“Since the D’Danann are neutrally aligned, they may not help us like they helped the Shanai,” Silver said quietly, keeping her gaze focused on Hawk.
He sighed and put the spoon back into the bowl. “This is true. If the Elders believe it is time for the Fomorii’s rule again, then they will do nothing.”
Silver bit the inside of her cheek, hard, before she responded. “And you?”
His eyes met hers. “I want to send the bastards back where they belong. Back to Underworld.”
She felt as if some of the load had been lifted from her shoulders. If Hawk agreed to help, wouldn’t other D’Danann?
By the time Hawk polished off the cookie dough and all the baked cookies, it was late. Silver had cleaned the kitchen and washed the rest of the dishes, and found herself dragging. It had been a long couple of days and she was beyond exhausted. She needed to be fresh and energized tomorrow if she was going to find her Coven. She had no doubt in her mind that she would.
She was still in the cramped kitchen, with Hawk blocking the doorway, when she was ready to drop. Silver held her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress a yawn. “I don’t suppose you have anywhere to stay.” She gave him a teasing glance. “Or roost.”
Hawk stared at her with those molten amber eyes and she froze. For what seemed like time on end their gazes remained locked.
Magical feelings sparkled throughout her body and suddenly she wasn’t so tired any longer. Lust built within until it burned through her, hot and fiery. A need so deep she couldn’t deny it any longer.
And she had no doubt he was imagining the same thing she was—
The two of them. In her bed. Naked. Now.
Silver mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? One day of getting to know Hawk and she wanted to have wild and crazy sex with the man? Repeatedly.
Yes!
No.
She took a deep, centering breath and moved toward him. “Excuse me,” she said as she tried to squeeze by, tried to escape the confines of the kitchen and the power of his presence. She needed to—had to—do something.
Instead of letting her pass, Hawk caught her by her shoulders and pinned his gaze on hers. He lowered his head, and his mouth was so close she only had to move a bit and their lips would meet. His masculine scent of leather and forest breezes enveloped her and she tasted his warm breath as it danced upon her lips.
How she wanted to kiss him.
No. This is crazy.
Who cares?
“Thank you, Silver,” he murmured.
“For what?” Her own voice was barely a whisper.
“This,” he said, and brought his lips to hers.
12
Hawk gently brushed his lips back and forth over Silver’s in a soft, sensual movement that caused her to shiver from head to toe.
She closed her eyes and her sigh became a low moan. He moved his mouth more firmly against hers, and gripped her shoulders tighter. She flicked her tongue over his lips and tasted chocolate chip cookies along with the malt flavor of beer.
It seemed natural to be kissing him. She brought her hands to his chest and felt the play of muscles beneath her fingertips while he moved his hands from her shoulders to the curve of her waist. He eased his palms down to her hips, and moved slowly back up again as if he owned her body.
Silver leaned more fully against Hawk, feeling as if she were sinking into him, becoming part of him. The roughness of his leather clothing branded her through the thin silk of her blouse, and his length pressed hard against the soft skirt at her belly. She grew damp between her thighs with the power of her need for him.
Hawk had to restrain himself from taking Silver down to the floor of her kitchen, hitching up her tiny skirt, and driving into her. By the gods, he needed her, needed to be inside of her.
He had to have Silver. It was all he could think about. His body cried to be with her, demanded it of him.
No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t take this woman he would never see again once the battle of the Fomorii was over.
Still he couldn’t help it as his mouth moved over hers. Lightly he bit her lower lip and she moaned again. Her weight was fully against him and she slipped her fingers into his hair when she wrapped her arms around his neck. With a groan, he thrust his tongue into her mouth. A sweet gasp, then she followed his lead, their tongues meeting. The lightness of citrus tea blended with her sweet feminine flavor. Gods, would he ever get enough of her?
