Magic in Light

by Krista Street

  I’d never tasted anybody in a kiss before, and I didn’t want it to end. Our bodies molded into one, and the feel of his rock-hard arms locked around me felt right on every single level.

  It felt like I’d come home.

  He tore his mouth away and pressed urgent kisses down my neck. I arched my back, tilting my head to give him better access.

  He groaned when my breasts strained against my shirt, which was pulling down because it had caught on his waistband, creating a deep V. My cleavage swelled over the material.

  “Damn, woman,” he breathed. He pulled my shirt up and over my head before I could blink.

  Warm air washed across my bare skin, making my flesh pebble. Desire pulsed low and hard in my belly, making me squirm more. My hands automatically reached behind my back to unclasp my bra.

  When it came undone, my breasts spilled out of the sides. I held the thin material over the front of my peaks.

  Logan’s ragged breathing filled the forest as his eyes glowed so brightly that I couldn’t tell where his pupils ended and his irises began.

  His hard length, pushing against his jeans, grew harder. “Daria,” he said in a ragged voice. “I want you.”

  “I want you too.” I let my bra fall to the side. Warm summer air swirled over my naked chest, but my nipples acted like they were in the arctic. They stood tall and proud, as ripe as cherries on a tree, ready for the picking.

  “Holy shit, you’re beautiful.” His hands came up to cup my boobs before he leaned down and drew one hard bud into his mouth.

  I cried out as foreign sensations coursed through my body. Never had I felt so alive or wanted a man so much. I grinded against his crotch more as a deep, aching need grew inside me.

  His erection grew, and the feel of Logan’s warm mouth and tantalizing tongue sucking my breasts created an aching swell to rise higher and higher inside me.

  He released one arm to lock around my waist as his mouth sucked and fondled my tits. Using his free arm, he pushed me more firmly onto his erection, grinding me against his hard length. Even though we both still wore our jeans, I responded, bucking against him.

  When his tongue flicked my nipple at the same time his cock tried to penetrate me through his denim, I lost control.

  My head fell back as an orgasm wracked my entire body in wave after wave of pleasure. He continued to suck one peak then the other, as if his mouth couldn’t decide which tit he wanted more. His unrelenting tongue only made my release more intense.

  When my orgasm finally subsided, I sank into his arms like jelly. His harsh breaths filled my ears as he held me tightly to him.

  His firm erection still pressed against me, and from his trembling arms and sweaty face, I knew he was still incredibly aroused and wanted more.

  I peeked up at him. His eyes glowed so brightly they swirled like liquid gold. “I…” I cleared my throat. “I’ve never done that before.”

  His eyes widened for the merest second as he panted. “You’ve never had an orgasm before?”

  I dipped my gaze sheepishly. My naked boobs still pressed against his fully clothed chest. “Actually, um, none of this. I’ve never had an orgasm, and I…” I groaned and brought a hand up to cover my eyes. “I’ve never done any of this before. You’re the first guy I’ve kissed.”

  His whole body grew rigid.

  I tensed, my insides growing cold. It suddenly struck me that being a virgin wasn’t always the most attractive quality to some men.

  “Are you kidding me?” One of his calloused fingers tilted my chin up, his breathing still ragged. With his other hand, he forced my hand away from my face so I had to look him in the eye. “This is the first time you’ve ever fooled around with a guy?”

  “I’ve tried before but was never able to tolerate it.” Tears of humiliation burned my eyes. I tried to pull my chin away, but he wouldn’t let me. “It’s my gift. I can’t…” Tears fell onto my cheeks. “I can’t touch. Not like normal people. My healing light goes haywire, and I just … can’t,” I finished lamely.

  He wiped my tears away, being careful to avoid my tender cheek. “But you can with me?” The glow in his eyes intensified.

  I sniffed. “Yeah. With you I can.”

  A contented growl filled his chest as a satisfied smile spread across his face.

  I wiped my eyes as the tears abated. “So that doesn’t bother you?”

