“Jacob,” I whispered, inexplicably feeling like I’d come home, with his scent and warmth surrounding me, his hands stroking my body. And as I touched him in return, only one thing was missing.
I turned my head, sliding my tongue along his thigh, tasting the thrum of excitement in his mind as my own mouth found his shaft. I guided it to my lips, teasing my tongue over the velvet head before slowly sinking down. His groan vibrated against my own cock and I sighed in response.
This was so sweet, unlike our heated fucking earlier when we needed to prove to ourselves that being together wasn’t an illusion. The heat still simmered underneath the surface the way it always did, waiting to explode, but for the moment we savored our reunion.
Jacob tasted of spice and musk, a flavor that was just as addicting as his blood. His mouth moved along my cock in a hard suction. His fingers toyed with my balls before sliding back to tease along the cleft of my ass.
Desire surged stronger and I caressed my hand over his thigh, then up along his side and around to knead his ass. He had a perfect one, high and tight, and it looked amazing in his football uniform with the fabric clinging to every curve. Each time I saw him in it I wanted to touch him.
I stroked my tongue along the shaft of his cock and began a slow bob, sinking lower each time to take in more of him. Jacob’s fingers pressed against my entrance and the same liquid sense of surrender that I felt whenever he penetrated me stole right through my body. The sense that I was wholly his in a way I’d never let myself be with anyone else.
He pushed his fingers deeper and I rocked my hips, wanting more, even as he began to stroke. Jacob groaned as I penetrated him as well, searching out that spot that would drive him crazy and moaning helplessly as he found mine.
We found a rhythm, slow and sensual. The taste of my young lover grew stronger on my tongue as our passion deepened. It was incredibly erotic and one of the most sweetly intimate experiences in my life. We whispered endearments, encouragements in our thoughts, spurring each other on as the tension spiraled higher.
I sensed the first ripple of Jacob’s orgasm in his mind and it sparked my own even as the taste of him spurted in my mouth. His breath panted against my skin, working his hips and gripping my fingers in velvet heat even as he tormented me with his own fingers and sucked harder on my shaft.
I slid my mouth off of his cock and stroked my fingers along his hip as his trembling eased. Turning my head, I nuzzled his thigh and drank in his scent. I shifted as Jacob’s mouth continued its torment on my cock, his fingers nudging deep inside me, pressing against my now over-sensitized prostate. Little jolts of electricity sizzled through my body.
“Jacob,” I groaned and again tried to shift away to give myself a chance to recover. I sensed his intent just before he moved and turned to scramble away, but he was so quick. I found myself on my stomach with Jacob on top of me pinning me to the bed.
When had he gotten to be so fast and strong?
Instinct had me struggling. If I had been my old self, I could’ve easily gotten out of his hold, but it seemed the Ascended had made us equal in many respects. Jacob chuckled against my ear; his wicked sense of triumph was exhilarating. He nudged my thighs wide apart with his knees and pinned my hands at the small of my back.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Jacob’s lips nuzzled my neck before he gave my earlobe a sharp nip. “You’re not trying very hard. You can do better than this.”
Pride had me redoubling my efforts, but my lover countered each one with ease, his laughter breathless. “Let go of me,” I insisted.
“Now where’s the fun in that,” Jacob teased. I groaned helplessly as his fingers brushed my entrance again. “We did it the nice and sweet way. Now, I want to hear you begging.”
He pushed deep inside me and, for a moment, I went limp as desire returned with a dizzying sweep. Then he found my spot again and massaged it with ruthless intent. The taste of his goal was sharp and insistent. He really did want me to beg.
The sensations were overwhelming. Jacob’s cock surged against my thigh as I began to writhe, trying to find some surcease from those wicked fingers.
“Retribution will be a bitch,” I swore and then cursed in my head again as it came out more breathless than the promise I’d meant.