Wilder and wilder their kiss grew, until Hawk thought he was going to lose control. He wanted to rip her clothes from her body and drive deep inside her. Wanted to feel all of her, inside and out. He slid his hands down to her waist again, but this time he grasped her ass, raised her off her feet, and started carrying her toward the couch.
She didn’t protest, didn’t stop kissing him. Rather, she was like liquid fire in his arms, burning hot against him, her hands moving, exploring. She tore her lips from his and spoke while she sprinkled kisses down the line of his jaw. “My bedroom. Through the blue door.”
There was only one door besides the blue one and the door leading out of the apartment. Hawk reached it in mere strides and flung it open. Her bed crouched at the center of the room, waiting for them.
“Turn on the light,” she said in a breathless voice, pointing to a stained-glass lamp. “Pull the chain.” Still holding her, he leaned over and yanked the chain on the lamp. Immediately, colorful shades of light sparkled across the white bed covering. He sat on the bed and rolled onto his back so that Silver was on top of him. In a fast movement he flipped her beneath him.
They rolled back and forth, kissing, touching, the fire between them growing hotter and hotter. Soon he didn’t know which way was up or down. Felt her softness below him, above him, found himself between her legs, and her thighs wrapped around his hips. He’d never felt anything in his life like this. It was beyond comprehension. As if she had bewitched him completely.
When he was on his back again. Silver placed her hands on his chest. She pushed herself up so that she was staring down at him, her lips parted and swollen, and the luscious curve of her breasts exposed where her top button had come undone. Her skirt had hitched up around her pale thighs. He ran his hands from her knees to her hips and back again, enjoying their softness beneath his callused palms.
He remembered so clearly how she had looked last night beneath the moonlight. She had taken his breath away. Her naked breasts kissed by the silvery light, every perfect curve and swell of her body silhouetted. Even more so now he craved the taste of her skin, the feel of his naked body sliding against hers.
While she looked down at him, her breathing came in soft gasps. Her nipples were hard against the silk of her blouse, and the scent of her desire filled his senses. He swore he saw the hint of a sparkling blue aura around her.
“I want you so badly.” Her gray eyes were dark and intent.
He reached up to slip his hand into her silken hair and cupped the back of her head. “What are you doing to me?”
Silver believed in fate, believed in destiny, but this—this was crazy. She wasn’t the kind of woman to have sex with a man she’d just met. She had to get to know him first, make sure they connected on a cosmic, spiritual level.
Although, for some reason she felt that deep connection with Hawk.
It’s crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
But she didn’t care.
She dove for his mouth again, needing to taste his heady male flavor. She pressed against the bulge in his pants and her breasts ached for his hands and his mouth. She never wore underwear—all it would take was a simple tug of her blouse over her head, her skirt over her hips, and her body would be free to experience every part of him.
Hawk’s hands roamed her body, the heat of his palms stoking the magical fire burning within her. He slipped his hands up to her silk-covered breasts and cupped them, massaging them until she was nearly out of her mind with the desire for his touch on her bare flesh. When he tugg
ed her blouse out of her skirt, she gave both a moan and a sigh of satisfaction as he slid it over her head and her breasts were finally freed to his fiery gaze.
Silver rose up just enough that her breasts were over his mouth. He grasped them both and flicked his tongue from one nipple to the other. She trembled from the incredible pleasure. His mouth was hot and the way he scraped his teeth over her nipples caused her to suck in her breath.
“I want you naked.” She rocked her hips against his, feeling the incredible bulge through his pants. “I want to know what it feels like when your skin slides against mine.”
Hawk groaned
She rose, and with a little maneuvering, slipped out of her skirt and flung it behind her. Feeling gloriously free and sensual, she moved her bare hips harder against him. She moaned with satisfaction at the feel of his hardness sliding up and down her folds with her movements. The scrape of leather felt wildly erotic between her thighs. She knew she could climax so easily. It wouldn’t take much more.
Her world suddenly spun as Hawk flipped her onto her back and she now looked up at him. “I’ve got to taste you, woman.” His voice was a guttural growl that sent thrills throughout her. “Your scent is driving me mad.”
