Be My Warmth

by Shanade White

  “Sabrina what’s going on?” Flynn wasn’t moving until someone told him something.

  “I’m not sure. Please just go check and see if there was more.” She answered, the concern on her face getting him moving.

  When Flynn got back to the bedroom Tani was still sleeping, so very quietly he got down and looked under the bed. What he found there stilled his heart, it was all he could do not to curse when he saw the gruesome picture and began to understand what had upset Tani. He managed to get out of the bedroom without waking her, then he took the stairs two at a time and burst back into the study. Cooper had joined Sabrina while he’d been gone, and when he saw the picture in Flynn’s hand, he gestured for him to sit down.

  “Can someone please tell me what’s going on? This is sick.” Flynn said, throwing the picture on the desk.

  Cooper picked up the picture, looked at it, then set it on the desk face down. “This isn’t our story to tell,” He stared, taking Sabrina’s hand in his, “But, it’s clear you need some information now.”

  “Flynn,” Sabrina started, then had to take a deep breath, “When Tani came to us she was a very broken woman; she lost her parents and fiancé in an act of violence that left her damaged.”

  “It’s been five years and we’d all thought that it was a part of her past, but it looks like someone hasn’t forgotten about her.” Cooper added.

  “But who are these people who want to hurt her? You have to tell me more.” Flynn was getting frustrated, he couldn’t protect Tani if he didn’t know what he was protecting her from. “Is she in danger here?”

  “I don’t think she’s in any immediate danger, but I’ll post guards around the property. It won’t be the first time we’ve had to, that’s part of the reason she’s here and not someplace else.” Copper said, picking up the phone.

  “None of this is making any sense.” Flynn said, his frustration growing.

  “I’m sorry Flynn, but you’re just going to have to wait for Tani to tell you, it’s her story to tell.” Sabrina said, echoing the words he’d heard earlier.

  Flynn went back to the bedroom and quietly shut the door, he’d been thinking about waking Tani up but one look at her stopped him. She’d curled herself in a ball and was hugging her knees to her chest, one look at her and he knew that she was too fragile to be pushed just then, so he stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed with her. When he gently pulled her to him, she stirred and opened her eyes, but he shushed her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep again.

  When Tani awoke nearly an hour later, she found herself wrapped in Flynn’s arms, the heat from his body seeping into her still chilled one. The picture she’d been sent had been floating in the back of her consciousness as she’d slept, but safely in Flynn’s arms it didn’t seem as frightening as before. Flynn looked like he was asleep but she knew that he wasn’t, his breathing was that of controlled furry, she’d seen it before and knew what it looked like.

  “I’m sorry Flynn.” She whispered, afraid that the anger was for her.

  Flynn had been so deep in thought he’d missed the fact that Tani was awake and the anger melted away instantly, replaced by concern. “Are you okay? You scared me.”

  “I’m okay, but I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my past before. It was selfish of me.” She said, then opened her mouth to go on, but Flynn stopped her.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. Whatever happened must have been bad. I don’t want to make you talk about it but you are going to have to tell me, I can’t help you if you don’t.” Flynn said, scooting them up on the bed more.

  “Flynn, I don’t want to get you involved in this, you could get hurt and I’d never forgive myself if that happened.” Tani said, deciding that she wasn’t going to tell Flynn after all, then he would be safe.

  Flynn looked down at her, the fact that she was trying to protect him warming his heart. “Tani, I’m already involved in case you hadn’t noticed. I can’t just ignore that picture, I saw it.”

  “Then you understand what that was?” Tani asked, her heart sinking, the little part of her that hoped it had all been a dream melting away.

  “It was a threat, but I don’t know from who or why.” Flynn said patiently, even though he wasn’t feeling very patient. “Tani, I can’t protect you if I don’t know what I’m protecting you from.”

  Tani’s face fell, “But if I tell you what happened you might not want to protect me anymore, you might want to just walk away.” She said, then realized that she’d verbalized her greatest fear.

  Flynn’s impatience melted at her words, and he knew that she needed reassurance. “Sweetheart nothing you could tell me would drive me away from you. I’m right where I was always meant to be, we’ll handle this together.”

  Tani took a shuttering breath and looked into his eyes, hoping that she’d see that his words were sincere. “I hope that’s true. I don’t think I could bear to lose you.” She said, a sob escaping her lips.

  Flynn knew then that he’d have to show Tani how he felt, so he lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss that began to warm her from the inside out. He gently stroked her back until she began to relax against him, then slid them down into the bed, his caresses as gentle as they’d ever been. Soon Tani’s body began to respond to his hands and she relaxed, her sobs turning to little hiccups.

  Once she was relaxed, he gently put her on her back and kissed her, a kiss that was tender and sensual, a kiss that had her moaning in her throat. Unable to stop her body from responding to his, Tani forgot the terrible pictures and marveled at Flynn’s effect on her as the desire spread through her and the wetness began to form between her legs. Flynn continued to caress her, moving from her chest across her stomach and down her legs, his fingers barley brushing her skin, but leaving a trail of heat she could feel far beyond her skin.

