Bodyguards

by Kallysten

  “What if Aedan’s plan doesn’t work?” she insisted, needing to cover all possibilities. “What then?”

  Brad had to understand how close she was to agreeing, because his eyes lit up with excitement. “He’s sure—”

  “What if he’s wrong?”

  “If he’s wrong, I’ll tear the entire palace apart if I have to and get you back to Earth right then and there.”

  He didn’t add words like ‘promise’ or ‘swear,’ but the oath was right there in the strength of his voice and the intensity of his gaze. He looked down after a second then met her eyes again and spoke more hesitantly.

  “There’s something I think you should know. Aedan didn’t tell you. He never would burden you with that. But if we left… If he had to stay here alone… Well, he wouldn’t be able to maintain the shields.”

  For the time of a couple heartbeats, Vivien had trouble understanding what his point was. Surely he couldn’t mean that their departure would basically condemn Aedan to death, could he? But yes, she realized. That was exactly what he meant.

  “Why didn’t he say something?” she murmured, stunned.

  Brad grimaced. “Your life before ours. That was the oath we swore.”

  She was beginning to hate that oath about as much as she hated the idea of someone else dying to protect her. She swallowed hard as Anabel’s image flickered through her mind. Anabel had wanted Vivien to go home, and yet… Vivien wasn’t fond of Aedan or of the way he treated her like she couldn’t be trusted to act like a grown up, but she couldn’t deny that all he had done was try to help her. No, not just try. He had helped her, saved her, and she owed him and Brad.

  She inhaled deeply, called herself insane, and let out her breath in a rush of words.

  “All right. I’ll go to Rhuinn.”

  A beat passed, long enough for Vivien to wonder if Brad had understood what she’d said. She was about to say it again when he clutched her waist, drew her to him, and kissed her hard. She was too startled to reciprocate before he pulled away and let go of her, taking a step back inside his room with a guilty look etched on his face.

  “I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “I shouldn’t have. I don’t know what possessed me.”

  Vivien’s surprise melted in a rush of longing. She was frightened, and angry, and heartbroken, and the last thing she wanted was to be alone. “You’re not allowed to say ‘shouldn’t,’ remember?” she said in a rough voice.

  She barely had time to see him frown before she closed the space between them, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. This time, he was startled, but after a second or two he started to kiss her back, his hands at her waist again. They held her more gently now, but still tight enough against him that she could feel the effect she had on him. She moaned into the kiss, and he kissed her that much more fiercely.

  Again, he pulled away much too soon, and Vivien’s moan, this time, was one of frustration.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked in an urgent whisper, his fingers flexing on her waist. “It’s been a long day; a lot’s happened. It’s normal if you feel sad or alone. We don’t have to do this. I can just keep you company.”

  “Do you want this?” she shot back. “Because the only way I’m going to regret it is if you wake up sorry for spending the night with me.”

  A twisted little smile tugged at Brad’s lips. “And the only way I’ll be sorry is if it ends up being just one night.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  One Night

  Relief swept through Vivien, followed by an unexpected wave of shyness. When their lips met again, the kiss was as sweet and slow as their first one, down by the lake. Vivien ran her hand through Brad’s hair, pulling him tighter against her. His mouth lifted from hers, but immediately pressed against her cheek, then her jaw and neck. Tingles radiated from every touch, warming Vivien’s body and making her knees tremble.

  She nuzzled his neck and pushed gently against him, trying to guide him toward the bed to her left. After taking a step with her, he resisted and drew her to the bed on her right instead.

  Thoughts fluttered through Vivien’s mind, as fast and elusive as the flashing wings of a butterfly. Aedan’s bed. Where was Aedan? Would he intrude on them? They hadn’t closed the door. What about the bond thing? He had to know what was happening. Would he—

  Brad chased those stray thoughts away when he looked into her eyes and asked in an almost solemn murmur, “May I remove your shirt?”

