by Celia Kyle
A moan escaped her lips and her eyes rolled back as the fig slid down her throat. It really was quite decadent. Before she could recover her senses, he used his other hand to reach for her. Letting his fingers skim her cheek, he used the pad of his thumb to skim across her lower lip. Holding it up so she could see the drop of honey that he’d collected, he moved it to his own mouth and sucked away the golden sweetness.
The room became hotter than the desert outside the windows, and Amy resisted the urge to fan herself. But she couldn’t ignore the demanding ache between her thighs. Licking her lips, she watched Shon’s every move as he poured them each a glass of red wine.
“A little early, isn’t it?” she managed to choke out.
“Never too early for the nectar of the gods.”
Praise be to those gods that she was sitting, because if she’d been standing, his grin would have made her knees weak. Her entire body screamed for release, and there was really only one way for her to get it. She gripped her glass tightly with trembling fingers, hoping the alcohol might calm her down a bit. But she knew better. It only loosened her up and made her more susceptible to her own cravings.
Sensing her weakness, Shon leaned into her, like a hunter moving in for the kill. She had to stop this before it went too far. Before she felt the heat radiating off his skin. Before she could catch his decidedly masculine scent. Before he touched her again. Because if that happened…
“Shon,” she whispered, but it was already too late.
The tip of his sticky forefinger skimmed along her lips, leaving behind a slick of honey that begged to be licked up. Before she could decide what to do, her mouth opened of its own accord and her tongue pulled his finger into her warm, moist depths. Her eyes fell closed as she suckled first one finger, then another. He moaned in response, which only ratcheted up her own need.
Then his lips were on hers and she fell easily into the kiss, allowing him to lean her back against the floor until he was poised over her, his body tense and lean and hard against her own yielding flesh. Silently, deftly, he gripped the hem of her skirt and then paused, drawing back until their eyes met.
“Tell me you want this,” he demanded.
Her breath caught. This was her last chance to walk away before her baser instincts consumed her. But as his musky scent filled her senses with every breath and the firm warmth of his muscles pressed against her, she couldn’t find the one word she needed. It was such a simple word, probably the first every baby in the world learned, and it was only two letters, but it eluded her.
Instead, she nodded as she lost herself in his heated gaze. “Yes, I want this.”
“Good,” he growled with a ferocity that should have scared her, yet she’d never felt so safe.
His mouth found hers again, his tongue teasing the seam of her lips until they parted for him, allowing him full entry. She drank him in, savoring the honey and wine on his tongue as he stroked his hand down her body. He lingered at her waist, caressing the curve of her hip, as his fingers gathered up the hem of her dress inch by inch until he had it bunched up in his fist.
Amy sighed, waiting for his next move. And waiting. And waiting. She needed more than just his delectably sweet kisses—so much more. Wrapping one arm around his shoulders, she arched into him, pressing her body into the full length of his. Still, he didn’t make his move.
Clearly, she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. And she couldn’t wait any longer.
Peppering kisses across his jaw and down his neck, Amy reached between their bodies, deft fingers finding the button of his jeans—and the bulge that lay beneath. With a flick of her fingers, she unzipped his fly and took him in hand.
Shon gasped softly. “You do want this,” he murmured against her ear.
A shiver rippled all the way to her core and blew away any remaining doubt. She didn’t bother responding, at least verbally. Taking the band of his jeans between her teeth, she tugged them down far enough for the head of his thick cock to bob free.
“Looks like this is what you want, too,” she teased as she wrapped her fingers around his hot length.
Shon’s entire body jerked at her touch. A low growl started deep in his belly, and he caught her eye. “I never denied that.”
Amy sat back and tugged his jeans all the way off. Then she let her breasts skim the length of his leg as she stretched herself along his body. Without warning or even so much as a “by your leave,” he tucked his thumb under the hem of her panties and tore them off in one fluid motion. The light pain only added to the heat flooding between her legs, and they parted for him.
Shon took her face in his hands and crushed his mouth to hers. As their tongues tangled, Amy reached for his cock again, stroking him gently at first. The little jerks and twitches of his body encouraged her to stroke faster and harder.
She gasped when his fingers found the space between her legs. At first his strokes were gentle, but when she ground into his hand, he too sped up. He took control, possessed her with his touch as well as his lips, and that was exactly what she needed. Then a finger slipped inside her sheath and she gasped against his mouth.
She wanted more. The thick cock that filled her hand to overflowing belonged inside her, but this was all happening so fast. It was too soon for that step. Still, she couldn’t stand the thought of stopping their fun. Instead, she worked the head of his dick and stroked him even harder, which he matched by adding a second finger to the mix.
This was all she needed. He was all she needed. Without knowing it, she’d been seeking this release for months, years even. If this man could unlock all her primal urges with a simple touch, God only knew what he could do with his mouth… and other parts of his anatomy.
Writhing against his body, Amy felt him twitch in her palm. He was close. So was she. Relaxing into their kiss, she allowed herself to feel the tingles racing up and down her spine, making her toes curl as tension pooled low in her stomach. She tensed and squeezed his fingers, needing to feel every bit of the sweet friction.