  Tani began to feel the blood rushing through her veins, each touch of Flynn’s fingers making her want more. Flynn’s mouth left hers as he trailed kisses down her neck, nibbling on her ear, his breath in against her sensitive skin making goose bumps break out over her body. He kissed his way to her other ear and whispered, “Don’t think about anything but this, trust me Tani, I promise I won’t hurt you. I only want to make you happy.”

  She was spinning in a web of desire and passion so dense it snared her and erased all thought except of Flynn’s lips moving down her neck to her chest, his hands creating a need deep inside her. When his mouth finally found her swollen nipple, she arched her back as wave after wave of desire washed over her, cleansing her as nothing else could. When he switched to the other breast and covered the first with his hand, her need only increased and she clutched at his shoulders, her breath coming in short pants.

  All too soon though, his mouth left her breast as he trailed kisses down her stomach, both his hands now on her breasts, teasing her nipples until she was writhing under him. He kissed his way down her stomach, then across each hip, until Tani spread her legs the need to have him touch her, driving her lose all inhibition. But when Flynn shifted until his head was between her legs, Tani stiffened, embarrassed to be so exposed to Flynn.

  But he stroked her the inside of her thigh and said, “Relax sweetheart, I want to taste you, need to taste you.” His voice husky with passion and desire.

  Tani relaxed against the bed, her heart hammering in her chest, her body still demanding more. But when Flynn used his finger to rub her swollen clit she forgot her embarrassment and rose on a wave of pleasure so intense she grabbed the sheets to keep the world from tipping. He rubbed her until the waves of pleasure were rolling over her faster and faster, then slid his finger down and buried it inside her. Tani’s hips came up off the bed and she cried out his name over and over, begging for what she wasn’t sure.

  When Flynn’s tongue slid over her clit, she understood what her body had wanted, and with each stroke of his tongue and finger, she thrust her hips up to meet him, driving for a climax that she knew would shatter her but
wanting it none the less. Her orgasm came in a rush and her body convulsed with pleasure until she stilled, her breath coming in short gasps.

  But her body was still demanding more and she knew exactly what she wanted, “I need you inside me Flynn, please.”

  Her words shattered the last of Flynn’s control, her cries of pleasure driving him to the brink, weakening him to the point that he was afraid that he’d lose control much too soon. Unable to help himself when she begged again, he slid up her body and spread her legs farther, his throbbing penis poised just at her dripping core. With one powerful thrust of his hips he filled her, then stopped, reveling in the feeling of her body welcoming him, her muscles clenching around him.

  Tani rocked her hips unable to help herself, she wanted to feel Flynn moving inside her and was unwilling to wait for him. Flynn was lost when he felt her move beneath him, opening his eyes, he softly called her name needing to see her eyes. When her green eyes focused on him through the pleasure, he drove himself into her over and over again until they were soaring together, each thrust of his hips bringing them closer to the abandon they sought.

  When her body exploded, she cried out his name and dug her nails into his shoulders, unable to keep the world from dissolving into nothing but the pleasure she was feeling. Flynn feeling her muscles grip him even tighter, emptied himself inside her, the pleasure momentarily leaving him unable to breathe. As they spiraled down from the heights of pleasure, a feeling of contentment came over them both, cementing them together in a way neither knew was possible.

  Afterward, they lay entwined under the covers, and Tani knew that it was time to tell Flynn her story. She took a deep breath and began before she lost her nerve. “My father was a world-renowned archeologist. I was born in America but I grew up on the deserts of Egypt. Our world revolved around looking for a lost tomb, in the off season I was home schooled at our house in the country and the rest of the year we dug in the desert.” She began, thoughts of her childhood bringing tears to her eyes.

  “Take your time. I thought I heard a bit of an accent, but I’ve never been able to place it.” Flynn said, to give Tani a chance to collect herself.

  “It’s faded after all these years, but once you would have sworn that I was a native Egyptian.” Tani explained, “Even my name makes me sound Egyptian, that’s why I shortened it when I got here.”

  “Tani’s not your full name?” Flynn asked to keep her talking.

  “No, my real name is Nefertari. My father chose it, he loved anything Egyptian, it means the most pretty.” Her voice shook a little but she continued with her story. “I thought my life was perfect until I got to University in Cairo and discovered that I knew nothing about the world. I felt out of place and ugly next to the other women, but a handsome upper classman swept in and took me under his wing. We were both in the archeological program and he knew who I was, I didn’t think anything of it at the time but all David wanted to do was meet my father.”

  “He used you to get to your father.” Flynn stated the obvious.

  “He was never very good to me, told me I was lucky to have him and that no other man would ever want me, that if I didn’t change I’d lose him too.” Tani said, remembering all the terrible things David had done and said to her.

  “Now I can see that he’d planned it that way, make me think I was worthless so I’d be totally dependent on him, and it worked. I’d do anything David told me too, including convincing my father to let him work with us, something my father never would have normally done. He never let anyone in unless he’d checked them out himself, but when he wanted to check out David I threw a fit until he gave in and let him on the crew.” Tani had to stop for a second, the memories of her behavior bringing the guilt to the surface again.