She shivered at the mere thought of his mouth between her thighs. He kissed her hard, then slowly moved his lips along the line of her jaw to the curve of her neck. Rumblings rose up from his chest as he licked and lightly nipped her skin.
Her moans grew more intense. She gripped his long dark hair in her hands, and squirmed beneath him. “Lower. I want your mouth on me.”
A low chuckle rose up from him as he laved his tongue over one of her nipples. “My mouth is on you.”
Wrapping her hands tighter in his hair, she tried to force him lower, down where she wanted his mouth. “You know what I mean.”
“Tell me.” He kissed a lazy trail between her breasts toward her navel. “Exactly what you want.”
She’d never said aloud the more erotic words. They seemed forbidden somehow, and that made her more excited. Squirming beneath him, she murmured, “Lick me, Hawk.”
“Hmmmm?” He dipped his tongue into her navel and she cried out. It felt like her belly button was connected to her clit, and she throbbed with the sensation. “I didn’t quite hear you, a thaisce, my treasure,” he said in that Irish brogue that made her want to climax from the sound of it.
She gasped and spoke louder this time. “Lick me. Please.”
He traced a path with his tongue. Silver didn’t let go of his hair and guided him to her center. He grasped her thighs with his large hands and pressed her legs farther apart so that she was wide open for him.
Hawk audibly inhaled, his eyes closed, and he appeared to be experiencing true ecstasy. “Your scent...incredible...intoxicating.”
She shivered at the intimacy of the act and his words. She was almost out of her mind with the need for his tongue on her. “Hawk. Now.”
His amber eyes focusing on her, he used his fingers until she was completely bared to his view. “Mmmmm. You are so beautiful.” His rough stubble scraped the inside of her thighs when he lowered his mouth, ever so slowly, until she was ready to scream.
He pressed his mouth to her.
Silver couldn’t help the cry that spilled from her lips, couldn’t help arching up and pressing herself tighter to his face. He licked her from her channel to her clit in one long swipe and she cried out again.
His tongue was magic, pleasuring her to the point she was completely mindless. She was barely aware of releasing his hair and grasping the bedcovers in her hands, clenching her fists until they ached.
Her moans and cries grew louder the closer she came to climax. The feel of his stubble scraping the inside of her thighs, his tongue against her drove her wild. When he thrust two fingers into her channel, she exploded.
Swift and sudden, she cried out as her climax burst through her, suffusing her, surrounding her with brilliant white light that she swore lit up every corner of her bedroom. Sparkles exploded around her. She felt the touch of the Ancestors in her spirit, the call of all the Elements from every direction. Sweet, sweet music that she’d never heard before played through her mind.
The orgasm continued to rock her body until she couldn’t take any more. As limp as a lightly stuffed poppet, she collapsed against the bed, her breathing heavy and a light sheen of perspiration covering her skin. She felt boneless, yet somehow complete. And even more full of desire than before. She’d never felt so out of control in her life.
Hawk smiled at the look of sweet ecstasy on Silver’s face. No, he would not take advantage of her after all she’d been through. When the time was right, and when he knew she was ready, he’d take her then.
“Mmmmm...” Silver murmured.
She tried to face Hawk as he moved up to lie beside her, but he merely turned her onto her side, and spooned her body next to his. He nearly groaned aloud at the feel of her ass through the leather barrier covering him. Just the thought of sliding inside her was enough to make him harder than ever.
“Aren’t you going to take me now?” she said in a soft, husky voice. “When I wish it, my magic protects me. From everything. It’s a shield inside. That way I can feel you, every bit of you.”
This time Hawk did groan aloud. He pressed a kiss to her nape. “Rest.”
“No—you—” she started, but Hawk brought her body tighter to his.
“Rest,” he repeated.
Silver sighed. “Only a little while...”
