“Bakeries don’t take breaks. Not if they want to maintain a good business reputation and not without a damn good reason the public can know. I’d have to rebuild everything. And you expect my employees to wait around and be available whenever this break ends? Not a chance. They have families to support.” Moriah shook her head.
“Moriah, I don’t like this.” Dante flexed his fingers. “I understand why you’re resisting. I know you want to make sure your employees remain safe. It won’t be just you and me or you and anyone leaving any longer. Extra men will come to the bakery at closing time to escort you out and make sure that there aren’t any incidents. I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”
“Are you sure they won’t just get a group to counter the number of men you send?” She frowned.
“Do you want to work at your bakery or not? I’d rather keep you here and safe.” Cael raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not that I don’t want to go there, but I saw that thing attack. I’m sure it would be more formidable if there were more of them, and I heard that they do that.” She ran her finger over the smooth top of the table.
“They won’t expend that type of resources on it, most likely. Some of them would die, and they wouldn’t want that.” Cael reached over and covered her hand. “There probably aren’t that many of them.”
“So this might solve the problem of the Gobel attacking at my bakery.” She held her breath. Maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about those things any longer.
Thane nodded. “But they will be looking for another way to attack you, to take advantage. They know you’re a weak spot.”
Crap. So they wouldn’t move on. On the other hand if they did, they’d go after someone else. If another person else got hurt, she might not be able to forgive herself.
“Does every male here tell their woman she’s a weakness for him? Cause let me tell you, it doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies.” She leaned back in her chair. Maybe she was weaker, but they didn’t need to point it out.
Cael’s eyes widened. “What do you think we mean when we say you’re a weak spot?”
“There’s really not much room for misinterpretation. You three would be able to handle everything if I wasn’t here and in need of protection.” She put her hands on the table. How could they make her feel so defensive with just one question?
“There is a different way to see it. Sunshine, you’re not our weak spot because you need protection. It’s because you mean so much to us, because you’re so important. They know that.” Cael squeezed her hand.
She blinked. Was he trying to make her feel better? He would do that. They all would.
“It’s not just words. If they kill you, it would send the three of us to the edge and put the community in jeopardy because of our reaction. Although I’m not sure they realize what position we hold, they do know that you are vital to us.” Thane stood and strode around the table.
“It’s why they go after our women.” Dante leaned back.
“All right, I did wonder about that.” She licked her lips. “So how do you plan to do the night time leave thing? Am I and whoever is with me supposed to wait for you to call and tell us, or do we call you when we’re almost ready?”
“The one who’s with you will call, and men will come. You don’t step outside without extra men to guard you. It would offer too much chance for one of them to come at you.” Dante stood. “I wish we didn’t have to restrict you in any way.”
“I wish the same, but we have to deal with what we’re given. I’m just glad that I didn’t have to fight you more about going to work.” She squeezed Cael’s hand and smiled at Dante.
“You have points, and you were right. If you weren’t in danger, your workers would be.” Cael nodded. “It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be going out of our mind until we’ve stopped these attacks.”
Chapter Fifteen
Thane followed Moriah’s swaying hips down the stairs. A few fighting lessons would prepare her if someone or something came after her.
Not that she’d face even a human one on one if they could help it, but she needed to learn to move. Especially with her Branal heritage. She would face an Appari at some point, and she had to be able to take the thing down in the quickest most efficient way.
Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen for a while. Naomi could teach her a few things, but he’d rather she learned from someone more experienced, such as Calista or her brother.
Dante had been called away to deal with a tiff between a group of younger Gargoyles. Cael was dealing with a minor emergency at their office building, but should be on his way back soon. Maybe he’d be here in time to help with the lesson.
“So you have a gym down here?” Moriah glanced over her shoulder.
“Yes, we’ve been a little busy since you arrived. Dante mentioned that you needed to learn to fight. We all intended to be here, but I’m sure Dante will be here for the next lesson.” Thane stepped down the last step. The gym area wasn’t in the large open area at the bottom of the stairs. It was in a walled-off, doored area at the far end to keep the entire basement from smelling like sweat.
“You’re going to teach me to fight? You know I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now.” Moriah lifted a brow and put a hand on her hip.
The glint in her eyes, and that cocky little pose challenged him. A black tank top hugged the swell of her breasts, and the elastic shorts cupping her ass offered a huge temptation. He walked over to her and leaned down, stealing a small kiss before turning away again.
“Have you had any lessons in martial arts?” He led the way back to their home gym.
“Um, no.” She drew out the word.
“So how would you take care of yourself in a fight?” He pushed open the door and turned back to her.
“My abilities.” She shook her head at him.
“Your abilities don’t work fast. It’s a slow drain since you don’t know much about your abilities.” Thane frowned at her. “People can also feel when it’s happening even if they don’t know what it is. You need to learn to fight in other ways. You could be badly hurt before your abilities make much of a difference.”
“I don’t know if it’s really necessary. I’ve never had anything happen before this crap with those Gobel, and I hope I never see them again.” Moriah’s shoulder’s twitched as if a shiver ran down her back.
