Heart of a Warrior

by Theodora Lane

  “Sure. I knew you could handle yourself. Come on, Amy.” Fiona and Amy walked over to where Nic waited next to the Jag.

  Annie followed Ivan to the van. He opened the passenger door, and she climbed inside. Walking around to the driver’s side, he slid into the seat, and the engine roared to life.

  The van drove off into the night.

  — • —

  They pulled to the curb outside Amy’s and Annie’s home, and Amy got out of the backseat.

  “Thanks, guys. I don’t know what to say,” Amy said as she leaned into Fiona’s window.

  “In her own way, Annie’s happy,” Fiona assured her. “She’ll be fine.”

  With a nod, Amy stepped away from the car, turned, and walked to her house.

  “Let’s go home,” Fiona said, resting her head against the seat back.

  “Home?” Nic asked.

  “Yeah, home. Your place.” Fiona closed her eyes and relaxed.

  “You heard the lady. Floor it, before she changes her mind.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Nic grinned.

  “Nic, don’t screw this up.”

  He pulled away from the curb and had to keep himself from speeding all the way back to the house. They were almost to Nic’s turn off when Fiona’s cell phone rang.

  “Beth? Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. Some strange friends you’ve got, Fi. Next time you’re part of some stupid frat prank, let a girl know first. I messed up my new manicure, broke a nail, and my head really hurts.” Fiona could hear Beth’s pout over the phone.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t think I’m ever going to do that again. The whole Greek thing is so overrated. Everyone knows what’s really hot are Romans.”

  “Good one, princess.”

  “Whatever. Look, I’ll call you later. I have to call Jason. We had a date tonight. He’s left like a dozen messages on my cell.” Beth hung up and Fiona burst out laughing.

  “They told her it was a fraternity prank,” she said as she gasped for breath. “And she believed it.”

  “What’s so funny about that?” Nic asked.

  “Romans. Togas. Come on, Nic, get a clue.”

  “Oh.” He laughed. “I get it.”

  “Don’t worry, princess. I’m the brains of this outfit. He’s just the brawn.”

  “So what does that make me?”

  “One lucky girl, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t tell Nic, but I think he’s going to be lucky too.”

  “It’s about time.”

  “I had to be sure, Cho.”

  — • —

  After they got home, Nic hung his sword up, and Fiona leaned hers in a corner. She was halfway to the couch when he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to him.

  “God, you were incredible tonight.” His mouth found hers and lingered. “It took me back to the first time I saw you, naked, kicking vampire ass. I can’t help it, you drive me wild.”

  “Oh God, Nic. The first time I saw you draw that damn sword, you had me.” She kissed him and slid her hand down his chest to touch the place where his jeans were straining to contain his erection.

  “Don’t tease me. It’s not fair.” Nic looked into her eyes.

  “No teasing. I made a decision tonight during the fight. Life’s too short.” She bit her lip and sighed. “I want you. I want you to be the one I give my gift to.”

  “Your gift?”

  “My virginity. It’s the most cherished thing I have to give.”

  “But you said you were going to wait until you got married.” His expression said he was puzzled.

  “All I really needed was to be sure I wasn’t throwing it away on someone unworthy.”

  “Are you saying I’m worthy?” His eyes lit up.

  “Yes.”

  “And that I’m the best man you know?”

  She smirked at his teasing, refusing to cry “Uncle.”

  “Well…”

  He leaned in close to her and whispered seductively in her ear. “I want to hear you say it. Say, Nic, you’re the best, bravest…”

  “Don’t forget handsome.”

  “And most handsome man I know. Repeat it.”

  “Oh, all right.” She huffed. “You’re the best, bravest man I’ve ever known.” She gave him a smirk.

  “You forgot most handsome,” Nic quickly reminded her.

  “Did I?” she asked in wide-eyed innocence.

  “You did.”

  “Let me try again.” She cleared her throat. “Nic, I love you.”

