Guarding His Heart

by Carolyn Spear

  He kneeled on the floor next to the bed. What is he doing? Gently, he encircled her ankles and dragged her toward him, finally nestling his face between her legs.

  A quiver ran through her with the first lap of his tongue on her tender flesh. If she thought she was hot before, she was burning up now. Warmth raced up her chest and straight to the top of her head. He bent her legs at the knees and rested her feet on his shoulders. She lay open for his pleasure, but her pleasure ratcheted higher with each swipe of his tongue.

  He circled her swollen nub, flicked it, and her whole body jerked with an intense thrill. She panted with each lap of the flat of his tongue. She gasped each time he speared into her. He alternated the rhythm, keeping her on a razor’s edge. She couldn’t catch her breath. Didn’t care to. She dug her fingers into the comforter beneath her but couldn’t hold on. Her inner muscles tightened, coiled, bunched. Her heart raced. She bit her lip to keep from moaning.

  “Let go, Cassie.”

  God, she wanted to, she wanted to do anything he asked. Demanded. Hell, ordered. But she couldn’t.

  “I can’t, Trevor. I just can’t. Please, I need you inside me.”

  The supplication and pure need in her voice convinced him she wanted to be with him. She didn’t play games. She personified goodness and sweetness and was probably more than a bit inhibited with her previous lovers.

  He smiled as he rose to his feet. That is something we can fix, but not now.

  After grabbing a packet from the nightstand, he crawled over the bed as she scooted back to accommodate his body.

  He lay beside her, marveling at her perfect milky white breasts with the pretty pink peaks. He circled one with a finger then took it into his mouth.

  He couldn’t take much more of this. His cock throbbed painfully. His heart hammered in his chest. He trembled with every stroke of her fingers on his back, his arms. Electricity charged through him wherever they touched. He needed to be inside her as much as she wanted him there.

  He sucked gently and flicked the rosy bud with the tip of his tongue. He slid his hand down her body over the curve of her hip, past the silky skin of her belly.

  By the gods, she was so hot, so wet for him. No doubt, she’d be tight, but as aroused as she was, their first time would be fine. Better than fine.

  Fucking fantastic.

  No turning back now. He stroked his fingers between her legs. No way he could deny his driving need again. Not when her skin trembled beneath his touch.

  Her body tensed around his finger. Blood surged in his veins, pounded in his head. He longed for her inner muscles to tighten around his engorged shaft.

  She found his erection, grasped him firmly. She stroked from the base to the tip and smoothed the fluid over the tip. His cock reacted by swelling even more. He almost came in her hand.

  He removed her hand from his shaft, ripped the foil packet, and rolled the condom into place. After he settled between her legs, his eager member nudged her slick opening.

  “Cassie, my sweet Cassie,” he said between soft kisses, “I’ve wanted you ever since I first laid eyes on you. Now, you’re mine.”

  Her smile turned to a breathy gasp as he eased into her. He paused, gave her time to adjust to his girth. Even then, her muscles pulsed around his engorged cock, driving his inner beast insane with the mindless need to take.

  “Damn, Cassie, you’re so tight,” he growled. At the widening of her eyes, he anticipated her reaction, grinding out, “Don’t you dare apologize for how you’re made. You’re amazing.” With supreme control, he slid in another inch. With each exquisite advance into her tight channel, his ability to hold himself in check slipped a degree.

  He distracted himself by feasting on her breasts, sucking them, grazing the tips with his teeth. Her hips rose. Her body fell to the mattress only to drive him inside her again. And again. Each time, a moan broke from her, her desire forcing her wildness to the surface, something he was sure she didn’t even know she had inside.

  With each moan, he lost ground in the battle with his inner beast. Her inner muscles tightened and began to spasm.

  With a growl of discontent that he’d lost the war he’d waged with the animal inside him, he rode her hard, deep, spurred by the pricks of pain incurred by her fingernails on his back. She met each of his thrusts, enshrining his cock in her velvet heat, until he hung on the edge of ecstasy. Close. By the gods, she would come first.

  Her feminine whimpers became muffled as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from crying out.

  “Don’t hold back,” he ground out. He needed her to show him how much he turned her on. He leaned down and kissed her hard, swallowing her scream when he reached between their bodies to stroke her swollen clit.

  He kept his rhythm, thrusting deep, unable to deny his body’s need for release. She came hard. Her body jerked against him, her muscles gripping him like a fist, triggering his own unbelievably violent orgasm. His head arched back and he roared in explosive ecstasy. His seed spurted forth in hot jets, draining him.

  No woman, human or paranormal, had pushed his limits, had made him work harder to control his beast. Sex had always been a pleasant physical release, but never this grinding need to be with her again. And again. To never let her go. Could she be his intended mate? Could the fates have chosen a human woman for him?

  Careful not to crush her even though he desperately wanted to collapse, he lowered his body to hers, keeping some of his weight on his arms. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, his heart turning over in his chest when her arms pulled him close and her legs rubbed up and down over his ass and the backs of his thighs.

