by C. C. Wood
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Each night, it grew more and more difficult to leave after a single kiss, but tonight wasn’t the time to give in to those urges. Savannah needed time to think about everything I said today, whether she realized it or not.
When I lifted my head, she surprised me by reaching up and wrapping one hand around the back of my neck while the other sank into my hair. Then she pulled me back down, her mouth insistent and hungry against my own.
I couldn’t resist the demand she made and opened my lips over hers. Our tongues tangled together and her fingers fisted against my scalp, tugging at my hair.
I crowded her, pushing her back against the front door until our bodies were melded together. Savannah moaned into my mouth, her back arching. Her hands released my neck and hair and moved down my shoulders and chest.
I grabbed her wrists, pinning them to the door next to her head, but never lifted my mouth from hers. She twisted against me, trying to free her hands, but I couldn’t release her. If she touched me again, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from taking what she offered.
Finally, she relaxed against me and I let go of her wrists in order to lace our fingers together. In slow degrees, the kiss calmed until I felt more in control. This time, when I lifted my mouth from hers, Savannah didn’t struggle. She stared up at me, her dark eyes heavy-lidded and her chest rising and falling with her rapid breathing.
“What are you doing to me, Savannah?” I asked her, our faces close.
“I’m trying to make you mine,” she whispered.
“I think it’s too late for that,” I told her. “Because I’m already yours.”
Chapter Sixteen
Savannah
Despite my worry about what was happening with Rhiannon, I still felt as though I were walking on air. It had been three days since Rhys told me that he was mine. Since that night, things between us had changed.
He spent even more time with me. He drove me to work and picked me up, then he spent the rest of the day and evening with me until it was time for bed. Only then would he leave and return to his house.
I knew it was his way of protecting me from the threat Rhiannon and Macgrath presented but I still liked it.
Other things changed as well. Each day, he grew a little more affectionate. He would touch my hair or my waist often, just a brush of his hand or a light caress. His kisses were no longer short or light. And he kissed me often.
Just the memory of his mouth on mine and his hands on my body made my knees weak. He was different now. He was no longer holding himself back with me, at least not completely.
As I showered and got ready for the day, I wondered how it would turn out. Ava closed the Bean on Sundays, saying that even she needed a day off every week. Rhys invited himself over last night, saying he would like to spend the day with me. When I told him I planned to spend the morning in the garden, he didn’t even blink. He offered to help me.
I wanted to see how he handled tending the plants and flowers that I loved so much. I also wondered if he would find it as relaxing as I did.
I dressed quickly in light cotton pants and a tank top and tied my damp hair up in a bun. When I entered the kitchen, the coffee pot was already full since I set the timer the night before. As soon as I poured a cup, the doorbell rang. Quickly, I made another mug of coffee and carried it with me when I went to answer the door.
“Good morning,” I greeted Rhys, noting the dark circles beneath his eyes. I hated that he wasn’t sleeping and wished there was something I could do about it. Well, I knew what we could do that would help us both sleep, but I couldn’t see myself issuing that invitation verbally. I felt heat creeping up my chest and neck at the direction my thoughts took. I held out the coffee mug. “I made coffee.”
He smiled warmly at me and took the cup. “Thank you.”
Though it was early morning, the day was already beginning to warm up. Austin in the summer could get hot during the day, so we needed to get moving if we wanted to be done in the garden before the temperatures reached sweltering levels.
“Do you want some toast or something?” I asked him, shutting the door after he walked inside.
He shook his head as he sipped the coffee. “No, thanks.”
“Then we should probably get started before it gets to hot.”
We each drank a cup of coffee and Rhys followed me outside. Throughout the morning, I asked him to help me weed beds and trim dead blooms from plants in the front. Then I led him into the backyard to do the same. By the time we were done, the sun was high in the sky and my stomach was growling.
I took a few moments to gather herbs from the kitchen garden I’d planted near the back door and carried them inside. My shirt and pants were dusty and my hands were grimy from hours spent working in the dirt. Rhys was in a similar state.
“Why don’t we clean up, then have lunch?” I asked.
Rhys looked down at himself. “I probably do need to clean up and change.”
After he left, I scrubbed my hands and arms in the kitchen sink. When I finished, I walked back into the bedroom and decided to jump in the shower and rinse off. Rhys implied he was going to do the same before he left, so I should have plenty of time.
Leaving my hair pinned up, I quickly washed my body and face in the shower, rinsing the remnants of sweat and dirt from my skin. I dried off and slipped into clean underwear. I was picking out a dress from my closet when I heard a sound behind me. Since the latch was old and rarely caught properly, I assumed it was Satchel shoving the door open, as was her habit. She hated being locked out of my bedroom.
“Just a minute, Satchel,” I said. “Mommy needs to get dressed before you go opening the door.”
I turned around and froze, clutching the garment to the front of my body. Rhys stood in the doorway, his eyes hot and a little wild. My mouth went dry at the expression on his face and I couldn’t speak.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, stepping back. “The door was open and…” he trailed off. “I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
He disappeared down the hallway as I stood unmoving in front of my closet. I carried the dress into my bathroom and shut myself in. My skin felt scorched where his eyes had traveled and I looked at myself in the mirror, wondering for just a moment if his gaze had left marks on my body with its heat.