  There was silence. Watching as Nic’s expression changed from playful to serious, Fiona’s heart sank as she realized she’d made a big mistake.

  It’s too soon! I’ve ruined it.

  Now Nic would run like the wind as far from her as he could get. Desperate to save something, she tried some damage control. “Look, if you can’t say those words to me, I just have to live with that.” She shrugged, trying to look casual.

  Nic stared at her in disbelief. “You mean I don’t have to say ‘I love you’?”

  “I don’t want you to lie to me and say it because you feel obligated.” Angered, she pushed away from him. “You’re being a real jerk.”

  Nic grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her down on the couch, and lying over her, pinned her beneath him.

  “Say it again.” He pulled her arms over her head and grinned down at her.

  “Say what, you idiot?”

  “The part where you said you loved me.”

  She growled. “You heard it the first time. Now get off me.”

  “And I want to hear you say it again.” He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed her. “You’re staying right there until you say it for me.” This time, he laved his tongue over her cheek and nibbled on her ear.

  Fiona struggled, but she couldn’t shift him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed. He ground his hips into her, pressing his erection against her belly.

  “I suggest you give in, princess. I think he’s got you.”

  She took a deep breath and let what was in her heart out. “I love you.”

  “So, you love me.” Nic smirked. “And you don’t need to hear me say it to you.”

  “Stop it, Nic. Just tell her.”

  “No, Cho, I sure as hell don’t want him to lie to me. Nic, I can’t make you love me. If you don’t, you don’t, and I accept that.” She tried to keep the hurt from her eyes.

  He lowered his mouth to her and kissed her, at first soft and gentle, and then each kiss built in intensity as he pulled on her lips, captured her tongue and sucked it, turning her resolve to mush. Damn him, despite her hurt feelings, Fiona couldn’t help but melt in his arms.

  •

  “She loves me!”

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  His kisses spread to her cheeks, her eyes, her brow, each more joyous than the next, each singing with his heart.

  “She’s mine!”

  “Nic, say it. You’re hurting her heart.”

  “Fiona.” Stopping his attack on her face, he grew serious. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  “What?” Her eyes shimmered as tears filled them.

  “I love you. I guess I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you naked in that crypt swinging a sword. I tried to fight it, but it’s hopeless. I’m afraid it’s terminal.”

  Fiona’s smile was so big, so radiant, he was blasted by its intensity.

  •

  “He loves me!”

  “He always has, princess. Me too.”

  “You love me.” She let the words wash over her. “I almost gave up hope.” Her voice trembled right along with her body.

  “I love you, darlin’. I have to have you with me every day and every night. Until the end.”

  “Right, it’s terminal.” She laughed.

  Nic got up and pulled Fiona to her feet. She cocked her eyebrow, his lip curled up, and their attack began. She threw herself into his arms, and he swun
g her up and over his shoulder. As he carried her down the hall to his bedroom, she waved back to Cho as he sat in his tree.

  “Can we have some privacy, Cho?”

  “But, Fiona, I was waiting for this.”

  “No way, Cho, this is between my woman and me.”

  “Damn it, Nic, that’s not fair.”

  “Sorry. I promise when it’s your time to get laid, I won’t listen in, either.”

  “Hey, what do you mean, my time?”

  There was no answer as the door slammed shut.

  “Guys, what do you mean? Guys?”

  Silence.

  “Do you have something planned for me? Is she pretty?”

  •

  Nic tossed Fiona onto his bed and dived in after her. Laughing, they removed each other’s clothes, fumbling turned into ripping as their hands got in each other’s way. Nic pulled her shirt over her head while she was trying to take off his shoes. The scramble left them out of breath and giggling like kids.

  “I love you.” Fiona opened her arms to him. They were naked at last, physically and emotionally.

  “I love you.” Nic’s laughter bubbled up. He was surprised at the joy filling him, and that, once said, it was so easy to say it again. He never thought he’d ever feel so completely, totally, in love, and he couldn’t remember being this happy, not since before his parents died.

