The Warrior In Me

by Anita Philmar

  “Lily, come here.” He swirled around in his chair to look over his shoulder. The low light inside the house silhouetted her body, but he couldn’t distinguish what she was wearing. Curious as to why she wouldn’t step outside, he charged in after her. Three steps into the house, he stopped. His jaw hit the floor. All blood drained from his head to his groin, and he stared at the vision before him.

  Lily was dressed in a pink corset. The thin line of her G-string disappeared between the round globes of her ass and set his heart racing. His palms itched to touch, and he drank in the sight of her sexy body. Each article of clothing enhanced her gorgeous features. White thigh-high stockings highlighted the long length of her legs and ended at the feathery tip of her four-inch shoes.

  She glanced back at him, her long blonde hair brushing across her shoulders. “I thought you wanted to enjoy the sunset.”

  “Not if you’re in here.” He widened his stride to allow extra room in his running shorts and ease the pressure in his crotch. A few more steps, and he stood directly in front of her.

  “But I can wait. I know how much you’ve missed being here.” She placed a hand in the center of his chest in a useless attempt to hold him at bay.

  He needed to hold her and eased forward. “Then come outside with me.”

  She lifted a skeptical brow. “In this outfit? I might be arrested.”

  “Not here. There’s no one to see you but me.” He grabbed her wrist placed it over his shoulder. Edging closer, he whispered in her ear, “Just imagine being outside in the open air with me deep inside you, rocking to the same rhythm our warrior ancestors enjoyed millions of years ago.”

  She shook her head. “No, it hasn’t been that long. Scientists believe Neanderthals lived—”

  He dropped a finger over her lips. “Not the time for an anthropology lesson.”

  Distracted by the sudden fire in her eyes, he shuddered when she sucked his finger into her mouth. The light suction reminded him how it felt to have those lips wrapped around his cock. He groaned. “You are one naughty girl tonight. What’s gotten into that head of yours?”

  “Hey, I’m on vacation. One week of fun, then we’re both off to our respective jobs. Might as well enjoy it while we can.” She draped her other arm around his neck and rubbed her body seductively against his.

  The capacity for clear thinking limited by a lack of blood flow, he had trouble figuring out the exact issue he had with what she’d just said. The silky texture of her skin against his incited a need for so much more. He lifted her into his arms.

  Spinning on his heels, he retraced his steps outside. He set her down near the edge of the deck, then walked over to his rocker and eased into the seat. “Now, that’s what I call beautiful scenery.”

  She giggled and leaned on the railing. Golden hair framed her face and added a healthy glow to her flawless complexion. “So you want me to just stand here until the sun goes down.”

  “No. What I’d love for you to do is slip off those sexy undies and toss them to me.” He waited for her to deny his request, but after a slight hesitation, she hooked her thumbs around the thin elastic string and eased her panties down her legs. Trim blonde hair played between her legs, and his mouth watered for a taste of her sweet cream.

  “Here you go.” She tossed him the scrap of fabric.

  He lifted it to his nose and drew in her savory scent without losing sight of the erotic vision before him. Dropping the cloth to the deck, he held out his hand. “Come here.”

  Shaking her head, she unclipped the top hook on her corset. A wicked smile played over her lips. “Should I stop?”

  Amazed by her wicked attitude, he licked his suddenly parched lips. “Not on my account. You can take off the corset and then step over here.”

  “So you don’t like the outfit?” She undid the next two hooks and stopped.

  “I didn’t say that. I just said I’d prefer if you weren’t wearing it at the moment.” He leaned forward and set his hands on her hips, drawing her into the space between his legs. Her fragrant scent wreaked havoc over his senses. Smoothing his hands over her ass, he held her steady and traced a line along the bottom of her outfit with his tongue. The velvety silk of her skin lured him to the wet heat between her legs. He widened her stance, nibbled at her soft folds, and dipped the tip of his tongue along her moist slit.