  He laughed. Actually laughed which had my jaw dropping. “Does it bother me that no other guy has gotten you off in his lap before?” Another chuckle rumbled his chest. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Miss Gresham, but my wolf and I are over the moon that nobody else has had you.”

  “So you don’t mind that I’m a virgin?”

  “Even if you weren’t a virgin, I’d still want you, but the fact that no guy has ever seen you like this or touched your amazing body makes me want to claim you even more.”

  “Claim me?”

  “It’s a wolf thing.”

  I cocked my head. His statement reminded me how much my life had changed in the past twelve hours. Logan was a werewolf. An entire community of supernaturals existed, and I was one of them.

  “So what exactly does that mean, that you want to claim me?” A thrill ran through me at how possessive that sounded.

  His eyes, which had returned to a chocolate brown, glowed again. “It means my wolf wants to claim you even more. He wants to mark you as ours before another wolf can beat us to it. Virgins in the werewolf world are highly revered. Not many women are still virgins when they’re marked. You know, since casual sex is pretty common in today’s world, and women are just as free as men to taste what’s out there.”

  “You make it sound like a mating thing.”

  “It is.”

  My mouth parted. “Is that like … marriage or something in the werewolf world?”

  The corner of his mouth tilted up. “Something like that, but don’t freak out. Since there are no wolves in the vicinity, I won’t be dragging you down the aisle quite yet.”

  My cheeks heated at how casually he spoke of our future, but any excitement over tantalizing encounters to come was doused when I realized what tomorrow brought. “You’re still leaving tomorrow. Is your wolf okay with that?”

  He swallowed tightly. “I have to go. There’s an assignment that the boys and I have to tend to, but lucky for you, my wolf doesn’t make the decisions. I do. Otherwise, I’d have you up against a tree right now while we rut right here in the open.” He laughed when he caught my expression. Leaning closer to my ear, he whispered, “Don’t worry. Our first time will be the most arousing and mind-blowing experience you’ve ever had. As much as my wolf wants to claim you right now, I’m going to make sure that when I take your virginity it’s an experience that you’ll never forget.”

  I shivered as a tingle raced down my spine. His cock hardened beneath me again, as if sensing how easily he aroused me.

  “Then you’ll be mine and mine alone,” he added.

  My breaths came faster as the implications of his statement sank in. His? His alone?

  He just chuckled more, probably from my overwhelmed expression.

  A smile curved my lips. “You could have told me that right away. I thought my virginity offended you.”

  Since the topic between us had shifted from sex to my virginity, I picked my discarded bra up off the ground and brushed it off.

  Logan frowned when I hooked it back on, his face growing so crestfallen that I laughed.

  “Do you have to do that?” He looked like a sullen teenager who’d just had his Xbox taken away.

  I swiveled my head around, my cheeks suddenly flushing at where we were and what we’d done. “What if someone climbs up here and sees us?”

  His eyebrows shot up, his expression amused. “Have you noticed where we are? There’s no trail coming up here. You took off into the mountains and forged your own path.” He shifted beneath me, and I grew aware of his massive erection again.

  �
��Oh!” I squealed.

  He rubbed against me more, and a flush stained my cheeks.

  “Did you want me to … I mean, I don’t know how to, but I can try…” I fumbled with his jeans.

  His hand abruptly covered mine. “It’s okay. I think I’ve taken advantage of you enough for one day. I didn’t mean for it to go this far, but when you got your glorious tits out…” He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “I’ll control myself better next time.”

  Next time.

  My insides sang with happiness. “Does that mean I’ll see you soon?” I asked hesitantly.

  “I’d like that. I want to show you the supernatural community and introduce you to our way of life.”

  My heart beat harder, thundering against my ribs. “You do?”

  “Yeah. I want to take you there.”

  I glanced down. My breaths were coming so fast. More than anything, I wanted to touch him. I wanted to press my hands against his body and feel his muscles jump and respond, but a crashing realization had me stiffening against him.

