by Jaci Burton
This is what she wanted, wasn't it?
All she had to do was reach up and knock.
And she would.
In a minute.
As soon as she found her missing courage.
Chapter Nine
Aidan pulled the cork from the bottle of wine and poured a hefty amount into his glass. On his way into the living room he flipped the switch on the CD player. Mellow jazz sounds filled the room, soft and...
Shit. Soft and sexy and made him think of Melissa. He stepped to the window and stared out at the cloud-covered skies, the restlessness and power of the coming storm stirring him.
Taking a slow swallow of wine, he closed his eyes, wondering where Melissa was right now. Seeing her dressed as she was before she went out on the town with his sisters nearly weakened the resolve he'd struggled to work up for the past several days.
She certainly hadn't made it any easier. For five days he'd acted more the uninterested party than he ever had before. Never had it been so difficult to pretend he had no interest in someone.
Especially someone like Melissa, who he had some weird, magical connection to. Every time her thoughts drifted toward him the magic would take over, sucking him into her world no matter where he was, no matter how much he fought the connection.
And it was getting damn hard to fight it. Actually, he was just getting damn hard. All the time. So hard it was painful. He hadn't even gotten himself off the past couple days for fear he'd connect with her.
He threaded his hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated sigh. Thunder rolled ominously in the distance. Something was going to happen tonight. He could feel it in the air--the tension of the coming storm, the fierce power amassing all around him. Maintaining control over the magic would be paramount. He couldn't afford to lose it right now.
Maybe the wine and soft strains of jazz would calm the ferocity of emotions swirling inside him.
A soft knock sounded at the door. As he headed over he glanced at the clock. After ten. Who would come over this time of night? He threw open the door and a gust of wind blew inside, swirling around him and squeezing the magic to near bursting.
Melissa.
The shock rolled through him and he found himself unable to speak.
"It's windy out here. Can I come in?"
He shook off the mesmerizing sight of her and nodded. "Sorry."
She stepped in and smoothed her hair, then did something he'd never seen her do. She pulled the clip holding it back in a ponytail and shook it free. His breath stopped as she pulled her fingers through it.
Long and satiny, falling over her shoulders and breasts, just as he'd imagined. He dug his fingers into his palms to keep from reaching out and sliding his hands into the silken mass and dragging her forward so he could capture her mouth.
The pain of resistance was near unbearable. The semi-darkened room lit up with a lightning strike.
"It's fierce out there," she said.
It was about to get fierce in here. "Would you like a glass of wine?"
She nodded, attempting a smile. "I'd love one. Thank you."
He poured another for himself and one for her, then directed her to the sofa in front of the window. She sat and crossed her legs, giving Aidan a view of bare, sexy limbs. He breathed hard to force down the erection already straining against his jeans.
"You have a beautiful home, Aidan."
He sat and surveyed the living room. He'd always liked the earth tones. They calmed him, made him feel connected to the elements. The soft leather sofa gave way easily under his weight as he shifted.
"Thanks."
"Did you decorate it yourself?"
"Yes." Why was she here? Certainly not to view his decorating skills.
"You did a great job." She looked around the room. "I love the dark fireplace."
Aidan followed her gaze to the mahogany mantle he'd made himself. "Me too."
"I usually don't like decorating that's so dark. But yours is rich. I really like the--"
"Why did you come, Lissa?" he interrupted.
He watched her slender throat as she swallowed, aching to press his lips to her erratically beating pulse.
"I wanted to talk to you."
Her nearness distracted him so much he barely heard her response. Aidan inhaled her scent, the essence of lavender that slipped inside his senses making coherence a near impossibility. Already, visions of them naked and entwined on various pieces of furniture in the house had entered his stream of consciousness.
She felt it too, because damn if he wasn't connecting with her. His eyes briefly closed, long enough to merge with her wants and needs, to feel the storm that raged inside her, its potency matching his.