  “You’re really furry,” she murmured, tracing circles with one finger in the hair on his chest.

  You have no idea. He kissed her soft neck.

  After a few moments, he withdrew from her still incredibly tight body to dispose of the condom. I should tell her everything. And I will when the time is right.

  He lay down with her, pulling her into his arms and burrowed under the covers. He ignored the inner voice calling him a lying coward.

  Chapter 5

  Cassidy woke the following morning tangled up in the covers and Trevor. She shifted, trying to untie her legs from the sheets without waking him.

  Trevor.

  Forty-eight hours ago, she’d thought he was dead. Even though she only knew him in passing, she was not only very attracted by his masculine warrior appearance, but also his quiet affectionate demeanor with Allan.

  He’d make a great dad.

  She glanced at the bedside table, where six—count ’em six—condoms had been stocked by the resort for their guests’ pleasure. After all, sex is a great way to relieve tension. Wow was it! She could barely move this morning because they’d used every one of them.

  Had he planned to seduce her? Or somebody else? He had a right to. They weren’t a committed couple or anything.

  She didn’t want anyone else.

  Maybe he felt the same way, too. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered how attentive he was yesterday when they came up for air at lunch. She loved the way he touched her: lightly stroking the back of her hand, tracing a finger on her arm or leg, brushing his knuckles gently over her cheek. Her skin tingled and she couldn’t help sighing like a schoolgirl or smiling like a lunatic. She’d never been with a man who seemed so entranced with her.

  He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close. He was doing it again. No one had ever made her feel so cherished, so loved.

  Love. Is that what this is?

  Weaving her fingers through the curly hair on his chest, she snuggled tighter.

  Love? Yeah, she was going there. Not falling, perhaps, but definitely taking purposeful steps in that direction. She fought her heart’s desire to rush in and dive off
the cliff. Her body’s signals were clear on the topic. Her head told her Trevor had so much more to offer beyond the sex.

  Both of them ending up on an island she’d never heard of was more than a coincidence. He held a secret. She didn’t believe what he’d said about being a spy and she’d seen him turn into a beast. If only he trusted her with his secret. One thing she’d learned from her mother’s emotional distance was that she needed someone she could count on unconditionally.

  She still had time to earn his trust. She prayed a few more days was enough.

  Being with Trevor is as surreal as this island. She watched him over the rim of her coffee cup. They sat at a cozy table for two in the crowded dining room. Empty plates stacked in front of them proved they’d worked up a strong appetite from their lovemaking.

  “I have to see Sage for a moment,” Trevor said.

  As he pushed back his chair to rise, she didn’t meet his eyes. Of course, he’d want to see Sage. The woman was small and beautiful, vivacious and serene.

  Her insecurities were only mildly assuaged by his kiss on the top of her head and the affectionate squeeze of her shoulder.

  “Be right back, baby.”

  She tracked him as he approached the petite blond woman in the lobby. He still hadn’t admitted to his heritage and she hadn’t asked him. He had to open up and trust her on his own or they had no future together. Maybe they didn’t anyway. Why did he need to see Sage? She hated that he would feel a closer connection with another woman, hated this jealousy that churned in her stomach and her throat.

  She couldn’t—no wouldn’t—sit here while he spent time with another woman, so she shot from her chair and threw her napkin on the table. As she turned, she bumped into the geeky man she thought of as “the professor.”

  “Excuse me,” she muttered.

  He steadied her, taking her arm. His dark brown—almost black—eyes burned into her. Her skin crawled from the assessing look and the insincere smile curving his lips. Creeped out by his expression and his forward nature—he grasped her arm for much longer than necessary—she again mumbled an apology, tore her arm from his hold and hurried away.

  Rounding the corner, she shook off the chill from her encounter with the weird geek, only to encounter a scene that fired her temper. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair, dressed all in black, stood alongside the pixie-like Sage, who skimmed Trevor’s cheek with her fingertips while he leaned down in intimate conversation.

  Bile rose in her throat, but instead of running, she edged closer to hear.

  “So, Trev,” the brunette said, “easier to keep an eye on your new charge when she’s in your bed?”

  He drew back, though she couldn’t hear what he said but she did catch the unknown woman’s reply.

  “I’m just saying it definitely makes your job easier. Easier to know where your sheath is when your dagger’s in it.”

  Laughter rang in Cassidy’s ears as she stormed to the front desk. The card-flipping gypsy woman glanced up, but continued turning cards almost automatically. The woman’s nametag was wrong: it said Rekkus. Was everyone here playing with her?

  “Turn left, up the hill about a fifteen minute walk.”

  What? She hadn’t asked a question. Yet. “Wait a minute. Are you psychic?”

  The gypsy smirked. “Me? No. But the cards tell me what I need to know.”

  “I wish they could tell me.” This crazy island was turning out to be more of an asylum than the one she’d left on the mainland.

  The woman’s smile turned gentle and appeared genuine. “The cards only tell me the possibilities. You, my friend, decide your fate. Your path.”

  Cassidy shook her head, the kind words touching deeply enough to break through the fury to expose the hurt beneath.

