Stealing Kathryn (31 page)

“Well! I was curious,” she defended herself.

“And more power to you,” he assured her. “I was laughing at your penchant for blushing. You’re an easy book to read sometimes.”

“All the time, according to Jillian. She says I wear my heart on my sleeve. Oh! Don’t,” she begged him when he went to kiss her very intimately.

“Why not?”

“Because I haven’t showered since the last time. Please…”

“Nonsense. That only means you’ll smell and taste like both of us. Which makes you more provocative, in my book.”

To prove his point, he flicked his tongue against her saturated folds, tasting her deeply. He made an appreciative sound, but all she had needed was the look in his darkening eyes to know he was telling her the truth. He found everything about her compelling, she realized. And realizing that was a powerful feeling. A strong and feminine feeling. It was enough to power her courage so she could brazenly kick up her legs and sling them over his shoulders. He took the hint and lowered himself to the task of taking an even deeper taste. He also worked a second finger inside her, making her squirm at the combined sensations.

He played over her for a good long while, stroking her like a fine instrument tuning up to play in the orchestra. He waited until she was writhing hard on the floor, her legs clutching him in such a grip she could have bruised a lesser man’s back. Instead it just excited him more and more, every time her heels dug in. But he didn’t let her climax, much to her audible frustration.

“Oh no,” he said as he freed himself from her legs and climbed up her body. “No shortcuts for you, Miss Kat. We’re going to save it for the best part, and this time, you’re not going to hold out on me.”

“But…what if I can’t help it?” she asked with a swallow of anxiety. “Just the thought of everyone knowing every time I…I…”

“Come?” he supplied.

“God. I can’t even say it. You must think me such a child,” she said, her voice falling to a whisper.

“No. Never that. I think you’re young, inexperienced, and very, very innocent.”

“Not so innocent anymore,” she noted, her color deepening.

“And are you ashamed of that?” he asked as he kissed the side of her neck.

“No,” she said, and he knew immediately that she spoke the truth. “Never.”

“Good. There is no reason for shame. Not for either of us, Kathryn.” He opened his mouth on her, biting her gently on the crest of her shoulder. It gave her chills and she shivered because of them.

“I’m not ashamed,” she promised him. “Just…painfully shy.”

“So strong and so delicate. A beautiful conundrum,” he said. “But there will be no shyness this time, love. This time you’ll give me everything and not give a damn about anyone else but us.”

He punctuated the order with a deep, wild kiss, one where she could taste herself on his lips and felt heightened excitement wash through her because of it. The scent and flavor was unique and intoxicating. It was them. Together. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced in her life. No wonder he enjoyed it so much.

“Okay,” she said breathlessly. “I’ll try not to be shy.”

“Don’t try,” he countered against her lips. “There should be no effort at all when it comes to this. Just relax. It comes so naturally to you. There will be little effort necessary.”

“All right,” she said, a promise to herself as much as it was meant to be a promise to him. He worried that she was putting even more undue pressure on herself as she mentally chanted to herself to relax. That was when he realized it was going to be up to him to get her through this. He just had to push her past the point of being able to think about anything. Only then would she be able to let go.

Distraction was going to be his first technique.

He moved back and grabbed her legs, crossing them before reaching for her hips and flipping her over. He prevented her from going up on her knees when she naturally would and instead straddled her backside. She twisted around, trying to see him. He forced her to face the floor and then began to rub her back in long, relaxing strokes. Then, just as she started to moan in pleasure, he bent forward and swept her hair aside so he could bite her on the back of her neck. She yelped at the minimal but startling pain. Then he went to her midspine and did it again. He moved back off her and after shaping her buttocks with his hands for a long moment, he bent to nip her on each one there as well.

This startled her and made her laugh. Adrian was willing to bet it made her blush as well. But at this point, he wasn’t going to let her get away with any shyness. Even if he had to shock it out of her. He wanted her to be so comfortable with his uses for her body that nothing he did would shock her anymore.