“I hate to tell you this, but I thought you knew, you will likely come into contact with a different type of being here with us.” Thane took her hand and drew her over to the bench in front of the weights near one corner.
“What do you mean?” She turned and frowned at him.
“Sit down.” He gestured to the bench.
She sank onto it. Her hands clenched together as she glanced up at him. The whiteness around her knuckles told of her nervousness.
“Has one of your Branal teachers mentioned the Appari?” Thane brushed his fingers over her shoulder.
“Yeah, one of them mentioned something about them being created beings capable of taking the spirits of people they drained.” She nodded.
“Well, we’ve had a few of those attacks in the last months. You’ll need to be prepared to fight those. Admittedly, you won’t be doing that with fists, but the practice moving and responding to others moving will help.” Thane eased in behind her and ran his hands over her shoulders. Only the straps of her tank top interfered with his enjoyment of her skin.
“But aren’t those things fought with a knife and the abilities? And the Appari have sharp claws. Because the drawing of that thing did not look like those things were kitten claws.” Moriah’s eyes widened, and she tried to bolt to her feet.
“Relax. There’s a woman here who has fought them. She’ll talk with you and teach you what she knows. With any luck, there won’t be an attack for a while, and you’ll have a chance to learn from Calista. I’ve never seen anyone better than her.” Thane rotated his thumbs against the now corded muscles in her sho
ulders.
“That does give me a little more reassurance, and I would like to learn from Calista. All right. We’ll try this. Are you going to swing at me? Cause I’ve seen enough of you guys moving to know that I don’t stand a chance.” She took a breath and slowly let it out.
“No, I’m not going to swing at you. Not with my fists. We’re going to put you in some boxing gloves, and I’ll put on some mitts. We’ll get you punching first and then go to a moving target.” Thane stepped back. “Come on. What we need is over there. Let’s go and get started. Let’s work up a sweat, because I have plans to help you add to that after you finish.”
He led the way to the cushioned mats spread over the floor. He grabbed the gloves and held them. Her steps slowed as she approached. He smiled.
“Come on, sunshine. I’m the one most likely to get hit here.” He tucked one of the gloves under his arm and held the other out. She needed to relax.
She nodded. Her mouth kicked up a little. Good. Maybe she saw this wasn’t so serious. If not, he’d do his best to make that clear.
He slipped the glove onto her hand and secured it at the wrist. Grabbing the other, he put it on her hand and made sure it wouldn’t move or fall off. He nodded and grabbed the sparring mitts. He put them on first, tightening the Velcro before slipping on the second, securing the strap with his teeth.
“All right, we’re going to start with some basic punches at first, and then I’ll work in some ducking and dodging from you. I’ll give you a heads up since this is our first lesson.” Thane held up the mitts. “Now, right first then left.”
She looked down at the gloves and then up at him. “On another day, you won’t give me a heads up about ducking and dodging?”
“Well, maybe on the second day, but you need to get accustomed to reacting and being aware of what’s happening.” He smiled at her. If she thought that was mean, she was really going to be surprised when Dante started working with her. That man took practice seriously.
She punched at the right mitt and then struck the left. He held the mitt in place. Best to let her get accustomed to hitting before moving the mitts to different positions. She punched. Her covered fists struck the leather.
“All right, we’re going to mix in some dodging and ducking now. Pay attention.” Thane lifted the right target high again.
She smacked her glove into the mitt. He swept his other arm high, intentionally going above her head. She ducked.
“Next time, pop up and hit.” Thane held the left up.
She struck the glove. He swept his right hand above her head at the same time as he moved the left in front of his chin. She ducked. When she rose, she drove her hand upward into the mitt. Soon, her fist smacked, and she ducked and hit again. Time to add something new to the mix.
She smacked the target and bobbed down below his sweeping arm. He put the mitt into place in time for her to jab at it. As she did, he grazed her hip with his other.
She froze and looked from him to the mitt. So surprised. He clenched his jaw. Laughing wouldn’t help.
“No stopping.” He held up his right hand again. “If you feel something, move.”
She scowled at him, but threw another punch. She dipped down and popped up, jabbing at the glove. He firmed his lips. Not just yet. She was on guard and prepared. Wait. Let her relax again. She punched, ducked, and dodged.
He pulled his hand shoulder height for a punch, swiped, and positioned the target for her next hit. As her fist landed, he drew the glove over her abdomen and up to the swell of her breasts. She jumped back and glanced down at the glove.
“Good.” He nodded. “Keep going. We still have work to do. Dante wouldn’t let you take a break this soon.”
“Not fair.” She narrowed her eyes. “It’s not as if I said I wanted a break. You just surprised me there with the gropey touch.”
“There’s a lot of noise coming from you. How about we cut down on that and get to moving those hands again?” Thane held up his hands. They wouldn’t do anything too complex with the sparring today. She needed time to get accustomed to it.
She struck the right mitt and the left. He raised it. She punched. He swiped over her head. She ducked and drove a hand into the left mitt again. For a little while, the slap of leather against leather sounded. Her breath came faster now. Her chest lifted the mounds of her breasts, a temptation. Before they left the basement, he’d give in to that.
