by Denise Lynn
“Work.” He rose and tapped the table. “You have plenty of work to do. If that gets too boring, go read or daydream or something equally safe.”
She laughed. “I’ll do that.” She pushed at his shoulder. “Now get out of here.”
“If you need me—”
“I’ll call.” She finished his sentence.
He was gone before she could turn to look at him. But the warmth of his presence and the spiced scent of his aftershave lingered in the room.
Alexia turned back to the manual. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to dwell on the way Braeden’s warmth made her feel safe. She drew in a deep breath. Nor did she want to admit how the scent of his aftershave made her pulse race.
If he knew how much those little things affected her, he’d laugh. At the moment, light and teasing defined the depth of their relationship. While it was better than glaring at each other with rage simmering near the surface, she wondered how long they’d walk on eggshells around each other.
There was nothing unusual about marriage having its ups and downs. Certainly no husband and wife agreed on everything all the time—at least, she and Braeden never had. Arguing had been a common activity. But would they ever be able to trust each other again?
It was a question she didn’t have an answer to. But right now, at this moment, she had work to do.
She stared blindly down at the page she’d been deciphering. Considering how much she enjoyed history and truly loved her job, she felt doubly guilty that she found the manual so exceedingly boring.
This Aelthed droned on and on about daily life. To be honest, she’d hoped that eventually the writing would turn out to be something more than the diary of a man who seemingly had no life.
The entry she’d translated this morning told all about an outing to gather nuts. Nuts, of all things. And this is what Nathan was willing to kill for?
She was tempted to make him a deal. She’d do the translation for him if he’d just go away afterward. But she knew that wouldn’t happen. For one thing it was doubtful he’d ever give up trying to rid the world of Drakes, and for another, he’d never believe the book was nothing more than the ramblings of an old man.
Braeden insisted there had to be something more here, something she just hadn’t found yet. She hoped so, otherwise, she’d brought danger to him and his family for nothing.
A few hours later, after learning how to tell which nut would have good meat and which would be rotten, which apples would make the best pies or which ones to feed to the horses, Alexia stretched and turned off the computer.
She wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel much like taking a walk. Since Braeden didn’t have a television she couldn’t relax in front of that.
Alexia grabbed her notes, plumped up the pillows on the bed and got comfortable. Maybe Braeden was right. Maybe she had missed something.
She sighed and closed her eyes. It was a little disconcerting to realize her boredom was because Braeden wasn’t here. She’d fallen back into the new-love syndrome a little too quickly for her own good.
To constantly wonder what he was doing or what he was thinking rubbed on her nerves. She wasn’t some young girl completely infatuated with a new lover.
Oh, but he was such a good lover. A shiver raced down her body. She snickered at herself.
Were Aelthed still alive, he’d say she was besotted. The sad thing was—he’d be right.
For all her confusion about their relationship and worries about being hurt, she couldn’t deny that the physical attraction was still there. If anything, it had become stronger.
He’d become so skilled that for a minute she wondered how. But only for a brief minute. Because once the world shattered around them, she really didn’t care how.
They’d made love this morning and she could still feel the touch of his hands and mouth on her skin. Could feel his heart pounding against hers. Hear his ragged groan. Taste the saltiness of his flesh on her lips and tongue.
She was amazed at the softness of the hair on his muscular chest, and at the fine line trailing down to the coarser hair on his groin.
Her lips twitched. It wasn’t the hair that held her attention. She was far more fascinated by the silky-soft flesh covering the length of his hard erection…
Braeden shifted in his seat and clenched his jaw against the growing fire in his groin. He stared at the Lair’s new chef, chef’s assistant and kitchen manager seated across the conference table, hoping they hadn’t noticed his sudden discomfort.
If he didn’t know better, he’d swear someone was making love to him.
From the expert touches of the soft hands finding all the right places and the eager lips roaming freely, he’d say it was his wife.
Impossible.
Yet fingertips trailed across his chest to circle his nipples before stroking down his abdomen. The sensation made him sweat. He could feel the perspiration on his forehead and wiped his palm across the sudden dampness.
Her hand closed around his erection mere seconds before her warm moist mouth covered the tip. Braeden inhaled sharply, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
He quickly coughed and cleared his throat. “Sorry. Sinuses are acting up. Please…” He coughed again as her mouth slowly moved down the hard length. “Please, continue.”
Cameron leaned forward in the seat next to him and met his gaze. Braeden shook his head slightly, hoping to convince his brother nothing was wrong. But Cam wasn’t buying it. Eyebrows raised, he mouthed, “Sinuses?”
Cameron was well aware that Braeden didn’t have sinus problems.
When she tightened her lips and eased back up toward the tip, Braeden fought to control his now ragged breathing.
To make matters worse, if that were possible, Cam chose that instant to poke inside his mind. “What the hell is going on with—”
Cameron leaned an elbow on the conference table and tried to hide his smirk with his hand while mentally laughing. “TMI, brother. Way too much information.”