Then he opened his eyes and looked at her, watching as she licked her lips and studied him. The shot to his groin was painful, yet filled with promise. "Talk to me? About what?"
Her eyes opened wide and he drowned in a sea of green.
"About us."
Thunder sounded, growing ever closer.
"What about us, Lissa?" He would not touch her. Wouldn't go through the
ball-busting feeling of rejection if she pushed him away again.
She stood and walked to the window. He stood and followed, waiting patiently while she turned and met his gaze.
"There's...there's something I've been trying to tell you for the past few days."
"Tell me? Tell me what?"
Her lashes fluttered down against her cheeks for a few seconds, then she tilted her head up again. "Not really tell you. Show you is more like it."
The flash of lightning seared the room in a bright glow, followed by the low growl of thunder. It was coming closer.
"Show me what?"
Her chest rose and fell with her labored breaths, her nipples already puckering under the flimsy top she wore. But still, he wouldn't touch her.
"Aidan, I think you know."
"Maybe I do. Then again, maybe I don't. It's up to you to tell me what you want, Lissa."
She let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know if I can."
At least there was honesty in her statement. He felt the same way--both the intense need to possess her and the reluctance to take that next step. "Try me."
Hesitation crossed her face before she squared her shoulders and said, "I want you, Aidan."
The wind lashed tree limbs against the window as he let the magic free. No longer able to control his powers where Melissa was concerned, he took a step forward and pulled her into his arms, his mouth descending on hers.
She tasted wild and fierce like the elements outside. Like him. Raging passion spun out of control. She wound her fingers into his hair, tugging his head down to hold him in place.
As if he'd go anywhere. She was his, this was meant to be, and no amount of denial on his part was going to make it go away. Briefly his mind registered the destiny his mother often spoke of, but he pushed it aside.
"Destiny be damned," he murmured against her lips.
"What?" she asked, her voice breathless.
"Nothing. Give me your mouth, Lissa. Open for me."
She did, and it was heaven. Hot, rolling fire seared his tongue as it met hers. He thirsted for her, needed the sweet rain of her juices to quench the burning desire she'd stoked inside him.
Nudging her legs apart with his knee, he stepped between them and pressed his erection against her mound, rewarded with her whimper.
"I need you Aidan."
"I know, cher. It's long past time for us." Recapturing her mouth, he lightly nipped at her bottom lip, trying to hold back the forces of nature threatening to take over. The lights flickered inside, then power went out completely.
He'd lit candles earlier, instinctively knowing what was coming. They bathed the living room in an amber glow, casting an ethereal light on Lissa's face.
"You take my breath away," he said, tracing her cheekbones with his fingertips. "So beautiful, so full of passion."
"I've wanted this f
rom the moment I saw you," she said, her fingertips lightly traveling down his neck and over his shoulders. His body heated to boiling.
"You took too damn long deciding to tell me this. Now I don't think I can control it."
Melissa sucked in a gasp at the maelstrom of sensations, almost more than she could process at one time. Aidan's eyes darkened, their warm depths flaming with his desire. His erection pressed roughly against her and she fought to breathe. "Control what?"
"This. Everything. Never mind. This just won't be...I can't promise that I'll--"
"What?" She reached for him, shuddering when her palm brushed over the day's worth of stubble on his firm jaw. "Tell me."
He grabbed her roughly, his fingers biting into the tender flesh of her upper arms. She didn't care. She only wanted his touch. She'd craved it for so many days she thought she'd die before feeling his hands sear her body.
"I can't promise to be gentle." He ground out the words with what seemed like great effort.
Her heart stuttered at the harshness of his tone. She looked at him this time...really looked at him. His jaw jutted forward as he clenched his teeth, and furrowed lines appeared above his brow. Aidan was concentrating on holding back, but what? Did he want her so much he was afraid his passion would be too rough for her?
