by Elle Thorne
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming. “What changed? What happened?”
She swallowed hard, thought of how to answer.
“My panther. Albani.” She gave in to a slight shrug.
“So, what are you saying?” A wicked gleam shined in his eyes, an equally wicked smile on his lips. “That this is some sort of ménage thing?”
She scoffed. “Not a chance, mister.”
“It’s me. All me, only me.”
His laughter was soft against her ear as he nuzzled her neck.
“That’s all I want. Nothing more.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Linc would have said more. Would have kissed her more, except the door opened.
Mae peeked her head in. Jake’s outline was behind her, barely visible behind the frosted window.
“We thought we heard voices,” Mae said.
Circe scrambled out of Linc’s hold, a delightful splash of color blossoming on her cheeks.
Linc fought back the urge to laugh at her embarrassment. “You did. We’re up. How long were we out?”
The door flew open and Dina rushed into the room, wrapping her arms around Linc while her eyes focused on Circe.
Linc could clearly see the red flame of Rinalli’s eyes in the depths of his niece’s gaze.
“Uncle Linc, you’ve been asleep forever,” Dina exclaimed, peppering his cheeks with kisses.
“Day and a half,” Jake translated with a laugh. “And she’s been a handful. Just raring to come in here and wake you.”
“Nuh uh,” Dina denied. Then added, “Well, maybe a little bit.”
Dina turned to Circe. “How are you?” And this time it was Rinalli’s voice asking her mother.
Linc wondered if Circe would allow Albani to step forward.
He received his answer in a few short seconds when Albani said, “I’m well. And happy to see you.” The voice, so different from Circe’s was choked with emotion.
Dina hugged Circe—or rather, Rinalli hugged her mother.
“I don’t want to lose you,” Albani said.
“I don’t want to be apart from you either.”
Linc, uncomfortable with the display of emotions and the heaviness of this, focused his stare on Mae and Jake.
Mae had tears streaming from her eyes, so really, there was no escaping the emotions for Linc.
Kane and Astra entered the room, Astra looking refreshed and glowing in her pregnancy, a far cry from the shell of a woman she’d been before
“Thank you,” Astra said. “And Nevena thanks you as well.” She was supporting her stomach, her hands making slow circles over the baby.
“Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Kane added. “We are forever in your debt.”
Jake coughed, and turned away.
Linc got it. He was overwrought with emotion about his daughter being saved.
Circe untangled herself from Dina’s embrace and rose to her feet. “I hope you can stay for a while,” she said, taking Mae’s hands into her own. “Please. We have so much to catch up on.”
“I can,” Mae said. “And there’s another who needs help,” Mae added. “More than one actually.”
“Who?” Circe said.
Astra stepped forward. “My childhood best friend’s mate has a daughter who is a hybrid.”
“And that’s not all,” Mae added. “There’s an infant in Bear Canyon Valley. A boy. He’s got an elemental as well.”
“I had no idea you had any elementals around you,” Circe said. “And here you have three.”
Linc cleared his throat. “I suppose the honeymoon can wait.”
“Honeymoon?” Dina squealed.
“What?” Mae’s hand flew over her mouth in surprise.
Circe looked at Linc, a quizzical expression on her face.
Jake cocked his head. “I’m lost.”
“That makes two of us,” Circe added.
“I guess I hadn’t exactly done anything formal.” Linc said.
“Are you—”
Circe never had the chance to ask her question.
Her lips were sealed with a kiss.
In the background, Dina was laughing and jumping and clapping with delight.
And no one was sure if it was only Dina, or if this was Rinalli’s joy at having her mother nearby.
If Circe accepts, Linc thought.
If.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A week. Had it only been a week since he’d brought Dina to Colorado?
Linc and Dina had stayed, of course. He said he wouldn’t have dreamed of separating Dina’s elemental from her mother. That he’d have found a way to make that work.
Luckily, he didn’t have to.
Circe didn’t want him to leave.
Though she was hellishly confused. He’d said honeymoon, but that was where it ended. Was he speaking crazy talk from being wounded? Or teasing? She didn’t understand.
They’d been staying in separate rooms, naturally. He was in his guest room, she in her own, but every now and then, Linc would slip away and join Circe in her room.
Not that they did anything.
They just talked.
And talked.
And she wanted him, more and more.
Yet, Linc didn’t push her.
She couldn’t figure out what was going on. Where was the man who kissed her in the forest?
This morning, she thought of surprising him.
Her feet moved with stealth as she snuck toward his room, her heart pounding harder and harder with every step until it felt like a bass drum in her chest by the time she stood in front of his door.
Why am I so nervous? You’d have thought this was my first…
First what?
I’m not finishing that thought.
Knock or don’t knock?
He always rapped on her door softly with his knuckles.
Should she do the same?
She didn’t get a chance to answer that question for herself.
