“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, that’s a change, given your gifts are one of the most amazing things that I’ve ever seen.”
He grunted and looked more closely at the boulder. He’d been right, it had stripes. They were caused by rock layers, not paint. Gray, yellow, black and some white. He’d read about geological layers. But seeing them out here instead of inside a stuffy museum was different.
“We grow good rocks here in Maine,” she said.
He pointed to the different layers. “How did it get here?”
“The glaciers carved it out from wherever it was and dumped it here.” She shivered from the cold breeze and hugged herself tighter. “You must have seen some of the outside world. Didn’t you train in the wilderness?”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t the same. I mean, I knew I was in the woods but I was running tactics and scenarios in my head. The woods were just window dressing. I wish I’d paid more attention.”
“More of us should do that. I haven’t been down here in ages. After all, it’s just sand and rock and waves.” She ran her hands over the rock. “Until you see it through fresh eyes.”
“I want to get closer to the waves.”
She nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
The sea smell grew stronger as he walked closer to the water. He knelt at the edge of the waves and dipped a hand in. It was cold, far colder than he’d expected, but he held his hand under for a long time before. When it was almost numb, he lifted it out and licked his finger. The water tasted salty and had a fishy smell, like clams or the caviar that Lansing served.
He wandered, picking up rocks colored black or pink and everything in between. All of them were smooth, dumped here by the waves over many years. He examined the broken seashells. He laid out the shells in a row to see how many different kinds there were, wishing he knew all their names. It wasn’t until the water lapped at his boots that he realized the tide was moving in.
He felt the cramps in his knees as he stood. A wave splashed over his shells, taking most of them away. A strong gust blew into him and he felt a chill for the first time. He turned and saw Beth huddled against the monster rock, waiting patiently. The wind had blown the long strands of her hair around her face. Somehow, it made her seem more attractive.
He headed back to her, shivering, holding in his hand the one rock that he wanted to keep. It had some sort of green and white swirls through it and had been smoothed by years of exposure.
Beth had settled in a little depression that protected her from the wind. She shivered again. If he had his fire, he could’ve warmed them both up.
Well, hell, might as well try.
He huddled next to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to take so long.”
“No problem. I should have brought a jacket. I forgot this beach is mostly in shade.”
He slipped the rock into his pocket and set his hand against the boulder. He put his other hand around her shoulder. “Here, let me warm you up.”
She stiffened. “Alec, I thought we’d been over this—”
“Quiet. I’m concentrating.” He closed his eyes, felt her against him, her head barely reaching his upper arms. He thought of his other hand and the giant, ancient rock beneath it. He imagined agitating all the little molecules inside, making them spin, move faster, heat up. Faster, faster.
She gasped. “You’re heating up the rock.”
“Yep. Warmer now?”
She hugged him, almost jumping for joy. “Then your fire is back! That’s fantastic, Alec.”
Her last word was torn away by the wind. “Not yet. I can’t melt it, just warm it.” Though even at his top strength, melting it would’ve taken a huge effort. Rock was rock. “And I can only warm this small area under my hand.”
She put her hand on top of his hand and stopped shivering. “That feels good.”
“Yeah.”
He bent his head and kissed her.
Whoa.
This time, it was no small jolt of electricity. It was a full-on, powerful electric current that passed from him, to her and back to him again. He felt like he’d plugged them both into a live wire. No, that was too tame. More like they’d been hit by lightning. He couldn’t have let go if he wanted, and he definitely didn’t want to.
Neither, it seemed, did she.
He pulled her closer, tasted the sea salt on her lips, teased them apart and inhaled her sweet breath, all the time pressing her body closer. She seemed to collapse, as if she could melt into him. He kept kissing her until the connection grew so intense that it drove out everything but her. No wind, no waves crashing closer, no trees. Just her and the sky.
She broke the kiss.
He drew back his head and swallowed hard. She stayed huddled against his chest. The current had died down to a small buzz between them. He suspected it would come back at full strength if he kissed her again. Hell, what would it do if he made love to her?
Let’s find out.
“You can’t say this is normal, counselor. You had to feel that.”
“I did.”
Her voice was so low that he almost didn’t hear her. She kept her face turned downward.
“Did that hurt you? Are you okay?”
“I think that remains to be seen.”
There was enough dry sarcasm in her tone to reassure him. “Screw your theory about client crushes on therapists. This is something different, something way beyond it. It’s related to my fire, somehow.”
“I think—” she huddled tighter against him, “—I think you’re right.”
His erection pressed against his jeans. As close as they were, she must feel that and she wasn’t moving away like she had last night. He bent down to kiss her again. This time, he wasn’t going to stop.
“There’s something you should know,” she said.
“What?”
“We’re the same age.”
He pulled back so he could see her face. “What?”
“I had to swap schools after my mother died. They did some academic testing and I tested two grades ahead and then they got my age wrong. I never corrected it.” She tilted her head to look at him. “I’m twenty-three. Just like you. In fact, I think you’re a month older, if the birth date on your records is correct.”
