Wilder, J. C. - Shadow Dweller 3

by Shameless(lit)

  "Your talent," she rocked her hips against him and his breath caught in his throat, "is very unusual."

  "Not among my people." He sighed as she settled into an easy rhythm. He slid his hands down the tops of her thighs, spreading them to drape over him. They fit each other so perfectly, it was frightening.

  "Your people?"

  "My people, those like me." He thrust against her, his cock sliding along her damp flesh. "We all have the ability to be multi-orgasmic and retain our erections." His eyelids fluttered as he felt Erihn sit up.

  "Lucky family," she breathed. Her eyes were dilated, her lips damp and swollen from their kisses. "I've never heard of men having this ability outside of the east where it's more common." She rose to her knees.

  "We're more than just men." He gritted his teeth as her damp opening flirted with the sensitive head of his cock. "I come from a long line of Were-catzzz..." Fayne's word was bit off as she seated herself on his throbbing staff. Lust rose hot and heavy, scattering his thoughts to the wind as he concentrated on the sensation of her damp flesh clasping him.

  "You read the book..."

  He watched as her head tipped back, the ends of her wild, tangled hair licked at his thighs, her breasts bobbing with her movements as she rode him slowly. Inexorably she took him deep, then rose at a leisurely pace until only the very tip remained inside her. Under normal circumstances, he loved to watch a woman find her bliss with his body. In fact, he craved it. But there was something about Erihn and her delight in exploring the boundaries of her newfound sensuality that tried his self-restraint to its limits.

  Right now, he wasn't in the mood for slow but sure.

  He captured her shoulders and pulled her down to press against his chest. Startled, her eyes flew open as he switched positions, rolling her under him until she lay flat on the bed. He braced his arms on the mattress so he didn't crush her.

  "I don't need any books for this," he hissed.

  He took her. Spreading her thighs wide, he thrust into her damp heat. Her sultry keening filled his ears as he pressed his hips against hers. Her eyes were closed, her hair strewn across the pillows. She was wild beneath him as he brought her to her peak. Her nails dug into his skin as she clenched around him, her convulsions sending tremors of bliss to his toes. He gritted his teeth, trying to prevent his coming release, but with Erihn, it was so hard for him to maintain. By the merest thread, he managed to avoid spilling himself. Reciting sales figures from last quarter helped.

  As she quieted beneath him, she opened her eyes. Sated dark brown flecked with amber gazed up at him; a sexy smile played about her kiss-swollen lips. She looked like a woman who'd been made love to all afternoon. He experienced a rush of masculine pride at the tousled look, knowing he'd been the one to put it there.

  Then she flexed around him.

  Fayne closed his eyes as a dizzying rush of sensation centered on his cock. He gave an involuntary thrust. Fingers trailed fire down his side as she stroked his skin and he quivered beneath her touch. Her fingers gentled as she reached the panther on his hip.

  "I love your...cat," she whispered, clenching around him again.

  The scent of her surrounded him. Roses and the musky scent of their lovemaking tweaked his senses. Blood thundered in his veins as he rolled his hips against her. His peak was near... just hanging there, waiting for him to embrace it. He loved to linger in that place of perfection for as long as he could stand it. Ecstasy so close and yet so far away. It was a game with him, a game of willpower over the demands of his body.

  Never before had he experienced as much passion as in the past few hours with her. He could resist her allure, he could.

  "It's so sexy," she hissed, clenching again. Her fingers stroked his pelvis and his muscles clenched. Slender fingers slipped between their bodies and brushed the base of his cock, then encircled it. In the limited space where their bodies were joined, Erihn clasped him around the root.

  Fayne was shocked as a whimper broke from his lips, his entire being focused on those slender digits wrapped around him.

  "So is this." She flexed her hand slowly. Fayne broke out into a sweat. "Everything about you is sexy." She gave him another stroke and he emitted a strangled groan. She rolled her hips, forcing him to thrust against her. "I like it when you lose control." She settled into an abbreviated stroke, her fingers deft around him.