Jacob snickered and then began to thrust, hard, deep strokes that gave me an indication of the fucking that was to come. “Liar. You’re enjoying this as much as I am. You like being held down and helpless. You just haven’t had much of a chance to explore it. Now you do.”
When our relationship started, Jacob had this driving need to dominate me and, I must admit, that side of him had evoked a forbidden thrill in me that I had buried a long time ago. Now that need had been tempered. It wasn’t so much that Jacob was driven to prove himself as it was because he wanted to be in control. Which made him all the more dangerous and me all the more tempted to give in to him.
“What do you want, Kristair?” Jacob asked, nudging my thighs wider apart. I sensed a momentary pang of regret in his mind that he couldn’t see me pinned down and helpless, my thighs splayed and entrance exposed. The picture he had in his head was explicitly detailed and made me groan. He had me on fire and unable to think past the inferno.
“For you to kiss my ass.”
Jacob laughed and dropped a kiss on one cheek. Then he nipped me there too, and then on my hip. Little stinging bites that licked heat along my skin. “Where did you learn such language, love? Maybe I’ll need to punish you as well.”
I went still as pure glee whipped through the brat. “You wouldn’t dare.” I turned my head, the blindfold slipping enough for me to see a sliver of light, but nothing more.
“You should know better than to dare me.”
A sound suspiciously like a whimper fell from my lips as Jacob knelt between my thighs and slid his fingers free from me. The emptiness ached and I wondered when it went from being too much to wanting more. His hand caressed my ass while I tried to pull my wrists free from his grip.
“Jacob,” I warned.
“You just keep digging yourself in deeper.” His hand cupped my ass and gave it a squeeze as I brushed my thoughts across his, trying to judge whether or not he’d actually have the audacity to do it.
He laughed. His hand came down just hard enough to sting, and if I hadn’t been so indignant and excited, I would’ve admired Jacob’s flair for the drama of the moment. I jolted, my nipples rubbing against the sheets as I gasped. The heat generated by that one smack surprised me by its scope.
“You’ve had your fun, brat. Now let me go.” My voice lacked conviction, even too myself.
“Love, I haven’t even gotten started.” He was fearless, I’d give him that, as he peppered my skin with several quick slaps. I was torn between cursing and laughing at his audacity. Jacob paused, his hand now caressing. “What do you want?”
“I want you to let me go before I turn this around on you,” I retorted.
“Liar.” Jacob kissed the small of my back, licking a small circle there, making a wet trail with his tongue down to the cheek of my ass. He smiled against my skin and when he pulled back, I took advantage of his distraction to try to break away again.
He cursed, and heat flooded through my body as he wrestled me down again, his hand making another sharp imprint on my ass. I bit back a groan as Jacob laughed in my mind. “You can’t hide that you’re liking this.” He dragged out each blow, touching me everywhere in between until my skin was hot and my cock raging.
“What do you want?” Jacob asked again next to my ear.
Another quick retort came to my lips, but I held it back. I could egg him on with further curses and struggles and we would enjoy ourselves with the power play, yet I sensed Jacob was searching for more truth underneath our little game.
What did I want? I think my lover understood my own needs better than myself.
“Come on, Kristair. Tell me,” Jacob urged with another quick slap.
&nb
sp; “Why don’t you show me instead?”
There was a breathless pause and then Jacob released my hands. A bitter pang of disappointment surprised me, but soon enough he was lying over me, the head of his cock rubbing against my entrance. “That’s a good idea,” he agreed.
Jacob’s lips brushed against my jaw and I turned my head to meet them. He linked our hands together, deepening the kiss. The power of it shook me to my core. He was more sure of himself than he had ever been before, more sure of us, and what we both wanted.
I moaned, feeling myself giving in to his silent demand and, for a moment, I fought it, afraid of the fall. But Jacob didn’t relent. His tongue continued its erotic claiming of my mouth, tangling with my own tongue, his hands keeping a tight hold on me when I would’ve pulled away. When his cock began to push inside of me, I couldn’t fight it any longer.
