Taryn couldn’t think with his hand on her. All she could do was feel him, his strokes, the depth of him inside her. She wanted satisfaction, and when she got it, she screamed in pleasure.
Her heart pounding, she fell forward, over him.
Sparhawk rolled with her in his arms, their bodies still joined until he was on top of her. Her body continued to spasm around his. He drove himself in deep and quickened his strokes so that he could elongate her orgasm. She kissed him fiercely, her tongue spiking against his as she clawed at his back.
Delighted with her reaction, he thrust himself into her over and over again until his own body found its release. He growled in pleasure. She wrapped her body around his and held him close as they lay in the sweaty aftermath of their play.
Taryn drew a ragged breath as she waited for her body to calm. This was her favorite part of the night. The time after they were both spent and all she could hear was the sound of his breathing. Skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. There was nothing else like it in the world.
With the smell of her champion enchanting her, she let the sound of his heartbeat lull her into sleep.
She woke in the morning, late for work. Sparhawk was still asleep. Unwilling to wake him, she took a minute to ogle the gorgeous backside that was completely bare. His dark tawny skin was a perfect contrast to her cream sheets. She smiled at the sight of his black hair tousled and the whiskers that darkened his cheeks.
“Do me, Sparhawk,” she said under her breath with a short laugh.
It took every ounce of her self-control not to fondle him awake and have a quickie before she left. But she was already late. Pouting, she forced herself into the bathroom to get ready.
But the memory of him in her bed and the feel of his body against hers kept her company all day at work. And it had her rushing home to find him dressed in a dark blue shirt and jeans, waiting for her.
Tonight, they were going out. She’d gotten the idea the day before from one of her coworkers whose daughter had just had a birthday. It was something she was sure Hawk would enjoy . . . dinner at Medieval Times.
She greeted him with a quick kiss, then herded him out to the car so that they would get there in plenty of time.
“I do not understand the rush,” Hawk said as he paused outside the car.
By the disappointed look on his face, she could tell what he was thinking. “We can’t spend every second in the bedroom, babe.”
“Why not?”
She laughed at him. “Are you sure you weren’t in an erotic novel?”
He frowned at that. “What is that?”
“A book where they do nothing but have sex all the way through it.”
His green eyes sparkled at that. “There is such a thing? Methinks I should have had another conversation with Esther and made my demands more clear. I feel I may have chosen poorly with our story.”
Taryn rolled her eyes at him. “I keep telling you, this is not a story. You’re a real man now.”
“But I was real before.”
Oh, he was never going to get it. To him the real world was every bit as real as his fictional one. And every time he insisted his world was real, she heard her mother’s voice in her head. “Put down the book and join the real world. There’s more to life than words on a page, and I’m sick of watching you waste your time on such asinine things.”
As a girl, she’d been like Hawk and had believed that those places and people were as real as the ones around her. But her mother had finally worn her down, and over time Taryn had read less and less as she followed her mother’s advice.
But the truth was, she enjoyed being with Hawk more than she had ever enjoyed anything else. If Hawk was right and this was a book, then she didn’t want reality. She only wanted this man who was climbing into her Firebird.
Taryn got in and headed out of the driveway.
By the time they reached the “castle,” she was practically giddy in expectation of Hawk’s reaction to the restaurant. She’d always thought of the place as kind of cheesy, but after Rachel had talked about it and Taryn had seen the Web site, she knew she had to bring Hawk to it. She hoped he would feel at home here.
Once they were parked in the lot, Hawk looked suspiciously at the building that was fashioned to resemble a medieval castle, complete with banners hanging outside.
“What is this place?” he asked.
“It’s a restaurant modeled on your time. I think you’ll like it.”
He didn’t say much as she took his hand to lead him inside, but she could tell by his face that he was completely baffled by it. As they waited for the arena to be opened for seating, she took him to the gift shop, where he gravitated toward the wooden swords and shields.
“Bring back fond memories?” she asked. One of the things she’d learned about him was that his “memories” from the book were as real to him as her own past was to her. There really was no difference between fantasy and reality to Hawk.
He nodded. “We practiced with such when I was a squire.” But it was the toy trebuchets that held his interest most.
“Would you like one?”
He shook his head. “Nay. I have seen more than my share of them.”
She could see by the sadness in his eyes that it brought back unhappy memories. “You’ve spent much of your time at war, haven’t you?”
“Aye. Too much. When I was younger, I never thought there could be anything better than the glory of battle.”
“And now?”
His gaze met hers and the heat in those beautiful green eyes set her on fire. “Now I would much rather coax a smile from your face.”
She laid her hand against his cheek before she gave him a quick kiss to tide them both over until later.
Wrapping her arm around his, she led him toward the arena and made sure to get them a seat right up front so that he could see the show in all its glory.
“What is this?” he asked as he looked around the staged medieval tournament field.
“While we eat, they’re going to reenact knights fighting and practicing.”
When their server came up in wench’s garb, Hawk did a double take.
