The Gunslinger's Gift (6 page)

“Good,”
he whispered, with a smug look. Sliding his hand down her neck, he trailed his
fingers over her arm. He continued to thrust. Each time, he stroked a little
harder, a little faster. His hand moved to her thigh and squeezed gently.

“Yes,”
she hissed. She felt as if parts of her skin were being lifted and little
threads were moving from her soul to his, but not in a painful way, oddly
enough. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she moaned, pure pleasure racing
through her as she hooked her heels at his back and demanded that he give her
more.

“Look
at me,” he growled. “Let me see your eyes, Sophia.” His hand flexed and
released on her thigh as he lifted her leg higher. James was thrusting faster
now, the bed under them moving from the force.

Sophia
opened her eyes and watched him watching her. She couldn’t help herself. “I’m
looking at you.” And she saw him. Gods, she saw the very soul of the man and
loved him all the more in that moment. When she spoke next, it was only his
name, and it held a healthy dose of fear because she didn’t know what was
happening.

“I have
you, honey.” Sweat was tracking down his temples and catching on the light
scruff of his cheeks. “Just let go. I’ll catch you, Sophia. I swear it.” Biting
his lip, he slid in and out of her faster, the look of concentration on his
face was intense as his fingers clenched around her thigh.

She
trusted him. With every single part of her being. She felt the bond growing
tighter between them and then it happened. It was in the very pit of her
stomach, like a mad herd of butterflies that demanded to be let free. She
screamed, her back arched and her nails raked down his back. She climaxed so
hard that her whole body shook, and those ties that she felt twinning their
souls together seemed to snap taunt.

His
body went tight against hers, bowing out as he bellowed her name. Something hot
poured into her body as he shuddered and collapsed over her. Breathing hard, he
wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, as if he was afraid she’d get
away from him.

Sophia
giggled and snuggled in closer to him. “I liked that. A lot,” she all but
purred. Yawning, she closed her eyes and sighed. “I love you, Billy,” she
whispered, before she fell into a stone cold sleep.

“I love
you, too, Soph,” he followed her into the darkness.

Chapter
Four

A
finger stroking over her skin brought her awake. “About time you woke up,”
James’s voice said next to her. “I was beginning to think you’d sleep forever,
Soph.” He kissed her gently, his teeth lightly nipping at her bottom lip before
drawing away.

“I just
needed Prince Charming to kiss me.” She had no idea if that was the right
prince or not, and honestly, she didn’t care. She had a real man that loved
her. “Goodness, I could get very accustomed to waking up in your arms like
this,” she said, as she stroked her fingers over his mouth. “Did you sleep
well?”

“Actually,
yeah. I normally don’t. Again, with the old life issues of never knowing when a
bullet might be coming my way. But I will admit that, both times I’ve slept
with you, I’ve slept better than I have since I was a kid.” Leaning into her,
he gave her another kiss—slow, deep, and enough to have heat building in her
body again. “You need to eat, and you should have a nice, hot bath. You’re
probably going to be feeling muscles you didn’t even realize you had as soon as
you start moving around.”

“I
wouldn’t turn it down. Why don’t I get started in the bathroom, and you go and
grab us some food? You can come and climb into the tub with me when you come
back.”

“Sounds
good to me.” He smiled, pressing another kiss to her lips before he drew back.
Rolling from the bed, he stretched his arms up over his head and twisted his
torso left, then right. “I’ll lock the outer door when I leave. Likely not
necessary, but I’ll feel better. Did you want anything specific? Since we’re at
the dinner hour, you’re non-carnivore choices are going to be a little more
limited.”

“Anything
that doesn’t have a face. I’m actually pretty easy. So as long as it’s not
meat, I’m totally good.” She gazed at him and grinned. “Goodness, I’m a happy
and seriously lucky woman.”

Reaching
out a hand, he caught hers and pulled her to her feet in front of him. “I’m the
lucky one, Soph. And I will never, ever forget just how lucky I am. I love
you,” he said, softly. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he squeezed her fingers.
“I would like to mention, that anything good
has
a face on it. You really are trying to challenge me, aren’t
you?”

“I
know, but if anyone can pull it off, you can, Billy.” She moved onto her
tiptoes, kissing him as she did so. “Do you feel that?” she asked him quietly,
with her lips brushing his. “It feels amazing. The way that you touch me, but
it’s more than that. It feels as if we’re connected at a soul-deep level now,
doesn’t it?”

“We
are,” he admitted. “We’re bonded now, Soph. A Guardian and VV, when they come
together the first time sexually, forge a tie between themselves. Your lifespan
is now tied to mine, which means you’ll live as long as I will. That same bond
will also allow us, in time, to talk to one another without words. It lets us
feel each other’s emotions at any given time.”