Her world spun out of control as her body contracted. Then stars burst across her field of vision and bubbles of bliss spread all the way from her toes to her split ends. Crying out, she gripped him tighter, pumping him frantically. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, she needed him to come at the same time as her. With a moan, Shon spasmed under her touch and his warmth spread across her hand, slicking his cock even more.
They lay together panting, hands still in place, for some time before Amy started giggling.
Shon pulled back to give her a perplexed look. “You find this funny?”
Laughing heartily now, she grinned up at him.
“You owe me a new pair of panties.”
Chapter 8
Tahvo swiped his forearm across his sweaty brow as he walked across the grounds, trying for the millionth time that morning to relax his jaw. He’d taken a run after delivering Nabila’s samples to the courier, but it had done nothing to clear his foul mood. No matter how hard he’d pushed himself, his mind had returned to Amy again and again.
Specifically, what Amy might have been doing while he was gone. And with whom.
With a deep breath, he turned into the hanging gardens, hoping the fresh air and scent of the flowers might soothe him. Instead of solitary calm, he found Shon lying in a hammock suspended between two huge flowering trees. His brother held a book that featured two lovers embracing on the cover. It was an old book, one they’d been forced to read as children—Sonnets of Love.
Tahvo wrinkled his nose. It wasn’t like his brother to spend time on mushy poetry, and that made his own guard go into high alert. If love was on Shon’s mind, Tahvo wanted to know why. Except, he already knew the answer.
Tahvo cleared his throat, and Shon looked up, flashing a grin at his brother.
“There you are. I was wondering what took so long. Problem with the courier?”
“No,” Tahvo snapped off the word. “I went for a run with Zafar
to blow off some steam.”
Technically true. No need to tell the gloating jerk that the steam had been his own.
From the moment he’d left Shon and Amy in Nabila’s room, his mood had soured. Nabila’s health was, of course, his priority, but that didn’t stop him from rushing the samples to the courier so he could return before anything could happen between his brother and the doctor. When he’d found Nabila alone, finishing her tea and a snack, his heart sank into his gut.
As much as he’d wanted to ask her where Shon and Amy had gone, he hadn’t dared. Nabila would sense his interest immediately. So, when she’d asked him to turn out the lights so she could take a nap, he’d backed out of the room quietly and searched the palace. He’d started with the most romantic spots he could think of, finally ending up outside Amy’s new room.
His fingers had itched to knock, but he’d hesitated. What if I don’t like what I find? he’d wondered. Then Zafar had stalked down the corridor toward Nabila’s door. He’d convinced his brother to take a run instead of disturbing Nabila’s nap. The perfect escape for two pent-up men.
Despite his attempt to hide his motivations, Shon gave him a smug smile, almost as if he could read between the lines of Tahvo’s story. Which he probably could.
Tahvo’s panther lunged forward and a low growl escaped him before he could silence the beast. Clearing his throat to cover the slip, he managed to ask the question that had tormented him all morning.
“And where have you been?”
Shon’s smile widened. “With Amy.”
The answer wasn’t unexpected, but it still sent Tahvo’s heart beating faster. The suspicion that had been brewing in his stomach turned slimy and hot. He tried to appear unmoved by the news, moving a little closer to his brother’s hammock.
“And what exactly were you doing?”
Shon’s smile softened and he laid his book on his chest. “We… took a nap.”
Tahvo’s jaw clenched so hard it creaked louder than the blood thundering in his ears. Suspicion bubbled over into molten jealousy. He’d never experienced such a visceral reaction to his twin before. It wasn’t anger, exactly. More like he’d been left out.
Imagining Amy slumbering in Shon’s arms, her golden hair fanned across his chest…it was too much for Tahvo to bear, no matter how innocent it may have been. Mostly because he knew there hadn’t been anything innocent about it.
If she were any other woman, if she were anything other than exactly who she was, Tahvo would have backed away and conceded defeat, as both of them had done so many times. But now he couldn’t imagine taking a step back. The way she’d looked at him from under those thick lashes earlier…
No, she wanted him. Of that he was certain. And Shon or not, Tahvo was going to make her his own. His inner panther purred with the thought.
“I see,” Tahvo finally forced himself to say.
“She’s still… sleeping,” Shon added lazily as he opened the book again. “In case you were thinking of tracking her down.”
“I was, in fact, but I’d rather wait until she’s fully alert.”
Shon raised his eyebrows, apparently understanding Tahvo’s unspoken challenge. “She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?”
“Too much for you to handle?” Tahvo poked his brother, feeling more and more confident he would have Amy for himself.
“Oh, I can handle her just fine,” Shon said with his trademark cocky grin.
“You’re right, ‘fine’ is probably the perfect word. Just fine.” Tahvo offered his brother a grin of his own.
Shon’s eyes narrowed. “You think you can do better?”
“I know I can. As has been proven time and time again.”
Shon sat up in the hammock and glared at him. “If you have something to say, maybe you ought to spit it out.”
“Fair enough. I’m not giving up on Amy. Not this time.” Tahvo squared his shoulders. “May the best man win.”