  "Like when you make me lose control." Her voice was husky, straining.

  Red flashed behind his eyelids as the twin delights of her receptive body and her strong little hand surrounded him. He was going to lose it.

  Growling, he captured her hand and pulled it away from him. Opening his eyes, he stared deep into hers. She was so beautiful, flushed and aroused beneath him. He tangled his fingers with hers and raised them over her head. "I've created a monster," he groaned.

  Erihn lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. "Mmm. You've created a woman," she whispered.

  "Well, woman," he grunted. "You'd better hang on."

  He nailed her.

  Dimly, he was aware of the wooden headboard hitting the wall as his thrusts grew frenzied. All he could see, feel and taste was the woman beneath him. Again and again, he brought her to orgasm, but he couldn't seem to stop. His beast had been unsheathed and nothing could call him back. His body fell into an ancient rhythm as his primal heartbeat drummed in his ears.

  Her fingers tightened around his as he broached his own peak. Her body, slick with sweat, slipped beneath his so easily, so perfectly. He could no longer control his thrusts; it was as if his animal nature had consumed him.

  Awareness dimmed to a tiny speck of violet light in his mind. As she clenched beneath him once more, he erupted with a primal cry. Sensation ripped through his body as he collapsed on her. His breath raged from his lungs and sensation overload sparked along his skin. His body quaked as he tried to roll to his side to keep from crushing her, but Erihn wrapped her arms around him, preventing his movement.

  After a few minutes, Fayne regained enough equilibrium to move. Rolling, he cuddled Erihn against his chest, still buried deep inside her. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Never before had he lost control as he had with her. Never had he unleashed his beast on a human. He could've hurt her very easily.

  He swallowed audibly. "Are you okay?"

  "Hmm...heavenly." She laughed softly. "All the time I missed. I really should've done this sooner."

  He scowled as the image of Erihn with another man invaded his mind. Her gorgeous thighs wrapped around a stranger, her breathy cries as she took her pleasure. Her sun-warmed kisses and the tender look in her eyes as she smiled at him. The image of her bestowing her love and affection on another man had him grinding his teeth.

  Love?

  He mentally shied away from the word, stunned at the depth of emotion she'd wrenched from him. He gently disengaged his body from hers, and rolled away. He needed distance, time. He stifled a groan as she cuddled against his back, her arm draped over his hips as she drifted off to sleep.

  Never before had he been possessive of the women he'd made love with. Never. It was a game to him. A necessary biological function. His heart had never been involved.

  Until now.

  Today had been one of the most amazing days of her life.

  The sun was long gone; the evening air was chilly as Erihn stood on the deck. Her body felt positively mellow as she leaned on the railing, a glass of red wine in her hand. The waxing moon hung low overhead and she basked in its cool glow.

  Fayne had returned to the house just a short while ago. While she slept, he'd left her bed to finish removing the mess from the drive. She felt odd waking up alone after such a magical afternoon. She smiled. She had no idea that acting so shamelessly could be so much fun.

  She felt his presence before she saw him. Awareness surged over her skin, alerting her to his arrival. She turned her head and saw him watching her. He stood in the doorway, his face hidden in shadow. Dressed i
n blue jeans, a white cotton T- shirt and bare feet, he looked lean, powerful. Erihn was struck by how little she knew about the man who'd become her lover. Did he walk around with bare feet a lot?

  "We need to talk."

  She froze at the tone of his voice. Low and flat, a sense of foreboding descended. Now is the time he'll tell you it's been fun. She turned away, opting to stare into the darkness rather than face him.

  "What would you like to talk about?" She was pleased her voice was calm, betraying none of the unease that'd sprung to life.

  "There are several things that come to mind."

  The faint whisper of cotton heralded his approach. She wanted nothing more than for him to take her into his arms and carry her back upstairs to make love again. Anything to avoid the conversation they were about to have.

  He didn't touch her.

