by Lexi C. Foss
This was just sex. Fantastic, mind blowing, earth shattering sex. No other emotions involved. The tears fighting for life behind her eyes said otherwise.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“I know Clara didn’t tell you that.” A statement, not a question. “And that’s too accurate to be a guess. Tristan?” Some emotion must have slipped through her eyes because he growled low in this throat. “He can be such an ass.” He gripped her chin so she was forced to look at him when all she wanted was to look anywhere else. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with him. It meant admitting out loud that she felt something beyond lust. A dangerous confession.
“Yes, Aidan turned her into an Ichorian with me in mind. Familiar with my propensity towards natural blondes, he thought she was perfect without considering anything beyond the physical. His heart broke with my mother’s death and he swore off deeper romantic connections as a result. It’s all about lust for him and he expected me to feel the same. She’s gorgeous and before you ask, yes, we’ve slept together. Once. A very long time ago and we’ve never had the desire to repeat it. She’s a good friend and I care about her, but she’s not my mate.”
“I shouldn’t care.” She flicked a treacherous tear away from her eye “I don’t know why I do.” Because you’ve fallen for him, obviously. She scowled. Her subconscious needed to take a hike.
“This is all new to me too, Aya.” He placed a tender kiss against her lips. “I don’t know what we’re doing, but I like whatever this is between us.”
“Yeah, well, Tristan doesn’t seem to.” She couldn’t help the sarcastic reply. The meddling Ichorian was not winning any positive points from her today.
“Oh, I’ll be dealing with him in a bit.” He grasped her hips and lifted her onto the bed with her feet dangling over the side. “But right now I need to show you how I feel.”
He pressed his palm to her chest to push her back onto the mattress. She fell backwards, unsure of how to proceed. Then he pulled his shirt over his head. All those defined muscles were illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the windows and dear God he was perfect. She wanted to trace that happy trail with her tongue. Following her line of sight, his hand went to the button of his jeans. He popped it loose, but didn’t tug them down. Her mouth went dry at the seductive sight. She would never tire of seeing him like this. He crawled over her, his legs caging her hips as his forearms came to rest on either side of her head.
“Do you know the last time I was with a woman more than once?” Dark blue pools of desire stared down at her. The tension in her body dissipated at that look. She was a puddle beneath him.
“No.”
“Never.” The way he said it, so vehemently, made her heart skip a beat. “And yet, I can’t get enough of you.” He leaned down to snag her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. It was delicious and sent a shiver down her spine. “Every time I look at you, I want more. I’ve never felt that way about anyone, Aya.”
She understood because she felt the same way. He was her darkest addiction, a craving that enhanced with each touch. It both frightened and thrilled her. His lips brushed hers in a chaste kiss, followed by his tongue tracing the seam of her mouth. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, the other going to explore his muscular back.
“I don’t know what we’re doing, Issac.”
He grinned. “Neither do I, but I’m enjoying it.”
“Me too.”
“Good.” He took her mouth in a kiss she felt all the way down to her toes. It seared her deep inside, whispering unspoken words and emotions that would forever be locked inside her heart. He broke a piece of her with that kiss. A wall she hadn’t realized she built. She let him inside, gave him a glimpse of the confusion that lived there. He didn’t retreat, but emboldened the kiss, his tongue mating with hers. She trembled as the onslaught of feelings overwhelmed her, the realization that she had more than fallen for this man. He touched her soul. This man was going to destroy her. And she didn’t care.
Her fingers tightened in his hair, holding him to her as he devoured her with his mouth. Their clothes came off in a blur, her dress ripped down the middle and her swimsuit falling to the floor. His jeans were next, followed by his boxers as he pushed her up higher on the bed to get a better angle. Her head tossed back on a moan as he entered her in a swift move. Despite her sore muscles, she accepted him and held him there. His lips fell to her neck, laying openmouthed kisses down the column of her throat.
Her hips rose to meet his in a slow mating, luxuriating in the passion of the moment. He was so deep inside her, each thrust causing her toes to curl. Heat was a maelstrom in her belly, coiling and shooting sensations to every corner of her body. His steady pace prolonged the pleasure, keeping her on the brink until the last possible moment when his hand slipped between them to give her that final push she needed. He pressed his thumb to her clit and stars exploded behind her eyes. She cried out his name, her body convulsing with a mixture of pleasure and emotional turmoil. He was in her blood. She was twenty-four years old, destined to live forever, and he was destroying her for anyone else. No one would ever compare to the way he made her feel inside and out.
His orgasm hit at the same slow pace, his face buried in her neck as he growled her name. She shuddered at the sensual impact, her legs locked around his hips and her nails digging into his back. This man was dangerous to her sanity. How was she supposed to choose to leave this? Would she ever tire of it? He pulled back to kiss her hard, his tongue tracing forbidden words into her mouth as she quivered from the aftershocks of her massive climax. This wasn’t love. It was too fragile and young to be called love. But it was deep and developing, and had the potential to consume them both. If they let it.
“You understand.” He whispered the words against her abused lips, each one a gentle caress filled with meanings that left her shaking.
