He pulled away slowly. His lashes flickered up and he gazed into my eyes. Sliding his hand to my cheek, he caressed my skin with his thumb. “Is it all right that I did that?” he asked, giving a half smile.
My heart rate elevated and all coherent thoughts left my mind. My arms were around his neck before I could think, and my lips on his again before I could take another breath. I didn’t care how forward I was being. He’d finally let me in, and now that I had him, I wasn’t about to let him go.
My brazen actions seemed to take him by surprise. His body froze like he wasn’t sure what to do, but then his arms engulfed my body. His hard chest pressed against my soft.
I gasped as he held my body to his, feeling his sudden need for me. I opened my mouth under his, welcoming him.
He clinched the back of my shirt with strong hands, but wasn’t making any effort to take it off me. Growing impatient, I ripped open his denim over-shirt. The white buttons popped off everywhere. I quickly drew the material down the length of his arms and off, revealing a tight tank top and a pair of toned arms underneath. I whipped the shirt to the floor and brought my hands back to those arms, digging my fingers into his biceps.
His startled gasp from my action sent a shot of adrenaline into my blood stream, and I pulled him with me by his tank to the hay bale. He lay on top of me, his body so strong and powerful against my own. I fisted his hair, trying to show him my intent. Our kiss deepened, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted everything he could give me. I grasped his hand and urged it to my breast. He finally got the picture and went on from there.
His hand slid down my soaked shirt, and tingled every nerve within me. His kiss grew hungrier and I sucked in a breath, gasping against his lips. I struggled so hard to find air, but was willing to deny oxygen for as long as I possibly could so he didn’t stop what he was doing to me.
At long last, his hand made it to the hem of my shirt. His touch was just at the edge of it, moving beneath the material. And as his fingertips grazed the exposed skin at my hip, a shuffling noise sounded in the barn from below. He hesitated, his attention taken away.
“Luca!” The voice was Giovanni. “Luca!”
Luca lips left mine, leaving me breathless. Without moving his body from on top of mine, he spoke, carrying his voice down to Giovanni below. The rich tones of his smooth voice rolled over Italian phrases.
God, if the seductiveness of his perfect body wasn’t doing it for me, his sexy voice was. I tried to keep my mind off that, though. Giovanni sounded alarmed, and I was being inconsiderate.
The conversation ended and I heard Giovanni depart the barn. Luca gazed upon my eyes, and the force of his body still locked me to the bale. “It was Giovanni. He said the storm created a break in one of the fences keeping the cattle in. He needs my help.”
I knew he had to go, but I selfishly didn’t want him to stop. I’d been waiting for him for so long. Waiting to feel his body, his lips on mine …. I couldn’t be thinking that way, though. Bernadetta and Giovanni relied on those cattle. I knew what I had to do. Sighing, I slid my body from underneath his. Rising to my feet, I straightened out my rain-dampened shirt.
He watched me, his eyes shifting between my movements. “I am sorry, Ariel—”
“It’s fine. I understand.” I really did. He was needed, and our physical desires had to come second.
As we made our way down the ladder and out of the barn, Luca looked more disappointed than I felt. He mounted Sadie, then pulled me up behind him with astounding ease. After wrapping my arms around his waist, I leaned into his back, and we rode off into the hellish storm.
*
Sadie carried us with great speed through the rain, and we arrived back to the farmhouse within minutes.
Luca pulled us up to a stop in front of the green wraparound porch. He dismounted way more graceful than I had earlier, and landed effortlessly on the ground.
I pulled my leg over to dismount, but he halted me before I could jump.
“Wait.” He held up a hand. “Do not be scared.” He raised his other hand.
He lifted his hands in synchronization and my body levitated into the air from Sadie’s body. I gasped, alarmed at first, but the unique sensation quickly settled my nerves. I was in the air, touching nothing, but I still felt warm. The feeling was as if his arms were around me.
