Pyromancist SECOND EDITION: Art of Fire (7 Forbidden Arts Book 1)

by Charmaine Pauls

  “I know how to use a fork.”

  “Of course you do.” He teased her lips with the fruit. “But it’s my job to take care of you.”

  Her reply was bitter. “Because you fucked me?”

  “Made love to you. As I said, aftercare.”

  She leaned away. “I don’t need your aftercare.”

  “Maybe, but you need to eat.”

  They hadn’t eaten since breakfast the previous day. Her stomach grumbled. Unable to argue that, she grudgingly parted her lips. He slipped the fruit inside and fixed his gaze on her mouth, waiting patiently for her to chew and swallow.

  Cupping her nape, he lowered his head and caught her off-guard when he traced her lips with his tongue. “Orange tastes good on you. Let’s see about pear.”

  Her body heated, a traitorous reaction to his seductive game. From the way his lips quirked, he knew what effect he had on her. Determined not to give him more satisfaction, she thought about icebergs and glaciers as he offered her a slice of pear. She tried to take it, but he held it beyond her reach, shaking his head with a disapproving, albeit amused, smile.

  If she wanted the fruit, she had no choice but to eat from his hand. Angry, she took a small bite. Damn him for feeding her like a pet. The fruit was sweet though, so she took another bite, and another, until there was nothing left and he reached for a slice of apple.

  He fed her a few more slices of fruit before lifting a silver lid on a plate to reveal a fluffy omelet with melted cheese dripping from the side. He cut off a small bite with a fork and fed her until half of the omelet was gone and she couldn’t eat another morsel. He finished off what was left, keeping her on his lap.

  When he finally wiped his mouth on a napkin and dropped it on the table, she tried to get off, but he only tightened his arm around her waist.

  “Keep still,” he breathed in her ear. “You’re getting me excited.”

  She went still. Indeed, he was growing hard under her backside. This wasn’t about tasting her blood. This was about her. No matter how unfeeling he was or that they were born enemies, the attraction was there, even stronger now that she knew how good it felt to make love to him. When he touched her, he rendered her powerless. What made it worse was that he knew exactly how far his power stretched. He’d known even before forcing her into marriage he was going to make love to her on their wedding night. He knew he’d win, or else he wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble with the flowers and candles. True to his word, he’d gone all out to make sure their first cognizant time was memorable.

  For fear of worsening the situation she didn’t move. She hadn’t meant to turn him on. She sat quietly when he poured two cups of coffee. In all honesty, it was rather warm in his lap with the blanket draped over her shoulders.

  “Have you eaten enough?” he asked almost tenderly.

  Her manners dictated she said, “Yes, thank you.”

  He nudged her temple with his nose. “See? If we both make an effort we can get on just fine.”

  She stiffened at that. “We shouldn’t have to make an effort.”

  “All relationships take effort.”

  “This isn’t a relationship,” she bit out.

  His face darkened as he stared at her for a beat before saying, “The ring on our finger says otherwise.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s nothing but three bands of gold.”

  “That serves as a symbol.”

  “Of your fidelity?”

  “Like it or not, you’re tied to me and only me now.” He added, “For life.”

  Angry tears gathered behind her eyes. “I hate you.”

  “But you love what I do to your body.”

  “You seduced me.”

  His smile turned wide. “Admit it, sweetness, you wanted everything I gave.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Oh, I think I do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have let me.”

  “My willpower is weak.”

  “Is that so?” He dragged his gaze over her face. “I think you’re lying. I think you’re strong. I think,” he trailed a thumb over her thigh, “if you really wanted to you would’ve told me to stop.” He arched a brow. “I gave you the choice, didn’t I?”

  How dared he throw that weakness back into her face? A gentleman never rubbed a lady’s nose in her lack of control. Then again, Joss had never been a gentleman. He’d never given her a choice, not really, not when he laid his hands on her.