He studied her face, looking for any sign that she was teasing. “Well, damn. That means I should be in charge, right?”
“Oh, sure, the birth date changes everything,” she said in that dry voice.
“I know something that will.” He leaned down to kiss her again.
A seagull swooped down low. Something splashed on the rock, just above his hand. He flinched and snatched his hand off the rock. The heat died. “What the heck?”
She stepped back, though still within the circle of his arms. “It’s bird poop. Good thing it didn’t hit us.”
“Blech.”
She laughed. “Yeah.”
He looked down at her face. She was trying hard to compose herself. But she couldn’t fool him now.
“Let’s shift over there, to underneath the ledge up there.”
“Here?”
“It’s perfect.” He could almost see lightning jump between them. If his body could have burst into flame, it would have. She put her hands on his face. He let his mouth hover over her lips. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you,” she whispered.
“About time.” He had to show her, had to convince her how good it could feel between them. He pulled her a few steps to the right, so they were under the overhang.
He kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him. He slid his fingers under her shirt. She quivered. No guts, no glory. He reached for her bra. His hand unexpectedly found her bare breast. He closed his eyes, kissing her deeper. And he’d thought it couldn’t get hotter.
“No bra?” he said, voice low.
“I’m small, so just the cami.”
“It feels perfect.” He squeezed softly and rubbed his thumb over her ni
pple. She moaned and nestled her head into his chest. He pushed her shirt and cami up to her shoulders, bent over and kissed her perfectly formed nipple. She bucked in his arms, making soft little sexy noises.
I have to have her now. But girls liked it better slow. The club girls he’d been with—they’d said most women would like it slow.
But he wanted her right this second.
She put her hand on his jeans, just below his waist, and pressed. She wanted him too.
I’ll do slow later.
He pulled off his shirt. She unsnapped his jeans. She ran her hands all over his chest. Small hands, soft touches and fingers that teased the small curls of dark hair all made him nearly out of his mind. He pulled her pants off. In a hurry, she kicked them to the side. She slipped a hand beneath his underwear and took hold of his erection. He tossed off her underwear, barely registering that they were soft silk. All the while, the electric hum between them grew until it was almost ready to explode from him.
He pulled her off her feet, and she wrapped her legs around him, leaving only his boxers between them. Wait, wait, she was supposed to be open and ready and he hadn’t done a damn thing for her yet. He had to do something.
TK.
“Hold that pose for one second,” he said.
Her chest was heaving. Her nipples rubbed against him. He couldn’t hold off for very long. Better make this good. He closed his eyes and buried his head in her shoulder, holding her tight. She was so damned light, it was like holding a feather.
He hadn’t done oral before. He’d used his hands, once, but he’d fumbled it in the beginning. The TK would help him do it right.
Alec felt the way down her body with his TK, unable to resist stroking her breasts for a second. She gasped. Her arms tightened around him. His TK went lower, to her stomach. He brushed against soft dark hair just above her legs. She whimpered. Good to know he was doing it right.
With the lightest touch he could muster, he felt his way between her legs until he found the spot. There.
“Ahh…” Her legs gripped him tighter. His erection grew almost painful, demanding.
He added more force to his TK caress. She started making louder noises that he couldn’t begin to interpret. All he could tell was that she seemed damn happy. Her whole body shivered. She almost jumped out of his arms but he didn’t let go of her. She let out a long sigh. She ground her hips against him, almost making him come right there.
“You—” She drew a deep breath and raised her head. “You used your TK to do that?”
“It was good, right? It worked?”
“I think ‘yes, yes, yes,’ is the proper answer.”
She let go of him to stand. She pulled down his underwear and grasped his erection. “Now, Alec, before I regain my mind and lose my nerve.” Her voice trembled.
He braced himself against the rock and picked her up again.
“Just a little to the left,” she said. “Ah, that’s—that’s it.”
“I know.” He found the wet, warm opening and pushed inside.
Tight, so tight. So good. He’d come right this second. No, wait until he was all the way in, they had time. Halfway in, he was slowed down by something. He thrust past it.
Argh.
Pain stabbed into him. He blinked, uncertain at first where it had come from. He tilted his head to see her face. She was wincing. She’d dug her fingernails into his chest and drawn blood. That must have been what he felt.
“Beth? What’s wrong?” He’d screwed something up, he must have.
“Don’t stop, it’s okay.”
“But you’re in pain.”
“Perfectly natural. I haven’t done this before.”
“You’re a virgin?”
“Not anymore.” She sighed and licked his earlobe. “I’m good. Finish it.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He thrust again, then harder and harder. The living connection between them grew stronger, enveloped all his skin, made him forget about everything. It felt insanely good, better than when he let his fire go crazy, better than anything.
He came. It was an explosion inside, so overwhelming that it blinded him for a few seconds as the sparks spun around his face. They groaned together. Inside, she gripped him tighter. His orgasm felt doubled, like he felt hers and his own together, almost as if he was also inside her head.