  She rocked her hips, encouraging him with little moans of pleasure. Demanding even more, she buried her hands in his hair and held him close.

  The hunger inside him grew, and he slid his hand down to her knee. Lifting her leg, he directed her foot to the handle of the rocker. Spreading her wide, he buried his face in her alluring heat. For long moments, he believed he’d died and gone to heaven. Nothing tasted this good and involved such pleasure. He longed to have her come against his mouth, feel the spasms of her orgasm pulse against his lips. He thrust his tongue into her pussy, long strokes followed by quick little nips at her clit.

  “Sebastian, I’m so close,” she cried.

  Fuck yeah. He needed her orgasm as much as she did. He clamped his lips around her clit and sucked hard on the small kernel.

  She wobbled on her legs and curled her fingers into his hair.

  Still, he didn’t stop until her weight shifted. Lifting his head, he cupped his hands over her ass and drew her down onto his lap. Thrown off balance, she landed on his thighs and fell back against his outstretched legs. He juggled her in his arms and kept her from hitting her head on the deck by drawing her higher onto his lap.

  Afraid he’d hurt her, he glanced at the stunned expression on her face. “Are you okay?”

  Laughing, she clutched at his shoulders. “I believe this position clocks in as a ten on difficult positions to maintain.”

  “No, I know another one that almost requires you to do a head stand. Want to try it?” He eased back and let her slip down to the deck. Once her feet were under her, he helped her stand.

  “I believe I’ve had enough adventure for one evening. I’m ready to head back into the house.” She retrieved her thong from the deck and stepped away from him with a little wave. “Enjoy the sunset.”

  She escaped his attempt to grab her hand and even gained a head start to the door, but he wasn’t concerned with losing her. She might beat him inside, might even get to his bed before him. It didn’t matter. Like him, she needed relief from the hunger gnawing at her core, the insistent demand for the complete surrender to their passion.

  She might deny it and believe they…didn’t have a future together.

  He shook his head amazed at her ability to still believe he’d let her go. What would it take to get it through her thick skull that she belonged to him?

  ****

  Kicking off her heels, Lily debated which way to go. Head into Sebastian’s bedroom and enjoy a night of passion. Or make him come after her and head for the guest room he’d given her during her first visit here.

  For some reason, she didn’t want to do either. The seduction she’d envisioned had gone according to plan. Well, except for the mishap of losing her balance. But she couldn’t blame her inability to maintain her equilibrium on Sebastian. He’d saved her from getting hurt.

  She hung her thong over the banister and bypassed the stairs to head to the kitchen as he stormed off toward his bedroom.

  What were they to each other? She’d agreed to come with him to Alaska as a way of unwinding after everything that had happened. She enjoyed being with him, had even admitted to being in love with him. Then why, after everything he’d said, did she believe they didn’t have a future together because he consistently insisted they did.

  The sound of Sebastian stomping up the stairs had her struggling to come up with an answer. He didn’t particularly care about her job or the discoveries she wanted to make. His only interest was in her as a person.

  “Damn it, Lily,” Sebastian roared from the landing upstairs. “Where the hell are you?”

  Needing to settle whatever this was
between them, she opened the refrigerator and yelled, “Hey, Sebastian, are you hungry? I thought I’d fix us something to eat.”

  Footsteps thundered down the stairs.

  She didn’t turn or even glance over her shoulder when he stopped at the kitchen counter. The heat from his gaze burned through her.

  “Want to tell me why you were hiding from me again?” He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her against the length of his body. His seductive heat soothed the chill around her heart.

  She shrugged. “Not particularly.”

  “Do it anyway,” he hissed in her ear.

  She swung the frig door closed. Without the light from inside, only the low glow from the living room and the sunlight streaming in from outside lit the area. They stood in the semi-darkness.

  “It’s like I said before. We need to have more than the basic attraction of sex to maintain a relationship.”