  A shiver coursed through Vivien, and her mouth was suddenly too dry for words. She nodded and remained still as Brad’s fingers trailed down her arms and sides on their way to the hem of her tee-shirt. He eased it off with a careful gesture and averted his eyes as he set it on the night table, next to the tall candle and its wavering flame. She watched his face as he turned back to her and felt a rush of embarrassed pride when his eyes widened as they flitted over her. His Adam’s apple jumped, and he licked his lips.

  “Vivien.” Her name sounded like a prayer on his lips. “You’re…”

  As much as she wanted to know how he’d finish that thought, she wanted to feel him against her even more. She threw her arms around him and crushed her bare chest to his, feeling strength everywhere she was soft, and such heat that she shuddered against him. She mouthed kisses along his neck and collarbone, flicking her tongue to taste his skin.

  His hands ran up and down her back, tracing arabesques and spirals, then ventured to her sides, coming up to brush against the sides of her breasts. Within the confines of his pants, his cock was pulsing with each of her kisses, each of his caresses.

  “My turn,” she said.

  She only needed to take half a step for the back of her knees to hit the edge of the bed. She sat down, letting her hands trail from his shoulders to his hips, where his pants rode low and hinted that he might not be wearing underwear. She hooked her fingers under the fabric and pushed down, glancing up as she did. Brad’s eyes, usually so pale, were darkened by his dilated pupils. He watched her with such intensity, such hunger that her heart jumped in her chest, and she had to drop her gaze. She looked down just as she freed his cock and couldn’t suppress a moan at the sight.

  Well-defined veins ran down a long shaft that bobbed up and down, inviting touch. The entire length was flushed, but the tip was darker still, a small, clear drop of fluid beading along the slit. Vivien’s fingers felt nerveless when she fumbled to push Brad’s pants to his feet. She raised a trembling hand to his cock and wrapped it close around the base, where his sack hung tight and heavy. He was so thick, her thumb could just touch her forefinger around him. Brad moaned, a soft, keening sound that grew louder when Vivien leaned forward and flicked her tongue at the tip.

  Brad jerked back right out of her hand. Startled, Vivien looked up, wondering if she’d done something wrong. All she could see was the lust in Brad’s eyes before he pushed her down onto the bed and climbed in after her. Her legs dropped open to cradle him close to her, and as he lay on top of her, his cock pressed against the groove of her thigh. Even through her sweatpants she could feel how warm he was. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her hard, making her body buck against his, her fingernails drawing trails down his back.

  He said her name again, right against her lips, and this time it was a low sound that vibrated down to her very core. She closed her legs around him, holding him tight against her, but already he was sliding down. She started to complain, but her protest turned into a groan when his lips brushed against one hardened nipple, then the other.

  Then there was a small, closed-mouth kiss on the same nipple, and a second one on the other side. A small, flicking lick. A long, lingering one. Back and forth from left to right as though both her breasts needed to be worshipped in exactly the same way, and it wasn’t long before Vivien’s moans were equal parts pleasure and frustration since his touches were always exactly right—and always much, much too short.

  When he gave a small, tight suck
to her right nipple, her hand flew to the back of his head and pressed hard, holding him in place before he could lift his mouth once more to switch sides. She felt him shake against her, and she realized he was chuckling—and understood he had been driving her mad on purpose. He would pay, she promised herself. She’d get her revenge, and make him plead for her, and...

  And all thoughts fled her mind when his mouth fastened tightly enough on her nipple that she felt his teeth pressing into her flesh, a counterpoint of pressure to the delicious, wet suction of his lips. She crushed him even more tightly to her, both her hands now tangling in his hair to keep him close. He sucked until the tightness was on the edge of becoming pain, Vivien’s entire body tense under him, then abruptly shifted to gentler, soothing strokes of his tongue.

  Vivien’s body relaxed, though it still trembled, pleasure flashing through her in brief bursts, like shooting stars streaking across the sky. Her grip on his head slackened, and he lifted his mouth from her breast to caress the other.

