He searched for signs of strain, but she seemed to be hanging in there all right. She’d laughed when he asked if she needed a break.
“Dec, I’m not fragile. Yes, I am breakable and yes, it hurts when I’m broken. But, and this is a huge ‘but’, I’m not a wuss. I will learn how to stay alive. I have something to live for.”
What was that ‘something’ she had to live for? Her tone made it seem like a recent discovery. Was it him? Was it the mystery of her mother and that demon? Curiosity was a big motivator. So was vengeance. She’d been eerily focused on their lessons for the past week. She’d pushed herself harder than he would’ve done. Mica worked tirelessly with Rori. The two women spent hours every day working on Rori’s skills. It was a little scary.
Of course, he was used to Mica’s intensity… Rori seemed so delicate compared to her. Mica had always been athletic, strong. She took to their Krav Maga training with perfectly natural enthusiasm. Rori wasn’t nearly as ‘natural’ and had the bruises to prove it. She’d nearly ripped his head off when he offered to heal those bruises. She boggled his mind. On one hand, she believed in demons and Primani now. On the other hand, she flatly refused to let him use his powers on her. They’d gone toe to toe on this until he finally lost his temper. Yeah, that was a low point for him. He wasn’t proud of himself for going all alpha male and scaring the hell out of her. He saw the fear in her eyes, but he stuck to his guns.
He would use his powers to save her life each and every friggin’ time he needed to. Period. End of story. If she wanted to suffer with minor injuries, fine. But no force on earth would stop him from keeping her alive.
She was stubborn, but so was he.
He called time. “We’re almost done for the day. It’s Friday night. I think we need to go out.”
“That sounds amazing. I need a shower first.”
She bent at the waist to drop her hands to the mat. Breathing slowly as Mica had taught her, she stretched her muscles with a satisfied groan. Ow. But a good kind of ‘ow.’ Bending backwards, she closed her eyes and let her spine unkink. Oooh, so good. No, make that great. She’d been training for a week and was already thinking about kicking some ass. Sure, she wasn’t an expert, but she was getting more comfortable with the idea of violence. Next week, Dec was going to start really sparring with her--with gloves--and she couldn’t wait. Hopefully she wouldn’t hurt him too much!
An hour later, she stepped out of the shower to find the man leaning against the bathroom door. He’d slipped into the room as silently as smoke. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she dropped her towel. Moving in a flash, he was in front of her before she could pick it up.
“Do we have time for a kiss?”
“More than that if you hurry!”
The Angry Lizard was a pool joint. It didn’t try to be anything else. There were tables scattered around with tall black pleather-topped seats and a modern jukebox in the corner. Dart boards hung here and there for people who liked to throw things. The eight pool tables were the main attraction. She craned her neck to check out the funky scowling lizards dotting the walls. One looked like a dragon, but it was so faded now it was hard to see its tail.
“Do you like it?” Mica asked with a smile and a wave of her hand.
She grinned across the table at her new friend. “Sure. It’s cool. I’ve never been inside a bar before.”
Mica slurped the foam from the top of a beer and said, “Well, it’s not much of a bar, but it’s our fave here in town. We’ve been coming here forever.” She tossed a glance at Dec and hinted, “You can get him to dance with you if you ply him with enough alcohol.”
“Oh? Okay, I’ll, um, keep that in mind.”
Mica leaned across the table. “Don’t tell me you don’t dance either? Holy shit, girl, we’ve got to find you a life. Before you go back to The City, I will teach you to dance. It’s the least I can do for you.”
While they went back and forth on the pros and cons of dancing in public, the guys deserted them for some dude time at the bar. She was about to die of curiosity. What were they talking about? Every now and then, one of them would shoot a glance in their direction. This was usually followed by a shake of the head, a laugh, and a shrug. Killian’s expression was mostly watchful, neutral--he kept a good poker face. That made his occasional bark of laughter even more suspicious. Dec, on the other hand, was a whole different story. She loved watching him around other people. He was definitely gorgeous, but it was the way his eyes flashed and his mouth moved that drew her in. He had a million expressions, and she was falling hard for every single one of them. Killian said something just then. His mouth twisted up on one side, the dimple flashing, and lips thinning a bit… joined by a slight shake of his head. It was his ‘annoyed’ look. And it was so damn cute she wanted to kiss him.