  Sebastian slid his hand to her breast and squeezed. “I believe you’re underestimating how incredible we are together.”

  She sighed. “That’s not true. You touch me, and I go up in flames, but we can’t spend all our time in bed.”

  “We seem to be getting along just fine right now, and we’re not in bed.” Sebastian rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Maybe, but I can’t seem to think about anything other than how much I want to make love to you.” The words slowly ripped her apart. When had she become so addicted to his touch?

  And why couldn’t he simply let her go?

  “Is this how you felt about Mark?” Sebastian’s inquiry seemed to come from nowhere.

  “No, but our marriage failed. We only managed to maintain our friendship and business relationship because we had worked together for years.” As if a light bulb went off, Lily realized the flaw in her analysis. Being different wasn’t the reason they couldn’t have a life together.

  “So you don’t see us as friends, only lovers?” He gripped her shoulders and turned her around.

  She placed her hands along his jaw and gazed into his dark eyes. Her heart broke at the mere possibility of losing him. “When I look at you, I see my world. If anything should happen to you, I’d shatter into a million pieces. I hate to admit it, but it scares me shitless.”

  “Funny, I feel the same way. Only minutes ago, when I couldn’t find you I was ready to tear the house apart. Now, all I can think about is how wonderful it is to be this close to you.” He guided his hands over her hips and palmed her ass, drawing her into the hard line of his erection.

  “Sebastian.”

  “Yes, I know you’re afraid, but I’m not willing to give up moments like this because something might happen to one of us in the future. All we have is today, and I plan to enjoy it.” He dropped his mouth to hers and offered her a brief kiss.

  “You’re right.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Good, because I’ve arranged for us to go apply for a marriage license tomorrow.”

  The shock of his statement didn’t have time to register before his mouth claimed hers. The slight opening she granted him gave him just the space he needed to dip inside and seduce her with the velvety slide of his tongue.

  All the lust and hunger from their earlier encounter returned, stripping her capacity to do anything other than give them both what they wanted. She rocked her hips, grinding her pubic bone across the cotton of his shorts.

  He groaned, and his fingers dug into her flesh. One second, they stood beside the counter. The next, he had her pressed against the kitchen wall. His mouth slipped from hers, and he muttered, “Wrap your legs around me.”

  She didn’t argue, not when only a thin piece of fabric separated her from where she wanted him to be. Her silky stocking caused her legs to slip a little on his hips, but he used his weight to brace her against the wall and adjusted his position to keep her exactly where he wanted her.

  Leaning forward, he buried his face into her neck, the light stubble on his chin brushing over the hollow of her shoulder. His hot breath seared her, and the tantalizing nip of his lips made her shiver. Then his mouth closed over her neck, sucking lightly, turning her body into molten lava. Shudders rippled through her, and she panted for air.

  “I know it sounds barbaric, but I somehow want to mark you as mine,” he growled. The hands on her hips tightened, and he pulled her against his engorged shaft. “Can’t wait.”

  She tilted her pelvis to assure him she approved of his plan. Behind her closed eyelids, she basked in his incredible strength—his hard muscular chest, the dip of his stomach, and the steel blade of his cock. She moaned at the absence of him deep inside her. “Please, Sebastian.”

  He guided a hand along her thigh and tugged at his shorts. The blunt head of his cock butted against her opening. The erotic touch had her pussy weeping for more. He didn’t disappoint.

  With slow methodical precision, he parted her swollen flesh and buried his cock to the hilt.

  Gasping for a breath, Lily felt her world tilt off its axis and spin in a strange new way. Like a nucleus of an atom, he became the electron surrounding her, keeping her intact. She cried out at the incredible sensations bombarding her and shifted on his thick length.

  A low growl rumbled through his chest, and he began a relentless rhythm, his intention, no doubt, to drive her insane. Each thrust shoved her harder against the wall, the pounding of his cock tunneling endlessly inside her.

