He crossed the room in two swift steps and came to a halt in front of her, gazing down at the smoky desire reflected in her eyes. Pulling her into his arms, he molded her soft body against his. The night air had cooled her skin, making her nipples pebble hard against his chest. He ran his hands over the soft curves of her back and buttocks, warming her with his heat.
“Oh, God, you feel so good,” he murmured into the clean, crisp mountain scent of her hair.
P.J.’s body warmed and her arms tightened around him. “So do you, but it’s cold out here!” She released him for a moment and tugged him toward the waiting bed.
Connor followed her willingly, and he quickly shucked his briefs, then scrambled into the sleeping bag beside her. They shivered together for a few moments before their body heat merged, creating a warm oasis beneath the covers. Connor pulled them up over his head so they wouldn’t lose one iota of this precious heat and snuggled into her warmth.
He avidly captured her lips, a tide of longing rising within him at her uninhibited response. Their lips touched, parted, then touched again as they explored the wonder of each other. His tongue dipped into the sweetness of her mouth and she moaned, drawing him inside in a sudden savage suction that sent waves of desire coursing through his body to center in his throbbing erection. He groaned and pressed himself against her.
But first, before he could find sweet relief, he had to take care of P.J. He stilled her hands between his large ones, and with long, wet kisses and slow caresses of his mouth and tongue, he pleasured her, bringing her to the pinnacle not once, but twice.
Finally, she protested that she couldn’t take any more, and returned the favor, using her mouth and gentle fingers so skillfully he was ready to explode within seconds. She continued her sweet torture until he finally tore her hands away. “Now,” he pleaded harshly.
“Yes, now.” She ceased her ministrations and rolled over to retrieve a small packet from the bedside table, helping him sheathe himself in its contents. “But we do it my way.” She sat astride him, then slowly eased down over him, until he filled her completely.
Her throbbing warmth was too much. He plunged urgently within her, grasping her hips as if they were a lifeline. She met him thrust for thrust and the powerful exhilaration mounted, rolling over him in waves until the universe exploded around him in a million shards of glittering stardust. His cries joined hers as she, too, climaxed once more and pulsed around him, then relaxed to lie spent and unmoving on his chest.
P.J. kissed his damp chest and sighed. “Was it as good for you as it was for me?”
Connor chuckled at her imitation of his voice as she repeated the question he’d asked in the tiny car days ago. “Aye,” he whispered. “Better.”
She rolled off his chest and curled up next to him. “Were we loud? Do you think Neil heard us?”
“No, the wards ensure he can’t—” Connor broke off, hearing something outside. “Shh, what’s that noise?”
They stilled, and gradually a man’s voice off in the distance became clear, soaring through the night air, singing, “…knick-knack, paddy-whack, give the dog a bone…”
Connor and P.J. exploded into laughter, muffling it beneath the covers.
“Oh, no,” gasped P.J. “Can’t you just see it—Neil standing in a circle on one foot—”
“All naked and shriveled up in the cold—”
“Singing about a shoehorn!”
Connor’s chuckles finally died and he said, “Lord, I wish I could see this. I wonder what verse he changed to fit in the shoehorn.”
P.J.’s paroxysms of laughter devolved to mere giggles. “I don’t know, but this pretty much proves he’s got the thing, wouldn’t you say?”
“Aye, and ‘twould serve him right if he caught his death of cold. I still need incontrovertible proof, though. I’ve got to touch his hand. Will you help me, lass?”
“Of course. What do you want me to do?”
“Well, ‘tis only me Neil seems to be avoidin’. He doesn’t seem to have a problem touching you at all. Now, my ring will work just as well if you’re holding it. If you were to take it and wait until he lets go of the iron—”
P.J. shook her head. “No, I’m afraid my allergy to gold will get in the way. If I hold the ring too long, the itching will make me crazy and he’d suspect something. No, it’s better if we just wait for a good opportunity and nail him. Between the two of us, he doesn’t stand a chance.”
That almost-memory nagged at him again—something to do with allergies. Unable to pin it down, Connor shrugged and gave it up for the moment. “All right, but if we don’t do this soon, I’ll have to sit on the man and beat him until he lets go of the iron.”
P.J. nodded back. “And I’ll help. But for now, let’s get some sleep.”
Chapter Twelve
The next morning Connor woke to find P.J. gone from the bed. When her missing status slowly pierced his foggy brain, he sat up with a start. Dear God, what if Neil had done something to her?
Connor leapt out of bed, pausing only to pull on his shorts. His heart pounding, he thundered into the main cabin, only to find P.J. standing calmly next to Neil where he was stirring some eggs on the stove with a metal spatula.