It reminded her of someone…
“Dean Winchester,” she mumbled absently. Exactly. Well, not exactly, exactly… but his face was just as animated.
Mica’s brows shot up, and she asked, “Sorry? Who?” Turning on her stool, she swept her eyes around the small crowd until she spotted Dec. “Dec?”
“Yes! I’m not saying he looks like Jenson Ackles, the actor who plays Dean Winchester on “Supernatural”, but he makes the same faces when he’s talking. He’s got the cutest expressions.”
“He always was the cute one.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Sean was the brooding serious one; Killian was the terrifying bossy one, and Dec was the adorable cute one.” She stopped smiling and said, “Declan is the healer, the fun one. He loves people. He’s sensitive and intuitive. He loves to play. Rori…” She let the sentence hang as she chewed her lip.
Lowering her voice, she said, “Rori, I have to say something to you--woman to woman. Can you hear me out for a sec?”
Oh, great. Here it comes. The speech. A giant knot formed in her stomach. It took a huge effort to swallow a pithy remark and simply say, “Sure, go ahead.”
Mica’s sincerity rang true when she picked up Rori’s hand to hold it tightly. “I love Dec almost as much as I love my husband. He’s saved my life; he’s made my life. I can’t even define how much he means to me. He’s warm and kind. He’s sweet and good. He’s funny, and he’s clever. But you need to understand him for who he is… what he is.” She took a sip and made sure the guys were still occupied before continuing. “Primani are not do-goody guardian angels--they’re killers.”
Rori’s mask of composure slipped. “What?”
“They exist to destroy demons to keep chaos in check on our plane. They follow a loose code of honor, but they will kill a human without batting an eye if they need to. Greater good and all that.”
“But Dec told me they protect humans; they help people like me stay safe. I don’t understand what you’re telling me. Are you saying he might kill me?”
Mica shook her head and said with not a little sympathy in her tone, “He didn’t lie to you, sweetie. Protecting humans, like you, like me, is a big part of what they do. By the way, I’m pretty damn excited to see what you turn out to be. But that’s another convo. My point is you�
��ve only seen him in his protective ‘saving the damsel’ mode. He’s sweet. He’s gentle. He’s healing you, helping you to learn and to grow. But that’s only one side of him. Dec and the others are terrifying when they’re in what I call soldier-mode. When they’re on a mission, when their bodies prep for combat, they will scare the shit out of you. He’s extremely dangerous when he’s going to fight. You can’t ever forget they have supernatural abilities. Don’t underestimate them. They’re simply not completely human.”
Mica shared more than a little kinship with the pale-faced woman whose fingers were like ice now. After all, she’d been on the receiving end of a Primani protection detail once upon a time. She was Sean’s charge. He’d done a terrible job of keeping her safe. She got beaten half to death a few times. When she considered things from that angle, she stopped feeling guilty about breaking Sean’s leg in half. In any case, it was usually Dec who patched her up again. Rori was in very good hands--literally.
At the moment though, Rori’s emotions flowed completely unchecked Fear, confusion, worry, and… ah, there it is. Perfect.
“Don’t panic. I’m telling you all of this for a reason. Declan is one hell of a good Primani. He’s smart. He’s powerful. He’s deadly. But he’s got a beautiful soul. Are you strong enough to accept him for what he is?”
“Warts and all?” Rori’s voice shook even though she tried to crack a joke.
Dec’s eyes met hers from across the room, and he refused to let her go. Could she accept him for the killer he was? She truly didn’t know. His jaw tightened as though he read her thoughts, but he didn’t break eye contact. A beautiful soul? Well, he was certainly beautiful on the outside. But then so were leopards… and they ate people. She shivered as she remembered the feel of his teeth on her neck…
She turned back to Mica and said, “I guess we’ll find out. Will you help me?”
Broken Souls (Primani Book 4) Page 23