“This is all very strange,” he said to her once they were alone again. “Familiar and yet not.”
Taryn smiled and waited until the knights appeared. Hawk sat forward, his eyes alight with bemused interest.
She was actually thrilled to watch him. It reminded her of a child experiencing his first trip to the circus. “So what do you think?”
He gave her a smug look. “They are most skilled, but I could defeat them.”
She laughed at his arrogance, not doubting his abilities in the least.
Taryn was enjoying the show immensely until something went terribly wrong during one of their fight scenes. One of the special effects was a blast of fire that shot too close to one of the horses. The red knight’s horse threw its rider and began to run wildly about, shrieking and spooking the other horses. As the red knight stood up, the horse charged him, then dodged before it made contact to run at the barrier wall. The crowd started screaming, which only added to the chaos as the horse reared too close to the wall. Its hooves came dangerously close to the metal barrier.
The red knight tried to catch his horse, only to have it rush at him and trample him.
Taryn cringed. “I think he’s hurt. Bad.”
Before she realized what was happening, Hawk vaulted over the side of the arena and ran toward the panicking horse. Taryn came to her feet, terrified of what he was about to do.
The horse pawed at him while the staff shouted for him to get back into the stands. Hawk didn’t listen. He dodged the horse’s flailing hooves and in a move that was poetic and beautiful, he whirled himself into the saddle.
Taryn watched in awe as he took the reins and then carefully brought the animal back under control while the other knights ran to the red knight to make sure he was okay.
Hawk slid from the back of the horse and patted
it gently while talking to it in a slow and calm voice.
A man in a black T-shirt and jeans, who must be the horse’s trainer, came out to take the horse away. He said something to Hawk before Hawk inclined his head.
“Our champion!” the king said from his dais, indicating Hawk with a grand extension of his hand. “Truly, he is a marvel. We thank thee, gracious knight.”
Hawk turned toward the king and placed his right fist to his left shoulder before he bowed regally. “’Tis an honor to be of service, Your Majesty,” he said in a tone that sounded as if he enjoyed playing along with them. Then he ran at the wall and did a flip over it to land just before Taryn.
“Wow,” she said, amazed by his ability. “Most impressive.”
He shrugged. “Thank you, but it’s more impressive in a full suit of armor.” He winked at her.
Taryn laughed while the staff cleared the arena and then picked up the show where it had left off.
A few minutes later the man in black came up to them. “Hey,” he said, taking the vacant seat next to Taryn. “I just wanted to say thanks for what you did. This was Goliath’s first show, and I hate that he got spooked.”
“I am just glad that I was able to help,” Hawk said.
“You’re English?”
“Aye.”
The man smiled as he extended his hand to Hawk. “I’m Danny Fairfield.”
He shook his hand. “Hawk.”
Danny laughed. “So do you do reenactments?”
“All the time,” Taryn said. “He can joust with the best of them.”
“Really?” Danny looked extremely interested in that tidbit.
“I’ve trained many a man and squire for battle.”
“Well, hey, anytime you want to audition for a position here, just give me a call. We’re always on the lookout for new talent.”
“Thank you,” Hawk said.
Danny got up and paused between them. “By the way, dinner’s on us tonight.”
“Cool,” Taryn said. “We appreciate it.”
Danny inclined his head and left them alone. But as he walked away, Taryn’s mind whirled.
Hawk could get a job. . . .
“Is something wrong, Taryn?”
She shook her head at Hawk. “No. I was just thinking that we might have found something you are more than qualified to do.”
“Is this a good thing?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said excitedly. “It means if you were to stay here that you would have a job.”
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked with a note of hope in his tone.
Taryn stared at him for a full heartbeat. How could she not want this man to become a permanent part of her world? “Yeah, I think I do.”
Sparhawk’s heart pounded at that. It was the first time Taryn had said anything about him staying longer than his seven days. It was a good sign. A very good one.
But she still said nothing about love, and there were only three more days before he returned to Alinor. It was the last thing he wanted. These last few days with Taryn had been wonderful. Magical. What would he do without her?
In truth, he didn’t want to know.
They didn’t speak much during the rest of the meal and once it was over, they returned to Taryn’s house.
As they entered the living room, something odd started to happen. Hawk’s skin turned grayish.
He looked as if he were completely ill. “What is happening?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Taryn helped him toward her couch. He was writhing as if he were in pain. She put her hand on his brow to feel a severe fever. “Baby, are you okay?”
Holding his stomach as if something were rupturing, he grimaced and cursed.
Suddenly her hand passed right through him.
“Hawk?”
He looked at her with panic in his eyes. It was as if he were fading out of existence. “Hawk?”
The next thing she knew, he was gone. There wasn’t even a scrap of fabric left behind.
“No!” Taryn screamed as she found herself completely alone in her living room. “You said we had seven days.”
Come back to me.
The words whispered through her head as if Sparhawk had said them.
“How?” she asked out loud.
There was no answer. None. He was gone now. Taryn sat there in stunned disbelief as pain washed over her. How could he be gone like this?