My pale skin was flushed and the blush darkened when I realized I was wearing a white bra and pale pink lace panties that revealed nearly as much as they covered. I might as well have been naked. I pulled the dress over my head and took my hair down from its bun and brushed it. When it was smooth, I braided it so that the tail fell over my left shoulder.
I debated putting on make-up but realized that I was just trying to kill time before I faced Rhys. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I was being silly. Just a few days ago, I was thinking about how much I wanted Rhys to touch me and how eager I was to make love. I wouldn’t be able to share that with him if I freaked out about the idea of him seeing me naked.
Feeling calmer, I left my bedroom and found Rhys in the kitchen with his phone to his ear and his back to me.
“So there’s nothing you can tell me about her?” he asked. He paused, listening to the person on the other end. “I know Austin isn’t that close to Dallas, Kerry, but this witch is powerful. Someone, somewhere, would have known her or dealt with her.” His shoulders tensed as he let the other person respond. “No, I understand what you’re saying. I’m just frustrated because Rhiannon is here and it’s clear she has an agenda that involves at the very least me, and maybe the woman I care about. I need answers and no one can give them to me.” There was another pause. “Okay, thank you. I appreciate that. I’ll be waiting for your call.” Then he laughed. “I told you that you owed me nothing, Kerry, and I meant it, but if it makes you feel better I’ll say it. This makes us even.”
He said good-bye and disconnected the call before he turned around. As soon as he saw me, his eyes heated. “I�
�m sorry about earlier,” he said. “I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. It was an accident.” I didn’t add that I hoped he would eventually be seeing a lot more of me than that anyway. “Who were you talking to?” I asked.
“A friend of mine in Dallas. Her name is Kerry.”
“How do you know her?”
“It’s a long story,” he replied. “And I’m hungry. Why don’t we go pick up some lunch and I’ll tell you about it while we eat?”
We took his car to pick up Thai food for lunch. When we returned to my house, I set the table in the breakfast nook and we sat down to eat.
“So how did you meet Kerry?” I asked as we put rice and curry on our plates.
Rhys’ expression darkened. “It has to do with my brother and how he died,” he answered.
I put my hand on his. “I’m sorry.” I almost suggested that we talk about it later, but he began speaking again, as though he wanted to get it off his chest.
“Kerry is a witch and the High Priestess of her coven. Cornelius was creating problems for her and her friends in Dallas. I offered to help them because there was no way either of us could defeat Cornelius on our own. After my brother was dead, I thought that it was over, but Kerry isn’t the type of woman to let things go. Everywhere I went she was able to find me.
“She stalked you?” I asked in confusion.
Rhys smiled. “No, not exactly. She extended her friendship.” He lifted his hand and hooked a finger in the chain around his neck, pulling an amulet from beneath his shirt. “Until she sent me this, I couldn’t drive a car or use a cell phone. Electronics and appliances don’t work properly when I’m around. It’s something about the way I’m made.” He considered the amulet for a moment. “I think she felt indebted to me.”
“Or maybe she just wanted to be your friend,” I replied.
He looked confused by my statement. “Why?”
Even though I forced my mouth to smile, my heart broke for him a little. “Because you’re a good man, Rhys. You helped them when they needed you.”
“But I also used them to help myself,” he argued.
Rhys was so determined to see himself in the worst possible light. “It’s okay to have relationships that are mutually beneficial, Rhys. The fact that Kerry still wanted to talk to you after it was over says a lot about her feelings toward you.”
He studied me for a moment. “I’ve never met a woman like you before,” he said, his gaze intense.
“I’m taking that as a compliment,” I replied.
Smiling, he shot back, “You should because that’s how I meant it.”
“So how is Kerry going to help us with the Rhiannon situation?”
“I was hoping she would know something about her or at least find someone who does,” Rhys answered. “But so far no one knows anything about her.”
“It’s only been three days,” I pointed out. “And she’s very good at hiding in plain sight. It will just take some time to find someone who knows her.”
“Maybe,” Rhys replied.
Ready to change the subject, I asked, “If you couldn’t drive a car before Kerry sent you the amulet, how did you learn to drive?”
“I watched,” he replied.
I stared at him in surprise. “So you really hadn’t driven before the test drive at the dealership?” I asked. We had discussed this before, but I hadn’t truly believed him.
Rhys grinned. “Not really.”
“That explains a lot,” I grumbled beneath my breath.
“What does that mean?”
Shit, he’d heard me. “Uh, n-n-nothing really,” I stammered.
He lifted his brows at me. “What does that explain?” he prompted again.
I sucked in a breath and decided to be honest. “Well, uh, I might have prayed to the goddess to protect me from an early death or serious injury when you were driving the SUV for the first time.”
Rhys laughed and I was glad to see the last of the darkness fade from his expression. “I’m sure I’ve improved since then,” he murmured.
I suddenly became very interested in eating my curry, which made him laugh again, but he dropped the subject.