“Yes.”
His next kiss was tender, praise and promise combined into one. When he finally pulled back, the soft side was gone, replaced by a hunger in those blue eyes that stopped her heart. The man was insatiable. “I believe I won our bet.”
She smiled, emotional upheaval over. Back to earth shattering sex. This was a more comfortable area for her. “Yeah?”
“Mmm.” He nipped at her mouth. “Time for that shower, love.”
“I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow.” There were worse ways she could lose feeling in her limbs.
“That’s the goal.” His lips went to her ear. “I’m going to start by fucking that delicious mouth of yours, then we’ll make it more interesting. Now get in the shower.”
19
A Sentinel for Breakfast
He watched her sleep peacefully. A novelty he never enjoyed until now. She looked so at peace, her thick lashes fanning her high cheekbones. Her blonde hair spilled across his pillows, creating an image he would forever cherish. He fondled the strand brushing his shoulder, careful not to wake her. It was too early and she needed time to recover.
Her touch incited a fire in him he worried would never be put out. She could never be his, yet for the moment she was, and he intended to keep her for as long as she allowed. It would always be her choice. He would never make it for her.
The light knock on the pool house door pulled him away from the bed. Throwing on a robe, he met Mateo outside with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes?” He did not care for interruptions, especially ones that took him away from the gorgeous naked blonde in his bed at such an early hour. It was bad enough his work phone woke him so early. His assistant was not happy with his last minute notice about taking a few days off. He sent her a gift card to a local spa yesterday after she rescheduled all his meetings for the week, but that didn’t stop her from forwarding every complaint she received in response to moving the appointments. It seemed his taking a vacation was a foreign concept to his executive team.
“The Sentinel is here.” Mateo pictured the man in question s
o he could see him.
He growled at the image. “Where are Lucian and Balthazar?”
“In the house armory with Jayson and Ash. The rest of the guard are staying hidden. For now.”
“Good. Tell them I’ll handle it.” As much as he would love to let the Hydraians loose on the intruder, he knew it would upset Astasiya if they did.
“Will do.” He jogged back to the house. Smart man. He knew the others wouldn’t hesitate to kill the Sentinel.
“Issac?” His Aya was wearing a towel in the doorway, yawning. She looked delectable. “What’s going on?”
The burgundy fabric barely covered her ass, leaving a lot of leg on display for his viewing pleasure. They looked wonderful wrapped around his hips last night. He hoped to see them there again very soon. “I hate that I have to say this, but I need you to get dressed.”
Her frown was adorable. “What time is it?” The sun was creeping over the horizon. They crashed sometime after midnight after eating a very late dinner in bed. Her appetite was ferocious, something that pleased him.
“Too damn early, but I still need you dressed.”
He already wanted to kill Thomas Fitzgerald. If the Sentinel so much as looked twice at her in this towel right now, he would slaughter the man. Might as well not add fodder to the raging fire.
“Do I want to know why?”
“Thomas is here.”
She almost lost the towel, something that both excited and frustrated him. He met her in the doorway, his fingers twining in her blonde waves as he captured her in a kiss that marked her as his. They would be resuming this after dealing with the Sentinel out front. “If you talk to him in this towel, I’ll kill him just for looking at you.”
She smiled against his lips. “That’s not possessive at all.”
“Would you like me to greet Clara in a towel?” he asked, playing off her cues of jealousy. He found he rather liked it. She could be covetous of him anytime she wanted.
Her smile fled. “No.”
“Then we have an understanding. Now go get dressed.”
She didn’t move, just gaped at him. “Did you just imply that we’re exclusive because of a towel?”
“Darling, I made us exclusive the first time I kissed you.” He hadn’t seen anyone except her, something that he hadn’t even considered at the time, but now understood. He didn’t want anyone else. “Will you please get dressed now so we can deal with the angry Sentinel before someone kills him for me?”
“You can’t kill him,” she told him as she hurried over to her suitcase.
“That remains to be seen.”
“No, Issac, you can’t kill him.” She pulled on a lacy purple bra and matching panties, distracting him from his own wardrobe. He picked those while packing for her, hoping to see them on. Now all he wanted to do was take them off. “He’s still technically my friend. I think.”
Right. Thomas. “Do I need to remind you that your friend nearly got you killed Saturday night?” He buttoned his jeans, careful of the erection forming thanks to her little lingerie show. The damn woman was going to be the death of him.
“Maybe, but that means I get to kill him, not you.” She stood in front of him wearing a purple sundress that complemented her pale skin and hair. “Is there a reason you only packed dresses for me?”
“Yes.” He liked her legs. “The Greek islands are hot this time of year.”
“Greek islands?”
“Yeah, where Hydria is located.”
Lips, swollen from last night’s attentions, parted on a gasp. “It’s off the coast of Greece?!”
“A conversation for another time. Waiting Sentinel, remember?” He picked a maroon shirt to hide any potential bloodshed, and led her out of the pool house.
“A conversation we are definitely having because I’m not moving to Greece.”