  Logan and I led two separate lives. As much as I hated it, his life was in the supernatural one, and mine was in the human one. My clients are counting on me. They’ll die if I leave.

  “What are you thinking?” He tilted my chin up with a calloused finger.

  My lips parted, my tongue darting out to lick them. His gaze dipped, his pupils dilating. I shook myself, trying to control the animalistic urge to melt my body against his.

  I pulled back, putting more distance between us. “I was thinking that we lead different lives. I can’t even fathom growing up as you have. My entire life, I thought I was unique, but I’m not, and there’s an entire world within my world that I didn’t even know about.”

  “So you can come with me,” he said hesitantly. “Come with me tomorrow and join me in my world. It’s the world you should be living in. Not this one.”

  Tears pricked my eyes again, making my vision blur. “But I can’t. I want to, but I can’t, Logan.”

  His eyes glowed brighter, his grip tightening. “Why can’t you?”

  “People are counting on me. My job provides for Cecile and Mike, and I still have to finish this tour, and in a few months, we’ll start another one. I have a wait list that’s years long. If I leave…” My breath caught.

  He sighed angrily. “Your clients will die.”

  “Yes.”

  Neither of us said anything after that admission. The forest breeze continued to flutter around us, and chipmunks chattered in the trees. Logan’s chest warmed against me. The anguish in his eyes had me placing my palms on his shoulders and scooting closer.

  His arms automatically locked around my waist. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  Hope rose so strongly and swiftly in my chest that my voice turned breathless. “Then don’t. You can stay with me.” I didn’t breathe as I waited for his reply.

  He leaned forward until our foreheads touched. “I can’t. People are counting on me too.”

  In the distance, the faint hum of traffic filtered up from the valley where the interstate ran. That sound only reminded me that my life was waiting at the bottom of the hill—a life I was suddenly unsure if I wanted.

  But I had promises to keep.

  “When do you have to go?” Fresh pain cut through my soul as the scent of pine wafted up around us. I wiggled closer to him. I couldn’t get close enough as reality set in.

  He groaned when I settled on his crotch. My eyes flashed wide open when I felt his hard length through his jeans. He was so big.

  “I have a bus ticket for ten in the morning.” He closed his eyes as a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Even though leaving you is the last thing I want to do.”

  Chapter 21

  The smell of diesel hung in the air. Behind us, a rumbling Greyhound bus collected passengers at the McDonald’s in Miles City.

  We waited outside since Logan would be leaving on it in fifteen minutes. Gray clouds filled the sky, rain in the forecast.

  Logan was on his phone a dozen yards away, pacing as he hashed out work details for his next assignment. Cecile, Mike, and I hung back. A sharp lump formed in my throat as I watched him.

  Logan had saved me from Dillon Parker, a man who should have loved me—a man who was currently being processed in the SF’s holding facility in Boise.

  Chills ran down my spine as I remembered how easily Dillon had gained access to my computer—and discovered everything and anything about me—but according to Logan, in a few days, Dillon’s memory would be wiped clean of me and his hacking skills.

  His computer equipment had already been confiscated, and according to Logan, from now until the day he died, Dillon would struggle to know how to turn a computer on, much less how to hack into someone else’s.

  As for the mob … well, I imagined Dillon had what was coming to him in the human world when he returned.

  I shivered even though I knew I would never have to worry about Dillon Parker again—all because Logan Smith had come into my life.

  “You’ll see Logan again.” Cecile patted my hand. “Something tells me that one will be back.”

  I gave a slight nod, the lump in my throat too big for me to speak.

  I’d told Cecile the previous night that Logan didn’t have a girlfriend, after he and I had returned to the bus, but even though I still wasn’t entirely sure who Crystal was to Logan, I trusted him.

  If he said he didn’t have a girlfriend, I believed him.

  “And there are only two weeks left in your tour,” she added, “then you can visit him. Meeting other people like you would be good for you.”