We finished our meal and he helped me carry everything into the kitchen. As I loaded the dishwasher, I asked, “What do you want to do this afternoon?”
“Why don’t we watch that movie you’ve been telling me about?” he suggested. “Or take a nap.”
I laughed. “Take a nap?”
“Gardening is a lot more work than I thought,” he replied, smirking.
“Well, I’ll turn on the movie and if you fall asleep, I’ll change the channel.”
“Sounds fair,” he agreed.
When we settled on the couch and turned on the TV, Rhys put his arm around me, pulling me against his side. His hand trailed over my bare arm in a slow up and down motion, making me very aware of the fact that he’d seen me nearly naked just an hour ago.
I tilted my head back to say something to him and found his eyes on my legs, which were left mostly bare by the loose skirt of my dress. He lifted his eyes and our gazes clashed. I lifted a hand to cup his cheek. “Rhys,” I whispered, unsure of how to ask for what I wanted.
Somehow, he understood and lowered his head. Our lips met and the heat flared between us immediately. Our tongues danced in a slow, sensuous rhythm. His opposite arm came around my waist, his hand splayed over my hip. I shifted against him, eager for his touch.
Surprising myself with my own boldness, I swung my leg over his lap and straddled him, settling onto his thighs. Rhys immediately accepted the invitation I presented and one of his palms moved up my legs beneath my dress. I shivered at the sensation of his bare skin against mine. The calluses on his fingers were a rough caress and I wanted more.
My hips moved against his lap as his fingertips brushed the edge of my lace underwear. His other had cupped my breast through my dress and I arched deeper into the touch. His fingers delved beneath my dress and bra and slipped over my nipple. I gasped into his mouth, feeling my nipple tighten and tingle from the contact.
I wanted to touch him as well and I reached down between us and lifted the hem of his t-shirt. My fingers brushed the heated flesh of his abdomen and the muscles of his thighs tensed beneath me. Smoothing my hands up his torso and over his chest, I used the motion to lift his shirt higher. He released me long enough for me to tug the garment over his head.
Suddenly, the lamps flickered and I was thrown into a raging sea of emotions that were not my own. Desire, desperation, and love wrapped around me with such intensity that it stole my breath and blurred my vision. Beneath the passion, I could sense loss, loneliness, and guilt. It was a maelstrom that sucked me beneath the surface.
My hands reached out blindly, coming into contact with the bare flesh of Rhys’ shoulders. “Rhys,” I gasped.
“Fuck,” he swore, catching me before I could slide off his lap into a heap on the floor. Holding me with one arm, I could feel his body jerking as he reached out for something with the other.
The sound of a small explosion reached my ears and my vision dimmed further. Rhys swore again, his search becoming more frantic.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the wild squall of emotions ended and I collapsed against Rhys’ naked chest. Breathing heavily, I reached up and curved my hand around his neck, feeling the wild throb of his pulse against my fingers. The cool, thin chain of his amulet shifted beneath my hand and I realized that it had come off when I removed his shirt. Apparently the amulet did more than create a barrier for the electrical disruption that Rhys’ powers caused. It also prevented an empath from sensing his emotions.
I was overwhelmed by the immense weight of the pain and sorrow he carried. More than once since I met him, I often wished I could feel what Rhys was feeling, sense where his mind was. Now that I knew, I was glad I hadn’t gotten my wish. I would never have given myself a chance to know him otherwise, and I would have m
issed out on a wonderful man. I wouldn’t have been able to handle the burden he carried long enough to get close to him. It hurt too much and it would have created a barrier between us.
“Savannah?” Rhys asked quietly.
“I’m okay,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” I rested my cheek on his shoulder, my forehead pressed into the curve of his neck, and tried to relax. In my mind, the remnants of his emotions swirled and I needed to get a handle on them.
I also needed to get a grip on myself because with a single glimpse into Rhys’ heart, it was clear that I was falling in love with a complex and tortured man.
Chapter Seventeen
Rhys
Something had changed between Savannah and I since the night my amulet came off when she removed my shirt.
Her shyness hadn’t disappeared completely, but it had lessened. She seemed more open and affectionate. She no longer hesitated to touch me or pull me in for a kiss when she wanted one. She didn’t try to shield her thoughts and feelings from me, mentally or verbally. Savannah also spoke her mind more often. If there was something she wanted to know, she asked.
I felt as though she was offering me a gift. The gift of herself.
I wanted to take what she gave, but I held myself back. I knew that if I unleashed my desire completely that I would never be able to let her go, even if she wanted me to. Savannah Baker was the woman I loved and there would be no going back once I had her body.
This morning, when I dropped her off at The Magic Bean, she leaned over and kissed me before she got out of the car.
“I’ll see you at three,” she said as she opened the door. Before she climbed out, she looked over at me. “And I think it’s time to revisit our discussion about hooking up as a part of dating.”
I stared at her in shock as she grinned and shut the passenger door before hurrying inside the coffee shop. A few days ago, Savannah never would have said something like that to me without turning a charming shade of pink. Today, there was an inviting gleam in her eye when she spoke the words.