Unable to focus his mind on anything other than the feel of Alexia’s hot mouth and swirling tongue, Braeden tore a sheet of paper from the pad before him and wrote, “I have to go. You got this?” then shoved it in front of Cam.
His brother nodded. Now all he had to do was get out of here without anyone else noticing his…condition. Fortunately he hadn’t removed his suit jacket.
Not wanting to insult the new staff, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket as if he’d just received a call, then rose. “Excuse me, gentlemen, it’s an emergency. Cameron has all the data and can handle this from here.”
Before anyone could respond, he forced himself to leave the conference room without sprinting.
However, once the door closed behind him, he dashed for his office. Leaning against the door, Braeden wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His pounding heart lurched when he felt her legs straddle his hips. He couldn’t have stopped his groan from escaping if his life had depended on it.
Forcing his concentration on Mirabilus, Braeden closed his eyes and swore that if she made him ruin this brand-new suit, he was going to be really annoyed.
“Stop it!”
Alexia jumped and opened her eyes to stare at Braeden. “What? I’m not doing anything.”
“Like hell you aren’t.” He nearly ripped off his suit jacket and tossed it toward the chair. To her utter surprise he ignored the fact that he’d missed. Fear slinked down her spine. Something really had to be wrong for Braeden to leave a tailor-made suit jacket on the floor.
She came up to her knees and stared at him. A sheen of perspiration on his flushed face prompted her to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?”
She took in the blazing eyes and ragged breathing. “Obviously something is.”
“What were you just doing?”
At least he’d said doing and not thinking. “Nothing. I was just sitting here.”
“Right.” He wiped a shaking hand down hi
s face. “What were you just thinking?”
Alexia bit her lip to hold back a groan, but the action did nothing to stop the hot flush from covering her face. “I…was…thinking about nothing.”
“Really?” He leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. “Let me show you how to think about…nothing.”
“What?” Alexia shook her head. What was he up to? What had she done?
“Relax, Lexi.” A smile curved his lips. “Sit down and just breathe.”
“All right.” She did as he suggested. “I’m sitting.” Although his demeanor did little to help her relax.
“Comfortable?”
“Sure.” Something wasn’t right. His smile was far too smug. His tone bordered on sarcastic. Her pulse kicked up a notch.
But a notch was nothing compared to what her heart did when an unseen hand caressed her breast. A callused thumb stroked across the hardening tip only to be replaced by the moist warmth of a tongue.
This was totally different from when he spelled lust into her blood. This felt more as if someone invisible were making love to her. And she didn’t like it.
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“If you’re going to play, Alexia, you need to know how it’s done.”
“But I didn’t…” She gasped as his hand slid between her legs, stroking, caressing, edging steadily higher. Brushing past curls, slipping between soft folds of flesh.
“Braeden, don’t.”
“What? I’m not doing anything. I’m just standing here.” His voice was ragged. “Tell me you weren’t thinking of us making love.”
Even though her body responded to his mental touch, her heart and mind rebelled against this intrusion. Tears burned behind her closed lids. She felt…used. Alexia opened her eyes and stared at him. “Yes. Yes, I was. Braeden, please, stop.”
“Damn it, Alexia.” He crossed the room and pulled her roughly into his arms.
His heart pounded riotously against hers. He buried his face in her neck. “We need to get you some training real quick.”
“For what? I don’t understand.”
He lifted his head and stared down at her. “I was in the middle of a meeting with the new kitchen staff when I felt someone making love to me. I knew from the touch it was you.”
“Impossible.” She shook her head. “I don’t have any powers.”
“No, not impossible. Trust me, I know what I felt. It seems you’ve been gifted with powers.”
“No.” She pushed away. “I don’t want them.”
Braeden nearly snorted. “You think you have a choice?”
“Yes. Take them away.”
“I didn’t give them to you, so I can’t take them away.”
She thought he could do almost anything. “Then find out where they came from.”
He turned to glance at the table. “The book.”
Now that, she knew for a fact, was impossible. “It’s just a boring diary.”
“Obviously you’re wrong.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you remember our dinner in the maze?”
“Yes.”
“And the water turning to iced tea?”
“Of course I do.” She’d wanted raspberry tea and it had appeared on the table. “I thanked you for it, too.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“You had to have done it.”
“No.”
She didn’t believe him, but asked, “Even if that’s true, how do I go from changing water to tea to…” Alexia paused. What was it called?
“Projecting?”
“Sure, projecting.”
“It would take a strong spell for that to happen.” Braeden spoke softly, as if he was talking to himself.
“There you go, then. That manual is nothing more than an old man’s ramblings.” She didn’t want any powers. While she loved Braeden, she had no desire to be like him. There were days when it was all she could do to handle being normal. She didn’t need or want to add anything to her plate.
He rose and retrieved an empty glass from the table. “Want something to drink?”
“A glass of water would be nice.”
Ice cubes and water filled the empty glass.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t me.” Then he upended the glass over the bed.