  “What happened Tani?” Flynn was getting closer to needing to do physical violence the more she talked.

  “My father found the tomb we were looking for and somehow David found out. He’d been working for the new military government who planned to swoop in and take dad’s find before he could register it. But before that happened my dad and I hid the entrance, when David confronted my father about the location he refused to tell him.” Tani, explained the memory of that night still as fresh as if it had been yesterday not five years ago.

  “When my dad refused, David threatened my mother with a gun and accidently shot her. My father attacked him and the gun flew out of his hands and I picked it up. But David pulled a knife and stabbed my father, then he turned on me and I shot him.”

  Chapter 8

  Flynn let her words sink in, then pulled her to him and stroked her hair. “You didn’t have any choice, if you hadn’t shot him he would have killed you too.” Flynn reassured her.

  Tani felt a weight lift off her shoulders, she’d never quite been able to let go of the guilt she felt for taking a life, but telling Flynn had finally made her realize that she’d had no choice. It still didn’t relieve her of the guilt she felt for having brought David into their lives, but she’d take what she could get. But there was still more to tell, and it was time to finish the story.

  Before she could go on thought, Flynn said, “That doesn’t explain the picture Tani.”

  “No, that comes later. After I shot David,” A shutter ran thought when she heard the words come out of her mouth, “one of the crew burst into our tent and saw what had happened. The man had been with us since I was a small child and didn’t even question me, just helped me escape. When he dropped me off at the American Embassy he handed me a box and disappeared into the street. I never even got to thank him. If he hadn’t helped me, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  Tani got out of bed and pulled an old box out from under the bed and placed it at the very end of the bed. “I told my story to person after person at the embassy until they finally put me on a plane to America. When I got back here, I had to tell my story again and by that time I was so emotionally damaged it all seemed like a dream. I’d just lost both my parents and been taken from the only home I’d ever known.”

  Flynn pulled Tani back against him, ignoring the box she’d put at the end of the bed. “What happened to the tomb?” He hated to ask but thought that she needed some prodding, he was beginning to understand what the picture had been about.

  “As far as I know it’s still sitting there. The people in the state department dismissed my claims as being ridiculous, especially when I couldn’t produce any proof, so they sent me here to recover and I’ve never left.” Tani finished with a big sigh, glad that the worst was over.

  Flynn was beginning to get a clear picture of what Tani had been through and what she was still going through. “You know where the tomb is, don’t you?” Flynn asked, pulling the box toward them, “And this is the proof they wanted.”

  Tani touched the box with shaking hands, then lifted the lid releasing a smell that could only be described as old. “When I got my things back, the box was with them and apparently no one bothered to look inside.” She said, lifting the white cloth that was on top out to reveal a beautiful gold statue that even a novice like Flynn could see was priceless.

  He reached out to take the statue then pulled his hands back, “I take it there’s more.”

  “Yes, and a map to the tomb.” Tani said, putting the statue back in the box and covering it again. “I shouldn’t have these things, they belong to the people of Egypt, but right now they’d just end up on the black market.”

  “Isn’t there someone you could trust with this?” Flynn asked, pointing to the box.

  “I don’t know who to trust.” She said, shaking her head, the last thing I heard the Ministry of Antiquities was being run by a friend of the President and he knows nothing about archaeology, it’s just a front to steal artifacts and sell them on the black market.

  Flynn was silent for a long time. “Whoever sent those pictures thinks you know where the tomb is and they’re right. I think was can assume it was a threat. You have to talk to Cooper and Sabr
ina about this.”

  “They already know about most of this and I guess you showed them the picture.” Tani said, sorry that she’d brought everyone she cared about into this. “Now you’re all in danger, these are bad people Flynn, they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want.”

  “I think the Terrell’s can handle themselves. You feel up to going downstairs and talking to them? It might be a good idea to eat something too.” Flynn said, getting out of bed and holding his hand out to her.

  Tani took his hand and got to her feet a bit shaky, but ready to face what lay ahead. “Thank you for understanding Flynn. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the guilt of causing my parents death, but talking to you helped.”

  Flynn pulled her into his arms and hugged her, “I’m just sorry it had to happen that way. You did what was necessary to stay alive. Hopefully, someday you can forgive yourself. David is the one to blame in all this not you, you were as much of a victim as your parents were and I’m sure they’d want you to move on with your life and be happy.”

  She’d heard those same words many times before, but this time it felt different when she heard them, it felt like maybe someday she might just be able to forgive herself. She let Flynn dress her and lead her downstairs to the kitchen where Cooper and Sabrina were waiting for them. They fussed over Tani until she was fed and began to perk up, then they all took a piece of Sabrina’s famous berry pie and coffee to the study to talk in private.

  “It looks like you’re going to have to make a move Tani. Someone out there wants you and the information you have. I haven’t been able to track down how the information that you were here got out, but I’m working on it.” Cooper got right to the point for which Tani was grateful, she needed to get everything out in the open for once and all.

  “Cooper, there’s something I haven’t been telling you all.” Tani said, then looked to Flynn who understood what she wanted and quietly got up and left the room.