He lifted his hand. She struck the mitt, ducking before he even lifted his other hand. The woman was getting too accustomed to this. He held up his hands for her to hit again. The gloves struck. He swiped and moved the mitt to chest height on his left. When she struck it, he swatted her hip with his right.
She growled and jumped at him. His breath caught in his throat. He wrapped his arms around her and took a step back. Her hands clutched at his shoulders. She curled her legs around his hips, holding on. He laughed.
“What? Is this your way of telling me that you’ve had enough?” Thane cupped her round ass and pulled her hips against his.
“No, this is my way of telling you that if you’re going to sneak in some teasing touches, I’m going to change the plan, too.” She pressed kisses to his cheek.
“I was just keeping you on your toes, sunshine.” Thane drew his lips over her cheek. Dante probably wouldn’t be happy about a short practice session.
“You were just teasing. Don’t try to kid someone who was thinking about the same thing.” She wriggled. Her breasts brushed back and forth over his chest.
All right, that was true. He probably wouldn’t have given in to it for another ten minutes or so. Her breasts swayed beneath the shirt. He would have peeled her out of that sooner or later. But telling her that wouldn’t keep the practice on track.
“No, you need to be ready to react. In a fight, your opponent is going to be moving the same as you are. You’ll need to be aware and ready. You kept forgetting to watch my other hand.” He held her with one hand and ran his other up her back.
“Well, I’m ready for something. Are you going to give me what I need?” She leaned down and nipped at his lip.
Her thighs tightened. She lifted against him. The move ground her pussy over his cock. An ache throbbed through his shaft. Heat poured from her, searing through the thin layers of clothing separating them. He’d be lucky if he didn’t rip the fabric right off her.
He groaned. Damn, she knew how to tempt him. He had to feel those slick muscles surrounding him soon.
“Fuck, sunshine, I want you.” He nibbled at her lips.
“Then why don’t we get naked and we can do something about it.” She combed her fingers through his hair.
He lowered her to her feet. “Let’s get these clothes off. Since you attacked me, did you have a plan?”
“I want to ride you.” She pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a black sports bra. Her shoes went flying across the room next.
“Then finish stripping, sunshine, because I’m almost done.” He ripped his shirt over his head and pushed his shorts down, taking his boxers with them. He stepped out, kicked off his shoes, and sprawled on the mats.
She wriggled out of her shorts. He clenched his jaw. A shot of desire speared straight through him. Damn, that hip wriggle had to be deliberate. The shorts weren’t tight. She shouldn’t need to add in that extra shimmy.
“You know. I don’t think you’re close to ready. I can smell a light scent of desire, but not nearly high enough.” Thane stared up at her. He wouldn’t find his pleasure and leave her hanging.
“I think you can take care of that if you really give it some effort.” She raised her brows as she strode over to him.
“I certainly can, sunshine. You just put this part in my hands.” He grinned. And touching and tasting was a huge bonus.
She stepped over his hips. “You do know where to put your hands to best use.”
“Not there, sunshine, and I won’t be using my hands.” He curled his finger.
“D
oes this mean that I get to do a little teasing while you get ready?” The grin on her lips promised wicked delights.
“No, it does not. If you get your hands and mouth on me, I won’t last long. I’ll come. I want to feel your sweet muscles clenching around me, holding on as you find your pleasure. I love the way you grip my cock.” He drew in a deep breath as she approached.
Her lower lip pushed out in a pout. “I wanted to give you what you need, too.”
He laughed. “Try that when I can’t see the teasing light in your eyes. Now, get up here and let me get my mouth on your pussy.”
“Really.” She lowered to her knees one on each side of his face.
He clasped her thighs and guided her down. Her scent surrounded him. He inhaled, savoring the sweet essence. Time to make her wild. A tremor ran over her body. He brushed his hands up and down her leg. She whimpered.
He lapped at the lips. Slick juices coated the skin, but not enough. She needed to be wet and trembling, on the verge of coming. Her hips tilted forward in silent demand. Thane grinned.
He swiped his tongue down the center of her folds, striking her clit. Her scent grew stronger, and the heat rolled off of her skin. Yes, so beautiful.
He slid his hands over her legs and up to her buttocks, urging her closer. She tasted so good. He gripped the curves, before returning to her legs. Her fingers brushed against his hands. He swiped his tongue from her entrance up to the bud in a slow tease. Everything about her drew him closer.
Moans fell from her lips. Her hips rocked into the strokes. Good, but she still wasn’t ready. He pressed closer. Her juices flowed, and he lapped them up. Such a delicious flavor.
Her fingers clutched at his hair. She hummed and tugged him closer. He flicked his tongue over the sensitive nub. She jerked against him.
When her body trembled, he lowered his head. If he tormented her any more, she’d go over the edge. She moaned and tried to pull him back.
“No, you promised to ride me. My cock is aching and ready. Let’s move you down.” He put a little pressure on her legs.
Finding Their Flame [Stone Passions 2] Page 14