  This love was so damn powerful that his body burned with the intensity of his desire for Fiona. He’d wanted her before and felt his need rise, but this was different, deeper and stronger.

  She was his, belonged to him, to hold and to cherish, and he wanted to show her how he felt about her.

  He’d slept with a few women, not as many as some might think, and he’d always tried to please them, but this drive to satisfy Fiona, to put her needs above his was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He wanted her first time to be the stuff of her dreams, and something she’d never forget.

  “I’ve never done this before.” Her gaze traveled the length of his body, lingering on his erect manhood.

  “I’ll take it slow, darlin’. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you trust me?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you.”

  “Just relax and let me touch you, taste you, and please you. I want to make this night all about you.”

  Fiona bit her lip. “Sounds yummy.” The look in her eyes told him he had her trust and she welcomed his touch. Because she had insisted they talk when they first met, Nic understood exactly what it meant for her to allow him to touch her so intimately. He was going to do what no other man had ever done with her, and he knew he had to treat her as if she were a precious object to be cherished.

  Lying on his side, Nic ran his fingertips lightly over Fiona’s body, from her shoulder, around her full breasts, to follow the scoop of her waist and the sway of her hip, down her thigh. Every inch of her was his, but he didn’t want to rush it. With each pass of his fingers, he applied a little more pressure, until he caressed her but avoided touching her anywhere that was too intimate.

  In ever-smaller passes, he came closer to her sweet spots, in hopes his touches would heighten her desire and build her excitement.

  He paid close attention to her face, to the way her eyelids shuttered as he pressed harder. As his fingertips passed feather-light over her skin, he listened to the sound of her voice, deep and throaty, the soft moans and purrs coming from deep inside her. And from the way her body moved under his hands, arching, writhing, relaxing, he picked up the signals telling him what he could do and where he could go next.

  Nic wanted to know Fiona in a way he’d never known any woman before, but he was smart enough to know that in Fiona’s case, it could take a very long time.

  He hoped it would be a lifetime.

  •

  Fiona was lost in the sensations. He took his time as he learned her body, and she longed for a chance to learn his. He was magnificent, from the look in his eyes to the way his foot rubbed against her calf; every inch of him was delicious, mouthwatering, male.

  He drove her to a state she’d never been in before, so excited and yet so relaxed. Not scared at all, in fact, eager to move on. Nic’s touches teased her, easing close to places she wanted him to touch yet just avoiding them. It drove her crazy.

  At last, he brushed her nipple with his finger and her areola pebbled, tightening as she gasped. Oh yes, this is what she wanted. Her back arched, pressing her breast upward as he repeated it, telling him she was ready for more.

  Lowering his mouth, he let his warm tongue taste the swell of her breast, and worked his way to her erect nipple. All the juices in her body seemed to congregate between her legs. All the nerve endings seemed to flow from that one nipple. She bucked against his licking and made soft needy noises. His cock jerked. Huh, she could do that to him. It was a powerful feeling, knowing she turned him on and made him hot.

  Taking her nipple in his mouth, he flicked it with his tongue, his wonderfully skilled tongue, and then latched on. As he suckled, his tongue flicking her nub, her back arched as she moaned her delight. Fiona wrapped her fingers in his hair to press him to her.

  “That feels so good, Nic,” she whispered. She had to think of a pet name for his tongue. Happiness? Thriller? It would come to her. Eventually, she wanted to name all the parts of his body that pleased her.

  “My God, Fiona, I love the way your skin tastes.”

  Traveling by kiss to her other breast, he gave it equal attention, and her body arched again. How much more of this could she stand? All of it. She was greedy for more. He held her down with his hand on her stomach as he kneaded the soft fullness of her breast with his other hand. The pressure was strong, firm without being painful, reassuring her that he’d never hurt her.

  Time for some payback. Letting out a low moan, she let go of his hair, grabbed his shoulders, and lightly dragged her nails across his back; she felt shivers race down his spine. His breathing hitched. She’d have to do that again. This time, her nails ran down his back to his ass. He trembled.