He lowered me into his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So, you can levitate things, too?” I smiled, slightly laughing.
He nodded with a half-smile and set me on the ground.
We stood there with our arms locked in an embrace, looking into each other’s eyes through the heavy drops of rain. I felt so calm in his arms, even with the torrential downpour surrounding us.
I didn’t know what to say. On the ride over, I realized very quickly how forward I was before. I pretty much threw myself at him. He probably thought I was going way too fast. I was embarrassed. “You’d better go. Giovanni will be wondering where you are.”
I said these words because I felt I had to. In my heart, I desired the exact opposite. I wanted to beg him to stay, to put his mouth on mine, and allow me to experience his taste again.
The rain spilled in rivulets down his dark hair and dripped from his long eyelashes, the drops causing his tank to mold to his body. The skin of his arms was so sleek and wet, his body simply beautiful in the downpour. I tried not to stare, but all these elements were making me challenge my decision. I knew I couldn’t allow myself to give in, though. I had to let him go.
Disappointment filled his eyes. “Yes, you are probably right,” he said. His gaze lingered on my lips with every word.
His powerful gaze told me everything I needed to know about how much he wanted me. How much he didn’t want to leave. My bloodstream sizzled, and my body surged in chills just watching the deep want in his eyes.
He lifted his hand to my cheek, and his other pulled me in. I released myself from his advance, though. I knew if I didn’t let him go now, I’d no longer possess the strength to let him. I gave him a smile and walked into the farmhouse, trying to convince myself I’d done the right thing.
*
The most delicious smells emanated from the kitchen. I walked into the room to find Bernadetta hard at work. She gave me a kind, warm smile when I entered. The gesture reminded me so much of my Mom my eyes burned.
“I hoped, since you were feeling better, you would eat with all of us tonight, but the storm got the best of the evening. It looks like it will be just the two of us, if that is all right?” she said.
The table was covered in decadent food. Warm rolls with fresh berry jam, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and crispy fried chicken were all displayed across the length of the table. My attention shifted to one last item. Near one of the plates was a platter of freshly baked brownies. I quickly realized the plate sitting next to the brownies was mine because they had peanut butter in them.
I smiled at her with tears in my eyes. “Thank you.”
She nodded, and didn’t hesitate when I threw myself into her arms. She rubbed my back, stroking my wet hair. “I am glad you came back to us, my child.”
We broke our embrace, and then I ran upstairs to change. After I returned, we ate our meal at the table. The fireplace warmed our space, the storms doing nothing to break our peaceful moment together. It was nice to sit there and enjoy each other’s company. I felt like I had a mom again. Now that I was open to more information, I wanted to know more about them, all of them. I couldn’t help but boggle her down with my most assuredly annoying questions. “You said in the orchard Luca was chosen for you. What did you mean by that?” I asked, my voice anxious with anticipation.
She gave a hearty laugh in response to my over-eagerness. “I knew the questions would come sooner or later, but I am glad they came sooner, dear.” She placed her fork down, then dabbed her mouth with a cotton napkin. “The program that Luca explained to you outside is called the Hunter Program. At the time of birth, Eldae
n children are selected to become participants within it. When the program was created, the elders of our world felt the participants should be raised on Earth. Giovanni and myself were chosen as ‘placement families’ to host a young Hunter child and raise him or her until he or she is ready to begin training. Luca was our first child. And our last. He came to us at two years of age.”
He was so young. “So he’s never really known his home? Has he gone back since?”
Bernadetta’s face grew somber. “No, he has not. It is strictly against the code of the program. A Hunter cannot go back to Elda until they are released, which usually only happens with age or severe injury.”
I gazed down, staring into my partially consumed meal. Luca didn’t know his real family anymore than I had. In fact, I probably knew mine more. I looked at her again. “So, he doesn’t know or remember anything about his birth parents?
“Oh, he knows more than you may think, my dear. You see, Eldaens, we remember everything from the day we are brought into the world. It is one of our gifts.” She smiled.
