Burn (Elemental Hearts Book 1)

by Jayelle Morgan

  She whimpered as he stroked her tongue again. Wanting more, wanting… closer. Her leg tightened, and she realized she'd thrown it over his hips at some point.

  Hussy.

  But then he ran his hand up her thigh and looped it around her ass, pulling her closer. Which was exactly what she wanted. She gasped into his mouth when his action put her in intimate contact with the evidence of his arousal. Liquid heat seemed to travel in a tingling path down her spine, pooling in the junction of her legs. His soft sweatpants and her tiny shorts were negligible barriers against his hardness, his heat, and she couldn't help arching into him. And the feeling was so good that she did it again.

  "Fuck…" he groaned, as she stroked against him with tiny movements of her hips. His hand crept from her buttocks up under her shirt to her lower back, and the press of his fingers encouraged her to do it harder.

  He swallowed her whimper with his lips as the friction between his anatomy and her shorts sent electric shocks through her.

  On her hip, his hand tightened, stopping her. "You're burning me up."

  With a slow kind of alarm she leaned back and looked at him. He grinned and shook his head.

  "No, not literally. Just…" He took her hand from around his neck and dragged it down below his waist. "Here," he said, pressing into her hand. He was so rigid and hard against his pants that she felt a little sympathy for him.

  "Sorry," she said, heat filling her face.

  "No, don't be. Just give me a minute." He brought her hand back up to her other one and rolled on top of her at the same time, pressing her hands into the pillow above her head.

  He clasped both of her wrists together in one hand, his free one sliding under her shirt as he nibbled her lips. The wildfire in her blood increased as his hand went higher, skimming over her ribs, and she arched her back, burning for his touch.

  His head dipped down and he gently bit the peak of one nipple as he palmed the other under her shirt.

  "Oh, god." Her legs shifted restlessly, wanting him back where he'd been before. And he knew, because he left his hot wet mouth on her nipple and his hand traveled downward on her skin, seamlessly entering her shorts.

  His fingertips rested on her curls, and she thought she might pass out from holding her breath, waiting for that moment when he would touch her flesh.

  He let go of her wrists and leaned up on his elbow, eyes hot. "Are you sure about this, Brooke? I don't want you to regret this in the morning."

  Oh, she'd regret it, when his time was up and all the Chaolt were gone and he left her. But she was also very, very sure. Work— for money, for pride, for independence— had ruled her life since she was seventeen. It had left little time for dating or relationships. There wasn't a single other man she'd trusted enough to break her dry spell. That she'd wanted enough.

  Except for this man.

  He'd saved her life, more than once. He was her protector, from fires and enemies and nightmares. And he set her on fire more than any other man she'd ever met.

  "Levi," she whispered, lifting her head to bite his lower lip. "I'm sure."

  His hand finally moved, and her head flopped back down to the pillow and she bit her lip, arching back.

  "Fuck. You're so wet." His head lowered to her chest, and she could feel his breath sawing in and out over her wet nipple as he stroked between her folds. When he put his mouth back on her breast, she cried out, the two caresses almost too much for her to handle.

  "Easy," he whispered, slowly withdrawing his hand.

  He shifted, sitting up with his thighs caging hers, and unbuckled his knife harness. Dropping it to the floor, he swept off his t-shirt, muscles clenching.

  Her mouth went absolutely dry. All those glorious muscles, within touching distance.

  He moved to get up, but she sat forward, a hand to his abs. "Wait."

  Her gaze dropped down to where her hand rested on his warm skin. With the light coming in from the hallway, each muscle was edged with a golden glow, and she trailed her fingertips down the ridges of his stomach. Stopping at his waistband was hard, especially with that tempting trail of hair seeming to point the way, but she didn't want to miss this opportunity to just… touch.

  With both hands, she spread her fingers and pushed her hands slowly toward his chest. A light dusting of dark hair covered his pecs and she ran her fingers through it, grazing her palms over his nipples as she did. It couldn't possibly feel as good to him as it did to her, but just seeing them respond to her touch was enough.

  She trailed her fingertips up to his shoulders, the tough ridges of his neck and shoulder muscles inviting her to stroke them like one might a marble statue. And he almost felt like one too, rock hard muscles under such smooth skin. But where stone would be cool to the touch, he was hot, almost feverish. She gave in to the urge to press her cool cheek against his chest, to brush it across him. It seemed like he held his breath as she did, the feel of his stomach clenching traveling up to her cheek.

  Sitting back, she stroked her fingers across and down his shoulders, marveling again at his tattoos. The black swirled from his chest in thick lines until his skin was mostly black on his biceps, with only a few lines of olive skin to break it up. The further down his arms she touched, the fewer breaks there were, until it was just smooth, solid black skin all the way to his wrists.

  She swallowed hard, trailing her fingers all the way back up his arms. Across his shoulders, down his chest and abs, finally listening to the sweet invitation of that narrow little strip of hair. Curling her fingers under the waistband of his sweatpants and boxers, she looked up at him and gave it a little tug. "Off."

  His grin was slow, his eyes hot, as he swung his leg over and got off the bed. Thumbs hooked in the waistband and eyes on her, he dropped his clothes to the ground.