  Quiet, breathy moans filled the room, reverberating off the walls and through Vivien’s mind, and it took her a little while to realize that they came from her. Brad was absolutely silent as he lavished attention upon her breast, his fingertips caressing the mound he wasn’t sucking on. With an effort of will, Vivien lowered one of her hands, caressing Brad’s smooth back, then the tight muscles of his ass, before slipping over his hip in search of his cock. She had to push her way between their bodies to find it, but soon she held the hard length in her hand, the wet tip pressing against her palm with each tiny jerk of Brad’s hips. His moans joined hers, muffled against her skin, and she shuddered with each one.

  “I want...I want you,” she stammered, her words coming fast to the galloping rhythm of her heart. “I want you inside me.”

  Brad lifted his head to look at her, desire burning in his eyes. She could have wept at the loss of contact when he pushed himself off her and sat back on his heels, but she consoled herself with the thought that soon he’d be back, closer than before, and she’d feel that strong body against her again, sculpted abs tight against her, strong arms cradling her.

  She watched his face as he tugged her pants down, leaving her bare before him. The hunger was still in his eyes, still as pronounced, now accompanied with a kind of reverence that took Vivien’s breath away and made her long for him, for his warmth, for closeness. No one had ever looked at her like that; she’d never known it could feel so erotic to be touched with nothing more than a loving gaze.

  He started to lower himself onto her, and Vivien felt herself blush when she asked, “Do you have... You know. A condom?”

  Brad stilled, then knelt up again, his hands resting on Vivien’s thighs, his thumbs brushing tiny circles on her skin that made it hard to concentrate and listen to what he was saying.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t.” He was breathing fast, his cock bobbing in front of him to the rhythm of his breaths. “We don’t use those on Foh’Ran. There are no illnesses here. At least not that kind.”

  It was hardly the most incredible thing she had heard since coming to this place, but a tiny bit of reluctance clung to Vivien. “What about...” She gulped. Her fingers twitched at her sides, longing to touch Brad again. “Birth control?”

  He laid down against her, holding himself up on one forearm, his cock pressing hard and hot along her wet folds, though not entering her.

  “Remember what I said,” he murmured, caressing her face with his fingertips. “About how the Quickening affects many aspects of our lives? Couples who want a child have to channel together, focus on the thought together while they make love to make it happen. And as much as I love you, I don’t think either of us wants that now.”

  Memories of that morning surged through Vivien, when the Quickening had looped between her and Brad, intensifying their desire for each other, making every touch, every kiss intoxicating and shattering. She didn’t want a child, no, not now when her life was already so complicated, but maybe next time they would channel together again and ride the power until the end. She thought she’d like that. For now, though...

  She slid a hand down to where his cock waited against her flesh. It pulsed in her hand when she took hold of it and spread the wetness from the tip over the entire head. Brad caressed her face again, his eyes locked with hers as she led the tip of his cock inside her. She let go of him, and they both sighed, then shared a smile at their mirrored reaction.

  Brad dipped his head toward her at the same time that he shifted, settling more comfortably between her legs. She brought her hand back up, and he took it, linking their fingers together. His lips touched hers at the moment his hips pressed forward, pushing his cock a little further inside her. Vivien moaned his name against his mouth; those couple inches were already awakening nerve endings she had forgotten existed—if she had even ever known.

  “Brad, please, I need you.”

  The words had barely passed her lips before Brad was thrusting again, slow slides of his hips that didn’t stop until he was all the way inside her, stretching her walls, stealing away her breath and ability to think. All she could do was feel: his hand as she tightened her fingers over his, the rippling of his muscles when she caressed his back, every last inch of his cock pressed so deep inside her, the strength of his body as it caressed hers, and on top of it all, the depth of his love as he looked at her as though he had never seen her before.