  What seemed like an eternity passed with her strung out on a sharp blade of pleasure. She wasn’t sure she’d survive, but then it didn’t matter. Not as long as Sebastian stayed inside her, driving hard and fast to a rhythm that set her heart to racing. She sobbed, so close to release her toenails tingled.

  He was in complete control and dictated every movement, his powerful thrust slamming home, then retreating to ram even harder on his next entry. When he buried his entire length inside her on the next stroke, he shattered her world.

  Her pussy milked his cock, her climax sending him into the same rapacious bliss. Hot spurts filled her core as he emptied himself inside her. His fingers tightened on her ass, and he crushed her against the wall. A whisper of air brushed over her ear, and she swore she heard him say, “Mine.”

  Working to draw air into her lungs, she melted against him, her legs falling from his waist to the wood floor. The only thing keeping her upright was the wall behind her and the steady pressure of his body in front of her. Boneless without a drop of energy to spare, she lowered her head to his shoulder and waited a few moments before she muttered, “Do you mind if we sleep in the kitchen?”

  He eased slowly back, his hands holding her securely by the waist. “As tempting as that may sound, I want to be prepared for the next round.”

  “Next round? Is that another unique ability of your DNA?”

  A wicked smirk appeared on his lips, and he glanced down her body. The snaps on her corset were completely undone, leaving her entire body exposed. “I believe my Neanderthal DNA can contribute to a number of things.”

  He slid his hands over her ribcage and cupped her breasts. “Oh, yeah, next time I plan to spend some time enjoying these babies.”

  She marveled at how he had any strength left and shifted her feet to see if her legs would hold her weight. The jury was still out when Sebastian swept her up in his arms. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll give you time to rest first.”

  She closed her eyes. Thoughts of their future together filtered through her head. Contentment settled over her.

  “I love you,” she muttered, but it didn’t seem like a strong enough phrase for what she held in her heart for him. His earlier statement nudged her, and she shrugged off sleep to stir restlessly in his arms. “Did you ask me to marry you?”

  “No, it was a forgone conclusion from the day we met.” He lowered her into the center of his king-size bed and settled on top of her. The light brush of his lips ran over her neck, and he lowered his head to her pillow.<
br />
  Thoughts of how he differed from other men she knew ran through her head. He could tell when a person was lying, his staying power, how he knew she belonged to him. “I believe we need to do more research on exactly what it means to have Neanderthal DNA.”

  He snuggled closer and slid a hand down her back to settle over her ass. “Good, because I believe you’ll enjoy hearing all the old legends of what makes us special.”

  Satisfaction filled her, the bone-deep, soul pleasing kind that promised a lifetime of happiness. She relaxed and tumbled off to sleep in a state of utter serenity.

  Epilogue

  Sebastian glanced around the crowded living room of Cain’s mother’s house. He’d expected their visit with her to be a quiet affair, only Lily, himself, and maybe his grandfather, who he’d told about the visit this morning when they talked on the phone.

  He should have known better. Once his grandfather learned about Lily, he babbled away about how excited he was to meet her. Once they got off the phone, he probably called everyone in their tribe to pass along the news of his grandson’s impending marriage.

  Unable to hold back a smile, Sebastian tightened his hold on Lily’s waist and drew her closer. She’d confided in him several times over the past week about her aversion to crowds. Therefore, he’d not left her side since they entered the house. Even though, Cain’s mother had tried several attempts to separate them.

  “Why look who just arrived?” Mrs. Platero pointed to the couple who walked through the front door. “Rex, and look…his sister Candace is with him.”

  Lily curled into him and laid a hand on his chest. “So that’s your boss. You’ll have to introduce us.”

  The interest in her voice had him scanning the man’s features on the other side of the room. Like the other men in the room, he had dark hair and stood a little taller than most at around six feet. He had what some would call a hawk-shaped nose. A majority of the women in their group found him attractive, but Sebastian wasn’t certain whether it was because of the power he held over the group or because of his looks.