  Wow.

  The heat in her blood that had momentarily subsided so she could pet him, came back full force. Every bit of him was as finely sculpted as his abs.

  Every. Bit.

  She stood up in front of him, feeling a little bit shy next to his lean build, but wanting him too much to give it any power. She pulled her t-shirt over her head, and as her head came free of the neck, there he was. Before she even lowered her arms, his hands were caressing her, molding and scooping her breasts towards his mouth. She moaned, closing her eyes as the shirt fell away from her hand.

  The scorching touch of his hands and mouth on her made her weak, and she clung to his shoulders as her head fell back.

  Tongue still stroking her nipple, his hands went around her back and cupped her ass. His mouth took hers as he pulled her up against him. Turning, he laid her back on the bed and moved back to her breasts. Each gentle pinch of his fingers and nibble of his teeth felt like it shot straight between her legs, and her hips twitched as she groaned, fingers anchored in his hair.

  One last hot, wet caress and her nipple left his mouth with a pop as he moved down her body. In one long stroke, he rubbed her from ribs to ankles, taking her shorts and panties with him. He pulled them off and tossed them, and instantly slid back up her body with his own. This time when he took her mouth, he settled his manhood ever so gently and delicately against her folds. She gasped into his mouth as she felt the hot brand of his flesh and her legs fell open, bringing him tighter against her.

  With one contraction of his abs, one movement of his hips, he had her moaning. The head of him dragging across her sensitive nub, just once, was enough. If she'd been able to keep her eyes open, they would have rolled back into her head just at that one caress. But then he did it again. And again. And then her hips were rising up to meet his, the slick friction of his head sliding through her lips and nudging that bundle of nerves too good to be still.

  She cried out and stilled when their movements coordinated just right, the tip of his head sliding down her cleft and into her entrance.

  He stopped instantly, hands gripped in her hair and his hot breath on her neck. "Are you okay?"

  Oh, yes she
was okay. Just surprised by the feeling of him finally inside her, even if it was just a bit. It was already so good that she could feel herself clenching around his tip, trying to draw him deeper.

  "Brooke… ”

  "I'm good," she said into his ear, arching her back and rotating her hips a tiny bit. "Don't stop."

  He swore and his fingers tightened in her hair. In and out, he worked himself into her, deeper each time. Filling her, stretching her. "You're so fucking tight."

  And he was so big. Filling her so good that she felt tears pricking her eyes. Not the pain kind, but the oh-my-god kind.

  When he had a slow and steady rhythm inside her, she began to whimper, her orgasm climbing faster than it ever had before.

  Levi was inside her. Her rescuer, her protector, and now her lover. She cried out, incoherent as he touched the very deepest part of her body. And her heart. The spasms started then, and her head tossed from side to side, her hands gripping the pillow behind her.

  One of his hands came up and engulfed hers, pressing them above her head. She held on for dear life as she went up in flames, Levi following only a second behind.

  Her fingertips were sliding down under the sheet for round two when Levi’s cell-phone rang.

  With a feeling like pain, he dragged her hand back up to his chest.

  She groaned, whispering hotly into his ear, “Don’t answer it.”

  And shit, he really didn’t want to. But… “No one but the soldiers have this number. They wouldn’t call unless it was important.” He took a deep breath, inhaling the warm, sweet scent of the woman next to him. “I just need one minute.” Sixty seconds, and they’d pick up where they left off. He hoped.

  He pulled the cell phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants on the floor and answered.

  “Levi. We need to talk.” It was Walker and Levi cursed under his breath.

  Brooke’s cool hand rubbing across his abs gave him the balls to ask a question he normally wouldn’t. “Can it wait?”

  “You too busy to do your job?” Walker asked mildly, but he could hear the ice behind it.

  “No, sir.” He bit off any kind of explanation. He couldn’t admit to being where he was right now, and no other excuse would do. He cut off the sixty second count-down in his mind. There was no way he’d be back to kissing her tonight.

  “Good. My office, ASAP. On your way out, tell Ajax that he’s going to be pulling a double tonight.”

  “Sir?”

  “You’re going back.”

  A sweat broke out on his lower back. Going back? But he’d been doing better lately. “Back to Elementium?”

  Brooke pulled back and he could feel her curious eyes on him.

  “Yes. I expect you in half an hour.”

  “On my way. Sir.” He mashed the end button in frustration, and looked across to her.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yeah, I have to go. For a little bit. I’m sorry, I don’t have a choice.” He stroked a hand down her cheek, still fighting the heat that had centered, heavy, between his legs. And fighting the little voice inside that said to ignore Walker’s call and put her hand back in his waistband. But he just couldn’t.

  She nodded, but something about the look in her dark eyes made him drop his hand from her cheek. She pulled away from him and sat up, turning to sit on the edge of her bed with her back to him. He sat up too, pushing his hands through his hair. Obviously this was the wrong thing to do. Again. Damn it.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m being called back to headquarters,” he said, scrubbing his fingers across his mouth. How was he going to fix this with her?

  “To Elementium?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  Frustration boiled over, and he cursed Walker as he laced his boots. “Hell if I know. Could be a day, could be more. Time moves differently there. It will probably be quick, but it could feel like a couple days in your world.”