  His arrogant smile stretched until she felt like slapping it from his face. He thought it was that easy? Fine. She had something of her own to prove. Shrugging the blanket from her shoulders, she slid from his lap.

  “Where are you going?” he asked with a hint of darkness. “It better be to the bathroom, because if you think you’re going to run from this argument, you better think again. We’re going to settle this once and for all. You chose, Cle.”

  “Did I?”

  “Yeah. It was that simple.”

  “Simple, huh?” She went down onto her knees in front of him.

  Wariness slipped into his gray eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “Let’s see how easy it is to resist,” she said, licking her lips as she stared up at him.

  His Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “It’s cold on the floor.” He gripped her shoulders to drag her up. “Get up.”

  She rested her hands on his thighs. “Not so brave now yourself, are you?”

  He stilled. “Cle, I’m not joking.”

  “You think I am?”

  His jaw tightened. “You’re going to give me head to prove a point?”

  She gave him a coquettish smile. “If you don’t want it, you can stop me. Self-control and all that, right? All you have to do is say the word and I’ll back off.”

  He watched her from under his lashes, his jaw set into a hard line. “You’re making a mistake, little witch.”

  The mistake would be his this time. He could also be weak. That was what she wanted to prove, or at least that was what she told herself. Yet she couldn’t deny the pulse that throbbed between her legs, the spark of perverse excitement when she thought about what she was about to do.

  He didn’t stop her when she unfastened the drawstring of his sweatpants or reached for the waistband. He only sat there with a stony look as she cupped the bulge between his legs over the fabric. He was thick and long, long enough for his erection to reach his navel if she were to free it from where it was tenting his pants.

  She pulled the elastic of his waistband down while holding his gaze. His eyes flared. He gripped the armrests, regarding her through hooded eyes as she dipped her hand inside and folded her fingers around his cock. He hissed when she squeezed. The reaction strengthened her sense of feminine power.

  She lowered her head slowly, giving him ample time to tell her to stop. When he said nothing, she gripped the base in one hand and brought his thick length to her lips. He watched her narrowly as she swirled her tongue around the head, taking her time to taste him. He was earth and wildness, rain and frosted skies. She registered his essence, locking it away in the place where she guarded her most treasured memories. Despite everything, she loved his taste. Despite what this started out to be, she prayed he wouldn’t open his mouth and tell her to stop. She held her breath as she sucked him deeper, but he didn’t make a sound. He only gripped the armrests harder, his knuckles turning white when she dragged her tongue over his length. Even when she stretched her lips around him, swallowing as much as she could, he didn’t utter as much as a chirp. It was only when she hollowed her cheeks that a low groan escaped from deep in his chest.

  Curling her tongue, she sucked harder, using her hand to stroke the part she couldn’t swallow. His breathing came faster. One more stroke, and he tilted his hips. The breeze picked up, blowing leaves around them, but she didn’t notice the cold. She only felt the heat that spread through her body and gathered between her legs. It reflected in the molten color of his silver eyes. When her
hair blew in front of her face, he grasped it in a ponytail at the back of her neck. Wild need was written in his grimace.

  She slowed her movement and released him with a pop from her mouth. “Want me to stop?”

  “Fuck.” Twisting her hair around his fist, he pushed her back down, making her take him.

  She smiled around his cock when he cursed again, victory blazing through her body even as her arousal made her swollen and her wetness made her slick.

  The control was no longer hers. He was using her mouth, setting the pace. Going too deep, he made her gag, but there was no slowing down, no giving gentle consideration.

  “Damn you, Cle,” he said through gritted teeth, the words both a curse and a caress. Then with warning and punishment, “I’m going to come in your mouth.”

  Instead of pulling away like she should, she cupped his balls. Instead of letting him finish like a good girl, she finished it for him by raking her teeth over his length.

  A string of curses flew from his lips. His cock grew thicker a moment before spurts of cum coated her tongue. She didn’t hesitate. She swallowed every drop. A sound of pleasure vibrated in his chest. She milked him with her lips until he was dry, until he yanked her away by her hair, letting his softening cock slip from her mouth.