Linc’s door opened and he stood before her, a crooked smile on his face, making his gorgeous face even more handsome—if that was possible.
They stood toe to toe, staring at each other.
Then he placed his hands on her arms, and her skin sizzled with electricity under his touch.
Damn that Albani, taking over my reactions.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you,” he whispered. “Again.”
She thought of the first time and how she’d reacted so poorly. And then she thought of the infirmary, and how great it had been. And then nothing. For a week. She drew in a shaky breath. “You should.”
He pulled her into his room and closed the door softly.
Circe tilted her head—God, he was so much taller.
Linc’s hands moved up her arms until they rested on either side of her face.
She held her breath, waiting as he came closer. Her lungs burned from the effort. But he did nothing. Just looked at her, his eyes locked with hers, as if he could see deep inside her.
Circe let the air out without a sound and drew another shaky breath in.
Then it happened.
He lowered his head.
And when he touched his mouth to hers, a sigh escaped between her lips.
He tasted amazing. Like he had in the forest. Like he had on the floor in the infirmary.
Need simmered in her body, crackling through her veins. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting against his hard body. She belonged to him. There was no denying it. Not for her. She thought he felt the same way, but a whole week without a kiss—or even more… that wasn’t the kind of signal that meant a guy wanted to keep a girl in his life.
He swooped her up as though she weighed nothing, carrying her to her bedroom, where the window revealed the trails of lilac and pink as the sun began to make its appearance.
Circe kicked her sandals off as he made his way swiftly across the room.
This was it, wasn’t it? Was it?
Was that what
she’d read in his eyes?
It was happening. It was really happening. And she wanted him so fiercely.
Her desire for him was so strong, it echoed through her body, bouncing off her senses like an electric basketball.
He laid her on the bed. She stretched out wanting him.
He lowered himself onto her.
He kissed her again, deeply, slowly.
Circe ran her fingers through his hair, sighing in pleasure as he explored her mouth while his hands took the liberty to reconnoiter the rest of her.
She wasn’t interested in playing hard to get. She wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him closer, relishing the hardness of muscles above her body.
She was lost in the moment, when abruptly it ended.
He pushed himself up, taking her with him until she straddled his lap.
With one hand, he held her in place while with the other, he tugged on her nightshirt, a long flannel thing, not sexy, but very demure and comfortable.
And on a chilly Colorado night, Circe was all about comfort.
She raised her arms, allowing him to lift it over her head.
He cupped her breasts in his hands, fondling as his tongue lapped at the tender hollow of her neck then traveled downward to her chest.
Releasing shallow breaths, Circe reached for the center of her front-clasp night-bra and snapped the hooks apart, then shed the flimsy fabric quickly, eager for more of his touch.
It was bliss, and she felt herself slipping away as her body took over for her mind. It wasn’t just her body. It was instinct. Nature.
Circe unbuttoned his shirt slowly, eyes focused on the width of his chest as she revealed it, sexy inch, by sexy inch. It was like revealing a marble statue, but a statue that emanated heat. Marble that flexed and moved. Once the shirt was open, she placed her hands on his broad shoulders.
Her breath caught at the sensation, the electricity that smoldered between them and within her.
She slid her hands along the rippling muscle of his shoulders, then down his arms until the shirt was completely off.
Circe couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d thought she’d imagined his body looking so delicious, all bulging muscle and hard sexiness.
She’d told herself it was all lust, a reaction to a life of more abstinence than sex.
Nobody looked like this, nobody could look so good. All those magazines and photos online, those were all photoshopped, right?
And yet there he was, right there in front of her, a statue come to life. Like a Greek god.
Could she have stopped her hands from reaching for him?
Not a chance.
She had to touch—had to know he was flesh and blood—real.
Linc lowered her to the bed again, and she took her sweet time exploring his chest and chiseled abs, before moving toward his pants, sliding them over a sculpted ass and thighs.
She bit her lip, hard to keep from telling him how unbelievable his body was. He was gorgeous, glorious, and all hers. For now.
She wasn’t sure what the future held, exactly, but she wanted this morning more than anything.
Her fingertips pirouetted over his chest, his abs. Just the feeling of all that hard muscle and knowing how powerful he was made her want him more than before, knowing he could do anything he wanted to her and she had no interest in stopping him.
She would not deny herself. That knowledge was so hot, her entire body responded.
Her hips rose, feeling his hardness pressing against her aching mound.
She pulled him closer.
She dragged her tongue over his shoulder, biting gently as he kissed her neck. He tasted just as good as he looked, salty and musky.
So good, too good. Better than she could have ever imagined even in her wildest fantasies.
She felt like a caged beast, seeking release.
“I want you.” The tortured words left Circe’s parted lips.
Linc shifted his body, adjusted, and then immediately, placed his shaft against her mound. He released a groan, and it drowned out Circe’s own moan.
She scored her nails over his broad back as a growl filled the air—her cry of desperation.