  “She’s right, Dar,” Mike added. “You should meet more people your age. People like you.”

  I swallowed the lump down and forced a smile. “Are you saying I should try to make more friends?”

  Mike raised his hands, as if in surrender. “Who? Me? Did I say that?”

  I laughed lightly, genuinely, some of the tension easing from my lips.

  Cecile smiled. “Your entire life we’ve been trying to help you connect with people your age. You may meet some young people there who understand you better than we ever could.”

  My smile vanished, my brows furrowing. “You’ve always understood me, Cece. And you, too, Mike. Even though only Mom and Nan knew what it was like to live with magic and light, that hasn’t stopped either of you from trying to understand and make my life easier.”

  Cecile squeezed my hand briefly but let go before the tingles started. “You’re like a daughter to me, Daria. I know I can never replace your mom, but to me, you’re the daughter I never had.” She smoothed her hair, taming the few stray tendrils that had escaped her bun. “I just want you to know that, because something tells me all of our lives are going to change in the next few months.”

  Before I could ask her what she meant, Logan was striding back to us.

  My breath caught in my throat at the stormy look in his dark eyes. His T-shirt clung to his muscled chest, and his hard thighs were visible through his jeans. His gaze landed on mine and held it.

  Mike checked his watch. “We need to get moving so we’re not late. Your show starts in two hours, Dar. As much as I hate to say it, this goodbye will have to be quick.”

  Cecile checked her watch too. “My stars. You’re right! We need to get moving.”

  Logan stopped a few feet away. I tilted my head back to meet his eyes.

  “Logan, we can’t thank you enough,” Cecile said. “You kept our girl safe and have taken care of that horrible man.”

  Mike held out his hand for Logan to shake. “I second everything Cecile said.” He pumped Logan’s hand up and down. “Safe travels to you, Logan. I hope we see you again.”

  Logan’s attention flicked back to me. “You can count on that.”

  A shiver ran through me at his adamant response.

  “Well … we’ll just…” Cecile pried Mike’s hand away from Logan’s. “We’ll be on the bus and
ready to go. Take a few minutes, Dar, then we’ll be on our way.”

  Cecile guided Mike back to our bus as more passengers stepped onto the Greyhound.

  Logan dipped his head down. “You have my number?”

  I nodded. “It’s saved in my phone.”

  “Good. I’ll call you tonight after your show, if you’re not too tired to talk.”

  Tears threatened to fill my eyes, but I blinked them back. Damn, this is harder than I thought it would be. “Text me when you get there?” I shoved my hands into my back jean pockets since they were trembling.

  He growled and stepped closer until my breasts brushed against his chest. His gaze dipped down, and a faint glow lit the halo around his irises.

  Tingles shot through me, my nipples hardening as a rush of desire flamed.

  Logan’s nostrils flared. “I can smell your arousal.” He put his hands around my waist and pulled me flush against him.

  I pulled my hands free from my pockets and locked my arms around his neck. “You can? What does it smell like?”

  He dipped his head and whispered in my ear, “Like you, but sweeter with a hint of musk.” He inhaled deeply, burying his nose into my neck. “You smell like roses in heat.”

  The feel of his breath puffing against my neck made my knees go weak. Even though I had no idea what he was talking about regarding my scent, I didn’t care. Just the feel of him was enough to make me picture us on the hill again. More than anything, I wanted to rip his shirt off. “When will I see you next?”

  “A week or two? I’m heading straight to work when I get home. I’m not sure how long our next job will take, but I’ll come back as soon as I’m free, or you can come to me when your tour ends.”

  I nodded rapidly and leaned into his neck, inhaling his sandalwood scent. “Is it dangerous? Where you’re going?”

  “I’ll stay safe.”

  My stomach churned at his evasive response. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” he said gruffly, tipping my chin up. “Come here.”

  He molded his lips to mine, his scent exploding around me. I clung to him as his tongue parted my lips. Unable to stop myself, I moaned. A low growl filled his chest, vibrating against me.