Without another word, he turned on his heel and marched off to find the object of his affections.
Chapter 9
Amy pulled yet another leather-bound tome from the stack beside her and suppressed her sigh of frustration. After spending a half-hour wandering around the labyrinth of corridors searching for the library, a servant had finally escorted her to the room. Books lined the walls from floor to ceiling, and luckily for her, they were organized by category. If they hadn’t been, she would have wasted hours, if not days, looking for the right texts.
But as it turned out, she still had nothing to show for her time. She’d poured over seven books already—some on shifter obstetrics, some on general medicine, some on ancient diseases in shifter races. She hadn’t found anything that could explain Nabila’s illness. It didn’t help that she had no idea what she was looking for. Something was wrong—Amy hadn’t imagined the whisper of a heartbeat from the baby the night before—but she had no clue what it might be.
Damned if she wasn’t going to figure it out, though.
Rubbing her tired eyes, she opened the book before her. It was clearly the oldest of those she’d selected, and she didn’t recognize the language at all, but the plentiful illustrations might give her some insight. She became so engrossed in the manuscript that when the library’s door swung open quietly, Amy didn’t notice at first. Only when she felt as if she was being watched did she look up.
Straight into Tahvo’s molten brown eyes.
That one glance told her everything she needed to know. He knew. He knew everything she’d done with Shon—or at least that she’d done something with Shon. Yet he still stared at her as if she was the last slice of cake on his dessert tray.
Her stomach knotted with guilt, and she opened her mouth before snapping it closed once again. She was being ridiculous. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she felt as if she owed him an apology. Almost as if she’d cheated on him.
Thankfully, he spared her the indignity of having to find words by offering some of his own.
“I didn’t expect to find you in here.” He took a step toward the ridiculously huge, ornately carved teak table where she sat surrounded by stacks of books.
Amy sighed and cast her eyes down at the book in front of her. “I’m trying to find anything that might help diagnose Nabila.”
“And how’s it going?”
“Not great. But if any library in the world holds the answer, I have no doubt this will be the one.”
Tahvo’s smile brought goosebumps to her skin. “Thank you. Most of the books have been handed down over the generations, but the medical section was a special project of mine.”
“You’ve done a wonderful job.” Amy smiled up at him, struck again by the heat and intensity of his gaze.
He dropped into a seat beside her and pulled one of the books close. “This is difficult reading.”
She chuckled. “I’m grateful for the illustrations, to be honest. I’ve been in here for hours and I’m still having trouble deciphering some of the more technical works.”
“Hours?” Tahvo raised his eyebrows and then glanced at the big clock on the wall that read three.
In answer, her stomach grumbled, and heat raced to her cheeks. “Unfortunately.”
Tahvo laughed and her heart skipped a beat or ten. “Sounds like it’s time for a break.”
As hungry as she was, she pulled the book back and shook her head. “No, I need to keep at it.”
“You’ve done a lot of studying today,” he said, pulling the book toward him again and flipping it closed. “Sometimes the greatest breakthroughs come after some rest and relaxation. Have lunch with me.”
Her stomach growled again, and she pursed her lips, considering her options. After her morning “relaxation” with Shon, she hated the idea of shirking her responsibilities yet again. But she was starving, and Nabila had been napping when Amy had last checked on her. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take a short break.
“Okay.” Amy pushed her chair back to stand. “Lunch. And then I’m bac
k to work.”
“Deal. Let’s go.”
Tahvo beamed and then opened the door to lead her back into the winding hallways of the palace. Rather than heading deeper into the cavernous halls, he stepped through one of the scalloped openings in the breezeway and led her into the sharp, desert air.
She nearly asked where he was taking her but then decided she wanted to be surprised. Everything about her trip to Adikar had been a surprise so far. Why stop now?
When she fell in step beside him, he reached for her hand as he led her down a long stone pathway toward a long, steeple-topped building. The rough skin of his fingers sent tiny jolts of electricity up her arm, and she couldn’t help wondering what they would feel like on her back, her tummy, her breasts, her…
Her sweet old granny would be shocked at the thoughts tumbling around Amy’s mind. Especially considering how she’d spent the morning with Shon, but he didn’t really seem to care. If questioned, she wouldn’t be able to explain her attraction to the brothers. It almost seemed as if each of them held part of her soul—two whole and equal pieces, neither greater than the other. And the more time she spent with them, the more she worried they each held pieces of her heart.
Before she could delve too deeply into her feelings, Tahvo opened the door to the building. Stepping inside, Amy was hit in the face with a very distinct, very pungent animal scent. The loud bawl of a camel standing in the first stall startled her.
“Oh!” she cried and then laughed at her own jumpiness. “Is this the camel stable?”
“It is,” Tahvo said, casting a proud gaze around the building. “And this bad boy will be our transportation to our luncheon.”
Amy frowned at the funny looking beast staring down at her with bulging brown eyes. It batted impossibly long eyelashes at her, instantly charming her. Still…
“I’ve never ridden a camel before. Can’t we just take a Jeep?”