  He stared down at her, his eyes still dark with the earlier wildness. “You’re dangerous.”

  Point proven, she sat down on her heels and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Giving her a narrowed look, he straightened his clothes. His tone was taunting, angry almost. “Had much practice?”

  She batted her eyelashes. “Only on you, stud.”

  “Drop the act.” He pushed to his feet, towering over her. “I like you better as yourself.”

  “Why, Joss, are you a bad loser?”

  Clenching his jaw, he gripped her hand and pulled her up. His tone was cold, but regret rang in his voice. “It seems the only loser here is you, my sweet.”

  “Admit it. You lost this round.”

  His look sharpened on her face, and the regret she’d recognize earlier morphed into an apology in his expression. “I could’ve said stop at any time.”

  “But you didn’t,” she said with defiance, and then his meaning sank in. He used her. He used her mouth to get off. She hadn’t won. She’d only made her defeat worse. A flush of anger heated her cheeks. Shame burned in her stomach. She couldn’t get out more than, “I see.” There was no way of salvaging her pride.

  “I warned you,” he said, lowering his head to catch her gaze. “I told you it was a mistake, but you made the choice.”

  She had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from uttering a sharp retort that would only make her lose even more face. What was this? A lesson teaching her she’d never win a single battle in this war?

  He frowned as his gaze fell on her knees. “We better go inside and check that out.”

  She glanced down. Scrapes from the concrete marred her skin. “It’s just a few scratches.”

  “Your lips are blue.” Taking a cup of coffee, he placed it in her hands. “Here. This’ll warm you up.” He glanced at the sky. “Rain’s coming.”

  She followed his gaze. Thick, gray-blue clouds rolled in over the lake.

  He took her elbow and led her inside where it wasn’t much warmer. While he built a fire in the big hall, she sipped her coffee. The strong, rich brew invigorated her, the caffeine giving her a boost of energy, but it didn’t placate her bruised ego, for which she only had herself to blame.

  When the flames were high, he made her sit on a chair and disinfected the scrapes, which were mostly the old cuts that had torn open.

  “You need tights,” he said when he’d finished. “We’ll pick some up in town.”

  “You said you’d take me to the cottage.”

  He dumped the cotton swab in the trashcan. “We can stop on the way.”

  After pulling a parka jacket on over his hoodie, he held out his hand. “Come. I don’t want to get caught in the rain. If it rains hard, the car will get stuck in the mud.”

  “Maybe you should have the road fixed,” she said, ignoring his proffered hand.

  He folded his fingers around hers and pulled her toward the hallway. “What’s the point?”

  Because he wasn’t planning on sticking around. “You said you were going back to New York.”

  “We,” he said, fixing her with a look from over his shoulder. “We’re going back together.”

  “When?”

  He led her to the car and helped her inside before taking the wheel. Rubbing his hands together, he asked, “Anything you need from town?”

  “You can’t keep it from me indefinitely.”

  He started the engine and turned up the heater. “Keep what from you?”

  “Your plans.”

  “Already told you, you’ll know what you need to know.”

  “Right.” She looked from her window. “What you think I need to know.”

  “Exactly.”

  “We’re not going to town for tights,” she said when he turned into the dirt road that would take them to the national road. “We’re going for people to see me. You want to broadcast that I’m here.”

  He glanced sideways at her, his hand tightening on the wheel.

  Bingo. She’d been right. She was the bait.

  For the rest of the way to Larmor-Baden, she said nothing. Even as the tension in the car mounted, excitement at the prospect of seeing her animals grew in her chest. They stopped at a general store in Larmor to pick up supplies, which included more candles, tights, and baguette.

  Joss conversed a few words with the owner, telling him they were back for a short honeymoon. She could tell the old man was dying to ask when and where they got married, but he only congratulated them as he not so discreetly looked at the wedding bands on their fingers. She bet he was going to tell everyone, something Joss was probably bargaining on. He needed to get the word out, and what better way to do it than via the grapevine?

