Twice In A Lifetime (7 page)

“But you almost died. Or you did die.” She’d held his head in her lap while he bled out. “And it’s my fault. All of this. I wouldn’t listen to you about Daniel, about the stunt. And then—” She choked. “Then the stupid divorce. I was just so scared you were going to leave me and…and—”

“Shhh. I know.” He stroked down her back, the heat from his hand warm against the wet material
, soothing, reassuring. “Stand up. Let’s get these clothes off before you get sick.”

“No.” She jumped to her feet. “Let me take care of you. You were just shot for God’s sake.”
Guilt cut through her like a sword.

He stood and held out his arms. “
I’m fine. But when have I ever stopped you from getting me naked?” He winked.

“Stop it. Stop being nice to me.” She unbuttoned his pants.

“Can’t help it.” He pulled her against him. “I love you.” He nibbled down her neck. “I’ve always loved you. Always will.” He cupped her face in his palms. “When that set exploded and I couldn’t find you, I –” His voice cracked and his eyes glistened. “I wanted to die.”

His words fisted her heart with pain. She shouldn’t have been so damned stubborn. What if she’d been killed in that explosion? He would have been left all alone
, no other family.

“I’m sorry. I swam to the surface to tell you I was okay, but…” She shrugged.

“You were here.”

“Yeah.” She blew a long breath and threaded her fingers through his, leani
ng into his heat, needing to know this was real. “Why were you there that day anyway?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “It was your birthday.”

“And?” Had he forgiven her
before
she was blown up?

“
I came to give you a present. My copy of the divorce papers— shredded.” He winked. “And if you wouldn’t listen to me, I was going to kidnap you.”

A ridiculous thrill shivered through her. “You were?”

“Yeah. But then…” He shook his head. “The rescue team couldn’t find you. They pronounced you dead. But I wouldn’t believe it. I rented a boat and circled the site and went diving for hours on end. That’s when Celeste came to me. She told me about the birthday spell and what she thought happened to you.”

He stepped back and stripped off his
boot and pants, then sat on the bed, looking so healthy, so alive…so damned sexy in his tight boxer briefs.

Kneeling between his legs, she snuggled against his chest
, her fingers stroking the trail of hair below his naval. “But how did you know where I was?”

“
We didn’t at first, but I could
feel
you.” He shrugged. “So we hired a medium and had a séance.”

“A séance? So I’m…” Dead was a sobering thought. She shivered.

He stood. “Clothes off. Right now. You’re cold.” He stripped her, then climbed into bed and tucked them both beneath the blanket, wrapping her in his heat. But shivers still rippled through her. Was it true? Was she…?

“Am I dead?” she whispered against his chest.

“Um, maybe. Kind of. I’m not sure.” He blew a long breath. “I never really understood that part. Celeste said that since she cast the spell at the same time you would’ve died, you were caught in some kind of parallel dimension of the past or of the afterlife.” Confusion wrinkled his brow. “Something like that.”

“What about Daniel. How could he be here?”

“He was hurt in the explosion, darlin’. He’s in a coma – on life support. They don’t have any hope for recovery.”

Dread raced th
rough her. “What about the other actors?” All the crew and extras.

“A few people were h
urt, but not seriously.”

Thank God.
“But you were here. I mean
other
you. And you weren’t dead. Aren’t dead.” Damn it, this made no sense.

“That was just an echo of me. Like half of me. Celeste said because I let Alicia’s death kill part of who I was,
that
part of me was here. That’s how I could feel you, how I knew you weren’t dead.”

But Alicia was. Izzy swallowed hard. “Do you remember what happened on the island…with Alicia?”

Pain pinched his brow. “Yes, I saw it. Saw what she really was. I had already come to terms with it though. I’ve been going to therapy to deal with everything.”

“Everything, meaning me too?” God, had he learned to live without her?

“Everything meaning my grief and my paranoia. No amount of therapy would get me over you, if that’s what you mean. I dreamed about you every night this past week. And hell, I had the weirdest images about pirates and sword fights and ships…Oh.” He stopped and reached to the floor, pulling a small book out of his coat. “It’s
How to Sail
.” He grinned. “Celeste said I would need it, so I’ve been studying.”

“Um, yeah. The captain kinda needs to know th
at part.” She squeezed his hand and tried to keep her voice light, but her thoughts raced toward a dark place. Were they dead? And if they were, what the hell did that mean?

You’re together.
Celeste’s voice whispered through her mind.

Yes, they were. And that’s what really mattered.

He
traced her lips, then sighed, and closed his eyes. “I love you, Iz. God, you don’t know how much. You’re everything to me. My family, my best friend.”

“Lover?”
God, she wanted him. Wanted to feel alive again, feel Ian pulsing inside of her.

His
eyes popped open. “Do you even have to ask?”

“Do you know how freakin’ horny I am?”

He grinned. “Didn’t
other
me take care of that? I sure as hell dreamed I was kissing you, touching you.”

“No. He was a tease.”

Ian barked out a laugh. “Well I’m not.”

“Prove it,” she purred, rising so she straddled his hips.
“I need to feel you as close as possible. I have to know this is real.”

His eyes darkened, his gaze dropping from her mouth to her nipples. His breath caught. “Help me get these damn shorts off.” He tugged until the boxer briefs landed on the floor, then rolled until she lay trapped beneath his weight.

She expected the kiss to be needy, rough, as harsh as his breathing. Instead, his lips rolled over hers in a lush, slow cadence. His tongue swept between her lips, a silky rasp, hot, drugging, before he trailed wet open-mouthed kisses down her neck. His breath fanned over her damp skin, setting her on fire.