  With tears now flowing, pissing her off even more, she muttered a thank you and made her way out the building.

  Damn him. He was a bastard for taking advantage of her. As she stomped along the path, her anger dissipated, replaced with self-blame. She should have known better than to expect anything from such an attractive man. A player. Or maybe he needed more than what she was.

  She shouldn’t have assumed they were exclusive. Being together these last few days, sharing a traumatic experience, feeling whole and cherished when she was with him made her feel like they were meant to be together. Like fate. But that was crazy. And she was tired of being crazy.

  And what the hell did she mean “his charge?” So his job was to protect her now? Was getting her into bed just a part of the job or a fringe benefit? Well, she didn’t need his protection.

  Only a few more days to avoid him. She’d tell him to leave her alone. Go spend his time with Sage Rowan or whomever the hell else he desired. Stay the hell out of her life.

  Disappointment outranked the hurt and pain by the time she arrived at the waterfall.

  The flowing water and lulling sound soothed her. She wasn’t completely relieved of all that pained her, but this place instilled solace in her.

  Glancing around, half expecting to sense her bodyguard nearby, she kicked off her shoes and sank her feet into the luxuriant moss. The rushing water drowned out her critical inner voice berating her for believing in yet another person who’d let her down. No, this was here. This was now.

  She would get over him and push past the pain the same way she’d gotten over her father’s death.

  “Myron,” Trevor began as he tried to hold the raucous laugh inside and failed, “you know Rekkus will not find that amusing.” He jerked his chin toward her chest where the bogus nametag was pinned.

  Her mouth and eyebrow twitched up in tandem as she replied, “It was the first one I grabbed. I’m not trying to piss him off.”

  Yeah, right. He wasn’t fooled as the grin she attempted to suppress spread across her face.

  “But back to why you are here?” Myron sat back and flipped over another of her seemingly ordinary cards.

  “Blackjack,” he said as he watched her turn over an ace of diamonds and a king of spades. “Hey, have you seen Cassidy—”

  “Not blackjack, Trevor, but a mixed message.” Her brow furrowed as she stared at the cards then back at him. “A package or a message will arrive, very important, and an influential man may get in the way.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” The mystic and mischievous desk clerk exasperated him. Concerned for Cassidy, he needed to know her whereabouts.

  The woman leaned back in her chair, serene again as she shuffled the cards. “I just read the cards, Trevor. It’s up to you to figure how the message applies to your current situation.”

  Her careless shrug infuriated him. He needed to know where his charge was. Now. After counting to ten, he tried again.

  “Myron—or Rekkus—can you please tell me if you’ve seen Cassidy Sinclair?”

  She took her time answering his simple question. “Yes. Yes, I have seen her.”

  “Today? Recently?” His blood pressure shot up as he struggled to calm down.

  “Yes, just a few minutes ago.”

  Finally, I’m getting somewhere.

  With sarcasm dripping from his words like blood from a vamp’s fangs, he asked, “Could you tell me in which direction she went?”

  She pissed him off with another careless shrug. “Sure, she headed toward the waterfall.”

  He didn’t bother to thank her for her help since he’d had to extract it from her so painfully. His giant stride ate up the distance between Myron and the exit.

  “Oh, to say she was angry would be to put it mildly.”

  Great. Just fucking great.

  So, she’d disappeared, she hadn’t found him to tell him where she was going and she was ticked. Nothing like an angry female to make your day.

  Sta
lking out the door, he shouldered past Rekkus.

  “Hey. Watch where you’re going.” His tone was low and deadly.

  Even though his friend’s face was neutral, Trevor wasn’t a match to Rekkus’s gift from the fates: super strength, both in human and shifted forms. His best option to calm down, apologize, and maybe Rekkus could help him find his woman. Damn it. Not his woman, his charge.

  He should stop thinking of her as his. If he didn’t keep his head in the game, he’d miss another signal things were amiss and this time his charge would die. He couldn’t let that happen—not to Cassie.

  While he’d given his heart to her in the last day and a half, he hadn’t given her his trust. He still hadn’t told her his biggest secret. He’d had this internal argument a hundred times. He needed her and loved her but he couldn’t trust any human. Still, the thought of her with another man, bearing his children twisted his insides and made his heart ache painfully in his chest.

  After a deep inhalation to clear his head, he spoke. “Man, I’m sorry. I can’t find Cassie and Myron said she’s headed to the waterfall.”

  Rekkus dropped his hand from Trevor’s arm and smiled. “Ah, so it’s ‘Cassie’ now, is it? I’m sure she’s fine, my friend.”

  Shit, he didn’t need this right now. “It’s not like that—”

  “Oh, sure it is.” The unfamiliar wide smile spread on the man’s face, further irritating Trevor. Rekkus was a strong, fairly unemotional type except when his mate, Dana, was involved. “I feel the same way about Dana. I can handle anything with a cold, clear head. Add her to the equation and I’m ready to rip someone’s throat out.” He patted Trevor on the shoulder. “It gets better after you’re mated.”