  From Larmor they took the bridge to the Island of Berder. The nearer they got to the cottage, the more her excitement mixed with anxiety. She couldn’t wait to see her animals. Would they be fine? She didn’t know what she’d do if one of them was lost or hurt. There were many dangers in the woods but the biggest threat to the wolfdogs were the villagers. She had no hope of finding Erwan at home. Erwan wasn’t stupid. If he hadn’t guessed Joss had the cottage watched, his loyal friends in town would’ve gotten word to him.

  Joss startled her by taking her hand when he steered the car down the dirt track over the hill. She pulled away.

  “If I hadn’t chased you,” he said, “you wouldn’t have had to give all of this up.”

  It was tempting to let him carry all the blame, but it wasn’t true. “I had to run either way.”

  “Did you hate me?”

  The question surprised her. Why would he care? “Not then.”

  His expression hardened. “Only after.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  He contemplated that for a moment before replying, “The truth is good.”

  In that case, silence would be better.

  Thankfully, the cottage came into view and he didn’t push the issue. He stopped the car and booted up his tablet. After studying it, he said, “I’ve connected to our satellite tracking. It’s safe.”

  Wow. Satellite. Just as she’d thought. The property was being watched. Barely able to wait, she moved to the edge of the seat as he steered the car down the road again. A white canine stood in the distance.

  “Snow!”

  The wolfdog lifted his head and twitched his ears. Even before Joss had parked the car, he was at the house, standing guard with Thunder, Cloud, and Rain.

  What used to be her normal life now felt like a dream. Snow approached with a wagging tail when she got out, his bark loud. The big animal jumped and almost knocked her off her feet. Going down on her haunches, she laughed as he
licked her face. He nudged her with his snout as she scratched his ears.

  Tears mixed with her laughter as she hugged one after the other of her dogs. Aware of Joss watching them and reluctant to show him more weakness than she already had, she blinked her tears away. Still, this moment merited gratitude.

  “Thank you for bringing me here, Joss.”

  He looked toward the distance, avoiding her eyes. “I’m going to check around. Don’t go inside until I tell you it’s clear.”

  She stared after him when he walked off toward the cottage. Why was he blaming himself for how she’d left as if he actually gave a damn about her feelings? Instead of dissecting the thought, she turned her attention back to the dogs. Tomorrow was another day. Right now, she was here, and their time together was short.

  Joss put his head around the frame of the front door. “You can come in now, Mrs. de Arradon.”

  The title jarred her. Brushing off her dress, she straightened. “Come on, Snow.”

  Joss waited in the door, tracking her steps with his eyes.

  When she slipped past him, he brushed a hand over her hip. Memories of last night when his hands had been on her naked skin flooded her mind. Her body answered by heating. It wasn’t the reaction she wanted or should be having. Pushing her awareness of him aside, she escaped deeper into the kitchen.

  The counters were dust-free and the floor was clean. It didn’t look like a house that had been abandoned for six months.

  “I had it cleaned on a weekly basis,” Joss said behind her.

  She didn’t turn to face him. “Why?”

  “I didn’t want you to come back and find it neglected.”

  She dragged a finger over the spotless tabletop. “That was thoughtful.”

  “After all, this was your home once.”

  She stilled. “What about my animals?”

  “We’ll take them to New York. I’ll organize everything.”

  She turned. “The whole pack of them? Dog, cats, rabbits, and turtles?”

  He gave a crooked smile. “Maybe not the rabbits and turtles, but I can sacrifice my guest bedroom for a pack of dogs and a few cats. I’m sure we’ll find new owners who’ll take good care of the rest.”

  His offer was sweet, but misplaced. She belonged here, just like her animals. They needed space. They weren’t used to apartment living. He hadn’t thought it through. Softly, she asked, “And Erwan?”