  "Like what?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her. He leaned against the hot tub and folded massive arms over his chest. The same chest she'd covered with kisses only hours earlier.

  "I didn't use any protection."

  Fayne's bald statement stunned her. She stiffened. In this day and age she should've known better. In her books, the hero and heroine always practiced safe sex unless the story was an historical. She believed in safe sex and was very careful to use it in her books. Even knowing this, like a dummy, the first chance she'd had, she'd thrown all of her principles away.

  "Is there something you'd like to ask me?" His voice was low.

  Erihn laughed, but it sounded sharp and bitter to her ears. "There are a million things I could ask you, Fayne. Let's face it, we're pretty much strangers to one another. Or at least as strangers can be after spending the afternoon having sex."

  "Sex?" He recoiled.

  She wanted to weep at the chasm before her. Their amazing afternoon of romance had dissolved into one of polite conversation and practical issues. This didn't happen in romance novels. She bit her lip. If he wanted to handle it this way, she could certainly play along.

  Erihn took a drink of her wine and set her glass on the railing with a thump. "So, Fayne, tell me, do you have any family?"

  "I have a son."

  Her stomach dropped as icy fingers wrapped around her heart and squeezed. He had a son and he'd never told her.

  You never asked.

  He should've told her up front.

  Maybe you weren't important enough for him to tell?

  "I see," her voice was hollow. "What's his name?"

  "Max, and he's the light of my life. He'll be seven shortly." Fayne's quietly spoken words spoke volumes. She didn't have to look at his handsome face to see how he felt - she heard it in every tone.

  Jealously reared its ugly head as she clasped her hand around her glass. Jealous of a child. What utter nonsense. She was a grown woman, secure in her life and her career. Being jealous of a child was ridiculous.

  "Where is your son? With his mother?"

  "No, he's with a friend. Bliss took him on an archeological dig."

  Bliss.

  She cleared her throat. "That's very nice of her. He's a very lucky boy..." She swore she heard the sound of her heart breaking.

  "Erihn," Fayne pushed off the side of the hot tub and moved closer. "I want you to know I've never done that before. I've never had unprotected sex with a woman I've just met."

  Mute, she nodded. She didn't have any words at this point.

  "Also, if anything comes of our indiscretion, I want you to know I'll not leave you adrift."

  She froze as the implication of his words struck home. He was talking about the possibilities of her getting pregnant. A howl locked in her throat and she fought the urge to clutch her stomach. The vision of a son in Fayne's image rose in her mind. He'd be a beautiful child as, no doubt, was Max.

  Her fingers tightened on the wineglass as she pasted a smile on her face. "You don't have to worry about that, I won't get pregnant."

  "Erihn, I know you probably aren't taking anything..."

  "It isn't that," she interrupted, her fingers clenching the etched crystal. "I can't have children." Her voice was cool. "He took that, too."

  The wineglass shattered.

  * * *

  Chapter 8

  Erihn gulped as the broken crystal cut into her flesh. Dumbly, she stared at her hand as blood welled from the wound and spilled into her palm. The funny thing was that she couldn't feel it, not really. It didn't hurt. Mystified, she turned to Fayne as an odd buzzing sensation started in her ears.

  He came forward, lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he said. Alarm crossed his face as her knees bobbled slightly and, for a split second, the deck tilted beneath her. Strong arms scooped her off her feet, and she sighed and settled against his chest. This was where she wanted to be, wrapped in his arms. Maybe he'd let her stay here forever.

  Without ceremony, he sat her down in one of the chairs and pushed her head between her knees, promptly ending her fantasy. Within moments, reality reasserted itself and Erihn felt stable enough to raise her head. Fayne sat in the chair next to her, trying to stop the bleeding with a kitchen towel.

  She smiled faintly, her stomach rolling at the sight of the bloody cloth. She swallowed audibly. "Sorry."

  He grinned and her heart stuttered. "My heart needed a jump start anyway. Do you always faint at the sight of blood?"

  "Only my own." She made the mistake of looking at the bloody towel again and her stomach gave a heave. "Is it bad?" she hissed.