“God, Izzy.” His words whispered over her breast
, his whiskers like sand paper, erotic and rough. “You don’t know how freakin’ much I’ve missed this. Missed you.” He sucked a nipple into his mouth, then teased it with his teeth. Biting. Tugging. Sucking. Before he moved to the other side.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she forgot how to breathe, forgot everything and anything existed except the man driving her crazy.

Callused palms cupped her breasts, squeezing as long, lean fingers plucked her nipples. She tangled one hand in his hair, the other she slicked over his back, his shoulders. His cock lay heavy and hot against her thigh, the seeping head leaving a wet kiss on her skin. Christ, she had to feel him. Had to taste him.

“Stop.” She rose up on her elbows.

He lifted his head, dark hair hanging over one eye. “Why?”

“You
know why.” She circled his cock and gave him a squeeze. “I want to suck you.”

He groaned. “Damn it, I don’t know how much I can take. It’s been too long.”

“Let’s find out.”

Climbing to her knees, she pushed him onto his back. His dick stood thick and hard, cum
glistening on the tip. Her sex clenched, aching to have him inside her, but she’d missed the taste of him on her tongue, the powerful feeling swallowing his cock gave her.

She bent and gave him one long, slow lick. His hand f
isted the blanket then moved to the back of her head.

“Suck me. Please. You don’t know how many nights
I’ve jacked off remembering the feel of my cock in your mouth.” His fingers threaded into her hair, urging her toward his swollen head.

Moisture trickled down her thigh. Damn, just the thought of him jacking off made her hot. Grasping his base, she opened her mouth and slid down his thick length until he bumped the back of her throat.

“Oh, yes. Yes. Take me deep. Just like that.” His hips twitched as he pumped, his breath ragged.

Slipping her palms up his body, she pinched his nipples, rolling them between her fingertips the way she knew he loved. She hollowed her cheeks, sucking all the way to his tip, her hand massaging his
balls as she swallowed him.

“Stop. Christ, stop or I’m going to come.” He gripped her shoulders, tugging.

She pulled off with a
pop
and made a show of licking her lips.

“You think it’s funny to torture me, huh? We’ll see how much you li
ke it.” Flipping her over, he placed her hands on the headboard. “Leave them there.”

He hovered above
her body, giving each nipple a quick, wet kiss before licking down to her stomach. His tongue swirled in her belly-button, making her squirm.

“That tickles.”

“Too bad. Don’t move.” His hands slid under her butt, and he lifted her to his mouth. He brushed his whiskers over her thigh, sending delicious shivers down her spine. “Now watch.” He lowered his dark head and flattened his tongue, licking through her wet folds.

“Ian!” Her body knotted, lifting off the bed, needing more.

He lapped her slick opening, one finger slipping inside, dragging moisture to her rear. One gentle push had him knuckle deep in her rosette.

“Ohhhh.” Her groans filled the room.
“Don’t stop.”

He chuckled, the vibra
tion pushing her closer to the edge. Sensations twisted low in her belly. The room started to spin, her heart thundering, her entire body so tight, so tense, so ready for release. “Please. Ian, please. Make me come.”

“Mmm. Mmmm.” He lapped, flicking hi
s tongue over and over and over. The humming of his lips twisted her nerves tighter, tighter, tighter.

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop,” she chanted. So damned close. Just a little more…

He fastened onto her nub, sucking it into his mouth the same time he slid two fingers inside her, stroking, stroking, stroking, keeping rhythm with the one in her ass.

“Ian. Oh, God. Yes, yes. Right there.” She arched into his mouth as her climax ripped through her, blinding, white heat, frying her from the inside out.

“Ahhh.” She was floating, floating on a cloud of pleasure, high from the best orgasm in months. “So good. So good.” She stretched like a cat.

He lifted his head and grinned, his mouth wet from her juices. “Mmm. You taste
even better than I remember.” His hands slid up her body, caressing every inch of her skin, taking her hands in his. “Let’s see if the rest is better than I remember.”

When he settled his weight over her, she smiled. “This is what I missed.”

“I haven’t got to the good stuff yet, darlin’.” He waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed but shook her head. “This
is
good stuff. Just being close with you. I love lying in bed, whispering in the dark…”

He captured her face between his palms and kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered. “Remember that.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist, drowning in the wonderful feel of security.

His cock nudged her core
, the heat scorching as inch by delicious inch, he slid home. “Okay to move?” he panted.

“Yes.” She clutched his shoulders and brought him full-down on top of her, hugging him closer, burying her face in his neck and inhaling.

“I’m too heavy.”

“No. Never.” She just wanted live in this moment and never forget the feel of him, the smell of him, the sound of his voice, the taste of his skin. She licked down his throat.

He groaned and flexed his hips, pulling out until only the tip of his cock touched her walls before driving back deep inside.

“Christ, you’re so tight. So
wet. I’m not going to last.” He rocked into her again. “Touch yourself. Come again for me.”

She nodded. “Raise up.”

He pushed up onto his arms, and she slipped her hand between their bodies, watching the thrust of his wet cock as she rubbed herself. The tension twisted inside her again, spinning out of control, tightening with each slam of his hips.

“So good, so damn
good.” His words echoed in her ears. The muscles in his shoulders bunched, rippling as he climbed toward release.

“Yes. Now, now.” Her orgasm hit her, stealing her breath.

“Hell! Oh, yeah.” He groaned, driving into her once, twice more. He shuddered then collapsed on top of her. “Sorry. Sorry. Too fast.” His words puffed over her cheek, his lips brushed hers.