  “In my world?” The hesitation in her voice is what made him realize what he’d just divulged. With a heavy sigh, he turned to her, only to see her standing on the other side of the bed, arms wrapped around herself, eyes large and dark.

  Fuck.

  He could see no way to play it off like she was mistaken, like she’d heard him wrong. And dammit, he didn’t want to. He stood and walked to her, careful to keep a few feet between them. “Brooke, you know I’m different. I don’t just have powers, I’m also not —”

  “Not human.”

  He’d been going to say, ‘not from here’, but he couldn’t deny that either. But the way she said it, like she had something nasty in her mouth…

  “Not completely, no,” he said, aching.

  She put her fingers to her lips. “So you’re like, what, an alien? From another planet?”

  He tightened his knife holster, refusing to look away. “More like another dimension.”

  Her laugh was short, and he could hear an edge of hysteria in it. “Another dimension?”

  “An alternate plane of reality, hidden from yours. An Elemental plane, instead of a Mortal one.”

  “Elementium,” she whispered.

  He clenched his jaw and nodded, anger firing inside him at the phone call, at Walker. At the way she was looking at him, horrified, when moments ago her hands had been all over him. He strode to her, but she backed away from him until she bumped into the wall, turning her head away from him.

  “Not going to kiss me now, Brooke?” he hissed.

  “You’re not human.” Her voice wavered.

  He wasn’t giving her enough time to process this, and he knew it. But his body didn’t know the difference between what he was and what she was. It didn’t make him want her less. It stung, the way she said it, the way she was acting like he was a monster, and that sting prodded his anger into full fury. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to the erection that still hadn’t faded even though she was no longer touching him. “I was human enough to fuck. And guess what, Brooke? You’re part Elemental too, did you forget that? So we’re not so different, are we?”

  “You’re hurting me,” she said, trying to yank her hand out of his grasp.

  He let go instantly, and she cradled her wrist, anger and fear warring on her face. Her forearm was bright red and welted, and he hadn’t been holding it that tightly.

  He’d burned her.

  Levi backed up, scrubbing a hand over his mouth. His powers had flared because he was pissed, and he’d burned her.

  Shit. “Sorry, I’m sorry. Strong emotions… ”

  The urge to fling painful words at her was there, but he’d never wanted to hurt her. Maybe he deserved that look after all. He walked out, pausing in the doorway and looking back at her. His heart didn’t care if he was human or not, if she was Elemental or not.

  It just cared too much.

  All of this was a lot to take in. He knew that, too. He just hoped in time, she would come to the same realization he had. “I’m human enough.”

  He strode to his room and grabbed his jacket. Time to find out if he would be around long enough to see her to forgive him for the power slip. And to realize they weren’t so different.

  Standing before Walker's door at two in the morning was not Levi's idea of a good night. Especially not since it had started out as a very good night, with him and Brooke wrapped around each other.

  All the way up until he'd fucked up again.

  How was he going to fix this? Sweat bloomed on his lower back. What if it couldn’t be fixed between them? Maybe they were just too different.

  You’re not even human.

  She stared at him in his memory, expression fearful, disgusted. It bit deep, made his fire creep along under his skin. But he’d burned her.

  As if he were doused with water, the flames went out.

  Walker’s doors opened, and he motioned for Levi to stand in front of his desk.

  Walker stared at him until he was uncomfortable enou
gh to fidget, but he left his arms loose at his sides, not willing to let Walker see the firestorm he was inside.

  “Glad to see you could make it. Did I interrupt something?”

  Levi took a deep breath and put all his emotional shit on a shelf for the time being. "No, sir."

  Walker tapped a pin on the desk. Levi was about to do some back-stepping when Walker answered. "Your mission…"

  He stayed silent. Keeping his mouth shut was the best way to guarantee he didn't tick off his superior, didn’t reveal that he’d just come from Brooke’s bed. The only mission he was interested in at the moment was protecting her, but Walker was his commander. If he had a mission he wanted him to do, then he had another mission whether he liked it or not. And he really didn't.

  "Not curious?" Walker asked, eyebrow raised.

  "Just waiting on the details." And fucking resenting the timing of the whole thing. Resenting the slip of his mouth, Brooke’s reaction. How shitty his control was.

  Walker sat back in his chair, fingers steepled. He squinted his eyes, and that perked Levi's interest. That little tell made him nervous. For anything to show on his face was rare, so whatever this was had to be big. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

  "Like I said, I'm sending you back."

  How long would he be gone? What would happen to Brooke? Would he ever see her again? He couldn't leave things like this—

  "Temporarily," Walker said with a knowing look. "The Premiers have some intel for us, another mission, and I'm sending you to find out what it is."

  He let out a relieved breath slowly, trying not to be too obvious under Walker's intent study. "Are they going to be cool with me coming instead, if they requested you?”

  "They will be when you explain why."

  He hoped Walker was right. He didn’t have any inclination to piss off the Premiers. Which he would do anyway, when they found out he was involved with a human. Only, that might be over anyway.

  He breathed in around the brick that formed in his chest.