Fierce triumph whipped through Jacob as my mouth softened and I kissed him back, but instead of surging into me with one hard thrust like I’d expected, he held himself in check. It still stung without lube to ease the passage, but I couldn’t deny how excited I was and if he’d stopped to grab some, I don’t know if I’d have let him get so close to this untapped part of me again.
Jacob burrowed into me, both in body and in mind. I swore his fingers touched my soul, laying me bare as he began to thrust, hard, deep, and relentless. I couldn’t fight him. I couldn’t hide. No one had ever made me need so much, not like he did.
I clung back to his hands, clinging to him as he fucked me and laid his claim. One I would never forget. “Please, Jacob.”
“You’re mine,” he replied with more love than possession, but that was there too.
I shuddered, rocking my hips back to meet each thrust, surrendering to the eddying passion. “I’m yours.”
Chapter 21
I WOKE up in a daze, alone in my bed. Frantic, I searched my room for Kristair’s presence, which I sensed was still near. I found him standing naked by the window, wreathed in moonlight and shadows, staring down at the campus grounds below. It struck an odd chord within me. How often, in his many centuries of existence, had he stood, in just the same manner, watching the world go by?
“You need your sleep,” Kristair said without turning around. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
I sat up, cocking my head at the tone of his voice. It seemed almost detached, almost clinical. “What is it? You’re worried about something.”
He shrugged and I rose, going to join him at the window. It was late and the quad below was still, most of the windows in the other dormitory towers dark. Kristair’s thoughts were moving so fast that I couldn’t keep up with them. There had been times in the past when I’d found it hard to follow his mind, but not like this. He was analyzing, computing, filing data away in that over-big brain of his with freakish speed.
Fear jolted through me as I remembered how Kristair had been before, when the Ascended tormented him. How he seemed to be not quite there, in this reality with me.
“Hey.”
Kristair half-turned his head, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. When I tried to touch him in concern, my hand passed right through him. Biting back a curse, I calmed myself and said, “Come back to me.” His heart wasn’t beating in my chest and deep inside his mind I heard the all-too-familiar whispers. “Who is that?”
A shudder rippled through his mind and, with a lurch, his heart started again. His emotions swept up, erasing his detachment and breaking the whispering link. “They wanted to remind me of what I left behind,” Kristair answered, turning to me with a rueful smile. “I thought they would leave me alone these two weeks, but I supposed wrong.”
“They can’t have you,” I said fiercely. Damn bunch of freaking cowards, hiding behind Kristair so I couldn’t give them hell for bothering us this way.
“On that we agree.” He hesitated, debating, and I gave him a mental prod.
“What are you hiding?”
Kristair smiled, but it didn’t look quite right on his face. “I’ve been back home for less than twenty-four hours and I’m already in trouble.” As light as his tone was, I knew it rankled him to be answerable to somebody, how much it grated after all those centuries of being on his own.
Alarms triggered in my brain, but I silenced them, or at least hit the snooze button. Kristair was still with me, so it couldn’t have been too bad. “What did they say?”
“They’re not thrilled about the fireball down in the tunnels. You could say they’re morally outraged, if they were capable of such emotion.”
I frowned, thoroughly confused. “You’re losing me. What does that have to do with them?”
“They think it’s not an ability you would’ve been able to do if I hadn’t returned. They’re concerned about you gaining too much, too quickly.”
“Seems to me they need to mind their own damn business. Tell them to go stick a star up their collective ass.” I shook my head, pissed by how they kept dragging Kristair into this bullshit. “Just tell them I won’t do it again. Will that make them happy so they’ll leave you alone?”
“They’ve already taken steps. I’m sorry, Jacob.”
Again alarms went off, this time all of them blaring at once. “What do you mean?”
“They’ve limited the tricks you can do.” Kristair’s lips tightened in anger and kept myself from cursing. He was worked up enough without me adding to it.