Sparhawk jolted awake to find himself back in his own bed. It was early light by the looks of it. Rolling over on the large hand-carved mahogany bed, he found himself face-to-face with Alinor, who stared at him as if she wanted to run him through with his sword.
“Good,” she said, narrowing her gaze on him. “You’re back, milord.”
“There is nothing good about this,” he grumbled, getting up. He had to find the witch and return to Taryn. He hadn’t had enough time with her.
Alinor blocked his way to the door. “Where is it you go?”
“’Tis none of your business. Now stand aside.”
She lifted her chin defiantly as she held her arms out. “Nay! I most certainly will not. Nor will you leave this castle again. You are my hero, Sparhawk. Mine. You don’t belong in that other story with that other woman. Taryn. What sort of name is that anyway? ‘Tis a man’s name and yet you would sooner be with her than me? I will not allow such.”
Sparhawk went cold at her words. “How do you know about Taryn?”
She stamped her foot at him. “Because you cheated!” She threw a book at him.
“Ow!” Sparhawk said as he picked it up. It was the original book of his story, only now it had Alinor’s name listed as the author. “What did you do?”
“Me?” She snorted at him. “You’re the one who changed it first. I was minding my own business, doing what I was supposed to be doing when you decided to go off and change our lives. Well, I’m not having it. I was supposed to be the damsel you grew to love and you are supposed to be my champion, so now I have created a new master book.”
He couldn’t breathe as her words sank in. If she had created her own version of their lives, there was nothing he could do to alter it. God help him if she really were the author. “Where is the master book?”
She gave him an arrogant, taunting smile. “Someplace you can’t find it. But don’t worry, I’m writing the story now and we’re going to be just fine, you and I. We’re going to have lots of children and castles all over Christendom. We’ll be the envy of everyone.”
It was a nightmare even to contemplate. “I do not love you, Alinor. I love Taryn.”
She shrieked at him. “You are going to love me, Sparhawk! You’re my hero! I know you’re resisting it right now because that’s what heroes do. But you will settle into this role just as soon as I finish shopping for my wedding clothes. You just wait here and be thoughtful for a bit while I attend my role like a good character.”
Sparhawk gaped as she spun about and left the room. Taking three steps, he opened the heavy wooden door. “I will not stay here, Alinor!” he shouted out the door after her.
She paused halfway down to the hall to look back at him with smug satisfaction beaming on her beautiful face. “Oh, yes, you will. I wrote the old witch out of the book entirely, so even if you go into the woods, all you’ll find now is a creek that goes nowhere.”
Sparhawk slammed the door, then opened it again immediately. He wasn’t about to take her word for what was happening. He wasn’t going to blithely submit to this storyline. He was Sparhawk the Brave. The king’s champion. No one was going to take charge of his life without a fight.
Sprinting through the castle, he ran out to the stable to find his horse waiting for him. He saddled his stallion, then headed back toward the witch’s hut.
Only this time, just as Alinor had predicted, there was nothing there but a creek, with large overgrown trees surrounding it. No sign of the hut or witch existed anywhere.
“Damn you, Alinor!” he shouted at the sky above. �
��I love Taryn.”
But there was no one to hear him. Taryn was gone and now it was his fate to marry Alinor again. Heartsick and weary, he wheeled his horse about and headed back to the castle.
Tears gathered in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. There had to be some way out of this. Some way to reach Taryn again. He couldn’t give up, not on his lady.
By the time he reached the castle’s gate, he’d decided on a new course of action. He had to find Alinor’s master copy of the book. If he did, then there was a chance he could change it as Alinor had done, so that he could return to Taryn and her story.
If not, then he was doomed to stay here forever.
Taryn sat on her bed with voices speaking in her head. She swore she could hear Sparhawk’s deep baritone and another woman she’d never met before. The voice was high pitched and whiny. Shrill. It went through her head like shattering glass.
Alinor?
It was eerie what was going on in her head. She could see Sparhawk searching the castle in her mind like a movie. She could feel his despair and his pain as he ached for her and sought his book. Every thought, every emotion he felt, was in her, too. It was as if she was experiencing it with him.
“I’m completely losing my mind.”
“No, dear, you’re not.”
Taryn turned sharply at the old voice behind her. It was Esther. “What are you doing in my house?”
Esther sighed as she came farther into the room to sit beside her. “I’m breaking all kinds of rules . . . again. I’m not supposed to be here, but then I wasn’t supposed to be there in the store, either, when your car broke down, but I had no choice. I still don’t. I have to make this right before it’s too late.”
“Make what right?”
Esther smiled at her. “Your happy ending.”
Taryn rubbed her head as a severe pain started in her right temple. This was it. She had lost her mind. There was nothing more to be done about it. Maybe she should call the psycho ward now.
“You’re not crazy,” Esther said quietly. “Please don’t even think it. We lose enough of you to that as it is.”
What Dreams May Come (Berkley Sensation) Page 5