“I only packed on the chance you decided to leave, but it’s your choice.” He held the door open for her to enter the house. She paused, her gaze holding his. He waited while she stared. She leaned up to place a tender kiss on the lips, her gaze bright with emotion.
“Thank you,” was all she said as she slid past him.
He had no idea what all that was about, but appreciated the sentiment. Whatever happiness escaped into his features left when he sensed the Sentinel pacing on the front stoop. “Let me talk to him first.” At the glower she shot him, he waited a beat and added, “Please.”
“Promise not to kill him.”
“Not a promise I can keep, love. However,” he pressed a finger to her lips to stop the protest forming there, “I promise to hear him out first. If I find he intends to harm anyone under this roof, he dies.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek as she considered. “I get to listen.”
“Will you stay here?” He gestured to behind the door where she would be out of sight. She stepped into place in response, both eyebrows raised in challenge. He almost smiled, but his focus went to opening the door instead. His gift engaged on instinct, locking on the Sentinel’s vision as he stopped pacing to glower at him.
“Where is she?” As far as greetings went, it wasn’t the most impolite one he ever received.
“By she, I assume you mean Astasiya?”
“If you turned her, I swear to whatever God you believe in that I will kill you.”
The intake of breath behind the door was too quiet for Thomas to hear, but Issac heard it. It was the first sliver of proof that he spoke the truth about her friend.
“With what?” he asked the man. “That CRF modified pistol on your hip? That would imply you are able to see well enough to shoot. Or do you plan to use that fancy silver knife tucked into your boot? Again, requires sight, something I have no problem taking away if you threaten me again.”
“Tell me she’s okay.” Not a request. Thomas failed to recognize that his rank here was inferior. If Issac reminded him of that, he would piss off Astasiya. A conundrum indeed.
He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. “She’s fine, no thanks to you. What the bloody hell were you thinking, sending her to the Arcadia?”
He ran a hand through his blond hair and blew out a breath as he started to pace again. “I wasn’t thinking.”
He snorted. “Too right on that account.”
“Look, I didn’t know there was a Conclave. I just wanted her to catch you, you know.” He waved a hand as if that explained everything.
“No, I don’t know, Thomas. What did you want her to see?”
He stopped pacing to glower at him again. “Feeding,” he snarled.
“To what purpose, exactly? Other than endangering her life, of course.”
“God damnit, Wakefield. Just tell me if she’s okay. I know she’s here.”
Aya called Lizzie to check in from her cell phone last night. That was no doubt how Thomas pinpointed her location. An easy GPS search on her cell phone history. He gave the man a thoughtful look. “Define okay.”
“You son of a bitch.” Thomas moved like he was going to throw a punch, only to stumble back when Astasiya threw open the door.
“Enough.” She threw daggers at Issac with her eyes.
He lifted his hands while maintaining his relaxed stance against the doorframe. “I was just making polite conversation. He initiated the violence, which you’ll note I didn’t reciprocate.”
“Uh huh.” Her glower went to Tom. “I’m fine. He hasn’t turned me. You can go now.”
“Stas,” he started forward, but Issac blocked him by placing himself between them.
“Easy there, Sentinel, I didn’t invite you into my home.”
“I want to talk to her.”
“About what?” she asked over his shoulder.
“Privately.”
Issac folded his arms again. “Not going to happen.”
“I’m not going to do anything to her.” The words held no sway over him, so the man changed tactics. “Come on, Stas, you’ve known me for almost seven years. I didn’
t know it was a Conclave. They don’t happen often. I went to the club the minute I realized what was going on, but I was too late.”
“For what it’s worth, he’s telling the truth about that last bit. He was waiting outside the Arcadia when we left. He even followed us back to your place.”
It was one of the many reasons he stayed overnight. His fear for her life was what drove him to sleep in her bed. He wasn’t entirely convinced Osiris or one of his cronies wouldn’t come for her. All it would take was a few decently worded Internet searches to determine she worked for the CRF. The association alone was enough to get her killed.
He couldn’t believe he was about to say this, but their tender relationship was founded on truth and he wasn’t going to risk breaking that now. Gritting his teeth, he forced what he needed to say out. “It’s also worth noting that it is not only stupid, but extremely risky for a Sentinel to stand outside the Arcadia. Especially one who happens to be the son of the CRF’s creator. The bounty on Thomas’s head is quite high. Essentially, he did risk his life to check on you as he is also doing now.”
Her brows rose. “And you didn’t mention this earlier because …?”
“Because him showing up didn’t change the fact that he nearly got you killed.”
“You still should have told me.”
“Maybe.” Redeeming the imbecile wasn’t high on his priority list. Should he have mentioned it earlier? Yes, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. “I’m telling you now.” When it would have been easier to omit the truth than say it out loud.
“True.” She joined him in the doorway and pressed her palm to his back. He draped his arm over her shoulders in response. It was an unspoken display of unity that warmed him and told him she forgave him. She’s starting to trust me.
“Why didn’t you just tell me what he was, Tom?” she asked. “Why send me to such a dangerous place?”