by Eliza Gayle
She didn't know much about Tarot, but she recognized the pentacle on the face of the card and the roman numerals for ten. The Ten of Pentacles. She flipped it over and over looking for something that might give her a clue as to why the woman in the store would have given her this card. What could it signify? After a few minutes of studying it, she set it down in favor of a drink.
I'm too tired to deal with this right now.
Ripping the plastic wrap from the cheap paper cup, she poured three fingers of the amber liquid, drinking it down in three fast gulps. Her eyes screwed shut and she crunched up her nose as the liquid went down like live fire. Gasping for a few breaths, she eased back into the water to allow the alcohol and heat to ease all the built up anxiety over the last couple of weeks.
A long while later, when the water had cooled to room temperature and her skin was completely water logged, Selene forced herself to get out of the tub. She stepped onto the bath mat, wrapping herself tightly in the soft, fluffy towel provided.
Sleep. She needed sleep.
She grabbed up the bottle of tequila and the lone Tarot card and headed into the other room. The sun had set while she'd been in the bath, and the room was cloaked in total darkness. Perfect for sleeping. She unwrapped the towel from her body, letting the cool air of the room caress her skin. Her nipples puckered and she thought of Cash. His touch.
“You shouldn't have left.”
She gasped at the sound of his voice in the room. Her heart stuttered. “What the hell? Jeesus, Cash. Scare the hell out of me, why don't you?”
His laughter rumbled through the room. “Did you really think I would let you just leave?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you were wrong.” She heard the mattress creak as she watched his silhouette get up from the bed and move toward her. Her body tingled at his closeness.
“You shouldn't be here. This is exactly what we don’t need.”
“Yes, I should. It's too dangerous for you to be on the run alone.”
She bristled at his words. “Is that why you came? Because you thought I couldn't take care of myself? The organization will never stop looking.”
“I know. Denn told me what you said.”
“I couldn't do it. Can't do it.”
“I know.”
“How did you find me anyway?”
“I came because I had to.”
“You had to?”
“There are things you don't know that you are somehow involved in. Dangerous things. I think it's time for you to meet Grae. My twin. A few weeks ago a woman who studied our family Tarot cards revealed some possible secrets about a family prophecy. I haven't even wrapped my mind around it all, but considering what's happened between us it's looking more like truth than I thought.”
“Wait. Did you say Tarot card?” She fingered the card she still held in her hand at her side.
“Yes. Our family history was documented with a set of distinct Tarot cards. Long story, but the short version speaks to a prophecy of four brothers and four empaths who will save them from themselves and their power.”
She stepped away from him and sat on the edge of the bed, setting the bottle and card down on the floor, thinking about what he and the old woman had said. “So that's it, then? You're here because you need my help. Somehow my abilities will help your family.”
“No, Selene. That is not why I’m here. It's true I want to protect you. Keep you safe. But not because my family needs you.” He grabbed her shoulders, pushing her down on her back, his body moving forward on top of hers. “I need you. Don't you get it? When I woke up in New Orleans and found you gone I freaked.” He ran his finger along her jawline, tracing down her neck and shoulder to the top of her bare breast. “When you left you took my heart with you. There aren't very many things in this world that I really need. But you are it for me.”
“You don’t even know me,” she objected.
“I know my heart and yours. The rest we’ll figure out along the way. This is real.”
Selene's head spun at his revelation. She didn't think she could speak. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes at his words. Her hands came up to thread through his thick, wavy hair. Pulling him down, she pressed her lips to his. His taste went straight to her head, leaving her desperate for more of him. She knew she would never tire of his touch. No man could possibly get to her the way he could.
Remembering the card on the floor she wrenched herself free from his mouth. “Wait!” She pushed at his chest, trying to get him off of her. Slowly he eased his body off and to the side.
“What are we waiting for, babe? I’m already hot and bothered.”
She dove for the card plucking it up from the floor.
“This.” She handed it over and watched him look at it.
“Where did you get this?”
“The old woman at the store out front. I found it in my bag. But she said the strangest thing to me.”
He tossed the card to the table. “Don't get me wrong, Selene. I am curious about the card and what she had to say but first things first. You, me, naked in the bed.” The smile on his face, along with the wicked gleam in his eyes, were her undoing. He was right, it could wait.
Determined to focus on the man in front of her instead of the drama surrounding them, Selene pulled at his shirt and brushed against the bare skin she found underneath it. “Someone in this room is overdressed.”
A deep laugh rumbled from Cash’s chest, filling her with a new warmth that spread between her legs. She pushed aside all thoughts of trouble as he eased her down to the mattress. They were blissfully alone in a dark room without a flame in sight. That thought sobered her.
“Are you really all right now? I know Denn said you’d be fine but shouldn’t you still be resting or something?”
He pressed his lips to her shoulder for a brief kiss. “You worry too much.” He swept his shirt over his head and maneuvered out of his jeans in about two seconds. “Do I look like a main aching to rest?”