To that end, Adrian molded her backside, one cheek in each hand, massaging for a moment before pushing them apart, exposing the crevice between them, then bent his head and licked her from her perineum back. He thought she might have exploded from the floor if he’d not been holding her down. He could see the back of her neck coloring and it made him smile.

“Adrian!” she gasped.

He turned her over, facing her furious blush.

“There is no part of you that is off limits to me and anything I want to do,” he told her when she tried to sputter out a protest. “There is nothing to be shy of or ashamed of.” He came up to her and kissed her mouth. “Everything about you is precious to me. Every inch of you is utterly delicious. Never forget that.”

He reached for her hand and wrapped it around his thick and heavy cock, reminding her how aroused she made him.

“Nothing bothers you,” she murmured. “I wish I could be like that.”

“You can be. Just let go and feel. Feel everything. Want to feel everything.”

To punctuate the point he bent her legs at the knees, pushing them up and apart.

“Hold on to your legs. That’s a good girl.” She grabbed her knees, pulling them up toward her chest, exposing the very core of her sex to him. He wanted to bend his mouth to her again, to taste how lush and warm she was, but he honestly couldn’t bear being outside her any longer. He came up to her until his penis was touching all that wet and wonderful flesh, then took a moment to bathe himself in her, rocking back and forth against her, his cock taunting her clit with every stroke until she was shuddering with ripples of pleasure.

Once he was good and wet with her juices, he made no pretense of hesitation or teasing. He notched himself at her entrance and, putting a thumb against her clit, he thrust deeply into her. Normally he would take time to let her adjust to his girth, but he had no patience for that and wanted no more delays. The longer she took to reach climax, the more time she’d have to think and fret about it.

Working from both the inside and the wet little clit on the outside, he thrust into her in steady, rocking movements. Her hips came up with each rolling impact, and she moaned out soft little sounds of pleasure almost immediately. And why wouldn’t she? He was engaged in a two-pronged attack, and he was determined she was going to win this battle.

Kathryn quickly lost track of which way was up. She couldn’t figure out if she wanted her eyes closed so she could focus on the feelings she was experiencing, or open so she could see her magnificent lover in all his dominating glory. She loved to watch him, the expanse of his chest, the tight taper of defined muscles down along his belly that stood out in stark definition each time he thrust forward into her, and that magnificent cock of his moving in and out of her body. The sight of that was enough to spin her brain, to coax her on a ride up toward the peak he wanted so badly for her to jump from. She tried so hard not to think about all those people in the village who would know every time they made love like this. She tried not to feel like they were being monitored.

The sudden smack on her backside startled her right out of her thoughts. She looked up at his darkened eyes in shock.

“That’s what I’m going to do every time I catch you obsessing like that,” he promised her.

The smack hadn’t hurt. In fact, quite the opposite. A warm, devastating tingle ran right through her sex. And the moment she realized she liked it, he gave a little chuckle.

“I’ll have to remember that,” he mused, making her flush to realize he had read from her. Then she thought she didn’t care if he had. What was the big deal? He was her lover. He was supposed to find out what turned her on. “That’s right, honey. Just let go,” he coaxed her, doubling his rhythm inside her to make it hard not to do exactly that. He bent to snare a nipple between his teeth, tugging at it just hard enough to make her gasp and moan as he drew a line with the action from breast to clit and from clit to deep inside her pussy.

She began to pant frantically, the power of his skill overwhelming her. She was coming up on a crest blindingly fast, almost before she could even anticipate it. She didn’t realize that was exactly Adrian’s plan. He continued to overwhelm her until she was highly wet with stimulation and swirling madly in her own mind. Her body was humming, singing hard for him, fast reaching the point of a scream.

“That’s it. Now you let go, love. Fly for me, Kat.”

She wanted to. More than anything. But she feared she wouldn’t be able to.

“None of that,” he scolded her with a deep growl. “I’m ready for you and I want you ready for me. Just feel. Only feel.”