She swept aside the lock of dark hair that had fallen across his forehead and moved into to him, his heat emanating in invisible waves against her. "I'm not afraid of you, Aidan," she said. "Whatever you want to give me, I can take. Don't hold anything back."
A strong gust of wind blew a few of the candles out. Where had it come from? An open window, perhaps. The flickering wicks cast Aidan's face in an eerie light. His eyes burned a midnight black as he reached for her, threaded his fingers in her hair, pulled her forward so that their lips melded together.
Thunder crashed outside, and Aidan growled into her mouth. She grabbed his arms, his muscles rigid and straining against her hands. Her mind registered his barely leashed control, and reveled in the knowledge that he could so easily lose it with her.
She willed him to take her right now. Moisture pooled between her legs. She was primed for him, aching for him, needing him to plunge his huge cock inside her until she screamed.
"Not yet, cher," he whispered as if he'd heard her thoughts. "There's something I've wanted to do since that first night."
Aidan pulled her toward the window and stood her no more than a couple feet away from it. Here, she could watch the storm in all its intensity. The awesome power of the lightning arced across the sky. Rumbling thunder shook the very foundation of the house, and the wind and rain fought it out for mastery over the earth.
The back of the sofa brushed her buttocks, and she assumed Aidan wanted to fuck her while she was bent over the brown leather. It didn't matter, she just wanted his thick cock inside her, spreading her, filling her, becoming a part of her.
But he didn't turn her over as she'd expected. Instead, she watched in shock as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
"Oh, my," was all she could manage, excitement bubbling up inside her.
Aidan smiled up at her. "You've been wanting this, haven't you?"
How could she speak when she had no voice? The mental images of Aidan doing what she thought he was going to do had her speechless. "Yes," she managed.
"Me, too. I've been dying to taste you, cher."
Her body shuddered with anticipation.
He grasped her ankles, circling them with his fingers. "You have the most beautiful legs," he said, moving his hands up and over her calves, then higher still until they brushed the hem of her short skirt.
Her pussy throbbed and she fought the urge to reach down and massage the tightly held tension. But she didn't. She wanted Aidan's touch, Aidan's mouth on her.
"You wore this sexy little skirt tonight for me, didn't you?"
Melissa couldn't tear her eyes away from Aidan's dark gaze. He offered her a wicked smile and reached up under her skirt. She gasped and sucked in her lower lip to keep from crying out. Not yet.
"You thought maybe you'd run into me, and seeing you like this would get me hot."
"Did it?" she asked.
He nodded and smiled. "Oh yeah. Then again, I've been hot for you for over a week."
She couldn't believe he'd admitted that to her. After all these days she thought he'd been avoiding her, that he wasn't interested. "I didn't know that."
He shook his head and skimmed his fingers further inside her skirt, brushing the tops of her thighs. "How could you not know how much I wanted you?"
"You avoided me," she said, not caring that her tone was accusatory.
"Yes, I did. You were making me crazy."
When he kissed the spot where her thighs met her skirt, she jumped. He laughed. Now he was making her crazy.
"How strong are you, Lissa?"
"How...what do you mean?"
His hands reached around and squeezed the top of her thighs, his knuckles brushing against her rear.
"Did you eat a good dinner tonight?"
Lightning illuminated his face, the heat in his eyes like molten lava. "Yes, I ate. Why?"
He moved his hands a few inches higher and cupped her buttocks, then pressed his face between her legs, his hot breath searing her. And he hadn't even removed her skirt yet.
"Because I'm going to love you all night long. I'm going to make you come, over and over and over again until you have no strength left."
"Oh, God." Her voice trembled. She was unable to hide her reaction to his sensual promise.
"Are you ready?"
The slow, deliberate pace he'd set drove her mad. "Yes," she whimpered.
His laugh was low and husky. He moved his fingers over her panties and grasped the sides, tugging them down her thighs. The sensuous contact of silk grazing her legs, coupled with the gentle scrape of his knuckles along her sensitized skin started her legs shaking.