“Oh.”
She hadn’t even thought about that. “That’s good, because I don’t want to live
without you. It’s a good thing that we’re bonded because it means that I get
the rest of forever to give you a hard time.”

“You
would focus on that, wouldn’t you?” Laughing, he gave her a hug, swung her
around, and set her on her feet. Turning her, he smacked her bottom. “Go and
bathe. I’ll be back in twenty minutes or less.” He went into his closet,
muttering about vegetarians living with meat eaters.

She
giggled.
God, I love that man
.

Turning
on the faucet, she winced as the slightest of pains hit her hard and fast. “Oh,
crap. That kind of hurts.”

“I told
you that it would,” James called to her. He appeared in the bathroom door and
gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, honey. Until you use those muscles a few
times, you’re going to feel some aches and pains.”

“I’m
totally willing to give it a million tries. I don’t care if it hurts every
time, as long as you are loving me, I’m happy. Now, what did you get me for
food?” she asked, with a grin. “Because I’m starving. I might be a vegetarian,
but I still love to eat.”

“I’m
going, I’m going.” He held his hands up and backed out of the doorway. The
sound of the door opening and shutting let her know she was alone, and the
noise of a bolt being thrown told her she was safe.

She
leaned back in the tub. Once she was comfortable, she closed her eyes and
relaxed, the hot water making her muscles loosen a great deal.

The
door opening and shutting again a while later announced his return. “Do you
know how much flak I got for what I put on your plate? Do you even know what
this is doing to my reputation, Sophia? Woman, you are damn fucking lucky I
love you.” A soft sound of dishes knocking together was followed by silence.
Then, he was walking into the bathroom to glare down at her, his hands on his
hips.

Sophia
just grinned up at him. “Yeah, I know you love me, and I love you too. Just
know that whatever shit they gave you, you’ll be able to put it back on them
later. That’s something to look forward to, babe. You have me in your life, so
isn’t that enough to put up with whatever they might have said to you?”

He let
out a growl at that. “You are so damn lucky I adore you.” Shaking his head, he
crouched down next to her and reached out to stroke her hair. “How are you
feeling? Any better?”

“A
great deal better, surprisingly,” she admitted to him. “How about you get into
the tub with me? I really would love it. Your hands over my shoulders. Your
thighs on each side of mine.”

“Can
do,” he said. Leaning in close, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Scoot up a bit
more. I’m not as dainty as you are, honey.” Winking, he straightened up,
stepped back, and began to strip. He did it nice and slow, too, giving her a
show.

Sophia
licked her lips. “Oh God, do you know just how much I love the way that you
look?” She was panting. God, she loved how sexy he was, but it was more than
that. She loved how he treated her, how he loved her. She loved everything
about him. “Heavens, I’m a lucky, lucky woman.”

Chuckling,
he dropped his pants, kicking them aside, and stepped back up to the tub.
Climbing in behind her, he slid down into the water at her back. “Damn, this is
toasty,” he said, shifting around a little. “All right, honey, come here and
let me cuddle you.”

Sophia
turned slightly and shifted so that her feet were on the other side of his
thighs. Laying her head on his shoulder, she sighed. Her arms wrapped around
his back, and she simply smiled.

His
arms came around her, one hand sliding up and down her ribcage. “Much better,”
he told her.

“I
couldn’t agree more. Being held by you makes me all kinds of happy. I think we
should do this often. It would be wonderful to be naked with you all the time.”

“Any
time we’re in our rooms we can be naked. We may need to adjust the temperature
in here a little bit, just to keep you from getting cold. Though, I would warm
you up any chance I got. You know that, right?”

“I
know.” She grinned. “Although, I do tend to get cold easily.”

“I’ll
adjust the thermostat a bit for your overall comfort. But if, and when, you get
chilled, you come and find me. I’ll find very interesting and unique ways to
warm you up.” One of his hands slid down to run over her thigh. After a moment,
he moved it between her legs, slipping down to cup her mound, a finger sliding
between her folds to rub at her clit.

She
shivered and found herself opening her legs even more for him. She moved her
hand down his chest and to his neck, her thumbs stroking over his rapid pulse.
“More,” she begged.

“Spread
your legs for me, honey. Let me have access to all of you,” he said in a low,
rough tone. “Are you wet for me, Sophia? Hot and ready for anything I might do
to you? Is your pulse racing, your body humming in need for me and my touch?”

“Yes,”
she hissed. “I’m very wet for you. I think that I stay that way, honestly.” She
whimpered. “I need you,” she told him, without hesitation. “Please, don’t
stop.”