She had no choice but to feel. He was everywhere all at once, from bite to thrust to that maddening swirl of a thumb against her. She couldn’t bear it another second. She cried out, long low sounds of pleasure as her body whipped up tight with need.

“Adrian!” she cried, fear in her voice. She wasn’t afraid to let go per se, but she was afraid of the power of what was waiting for her. She knew it was going to be like nothing she had felt to date.

“It’s all right. I’m with you,” he breathed.

It was all she needed, to know he was there for her no matter what. She didn’t know that was what she needed, but she did. She threw her head back and launched into a stunning orgasm, her whole body locking up around him. She felt like she was riding horseback, racing madly, jumping the highest obstacles. She cried out long and loud, her body squeezing him tightly until he was forced to come over with her. She felt him coming, felt him lose all sense of control, just blindly thrusting into her and following every feeling he had.

They collapsed together in a pile of panting breaths and tangled arms and legs. Adrian scooped her up against him and rolled with her, taking her off the floor and using his body to cushion her from it. He grinned as he caught sight of her flushed and sated expression.

“Better?” he asked.

She laughed.

“Much.”

Chapter 15

In all of the drama about the Ampliphi wanting Adrian to move back to their home village, they had never taken the time to consider how damn lonely it would be for Aerlyn when her brother left her. Granted, he hadn’t been much in the way of company in the past few years, but that hadn’t really mattered to a sister who had loved him no matter what. But it only took a day of wandering around the fortress by herself for her to feel it.

She wondered if they were going to replace Adrian. Not in her heart, obviously, but in his mirror. There were better ways of gathering energy, but Adrian had been very effective at what he did. The problem was that anyone who had seen Adrian had seen what the nightmare plane had done to him. On top of that, it took a very specific talent to be able to manipulate dreams. But she supposed they would stick with what they knew, and eventually someone would take the mirror. They didn’t have to be there with her in order for it to work, but the Barrens had been the best place to be in order to protect themselves from others and others from them. At least with their setup, she had been able to regulate Adrian, to keep him from running wild. And that had proved to be very necessary. Even in a world without people, Adrian had more than proven he was still a danger to others. Stealing Kathryn was his final act of proof, although it was a poor example because she had turned out to be his kindra. She was amazed Adrian had had the presence of mind to even distinguish the difference, but instinct very often won out over everything, so she shouldn’t really be surprised.

She was at her dressing table, preparing to go to work, when she heard the distinctive sound of a vortex opening. She and Adrian used the mirrors to travel between planes, but other Guardians used all kinds of different methods according to their talents. Wondering who would be visiting her, she went in search of her guests. She found them on the main floor. In the marbled foyer, sitting wrapped up around one another, were a man and a woman. The female sat in the male’s lap at a provocative closeness, her dress riding up her thighs as her legs remained locked around his waist. She was heavily flushed and they were both breathing hard, as if they’d just had sex. And considering who the male was, she was inclined to believe it had been a close approximation.

Julian. Julian had been Guardian before he had been Ampliphi. His specialty had been reaping the dynamic energy released during sexual peak. It was also the power he had used to travel from plane to plane. Aerlyn had never met the woman before, but she was willing to assume that the female was his kindra, Asia. About three years earlier, Julian had stumbled upon her in the human world and had taken her home. Now it was clear the couple had used one another to travel from Beneath to the Barrens.

But that seemed peculiar to Aerlyn. Now that he was Ampliphi, Julian no longer needed to use climactic energy to travel between the worlds. He should be powerful enough to do it purely by way of thought. Why would he revert to his Guardian ways and methods?

The couple seemed to regroup. They separated and got to their feet, both looking like children who had done something very naughty—yet were entirely unrepentant because of how much fun it had been. Aerlyn covered up a smile and greeted them.

“Julian, Asia, welcome to my home. I am honored.”

Julian turned serious eyes on her, the expression incongruent with the healthy erection she could see he still sported from whatever play he had used to bring them there. The frown etching his lips was enough to give her a sinking feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong. And she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.