After she stepped out of her panties, she waited for Aidan to pull down her skirt. Instead, he slid his hands inside and lifted it, then stared at her sex. She shifted under his scrutiny, never before having had a man examine her so closely.
"You have a beautiful pussy, Lissa," he said. "Satiny down of blonde curls, and bare lips. They're wet, you know." He slid his knuckles over her sex.
Melissa quivered at the intimate contact and spread her legs.
He leaned in and pressed his lips against her mound, kissing above her clit.
"God, Aidan," she rasped.
"You smell like lavender down here, too. And something sweeter." He made eye contact with her and lowered his head. His tongue darted out and he traced the outline around the distended nub.
Pleasure surged deep in her core, her juices flowing at the first brush of his tongue against her. She reached for him and threaded her fingers into his dark, thick hair, needing some form of balance, especially when he lapped at her folds, then slid his tongue inside her.
He was relentless in his desire to pleasure her. Grabbing her ass, he pulled her closer, sucking up her juices, licking from side to side until she moaned uncontrollably at the myriad of unfamiliar sensations. Never had she experienced anything like this intensity.
It had been too long...no, it had never been this amazing, the storm of electrical pleasures shooting through her until she couldn't bear it.
"Oh my God!" she screamed, feeling the first spasms of orgasm near. "Aidan, I'm going to come."
"Watch me lick you, cher," he commanded, his voice gentle and coaxing. "I want to see your face when you come all over my tongue."
The heat was unbearable, the sensations nearly more than she could handle, but she watched him. Couldn't tear her eyes away, in fact. He stroked her pussy lips with slow, measured strokes of his tongue, alternating sliding his tongue inside her, then wrapping his mouth around her clit and tugging.
Lightning outside caught her attention, and the skies lit up as the force of her orgasm stunned her.
&nb
sp; "I'm coming!" she cried, and he flicked his tongue quickly over her clit as the first waves shot through her.
Instead of letting her go, he grabbed her hips and held on. She thrust against him, needing his tongue against her, inside her, as wave after wave of torrential fire rained down over her.
She shuddered and tried to catch her breath, but Aidan was relentless. He sucked the distended bud and licked her pussy, lapping up her juices until she was ready again, already feeling the pounding need resurface.
This wasn't going to do at all. She wanted him inside her, didn't want to come again without feeling him pulsing deep within, stroking her, flying off the cliff right along with her.
"Aidan, no," she panted. "Wait. Not yet. I want..."
Too late, the fury surrounded her. She moaned through the next orgasm, struggling for breath, fighting for sanity, the nearly blinding storm outside becoming a part of her, the sensations battering at her until she fell back against the sofa, completely exhausted.
Aidan stood and pulled her into his arms, their faces so close she could see the dark desire nearly obliterating his amber orbs. She leaned in and licked his lips, tasting her juices on him.
"Yes, cher, you taste sweet, like a hot, sweet, summer storm."
A shiver skittered up her spine, his voice flowing over her like August heat. The storm had grown more fierce, as if minute by minute it was building more power. And yet she felt safe cradled in Aidan's arms, knowing no harm would come to her as long as he held her.
He stepped between her outstretched legs and rocked his hard-on between them. She knew she soaked his jeans with her juices, but he didn't seem to care. The mere action of his motions against her aching mound had her ready again, wanting him, needing him inside her.
"Aidan, please," she whimpered as he rained kisses along her jaw and neck.
He pulled back. "Please what, Lissa?"
"I want you to make love to me."
His eyes narrowed. "Are you ready?"
"Yes. Now."
"Good. I can't wait any longer." He swept her up in his arms and carried her down the darkened hallway.
Chapter Ten
Melissa's heart pounded against Aidan's chest as he effortlessly carried her down the hall. Using his foot, he nudged open a door and entered a room too swathed in darkness to see.
Until lightning struck outside, casting a daylight brightness from the two windows on either side of a large bed. Then the shroud of night fell again.