I didn’t know if that was a really cool gift or a really sucky gift. I didn’t know if I would want to remember everything. I had so much pain in the first half of my life I was happy to forget most of it, but the thought that he remembered his family made me happy. I pushed on. “I noticed your and Giovanni’s accents. Are you—”
“We were stationed in Italy when we first came here. Luca grew up there.”
That explained a lot. Though Luca didn’t have the Italian accent as Giovanni and Bernadetta, he still spoke as if he was foreign with his proper English. And the way he carried himself definitely reflected Giovanni and Bernadetta, as well. He was clearly raised by them. That got me thinking about something else she said. “You said Luca was your last child. Why?”
Bernadetta’s eyes veered away from mine. When they returned, they were full of sadness. “When they took him from us to begin training, the pain was too much to endure. We loved him so, and we knew we would never be allowed to see him again. It was against the code. We left the program shortly after he left us. We couldn’t deal with the painful repercussions of it. Giovanni tracked Luca down and we moved to the United States to be near to him. We extended our hand to him and promised we would not intervene in his life unless he asked. He came back with you.” She smiled warmly.
The conversation only reminded me of how beautiful Luca really was. He was essentially born into a life of slavery and ripped away from all that was near and dear to him. The people of his world took his life away from him. He didn’t get a choice. The hurt and pain he must feel everyday was probably excruciating, and to top it all off, he was forced to track down and kill people he didn’t even know. He could never really know anyone. He could never love anyone. It made me even more appreciative of the sacrifices he was making for me, the sacrifices Bernadetta spoke of earlier. I finally understood why he did everything he did before. And Bailey was right. Everything he did was to protect me. I would no longer ignore the truth of my heart. I knew who to trust, and it was no one else, but him.
*
I stared into the darkness of the storm. The quilt gave my body comfort as the window revealed the horrors outside. I thought about Luca and Giovanni, hoping they won their fight against the storm. Bernadetta and Giovanni were so kind; I didn’t want them to lose what they held dear.
The storm’s thundered sounds lashed into my body that night, making it hard to sleep. All I could do was watch the waves of the wind blow through the trees that encased my Utopia.
I turned toward him when he touched my cheek. I hadn’t noticed his arrival. The sound of the chaos outside mastered all my attention. He sat next to me on the window seat. The room was so dark, but his eyes were still so bright. Illuminated. There was a fire there. It burned within his eyes. His gaze of me confirmed my previous actions in the barn were not too forward, and that they were exactly what he desired. Me.
Luca slipped his hand into the quilt. Guiding his fingers along my waist, he made it to the small of my back. He brought me closer to him, and the quilt fell from my body. He then drew in, and his lips brushed against my cheek.
My heart hitched and my senses heightened throughout my body. I wanted to throw my arms around him, and pick up where we last left off. I forced myself to hold back, though. I was determined to let him guide our pace. I wanted to savoir every moment with him.
His lips grazed down my jaw line, and he stroked the line softly into my hair. I closed my eyes, and brought my hand to where his stroked my cheek. His lips moved from my hair, to my forehead, and down to the corner of my mouth. Pulsing with longing, I pursed my lips. I could taste the hunger moving over my tongue as I waited for him to kiss me full on. And just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to take it anymore, he did just that. I let him take full control, allowing him to go at his own pace. He moved so slowly and passionately that it felt wrong to rush him. He knew exactly what to do. And the way he was being so gentle with me allowed me to realize something. He didn’t just want to have me physically. He wanted me completely, mind and body.
We just kissed at first, exploring each other’s lips at a leisurely pace. Then, he wrapped his arms around me, and pulled my body into his. Our kiss strengthened when he pressed his chest against mine.
I sucked in short breaths, quickly forgetting how my lungs worked, as our lips continued to move. I could feel the intense want building inside me, inside him. I lifted the hem of his shirt.