“No more fireballs?” I said as plaintively as I could to make light of the situation and as I hoped a tiny smile touched his mouth.
“No more fireballs. I’m sorry—”
I brushed a mental finger over his lips and he quieted. “No, don’t be sorry. You didn’t do it. Besides, to be honest, it’s a good thing. I’m an immature idiot.” Kristair’s eyes flashed, but I continued before he could interrupt. “Me and fireballs is a bad idea. I’m glad to be rid of them.”
And, if things went the way I wanted them to, I’d never have to use them again anyway. His dark gaze searched my face before he gestured to the bed. “Lay down. You haven’t let yourself rest in a long time. You need your sleep.”
“You’re not sleeping either.”
Kristair laughed, low and rich. “I have no need to sleep, not anymore, but I’ll lie with you. I like watching you sleep. That hasn’t changed.”
I frowned, but followed Kristair back to the bed. How could I sleep now when I was so restless? The Ascended were still out there, waiting to take him away from me. “I’m not tired,” I said, plopping down on the bed next to him.
I couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said earlier tonight of his fear of their detachment and its effect on him. I think I understood it better now. I turned on my side and studied him in the dark. “We’ll figure out a way to get around them.”
It was strange how sometimes I still couldn’t read him. Though we were such a part of each other, Kristair had turned holding himself aloof into an art form. The shadows heavy in the room only made his eyes more enigmatic and he buried the truest part of himself behind that damned mantle of self-possession.
“What is it?” I demanded.
“I’m trying to figure out how you did it. How you’ve come to matter so much. How you make me need you.” Kristair’s voice sounded troubled, fear touching his mind before he shoved it away.
I smiled and he frowned. “And what do you find so funny about that? I thought my comment would’ve gotten your temper up.”
“Maybe it would’ve at another time, but I just take it as a sign that I’m winning, and you know how much I love to win.” I traced my eyes over his face, memorizing every line, every hard angle. “You’ve never let someone come so close before, have you? And I don’t think you intended it with me, but now it’s happened and you’re scared.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been through too much for me to be afraid of what we have.”
“It’s not that you’re afraid of what we have; it’s your fear of losing it. We happened so qu
ickly, Kristair, and we got too distracted to do much more than go along for the ride. This time, we’ve had a taste of what it’s like to lose each other. And there’s more riding on us this time, on us and our bond. It’s got you all worked up.”
“The Syndicate is still making trouble and I still have a time bomb hovering over my head. As you pointed out, it is very similar to before.”
“There are some big differences,” I insisted. Sometimes I thought Kristair liked to argue just for the sake of arguing.
“Name some.”
“For starters, we’re already in a relationship so we’re not dealing with all the craziness and confusion of getting to know each other and figuring out how we feel. The first time was so intense and so immediate, and you tend to over-think things. Second, the Syndicate isn’t as much of a distraction as before because I’m not letting them. And third, you may have a time bomb hanging over your head, but at least this time you have a plan you think will work.”
Only there was one big worry that still nagged at Kristair. How he was going to keep his feelings for me after he truly became one of the Ascended. That worry now bugged me too, big time. If I hadn’t already made a lasting impression on him, how could I up the ante? We were a part of each other. Didn’t that count for something? “You know, I was just thinking, and it made me wonder.”
“Mmmm, were you? Sounds dangerous.” Kristair smiled and I knew he was attempting to relieve the tension that had sprung up.
I gave him a mental poke. “Stop that. I’m serious. What happens when you break the link? Do I lose the tats? What about your memories?” The mental link had been broken between us before and that had been painful enough, but to lose everything this time? I didn’t know if I could handle that.
“I’m sorry. I know the tattoos irk you, but they are permanent.”
I shrugged. “To be honest, I’ve gotten used to them. I think I’d actually miss them if they disappeared. What about when your heart’s gone? What’s going to happen to the rest of me? Am I going to go back to the way I was before I met you?”
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