  "I don't think so. Can you feel this?" He pinched the end of her finger.

  "Ow, quit that."

  "Can you move your fingers?"

  Erihn wiggled her fingers cautiously. "It hurts."

  "It should, you just put a dent in your hand. It might need stitches."

  Emphatic, she shook her head. "Not an option unless my fingers are hanging off. Even then, I might learn to type with my nose."

  "Afraid of needles?" His tone was gentle.

  "Nope, just the smell of hospitals and antiseptic will be enough to send me off the deep end. I had enough of them when..."

  He gave an abrupt nod. "Let's get this cleaned up."

  Erihn was grateful when Fayne helped her to her feet, mainly because she was still feeling wobbly and also because it felt good to lean on someone for a change. He walked her into the house and directed her to the kitchen. He left her at the sink as he grabbed a stool from the corner. He positioned it in front of the sink and guided her onto it.

  He turned on the cool water and removed the towel. She shut her eyes. The sight of the wound caused her stomach to roll again.

  "This is going to sting," he warned.

  She sucked in a breath as he held her hand under the water. It did sting and then some. Tears blurred her vision as he rinsed the wound of blood and wine.

  "It doesn't look too bad, it just bled a lot," he pronounced. "I need to check for glass particles, though."

  Erihn drew in a shaky breath, then nodded. "Okay."

  Fayne squeezed her shoulder, then left to retrieve the first aid kit from the downstairs bathroom. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the emergency center?" He set the plastic box on the counter.

  "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, we can't get around the landslide."

  "I'll get you down this mountain on my back if I have to."

  She gave a weak chuckle, then risked a glance at her hand. Blood still oozed from the wound and her hand looked unnaturally pale. "I can fix it if you can't."

  "You're right-handed and this is your right hand." He popped open the plastic lid of the kit and rooted around, looking for the tweezers. "You're so stubborn," he muttered.

  She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. She watched as he unearthed the tweezers and several types of bandages. He reached for her hand and she flinched as his fingers brushed her wrist. His gaze met hers. "I'll be as quick as I can."

  Erihn's throat tightened as tears spilled over. She wiped at them with her uninjured ha
nd before smiling tremulously and nodding that she was ready. She flinched again as he poked at the wound.

  "Tell me about your son," her voice wobbled.

  Fayne chuckled. "My son is the best thing that ever happened to me. He's bright, he's gifted, and he's a heck of a lot of fun to be around."

  "And you're not one bit biased, are you?" Her voice caught and she tried to clear her throat of the obstruction that had formed there.

  "Not one bit."

  Erihn's heart twisted. Had her father ever thought of her like that? Probably not. Arthur Spencer had been a frozen, forbidding man who'd expected his wife to manage the kids and the house without complaint. His children had been expected to do their chores, bring home good grades and never question his judgments. Loving his children or even playing with them had been a foreign concept.

  She gave a squeak as Fayne hit a particularly sensitive spot.

  "Almost done," he soothed.

  She watched him, hunched over the countertop, picking slivers of glass out of her palm. His hair was damp from a recent shower and it brushed his shoulders. The florescent lighting made it appear a dull brown rather than the rich reddish brown it was in the sun. His concentration was keen and his expression intense as he worked. He was beautiful, but he was also so much more than that. He was kind and generous and he seemed to love his son to distraction.

  What more could a woman want?

  Fayne stepped back and his backside brushed her leg, drawing her attention to the seat of his jeans. He had the best butt she'd seen in her entire life. It was almost impossible for her to believe this man had spent almost the entire afternoon making love to her. She shifted, savoring the faint twinge of her abused thigh muscles.

  Images of their bodies entwined brought a rush of heat to her cheeks and she glanced down at the floor. His feet. Damn! Even his feet were sexy. When in the world did she decide feet were sexy? What kind of a strange kink was that? Next thing, she'd get arrested for visiting shoe stores, hoping to catch glimpses of naked toes!