The sight of his erection long and hard pointing in her direction made her mouth water. No he looked like a man with a mission. Selene licked her lips. Life was definitely too short to spend every moment worrying about what might happen. It was time to grab the bull by the horns and hang on.
Without giving her an opportunity to respond, Cash covered her body and kissed her feverishly, his mouth devouring hers in a wash of need and desire that left her heated and breathless. He sank so deep into her she momentarily forget where she left off and he began. He consumed her.
She sensed his kiss had more to do with possession than simple lust. Somehow she needed to acknowledge that everything he wanted to give she ached for. While her plan had been simple enough to leave him behind, her heart had leapt for joy at the sound of his voice. He’d come for her. No one had ever done that except when they wanted her to do something for them.
Her hands went everywhere. Smooth flesh over corded muscle. The rough stubble covering his jaw. Goddess, she loved touching him. She had no idea how they’d make this situation work but they’d have to find a way. She’d managed to walk away once no way would she survive doing it again. Selene sucked on his tongue until he groaned and went deeper.
He’s all mine.
Cash wrenched free unable to stand another second without touching her everywhere. He palmed both breasts, admiring the pale cream color of her skin against his sun tanned hands. Perfect berry nipples stood hard and proud, practically begging for his touch. Unwilling to disappoint, he lapped at one then switched and gave equal attention to the other. Every graze of his teeth against tender flesh elicited cries of delight from her that were nothing short of music to his ears.
Working his way down her body, he dipped and swirled his tongue through the shallow indentation of her belly button. He thought about her beautiful feminine curves nearly every waking moment. Only waiting until the next time he got her in bed. With her he apparently had a one track mind. He jerked at the light scra
ping of nails along his back that only caused his dick to swell further, reminding him that he was hard enough to drill wood. Much more of this and all of his good intentions regarding a sweet seduction would disappear. As much as he wanted to fuck her, the need to make love to him rode him equally hard.
Whatever it took to bind her to him once and for all. Fuck the family prophecy and those damned tarot cards. He knew how lucky he was that she wanted him and now he only had to prove just how damned good together they could be. Whatever the future brought he planned on spending as much time as possible inside her, making sure she understood their reality.
Pushing her legs apart with his shoulders, he bent to the sweet smelling pussy he craved. He slid his tongue between the slippery folds of her sex, sampling the liquid desire awaiting him. Desperate for more, he wrapped his hands around her thighs and licked her again and again. She squirmed under the onslaught but he only held her tighter, making sure she couldn’t move. When her pants turned to cries he lifted his head and smiled.
“This is exactly the kind of thing you can expect from this relationship on a regular basis.”
“What? You torturing me? I might die if you leave me like this.”
He lifted to his knees and moved forward until the head of his sex nudged at her opening. “I’m not going to let that happen. If anyone’s going to die around here it’s going to be from too much pleasure.”
“Care to prove that?” She lifted her hips moving him an inch inside her.
“Fuck, yes.”
Selene turned and bit at his bicep. Little love bites of pain that surged through him like an electrical current straight to the tip of his dick. “Hurry, Cash,” she pleaded.
The urgency in her voice went straight to his head, where thoughts of a future he never thought he’d have flooded his mind. She made his insides go soft where everything else about him was strung so tight he wanted to burst. Or fuck.
“I’ve thought of little else than us just like this since I drove away from your brother’s house. I wasn’t sure how I would survive.”
Cash groaned at her admission while sinking deep inside her. She was so wet and hot. He pressed his forehead to hers and held as still as he could. Perspiration broke out across his body as he struggled to keep his cool while his heart raced out of control. From the moment he’d woken up to find her gone he’d nearly gone out of his mind with the need to find her. Now that he had he wouldn’t be letting go.
“I love you how you feel inside me. Everything about your cock drives me insane.”
Cash clenched his jaw. How the hell was he supposed to stay in control when her words pushed him closer to the edge.
“You go so deep. Damn, that feels good.”
Her muscles tightened around him and Cash swore he saw stars in his head. No man could remain sane in the face of her dirty mouth reminding him how incredibly hot she was. Not to mention the snug grip of her pussy teasing him mercilessly.
“I especially love it when you just fuck me. The friction literally sets me on fire.”
Images of Selene against the wall of his house open and eager as he pounded into her unraveled his control. Goddess he loved her…
He gripped her hips and withdrew, lingering only a second before thrusting deep once again. Tight. Hot. Wet. Perfect. He retreated then pushed deep again. Friction sparked and Selene’s moans filled his ears. Yes. Just like that. Now and forever.
“Tell me how much you want to come now.” He curved his hands beneath her ass and lifted her hips for deeper penetration.
“Oh yes, Cash. Please. I’m desperate.”
He smiled a second before he dipped to a breast and latched a nipple between his teeth. Her gasp at the pain only fueled his movements as he continued his pounding strokes, reveling in the rasp of his flesh against hers. Fucking incredible. That’s how she felt. Before he knew it his magick stirred to life as the heat between them built. His brain short-circuited and thoughts of anything beyond the tight glove of her pussy disappeared. Her breathless pleas mumbled into his ear built him into a frenzy of need to please her.