“That’s
good to know,” he said, against her ear. The kiss of his teeth to her earlobe
was the prelude to his fingers pushing into her. James curled them and hit that
spot deep inside that had her tensing almost immediately for what was to come.

“Oh
God, James.” She sobbed his name and opened herself wider for him. “No pain.
Feels so darn good.” She was moaning again, rubbing against his finger as he
moved it in and out of her body. “More.” It was a demand, pure and simple.
“More, James.”

“Touch
yourself, honey. Play with your clit. Learn your own body, and its responses.”
He cupped her breast in his free hand, pinching and rolling her nipple.

Sophia
did just that. She slid her hand down her body, over his that was working in
and out of her, and rubbed her thumb over her clit.

“That’s
it, Soph.” He pulled his fingers from her body, laced them through hers, and
pressed a digit from each of their hands back inside her. “Feel how hot, how
wet, you are, Sophia. You’re so slick, so ready to accept anything and
everything we do together.”

“Yes.”
She was, too. “Jesus. Please, James.” She was desperate for more. “I want you
inside of me. Love me,” she begged.

“I do
love you, with everything I have in me.” He drew their fingers from her body
again and grabbed her hips. Lifting her up, he poised her over himself. “Guide
me into your pussy, Sophia. Take hold of my cock and help me slip into your
sweet, little body.”

Reaching
between them, Sophia closed her hand over his thick shaft. “Holy hell,” she
moaned. “You’re so hard.” She adjusted herself, her thumb still stroking over
her own clit, and sobbed while bracing her other hand on his arm. “You feel so
good.”

He let
her slide down his cock slowly, one of his hands moving up to cup her breast
and pull her back to his chest. “You’re in the position to move, to control
what we do, Sophia. Move your legs so you can use them to lift and lower
yourself on me.”

She
moved experimentally up then down on him and sobbed back a sigh of pure,
intense pleasure. “Holy hell,” she moaned again.

“Nice
and slow, Soph. Take your time, honey. We have all the time in the world. It’s
just you and I, here in this moment, enjoying one another.” He gave her breast
a gentle squeeze, flicking her nipple as he caught her free hand. Sliding it
down her body, he pressed it to where they were joined.

“That
feels so good.” She rocked back and forth on him, shivering in reaction to his
touches. “There, that feels good.” She was moving slowly now, taking his advice
and simply loving every single part of their union.

“It
should always feel good between us, Soph. No matter what we do, no matter how
we do it, it should always be fucking amazing when we come together.” James
pressed a kiss to her neck, her shoulder, and scraped his teeth lightly over
her skin.

“Couldn’t
agree more.” She was rocking faster now, her actions just a bit rougher.
“James.” She felt that feeling in the pit of her stomach, of the butterflies
threatening to burst free and take flight. “What is this?” Her pussy tightened
against his cock. “Please.”

“It’s
your orgasm, Sophia. Ride it all out. Let it break free. Just let it consume
you. I’ll be right here to catch you when you fall. I’ll always be here to
catch you, honey.” He was rocking his hips, driving his cock through her folds
faster, taking her higher and higher. “Let go and scream for me, honey.”

Sophia
moved harder and faster on him. She didn’t stop. She needed this every single
bit as much from him as he needed it from her. “There,” she sobbed, and with
her head falling back, she screamed his name let her release break free.

His arm
held her tight to his body as he rubbed her clit, drawing her climax out. Over
and over, he slammed into her body until he finally stilled deep inside of her.
His teeth latched onto her shoulder as he growled out her name and heat flooded
her sheath in long splashes.

Sophia
screamed out his name a second time. She liked the way that heated moisture
felt when he tightened like that. “Gods,” she whimpered. “Was that your
orgasm?” she asked, as she collapsed against him. “Heavens, that was so very,
very good. I think we need to do that a lot.”

“Was
what, what?” James sounded confused. And more than a little dazed. “Damn,
woman, I think you might have killed me.” He laughed softly, hugging her close
to him as he pressed kisses along her throat and jaw.

“The
heat that I feel inside of me. Was that your orgasm?” she asked again with a
smile and rubbed her cheek to his shoulder. “I like it. If you’ve been killed,
then I’m dead too.”

He gave
her a squeeze. “The heat you feel inside
is
my orgasm. It’s the semen that releases when I come. It’s what, one day, I
hope, will get you pregnant with our child.”

“A
baby?” She sat back on him, moaning when she did. “Oh, lordy.” She couldn’t
believe how good it felt, even with them both being spent. “I didn’t think
about that. It’s not something we have to worry about for a while, right? I
mean, something like that doesn’t happen right away, right?”