“I haven't forgotten his plans, but she has nothing to do with them.”
“Good, because I'd hate to see how county general would treat your poor, sick mother compared to the fancy country club she's in now. The state-run facilities aren't known for their attention to detail. You might go to visit her and find her drowning in her own vomit one day.” Pete patted Kian's back harder than needed. “Well, I’d better get going. You have a nice night now, kid. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon.”
He eyed Pete until he disappeared into the crowd, knowing he'd be lurking around in the shadows the rest of the night.
Chapter 19
“Hey, do you mind if we stop at my house? I want to show you something,” Kian shouted over the sound of the bike's roaring engine.
“Okay,” Summer bellowed as she held him tighter.
A shutter of excitement at the prospect of seeing where he lived ran through her. She wasn't sure why. Maybe the idea of him welcoming her into his sanctuary delighted her, or perhaps it was the idea of being alone with him that made her quiver.
By the time they pulled onto the dark, winding road leading up to Kian's house, her body hummed with anticipation. Cobblestone walls lined the narrow way on both sides. All around them the forest came to life, thrilled at his return. She knew because she sensed the energy spike the second they entered the driveway.
He may not have known what he was, but the forest and wildlife surrounding him knew.
When they rounded the last turn, a large structure came into view. Although larger than her family's cottage, his home maintained a clear level of modesty. The grounds, however, stole one’s attention with its magnificent extravagance.
Fragrant peach, pink, and white roses trailed up a large gateway trellis. On one side, rows of lavender grew without restraint. Sporadic blooms of orange and red sat behind them, shooting out in no particular pattern. Although they appeared overgrown and wild, Summer knew by their shape and design there was a time when someone took meticulous care of this garden.
He pulled the bike in front of a separate building off to the right of the main house beside his truck.
After turning off the engine, he said, “Welcome to my castle. The house is small, but the twenty acres makes up for it.”
“They sure do. The front garden is beautiful.”
Kian glanced out over the yard. “I try to keep up with it, but it's hard to find the time. It was my mom's love. The gardens in the back are in need of an experienced hand.”
“Such a big house for just you.”
“Once my mom's better and out of the clinic, maybe I'll talk her into selling this place. We can get a nice little cottage in the woods.” He winked.
She lowered her eyes. She still hadn't said anything about his mother's fate. It wasn’t her place to say. Besides, the oath she gave his mother was a witch's pledge, unbreakable.
“What's this building?” She strolled toward the large wooden doors. “Is this a carriage house?”
“Come on. Let me show you.” He led her into the dark structure. A few clicks and bright lights illuminated the spacious room. “This used to be a carriage house, but now it's my shop.”
An odor swirled around her, the same smell she scented whenever her father worked on his van. A dozen motorcycles sat in a line, each unique in their own right. Parked in the far corner sat a small, shiny red car with sleek lines and curves. She didn't know the name, but she admired the elegant design. Beside the front bumper of the stylish car rested a large metal box overflowing with various tools. Sitting on a large wooden workbench were piles of parts, like puzzle pieces waiting to fit together. The thud of his heavy leather boots echoed against the black-and-white checkered tiles lining the floor as he strode further into his shop.
“You built these?” Nature had the ability to create such beauty, but the machines he had fashioned were magnificent. “All of them?”
“Yeah, a couple of the bikes were nothing but shells. Those two in the front are for customers I have. I started doing it to make some extra money while in college, but now it's about all I do for money. It pays the bills. Well, for the most part. Sometimes my friend Mike helps out. He has a way with mechanical stuff too.”
“I liked your friend Mike. He has a gentle soul.”
“Mike's a good guy. We've been friends for as long as I can remember.”
Kian strolled over to one of the bigger motorcycles. The tank and fenders were painted a glossy plum color. An airbrushed tiger snarled with a full moon hovering above it and a lush jungle surrounding the cat decorated the dual tank. Chrome accents adorned the bike.
“Did you paint this?” Her finger brushed over the intricate artwork.
“Yeah, I always had a knack for art.”
“It's beautiful, Kian.”
“This bike is for one of Tristan's pack members. His name's Grayson. Tristan got me a bunch of other orders from guys in his pack too. Who would have known shifters like to ride?”
“Oh, they can be an adventurous bunch. They are resilient and live long lives. I guess life can become tedious without adding a little danger.”
“Yeah, how long do they live?”
“Oh, I knew a werelion who was well over five hundred.”
Kian's eyes opened wide. “You're kidding me. Do witches get that old?”
She shook her head. “Our lifespan can be longer than a human’s, but it's rare to live past one hundred and fifty, unless we mate with a shifter or vampire.”
“Why? What happens in those unions?”
“The blending of a witch's life force with either shifter or vampire will prolong her life to that of her mate.”
“You’re telling me I might live to the ripe age of a century and a half.”
She grinned. “You might. Although, I'm not sure how your human side would change the longevity.”
“Jesus, can you imagine if I didn't find out I was half witch. I might be skipping around at eighty. They'd think I was some freak of nature. I'd end up an internet sensation. I'd go viral.” After learning more about the phone and internet through him, she'd have to agree.