When her breathing became deep and even. Hawk eased off Silver’s bed. She shivered, as if missing his warmth. He drew the bedcover over her, and disappointment eased through him as it hid her lovely body from his view. But her features were relaxed. Likely she hadn’t slept well, if at all, since the Fomorii attack. She had probably passed out from need of rest.
After he gave one last longing look at Silver, he flipped off the light switch on the stained-glass lamp, enveloping the room in darkness. He slipped from the bedroom into the small living room, then started toward the armchair to retrieve his dagger and sword.
He stopped mid-step. Polaris’s thick, long body was wrapped around Hawk’s sword belt and the sheathed weapons. The snake’s head was up, his wicked eyes focused on Hawk. Polaris’s tongue flicked out
Again irrational fear squeezed Hawk’s insides, as if the python were wrapped around his gut.
Polaris curled his body tighter around the weapons, taunting Hawk, as if sensing his aversion to snakes.
The python’s eyes became tiny slits as he rose up several feet and hissed.
Hawk approached the python. He never went anywhere without his weapons, and he was not going to start now. Yet he halted when he was feet away.
He shook his head and gave a self-deprecating grin. He had battled beasts, demons, and other creatures from Netherworld and Otherworlds, and he was afraid of this earthbound snake?
Ridiculous. Time to end this now.
Polaris raised his head and hissed as Hawk approached. He snatched at the belt and the python squeezed tighter. The snake lowered his head, unhinging his jaws, widening his mouth.
With a powerful tug, Hawk jerked the weapon belt from Polaris’s grip, backed up, out of the snake’s reach. The python hissed and Hawk could swear he laughed, pleased that he had rattled him. Polaris slid over the side of the chair, like silent death, and lithely moved across the floor to Silver’s bedroom and through the still open door.
Hawk tensed, his first reaction to keep the snake away from Silver, but he was certain the witch was in no danger from her own familiar.
He, on the other hand, didn’t think he could sleep well without the bedroom door locked and Polaris on the opposite side of it.
While keeping a wary eye on the doorway Polaris had disappeared through, Hawk strapped on the belt with the sheathed sword and dagger. The apartment still smelled of chocolate chip cookies and the lasagna Silver had made for dinner. The scents mingled with Sil
ver’s exotic perfume that clung to everything in the room.
For a moment his thoughts turned to Shayla. Would she like chocolate chip cookies? He was certain she would. At the thought of his daughter, Hawk had to smile. His heart ached with missing her. Perhaps he enjoyed chocolate chip cookies so much because they were similar to a treat his daughter was fond of, seaclaide.
He could picture her the last time he had given her seaclaide, how her mouth and hands had been sticky with the chocolate. She had giggled, her vibrant blue eyes smiling as she sucked each of her fingers. She had been sitting on a chair at the table, her little feet swinging and kicking in the air since her legs were too short to reach the floor. The mischievous expression on her face had reminded him so much of Davina at that moment that his heart had ached.
Guilt suddenly hung heavy in Hawk’s belly. He had pleasured Silver, had wanted to be inside her, had felt more than a passing desire to experience sex with her. How could he feel this way after Davina only being gone these two years?
After he relieved himself in the minuscule bathroom, he headed out the apartment’s front door. He was confident all was well warded, and he would be able to slip in and out of the rooms with ease. He had no doubt the wardings would keep the Fomorii out, as the only magic the demons had was their ability to take over another being’s body and shape- shift. He hated to leave Silver and Cassia at all, but it was time to hunt Fomorii.
When he was in the hallway, he stopped at the door to Cassia’s room and put his palm upon the cool wood. What was she? A threat to Silver?
From somewhere down the hall, Spirit the cat gave a loud, “Meow.”
If Hawk didn’t know better, he would have thought the cat had just given him a vote of agreement. At least one familiar appeared to be on his side.
The wooden stairs squeaked beneath Hawk’s weight as he strode down, and he hoped Silver and Cassia wouldn’t wake from the noise he was making.
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