It was so different than the other times. Maybe this was what people meant when they talked about being with someone you really care about, how it would feel different.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. She raised her head. Natural lightning lit up the sky.
“We should go back,” she said.
He sighed. “Maybe.”
Thunder rumbled again. Not dangerous but he couldn’t use TK to keep them dry and still use it on her. Okay, back to someplace warm and with a roof. He lifted her off him and set her down. He noticed a little trickle of blood running down her leg.
“Beth! Are you okay?”
“Fine. Really.” She snatched up her panties. He watched her put them on. He hadn’t gotten a really good look before.
Perfectly compact body. The breasts weren’t small, just in proportion. She looked so delicate, like one of her Japanese teacups with the lilacs and yet she acted anything but fragile.
She tossed his pants at him with a smile. “Get dressed, Alec.”
He grinned. “Only until we get back to the house.”
She dressed while he pulled his pants back on. He grabbed his T-shirt from the ground and shook out some dirt.
“Alec! Look at the rock.”
He put on the T-shirt and turned around.
The rock had melted where he’d pressed his back against it. He reached out to touch it. Completely smooth and still a little warm. He could even see an impression of his bumpy scar, the one at the small of his back.
“Damn.”
She put her hand right over the impression of the scar. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” But he rolled his shoulders anyway. No pain. “Like I said, you really know how to turn me on, counselor.”
Her face went blank for a second. “I see that.”
Raindrops started to fall around them. He grabbed her hand. “C’mon, let’s get back.”
They scrambled up the trail, trying to beat the rain. She followed, her hand tightly grasped around his. He hardly noticed anything around them. All he could focus on was Beth, her hand in his. He started to grow hard again. If it hadn’t been for the rain, he would have found a quiet place in the woods where they could make love again, slower this time.
“Hey, Beth?” They took the last turn to the parking lot.
“Yes?”
“How is it that you’re, well, I mean, how come I was your first?”
“I’ve had boyfriends. I know how it works. But—” she took a deep breath and squeezed his hand tighter, “—it never felt right before. I had no idea it would feel like that.”
“Neither did I. I’ve never melted rock without thinking, that’s for sure.”
They stepped into the makeshift parking lot. Everything looked the same. And everything looked different.
“I drive,” he said.
She dug the keys out of her pocket and put them in his palm. Her hands were shaking.
“Yes, you drive.”
Chapter Thirteen
“You can open your eyes now,” he said.
Alec parked in front of Beth’s house and took the keys out of the ignition. It hadn’t been that bad. He thought he’d driven damn well, in fact. Not his fault that he’d had to hit the brakes hard around that turn. “I did fine.”
“Since I’m just glad to be alive, I’ll agree with you.” She stared at the house and showed no signs of moving.
He walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and picked her up out of the seat.
“Alec!”
“I’m driving now, remember? And that was too damn short by the rock. I want more.”
He carri
ed her inside the house. She weighed hardly anything in his arms. For someone with such a hold on him, she should weigh more, be more substantial. She cuddled into his shoulder and he caught his breath. He could feel her heart beating so very fast, almost as if it would jump out of her chest.
She snapped her head up abruptly and pushed her hands against his chest. “Alec, stop. Put me down.”
He laughed. “Not yet.”
“No, I mean it.” She frowned and tried to squirm out of his arms.
She looked scared so he set her down. “You okay? What’s wrong?” Had he hurt her, despite what she’d said?
“I don’t know. I-I think I saw someone or something on the dirt road in.”
“Why didn’t you mention it then?”
She rubbed her temples. “I don’t know. Distracted, I guess. Thought maybe my mind was wandering.” She smiled. He smiled back.
She grabbed his forearm. “But I thought I heard something right now too. There could be people hiding outside.”
“I would’ve seen them.” Okay, he’d used all his energy to watch the road. He could’ve missed something. She did seem genuinely scared, which was no good if he wanted to make love to her again. Plus, there were those moments in town when he thought they were being watched. He hadn’t noticed anything since but he hadn’t exactly been paying attention to anything but her for a long time. He could’ve missed a tail. If the Resource was out there, he had to make sure they didn’t get anywhere near Beth.
“I’ll take the car and go check.”
“No, it’s raining already and about to storm, Alec. I didn’t mean—”
“It’ll only take a second.” He leaned over and kissed her, hard.
She dug her fingers in his shoulder, as if afraid to let go. “Stay here.”
“Two seconds.”
The sky was almost black now and the rain was falling harder. He backed the car out too fast and hit a pothole, knocking his body sideways into the door. He slapped the steering wheel, turned around and drove down the dirt road at a slow pace. Easy. A quick check and he’d be back with Beth. He fumbled around with his left hand, trying to figure out where the windshield wiper controls were hiding.
Something jumped out of the side of the road, about twenty feet in front of the Honda. Something big. He slammed on the brakes and started to skid. Eyes glowed in his headlights.
Phoenix Rising Page 14