Unable to erase the grin on her face, she strolled over to his worktable. Being with him brought her joy. He had changed her, helped her see the lighter side of life, and for that he earned her eternal gratitude.
A sketchbook lay open on the counter, the pages highlighted by the light bulb hanging above it. Vivid sketches of the grove stared back at her, the attention to detail striking, masterful, and incredible. She brushed the pad of her finger beneath the edge of the drawing, careful not to disturb the intricate balance of light and dark.
All of a sudden, warmth engulfed her. His power, erotic and beckoning, danced across her skin. Helpless to hide her reaction to his presence, she shivered. His lips settled beside her ear as his chin rested on her shoulder. “It's something I was messing around with.”
Summer licked her lips. “Don't diminish your talent.”
With a nervous smile, she picked up the book and skimmed through it. Most of his sketches resembled landscapes. She passed a few sleek drawings of motorcycles and cars. She flipped the next page and froze. Tears flooded her eyes as she stared into her own eyes.
“Kian?”
She'd never seen herself through the eyes of another. She had no question now how deep his affections ran. This meticulous portrait of her said what no words would ever be able to express. He used colored chalk to add soft highlights to her hair and to make her lips a subtle pink. Her eyes, however, were a vivid mix of jade and ivy. “It is unbelievable,” she whispered as she traced her fingertip along the edge of the paper.
“It doesn't do you justice.”
Heat spread over her cheeks.
He reached for the book and his fingers brushed her hand, the same gentle fingers that created those stunning works of art.
Would he caress her as an artist would a canvas when they made love? With patient, gentle, calculated strokes, molding and worki
ng her into a masterpiece of passion? Or would he work her without mercy, like a crazed genius, teasing and tormenting her until she submitted to him, begging for release? Make her ache until she exploded in his arms?
She had read her mother's romance novels, so she knew the basics of lovemaking. She also knew those were works of fiction and not to be taken seriously. Those were figurative references, or were they?
She wanted—no, needed to find out. For the first and last time in her life, she would surrender to a man out of love and not duty.
I want to make love to the man who owns my heart before I'm shackled to the one who will own my freedom. Goddess, forgive me, I want him with all that I am.
She lowered the book, but he stayed behind her, close enough to blow the sweet warmth of his breath against her shoulder. Caged between Kian and the worktable, she turned to face him, for the first time unafraid of what tomorrow might bring, and laid her hand on his cheek.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his jaw tensing.
“Kiss me,” she demanded. “I need you, Kian.”
“You said—”
“I know what I said, but I cannot deny what I feel for you anymore. I refuse. It breaks my heart to do so. I want to know what it's like to make love to a man I desire. I want to make the choice of who I share my body with before it's taken from me.”
His eyes darkened with desire. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes.” She licked her lips, tasting him there. “I have never been surer of anything in life.”
Kian didn't hesitate. His lips met hers in a fierce clash. He took immediate control, kissing her, sucking on her lower lip before dragging his tongue along the seam of her mouth. Moaning, she parted her lips and submitted.
With a gentle tug of her collar, he exposed her throat to his lips and tongue. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders, grounding her before her weakened knees gave out. He speared his fingers through her long, thick waves, wrapping the locks around his palm.
“Do you know how long I've waited for those words?” He nipped her lower lip. “I can hardly believe I heard them. Tell me again. Tell me you want me, baby.”
“Kian, I want you. I need you.”
“Then you'll have me.”
He coaxed her backward toward the red, shiny car sitting a few feet away, pushed up her skirt, lifted her up onto the hood, and worked his hips between her thighs. The steel of the hood offered a cool relief to her heated bare flesh. He pressed his erection against where she ached for him the most, sending bursts of fire throughout her entire body. Power rose within her, sharp spikes of energy meant to tease.
His lips moved to the sensitive flesh of her throat. He nipped. Each sting of his teeth gave her jolts of incredible pleasure. As his mouth played, his hands explored, traveling over her hips and then back up toward her breast. He tweaked her taut nipple with his thumb, and she moaned. The tip grew harder, receptive to his attention.
Streaks of her magic burst free, encasing him like a shackle, holding him to her. Her soul refused to relinquish this pleasure. She knew he couldn’t control his power much longer, not with her energy seeking him, and she didn't want him too. She wanted him to consume her, take all of her until everything standing between them vanished, driven away by the power of his passion.
Thunder rolled outside. Flashes of light lit the inside of the shop, reflecting in Kian's russet brown eyes, shifting them into warm amber.
“I can't wait to sink inside you.” His admission drew a whimper from her. Goddess be, she wanted him too.
Wind and rain beat against the outside of the old carriage house, like an impatient audience demanding their joining. The sky may have been clear earlier, but no longer. A storm raged beyond the walls of this house as intense as the tempest forming between them.
He placed his hand between her breasts and lowered her until her back rested on the cool, red steel. “Put your hands over your head, Summer.” His voice was hoarse, laced with desire. She did as he commanded, and he yanked her blouse out from under the band of her skirt. With gentle ease, he undid the buttons, letting the thin cotton fall away from her aching breasts. She lifted her hands to touch him.