  She was getting to him, and she smiled, knowing she turned him on, even as he was doing the same to her.

  •

  Nic’s tongue slid over her skin to her throat. Damn, he couldn’t wait to taste her honey, have his tongue between her legs. That thought led to another, wilder need. It was crazy, but this urge came over him, basic and primal. He had to mark her. A visible sign of his possession.

  “Trust me?” Nic looked deep into her eyes.

  “Yes.” Knowing she trusted him aroused him even more.

  Capturing her wrists in one large hand, he pulled them over her head. Her eyes flickered, not in fear but in anticipation. Nic lowered his head again to her throat. Tasting her flesh with his tongue, he laved his way down her neck and found her pulse, felt the throb and the heat of her blood as it rushed through her body. He lingered there, lapping at her skin, feeling the urge building, a hunger he couldn’t control. She was his, and he wanted the world to know.

  Nic bit down. Fiona gasped. It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin, but it was more than a nibble. He was rewarded as she shuddered. Holding her down, pressing his rigid cock against her belly, dominating her, he marked her, sucking and biting her neck, growling deep in his throat, lost in primal lust and desire.

  •

  It took Fiona by surprise, but a second later, she was pulled under by his hunger for her, and she knew he’d staked his claim on her. She shouldn’t like it, it was such a silly male thing, as if he owned her, but God forgive her, she wanted to be owned, wanted him to be the master of her, to succumb to him, to surrender everything she had, just to him.

  •

  “Mine!” He raised his head and roared. God, this is how a man should feel when he takes his woman.

  “Oh God, yes.” She exhaled.

  Nic had to taste her. Renewing his discovery of her body, this time knowing she would welcome him, he trailed kisses of fire between her bre
asts, down her belly, dipped his tongue into her navel, and then down to meet her mound.

  “God, Nic, that’s so good.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved lower on the bed and positioned himself between her legs.

  Nic looked down the length of her body, moving so sinuously, and her skin glistened with a mist of sweat where he'd mapped her body with his tongue. Christ, she was so beautiful. And she was his. His cock hardened, his balls tightened, and he knew if he didn’t keep it under control, he’d lose his load just looking at her and thinking about being inside her.

  Just grazing her pubic area with his fingers, he played along the edges of the black silky hair covering her womanhood. Judging by the thrusting of her hips, she was ready for more than just a glancing touch.

  “Nic, if you don’t stop teasing me, I’m going to scream.”

  “Good. I want to make you scream, darlin’, over and over.”

  Sitting between her legs, he caught her scent, heavy in the air, and he inhaled. It went straight to his cock and made it jerk. He gave it a stroke, and his balls tightened. Fiona watched him, and her eyes widened. He stroked his cock again, and her lips parted, her breath coming in little pants.

  Was it a turn-on for her to watch him as he touched himself? There was so much he wanted to do to her, so many fantasies he wanted to play out. And jerking off while she watched was one of them.

  Christ, how long could he hold back? Every cell in his body screamed at him to get inside her. Now. He shut out the noise of his body and concentrated on Fiona.

  He trailed the back of his fingers over her mound before he pressed his way deeper, parting her nether lips to caress her clit with his thumb.

  “Oh God, yes,” Fiona moaned. She was so wet, so soft, so ready. He teased her as he touched her swollen clit, softly at first, and then pressed harder. Stroking down, he dipped a finger into the liquid heat that flowed from her core’s opening to bathe her swollen clit in her sex juices.

  Lowering his head, he touched the tip of his tongue to her pinkness. The first taste of her washed over his palate. Delicious. He had to have more. He delved his tongue between her folds, licking each petal, and then stopping to look at his work. Her nub was dark pink, swollen, and Fiona panted, moaned, as she moved so sensuously beneath him. Jesus, he wanted to fuck her so hard, make her come until she was too weak to speak.