My fingertips touched his skin and he gasped against my lips. I affected him just as much as he affected me. This turned me on even more. My fingers moved slowly against him, exploring the solid structure of his abs.
I caressed his body, and his lips left mine. He lay his forehead against mine, his warm breath moving over my lips. I curled my fingers around the material of his t-shirt and worked it off him. He lifted his head from mine so I could remove it. After the shirt was gone to the floor, I slipped my arms around his neck. He slid one arm under my knees, the other around my back, and lifted me from the window seat.
When we arrived at the bed, he removed his arm from under my knees, and in one quick motion, he held me stable in his other arm. He did this so effortlessly. His strength fully revealed to me. I didn’t have time to react to this feat, as I now watched the hand that left me.
He guided his hand over the length of the bed, and the sheets pulled back by themselves.
I gazed at him wide eyed and he smiled. Without a word, he pressed his mouth to mine and lay us down together without breaking our kiss. His body locked against mine and my heart raced. I ran my hands down his smooth, hard chest. The same frantic race of his own heart drummed against my fingertips. Our breathing was lost within the other, our mouths dependent. My senses became ravaged by his aroma and taste.
He wore the shining emblem from our first date. The metal hovered over my chest and teased my skin, my body shivering in response. I lifted my hand to it, entwining my fingers in the chain. My tongue delved his mouth and a deep noise rolled within his chest.
After a few moments, his lips went to my neck. My body actually numbed, his kisses there felt so good. His hand traveled up my thigh, and he brought my body into his. I moaned and eased my legs apart to wrap around his waist. My arms tugged him in even closer, yet. He couldn’t be close enough.
His hand continued to slide up my thigh and to the bottom of my shorts.
I released my legs from his waist, thinking he was going to pull them off me, but all he did was keep sliding his hand up my body and rested the touch at my lower back. I grew anxious waiting for him, but didn’t force him to do anything differently.
His lips left my neck and ventured to my chest. He began to place kisses in a line down my body, and I tensed within an instant. I drew back from him before he could continue any farther.
Luca released me immediately. His eyes shifted in alarm as he stared at me. “What is it, Ariel? What is wrong?”
Heat fi
lled my face. The moment was over. The passion was done … because of me. “I ….” My voice couldn’t formulate the truth. “I just don’t think we should.” My eyes didn’t well long before the tears came. Why can’t I just tell him the truth?
The hurt in his eyes tore at my insides. “Why?”
My eyes made an involuntary shift down and he followed my gaze. He then touched my hand, the one clinching hard to my silk shirt.
I stiffened, but didn’t make him move his hand from mine.
When he witnessed I wasn’t stopping him, he continued. He gently released the grasp of my fingers from the silk, and I willingly let him. Opening the buttons to my shirt, he started from the middle and went down. As the last button was undone, he exposed my stomach. I lay before him, flaws and all.
I glanced away with clouded eyes, not wanting to see his reaction. He was seeing what I didn’t want him to see, what I didn’t want anyone to see. My scars. The deep, third-degree burns of my childhood were laid out before him. A constant reminder of the pain I endured and could never truly escape from.
I expected him to draw back, but he didn’t. He smiled, then caressed my body with the tips of his fingers. His hand went slow, tingling every part of my scared flesh. He then leaned in, and kissed my skin with his powerful lips. He remained there for quite some time, taking away the insecurities of my painful past with every kiss and every stroke of his hand.
As his hand and lips moved over my body, my skin trembled and I closed my eyes. He was providing the relief my body so desperately needed, and I was so grateful for it.
When he lifted his head, he looked at me with his gorgeous eyes. He drew in close and slid his hand to my cheek, then wiped away my tears with his thumb. “Sei bella,” he said, smiling warmly at me.
I felt the drain of any and all anxiety at the sound of his words. I knew what he said, remembering those words from the night at the gala. He thought I was beautiful.
The Crimson Hunt Page 23