  She moved first, rolling her hips to meet his; he fell into her rhythm at once, and a new dance started, their movements complementing each other in this back and forth older than time itself. His face was still a mere inch away from hers, their eyes locked, and every so often their mouths would brush together in elusive kisses.

  Little by little, the warmth suffusing Vivien grew more intense, until she felt like tongues of fire were licking her everywhere she and Brad touched. Her orgasm took her by surprise. Heat flooded her, and she pulled Brad tight on top of her body, relishing the weight of him, anchoring her to him even as she soared. She gasped and moaned against his throat, kissing, even biting gently without realizing what she was doing.

  Brad shuddered against her, inside her, and when she felt his release, another wave of pleasure crashed through her. She managed to hook a leg around him and held him as his body rocked a few more times, then grew still. He rolled onto his side, taking her with him, and gave her a little smile when their gazes found each other.

  “I love you,” he murmured. “More than I know how to say.”

  Her throat too tight for words, Vivien kissed him softly and closed her eyes, burrowing in the warmth and safety of his arms as she went to sleep.

  * * * *

  Several times during the night, Bradan drifted out of sleep, each time still a little surprised—a little awed—to find Vivien in his arms. He watched her in the pale light of the candle, listened to the soft rhythm of her breathing, and wished he dared caress her cheek or her eyelashes where they rested like soft butterfly wings against her skin.

  When she started to shiver, he drew a sheet and blanket over them, channeling to light a small fire in the fireplace. A few moments later, the door creaked softly; open or shut, Bradan couldn’t have said. As gently as he could, he turned in Vivien’s embrace, doing his best not to wake her. Aedan was standing just outside the room, his hand still on the doorknob as he pulled the door toward him to close it. He paused when he saw Bradan looking at him, although he said nothing. Wariness pulsed through the bond, accompanying the sharp spikes that Bradan had never felt until that night: the pain of betrayal.

  “She changed her mind,” he said quietly, biting back the apology that wanted to rise to his lips. “I told her what would happen to you if we left and she changed her mind. She’ll stay in Foh’Ran. She’ll go to Rhuinn tomorrow.”

  Relief flooded the bond. Aedan didn’t say anything, but Bradan knew he was forgiven for his temporary lapse when Aedan offered him a small smile before leaving. Bradan turned back to Vivien,
held her close, and went back to sleep. He’d need to be well rested and alert when they Passed Through to Rhuinn’s palace.

  The next time he woke, Vivien’s eyes were open, inches from his on the pillow. Despite the closed curtains, sunlight was filtering through, and it struck him how beautiful she was even now, her hair mussed and a red crease from the pillow on her cheek. She smiled shyly and whispered, “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” he repeated just as softly. “Did you sleep well?”

  Her smile widened a little. “Very well. You?”

  He smiled back. “Better than I ever did.”

  She shifted closer to him and pressed her cheek to his chest.

  “So what’s the plan?” she asked after a few seconds, and even without seeing her, he could tell that she wasn’t smiling anymore.

  Bradan brushed his fingers through her hair. Her bun had come undone at some point during the night. He liked it better this way, loose and long.

  “I don’t know that I’d call it a plan,” he said. “But we do have to get ready. After breakfast we’ll find you something suitable to wear. One of Dame Eleoren’s dresses, probably.”

  He could feel her tensing against him and explained, “You are going to a royal court as the heir of a powerful family. You must look the part. And we’ll have to give you a crash course on court etiquette. Well, Aedan will. He knows all that better than I do.”

  Her small sigh tickled his chest. “I’m going to assume court etiquette means I can’t carry a sword?”

  An unexpected chuckle rocked Bradan’s body. He found Vivien’s hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. “I’m afraid that would be ill advised, yes. But we’ll be there, Aedan and I. And your bodyguards are allowed to be armed at court. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She raised her head to look at him. For a long moment, she was silent, her expression unreadable. Then she gave him the tiniest of nods and said, “I know you won’t. I trust you.”