Alexia jumped, shouting, “No! Don’t get the bed wet!”
The water and ice hung suspended in midair. Not one drop touched the bed.
With her mouth open, speechless, she blinked.
Braeden tipped his head to the side. “Personally, I couldn’t care less if the bed gets wet. There are other beds. So this is because of your wishes, not mine.”
A sinking feeling filled her. What was she going to do now?
Braeden handed her the glass and asked, “Want to put the water back into the glass?”
“How?”
“Try thinking it. Visualize the water and ice in the glass.”
She did as he suggested. To her chagrin it worked.
Braeden laughed as he took the glass from her and set it on the night table. “It isn’t a curse, Alexia.”
“Easy for you to say. It sure feels like one.”
With nothing but a glance, his hand stroked her belly, then slid around to caress her hip. “You sure about that?”
She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. He was teasing her.
“Come on, Alexia, you can do it.”
She shook her head.
“I dare you to try.” He leaned against the far wall.
Heat fired her cheeks. But the glint of passion in his eyes and the challenge in his voice were more than she could ignore.
She leaned back into the pillows propped against the headboard. Closing her eyes she envisioned making love to him.
She trailed her fingers over his face, as if touching him for the first time. Stubble covered his cheeks, the hard line of his jaw and chin.
His lips were full and smooth beneath her touch. She jumped when he swirled his tongue around her finger before closing his lips over it and drawing it into his mouth.
Alexia marveled at the sensation of dampness on her finger, as if he’d physically sucked on her finger. His laugh brushed hot against her cheek.
“The mind is powerful.” He stroked a hand beneath her shirt, drawing circles on her belly. “It can be a tool.” He snapped open her bra, then caressed one breast, thumb teasing the nipple before moving to the other one. “Or a weapon. It’s up to you to choose.”
Alexia loosened his tie, pulled it free, then dropped it on the floor. The buttonholes of his crisp new shirt were stiff, and in frustration she visualized his shirt already open. To her satisfaction she instantly found skin beneath her hands.
Braeden shook his head. His lips beneath her ear, he whispered, “That’s cheating.”
Her lips against his flat nipple, she only moaned in response.
The moan stuck in her throat as he slid his fingers beneath the waistband of her jeans, flicked the snap open and slid down the zipper. To her amazement, it felt as if her jeans were being pushed down over her hips and legs. Cool air brushed her flesh, intensifying her amazement.
She unbuckled his belt, fumbled with the hook closure of his waistband before sliding the zipper down and letting his pants fall.
Alexia tugged his silk boxers down over his hips. She kneaded the tight muscles of his ass, laughing when he clenched them beneath her hands.
His chuckle turned to a ragged groan when she caressed the hot, hard length of his erection.
His hand slid between her legs, touching, teasing, caressing, until she breathlessly rested her forehead against his chest. Alexia gasped when his touch slid inside to stroke the already burning fire hotter.
Suddenly this…projecting wasn’t enough. She grazed his chest with her teeth, silently crying, “Braeden, please.”
The cool air of the chamber raced against her body as her clothing disappeared. Strong hands clasped her ankles and pulled her down ont
o the bed. No longer in control, Alexia sighed with anticipation.
Braeden covered her body with his own, came into her and caught her cry with his lips.
She clung to him, shifting to curl her legs around his hips. He was obviously as turned on as she, because there was nothing slow or gentle about his thrusts. They were fast, hard and deep, bringing her quickly to release.
Alexia cried out and Braeden groaned above her, shuddering with his own release.
Once her heart slowed to a more normal beat, she stroked his damp hair from his face and asked, “Wasn’t that cheating?”
Braeden rose up on his elbows, kissed the end of her nose. “Complaining?”
She stretched languidly beneath him, tracing his leg with her foot. “Never.”
Chapter 15
Braeden rolled off her with a sigh and rose. “I hate to do this, but I need to get up.”
He stretched a hand out to her clothes on the floor.
“No.” Alexia stopped him. “I don’t need your help, I can do it myself. Just get dressed.”
She couldn’t decipher the look he shot her, but since he said nothing, she let it go.
He retrieved his clothes from the floor on his way to the bathroom, while she got up from the bed and pulled on a robe.
Braeden came out of the bathroom and picked up his suit jacket from the floor. Shrugging into it, he said, “I need to get back to Mirabilus for another meeting. Do me a favor, though.”
“What?”
“Don’t think about me.”
She knew what he was saying. He didn’t want a repeat performance of earlier. “Will you be gone long?”
“I’ll be back later tonight.” Braeden hesitated, then added, “Don’t wait up.”
He was gone before she could respond.
Alexia blew out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and headed for the shower. It didn’t take much to figure out Braeden was ticked off.
She never would have intentionally teased him that way, especially when he was in a meeting. He couldn’t seriously think she’d done it on purpose.
And he couldn’t be upset because she suddenly had these magical powers. It wasn’t as if she’d asked for them. In fact, he’d been the one who suggested using them.