Moments later, her scream filled the room. She pulsed down on him, milking him, robbing him of the last of his restraint. The pressure along his spine to his balls tightened fiercely seconds before he exploded. Astounding pleasure overwhelmed him as she bucked underneath him, thrashing through the pulses of her release. He cried out and emptied himself inside her, shocked at the intensity arcing between them. Somewhere along the way from an angry ride down a lonely highway to now she’d changed him. Irrevocably.
***
Time passed in slow motion as Cash struggled to recover. His body thrummed with magick that wasn’t burdened with darkness. He’d gathered Selene in his arms and held her tight until her breathing had evened out in sleep. No words could fully convey the gamut of emotions still playing out in his head. They’d put a whirlwind to shame. He half expected that any minute now something would give. The door would come crashing down, the pain in his head would return, or some shit like that.
“You’re thinking too hard.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking about?” Cash pinched her behind and laughed when she yelped.
“I can practically hear the gears turning. If you’re so worried about this why did you come?” She turned in his arms and faced him. Her hair tumbled across her eyes and he swept the strands out of the way without thought.
“I came because this is where I belong. But that doesn’t mean I won’t worry. Especially about my brothers. I don’t think Denn and Noah have any idea what their in for.”
“Are you insinuating I’m a handful?”
“And then some, darling.” He smacked a kiss across her lips. “Doesn’t mean I’m not up to the challenge.”
“I think you’re going to make me crazy.” She caressed her fingers across his cheek as a her expression softened. “I think I love crazy.”
His chest tightened. He had to be careful or he was going to crack. “Good. Because I think the road’s going to get rougher with my brothers in charge.”
Selene sat up and scrambled across his legs straddling him with the heat of her pussy riding his dick. “So…You’re saying that your brothers are in charge now?”
Cash grabbed Selene and pulled her forward, her breasts pressed against his chest. “Not of you that’s for sure. That’s my job.”
Her breath hitched before she turned and placed her lips against his ear. “Bring it on, Cowboy.”
Epilogue
Find your empathic mate. His brother's final thoughts had plagued Denn since he left. Well, that and the witch he'd had to bind to his home. Bringing Raven St. Claire to New Orleans had seemed like the only option at the time. His brother had nearly killed her in self-defense, but they wanted her to live. They needed answers, and right now she was their only lead. Their best guess was that she had been hired by their uncle to locate and destroy Cash. His stomach churned at the idea.
She was an anomaly, a blight on their kind. At least a warlock made his intentions somewhat clear—a mercenary witch, or witch for hire, seemed worse. A loose cannon ready to work for the highest bidder.
He wondered what happened in her life that would turn her away from her faith in such an extreme manner. Was it simple greed? Or something more? Did it even matter? Not right now. He and his brothers figured that Uncle Scott would be looking for her, and it was only a matter of time before that search led him to New Orleans and his doorstep.
He gave one last glance to the deceptively frail looking woman asleep in his bed. One way or another, a fight was coming. He only hoped Destiny didn't fuck it up.
***
The Reverend sat calmly behind his desk despite the storm raging inside him. Where had things gone wrong? And how could he use them to his advantage?
A knock at his study door interrupted his train of thought, forcing him back to the here and now.
“Yes.”
“Sir, there is a woman here to see y
ou.”
“And she is…”
“She refuses to give her name.”
Ahh, now we’re getting somewhere. Maybe she could shed some light on the major fuck up of her witch. “Send her in.”
Seconds later a petite, black-cloaked figure walked into the room. When she removed her hood a mass of red curls tumbled across her shoulders. She leveled her sharp green cat eyes, making contact with him immediately. “Reverend, it's good to see you again.”
“Is it?”
She blinked at his statement, fear briefly flashing in her eyes before she tilted her chin and straightened her back in a defensive posture. “Of course.” Her jaw clenched tighter.
“Good. Then tell me what you have come here to report.”
“It's about Raven, the witch sent for the one called Cash.” Her gaze dropped contact for a brief second before leveling on him once again. She might fear him, but she had guts, that was for sure.
His dick jerked in his pants, stirring to action. He stood and walked around the front of his desk, taking slow punctuated strides, watching for her reaction. The closer he stepped to her the more pronounced her breathing became, until she finally turned her face away to hide.
“So far she has been unable to complete her mission. In fact, it's been a couple of days since I’ve heard from her.”
“What else?” He knew she was holding out on him, they always did. His fingers reached for her hair, tangling through the curls before grasping a handful. She winced at his action as he tugged her head back, exposing her neck to him. When he bent and stroked his tongue along the supple skin of her neck, he felt the shiver that trembled down her body from either revulsion or desire. He didn't care which one. “Tell me, Marissa, tell me what you came here to say.”
“She's disappeared. I sent Raven after him, my very best hunter, and she can be found by no one. We have been scrying for her for days with not even a whisper of her presence.”