Linc was like a drug she already couldn’t get enough of. Her body was primed for him, ready, as if she’d been waiting for him forever.
She slipped one hand down between their bodies to show him what she needed, taking his hardness in her hand.
He threw his head back and snarled in response. That snarl shot a surge of desire and electricity through her body.
Circe shook as she stroked his length. He was hard, thick, almost too much to get her fingers around.
The sensation of the power in holding him just so, of bringing him pleasure, was heady. She flicked her tongue over his lips as he trembled above her, completely at her mercy. She feared for a second that she wouldn’t be able to take him inside, he was so large, but at the same time she knew she wanted to. She wanted to feel him fill her, even if it meant it would hurt.
Linc grunted, his hips moving as though he couldn’t stop driving himself through her grip. He bent his head, kissing her, his breath coming faster and faster as his hips moved.
Their mouths crashed together, tongues dancing, breath mingling, much the same way their cries of pleasure did.
He groaned, pulling himself out of her grip. “We’ll see how much you like that kind of sweet torture.”
Before she could ask what he meant, he hooked his thumb under the elastic of her panties.
She gasped, frozen.
He stopped, looking down with concern.
“Everything okay?” he whispered.
“Sorry, it’s just—”
“We don’t have to go any further,” he whispered.
She heard the strain in his voice. She knew he meant it; he’d stop. He just wouldn’t like it very much, but he would if he had to. That, almost more than the deep throbbing in her core, made her want to go further.
“I want to.” What she wanted to say was she needed to.
She pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply to show him she meant it. She wanted all of him. She was apprehensive—the vulnerability of not only giving him her body, but also her emotions…
But in bed, half-naked and painfully aroused, wasn’t the time to deal with those apprehensions.
He gave her a nod, his expression concerned and tender, and at the same time, lust flared in the depths of his eyes. He worked her panties down to her ankles.
Circe held her breath, but didn’t make a move to stop him. He was tender, gentle as he ran a hand up the outside of her leg until he reached her thigh.
She released a soft sigh. It was wonderful, the way he touched her. She opened her legs, inviting him to more of her.
He growled, deep and low, his face close to hers while his hand found her heat.
Circe gasped, driving her hips upward, desperate for relief—and his growl turned into a soft laugh.
“I love it,” he whispered with a wicked smile.
She closed her eyes as he stroked her mound without dipping any further inside. Didn’t he know she would perish if he didn’t touch her? If he didn’t give her what she needed? If she didn’t get relief?
“Do you want me?” he whispered, his fingers gliding over her moist folds.
“Yes, please,” she begged.
“Tell me what you want,” he commanded, his tone firm.
Damn him. Was he going to make her beg? She didn’t beg.
“Linc, I need you.” She looked up at him, letting her eyes do the pleading, practically near tears, but refusing to make her lips say the words.
I. Don’t. Beg.
He smiled, satisfied, and sank his fingers deeply inside with a fierce thrust.
He worked her throbbing flesh, stroking her until she was in a frenzy and everything came to a single, shining peak.
She cried out, clinging to him as fireworks exploded behind her eyelids. She felt her body go rigid all over fo
r that last, heart-stopping second before dissolving into shivering bliss.
When things settled, she caught him watching her.
She felt her cheeks get hot.
“Don’t,” he said. “It was beautiful.”
He shucked his briefs. He was long, as thick as she had felt. She bit her lip, wondering again if she could take him. He was so much bigger than…
He noticed her face. “I’m gonna ask again. Are you okay?”
She held her arms out to him, an overt invitation.
He nodded and moved above her.
She felt the pressure between her legs, at her entrance. Pleasure started building again, a deeper scorching sensation than before.
“I’m going to try to control myself,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Fuck. I am. I will.”
She wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or her.
She kissed him to show she got it—that she was okay with it, more than okay with it.
Linc thrust once, driving himself into her and the world vanished as a speck of pain dissolved into total rapture.
She felt a climax coming on immediately at the first thrust.
He grunted against her neck as she tightened even more around him.
“So good!” she whispered, panting with desire.
He moved in slow, measured drives, smooth and deep. She rolled her head from side to side, half-crazed as her body shuddered, again and again.
Again.
And again.
Circe didn’t think she could take any more, but he kept going, faster, harder. He was losing control, and she was there with him.
She’d finally learned the definition of abandon.
Circe dragged her nails down his back. She grunted like an animal as he took her, riding her, his muscles working beneath her hands.
She urged him on, gripping him tighter with her legs, pulling him inside. Their bodies slapped together, faster, faster. Their cries mingled, muffled by a kiss to keep their secret.
“Come for me again,” he commanded as he thrust, driving his length into her.
She thrust her hips up to meet his downward thrusts, taking what she wanted, moving closer and closer. It didn’t take long for that familiar pressure to build inside her core, tightening until it exploded.
“Yes!” she cried out.