He shook his head, and with one hand, grabbed her wrists, bringing them back over her head. He held her there.
“Please, Kian, let me touch you,” she pleaded, desperate to run her fingertips over the hard planes of his chest.
“Baby, if I let you touch me, this will be over before it starts.” His free hand lifted her skirt even higher, exposing her legs to his admiration. “I'd love to draw you like this. All hot and wanting me.”
“Later. Right now, I need you inside me,” she demanded.
“A wanton little thing, aren't you?” He laughed and slid her to the edge of the hood. “First things first, baby. I've been waiting forever to sample these beautiful breasts.”
He dove right in, sucking her sensitive nipple into his mouth. With torturous pulls, he drove her passion higher, making her beg for more. He moved to the other breast, giving the peak equal attention and torment. In return, she undulated beneath him, rubbing her mound against the long, thick shaft hidden behind his leather pants. His groan grew inhuman, an urgent demand for mercy, but she refused to relent. She besieged him with equal enthusiasm. He brought her skirt all the way up, exposing her wet inner thighs to the chilled air.
“No panties? You're full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I need you.”
“I can see that, baby. You're weeping for me.” He licked his lips.
“Please… Kian.”
He grinned. “How can I deny you, when you say my name so sweetly?” His gaze scanned her body. “How can I deny you anything?”
***
Kian knew touching her was wrong, but they were both lost in lust, helpless to deny what their bodies craved and their hearts desired. Spread out before him on the hood of the classic Corvette, she looked like a delicious, tempting feast waiting to be devoured. The spicy fragrance of her arousal surrounded him, invading his senses, tempting him.
He dropped to his knees and pulled her another few inches closer, until her enticing pussy aligned with his hungry lips. He ran his tongue from the bottom of her soft, wet folds all the way up to the tight little button begging for him.
“Kian, oh Goddess.”
Her taste exploded on his tongue, her flavor like the sweetest honey and tangiest spice, a heady, addictive mix of wild abandon and charming innocence. She was unlike anything that had touched his lips.
Outside, the wind howled. Rain hit against the roof like dozens of battering rams trying to get in.
She gyrated beneath his eager mouth, showing him where she liked his attention the most. Her legs came up and locked on his shoulders. Nothing made him harder than a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to demand it. Her lusty reaction drove his passion to a whole new level. The need to pleasure her, hear her scream his name as she came, became a drive, a compulsion. He needed to stake his claim and brand her with his touch. She'd never forget him after tonight. He'd make sure of it.
She tunneled her fingers in his hair, tugging the spikes before pushing his tongue deeper into her channel.
“I need more,” she moaned. “Please, Kian.”
“Not yet,” he growled.
He needed more too. He'd never get enough of this woman, but he needed her to come against his tongue before she came against his cock.
She was close. Her muscles tensed. The air around them crackled with power. Whether it was his or hers, he wasn't sure. At this point, he didn't care. All he knew was if he didn't get inside her, he was going to lose his damn mind.
Lost in her sexy moans and demanding gyrations, he grabbed her swollen nub between his eager lips and suckled hard. Her spicy flavor flooded his senses, making him crazy for her, desperate to make her come. His fingers joined in on the pleasure, sliding inside heaven once again. He groaned at her slick heat.
Jesus, she was soa
ked, hot, and so fucking tight she strangled his finger. A second digit joined the first, sending Summer over the pinnacle of her arousal. She leapt off the peak, crying out his name as she came. At the same time, an intense jolt of power rocketed through him. Kian threw his head back. His spine arched from the extreme shock. Crazed with lust, he rose to his feet and glanced into hooded olive-green eyes dusted with amber.
“What the hell shocked me?”
“My… my power.” Summer managed to get the words out between sighs.
“More,” he growled. “I want more.”
He stripped out of his pants. Before either of them had the sense to stop this erotic madness, he thrust inside her. Her channel wrapped tight around his cock the second he penetrated her. So hot and wet, he feared he'd burst into flames. He doubted anything could ever match such perfection, but then he moved his hips. Without protection, without refinement, lacking any kind of control, he possessed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.
His skin stretched across his body, growing tighter over his frame, as if every muscle within him expanded with each firm thrust. Her sexy moans, the thuds of their pounding hearts, and the slap of flesh against flesh entranced him. Through his veins, his blood rushed like a river flooded by a wild storm. Sweat formed on his back, dripping along his definitions to follow the path her nails left on his spine. The sudden sting grounded him, penetrating his lust-induced fog, giving him the control he needed not to spill his seed too soon. His woman would come first.
A sudden flash of lightening lit the windowpane, casting momentary shadows and light against the curves of her beautiful breasts. Cracks of thunder rattled the walls.
“Only you,” she whispered over and over.
Yes. No one else would put one damn finger on her. She was his. He knew without any doubt he'd kill anyone who'd hurt her and destroy any man who dared to take her from him.
Passion of a Witch Page 16