They both turned to look at Connor with their mouths round in astonishment. A cool breeze feathered over his body, and he realized how foolish he looked. He gaped at the two of them, trying to find something, anything, to say.
“Connor!” P.J. screeched. “Put some clothes on. You’ll catch your death of cold!”
She grabbed the spatula out of Neil’s hands and shoved him toward Connor. “Help him find a robe, something,” she said in a shrill tone that wasn’t a bit like her.
As Connor stood rooted in embarrassment, Neil took a tentative step toward him.
“Hurry up,” P.J. said, and shoved Neil a little harder, somehow managing to trip him at the same time.
Neil hit the floor face first at Connor’s bare feet. Seizing the opportunity thus afforded, Connor steeled himself to show no reaction no matter what Neil’s hands revealed, and grabbed the man to help him up.
Once Connor’s ring touched him, the tingling was almost like an electric shock. Yes, Neil had handled Stayle’s talisman—and very recently too. At long last they’d found their thief.
Well? P.J. demanded silently as she held her breath and watched Connor closely, waiting for his verdict. A flash of triumph appeared in his eyes, though he quickly suppressed it. Yes! They’d found their thief.
Connor admirably suppressed what had to be an urgent desire to demand the shoehorn back immediately, and suddenly seemed to remember his lack of clothing. P.J. didn’t mind it, but it was rude of them to display Connor’s magnificence before the puny Neil.
With a muttered excuse, Connor slipped off to the bedroom to finish dressing. P.J. thrust the spatula into Neil’s hand with a hasty apology and followed Connor into the bedroom.
As Connor slipped on his shirt, P.J. bounded over to whisper in his ear. “You got your proof, didn’t you?”
He flashed her a grim smile and slipped on his shoes. “Aye, lass, that I did. His hands made my ring tingle like ‘twas afire.” He leaned down to give her a swift, sweet kiss. “And thank you for thinkin’ so quickly—he’s the thief, all right.”
“That’s wonderful! Why don’t we just grab the shoehorn and go?”
“‘Tisn’t that simple, lass. For one thing, we don’t know where ‘tis. And he’s had it a good long time now and has handled it a lot. The talisman is tryin’ to key itself to its new owner and will resist detection by magic. The best thing to do now is to find out where it is so I can take it away by physical means.”
P.J. was a little disappointed it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought, but she was game for anything. “Okay, now what do we do?”
“We don’t do anything,” he said as he tucked his shirt into the waistband of his jeans. “You leave, and I’ll get my sister’s talisman back.”
Connor looked up from tying his shoes. “It could be dangerous now, lass. I’m going to have to wrest the talisman away from him physically, and I don’t want you in the way when it happens.”
He rose and took her in his arms, kissing her lightly on the nose. “You’re too precious to risk in a confrontation like this.”
“But our bargain—I agreed to help you find the talisman in exchange for the custom-made shoes and my story. I have to see it through or the bargain is null and void.”
P.J. knew her argument was weak, but maybe it would penetrate Connor’s ridiculously old-fashioned attitude and appeal to his sense of fair play.
He kissed her again, this time on the forehead. “Nice try, lass, but after everything you’ve done to help me, our bargain is complete. If it weren’t for you and your quick thinking, I’d still be wonderin’ if Neil was really the one. Now I know.” He gazed at her seriously, relentlessly. “And ‘tis time for you to go, out of danger. You promised.”
“What about you? Isn’t it dangerous for you, too?”
“Nay, I’ve magic to protect me, y’know. And ‘twould be best if I don’t have the worry about shieldin’ you along with it. Without your full name, I can’t protect you as I’d wish.”
P.J. bit her lip. Her curiosity demanded she stay for the denouement. She could, if she gave Connor her true name now.
Suddenly, with a blinding flash of insight, she realized she did trust him. Connor was so good and decent and honest, she knew she could trust him with all of her innermost secrets—even her name. No matter what happened, she knew he would never betray her trust. He couldn’t, and still be the man she had grown to love. The knowledge filled her with a wild exultation.
She opened her mouth to share her discovery, but stopped when she realized how it would look to him. If she told him her name now, he’d think it was only because she wanted to satisfy her vulgar curiosity. No, she couldn’t do that and risk losing his trust and respect.
She tried another tack. “But the weather outside is awful.” She pointed at the window. “See, it snowed last night, despite the predictions. How am I going to leave?”
Connor frowned. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll magic you up some skis, then.”
“But I can’t ski,” she said triumphantly.
“You’ve lived in Vail all your life and you can’t ski?”
“No, I never learned. It always seemed like such a desecration of nature’s beauty, and the skiers are so obsessed with speed and exhilaration, I never wanted to learn. Really,” she exclaimed when he looked doubtful.
He nodded. “All right, then, I’ll get you some snowshoes.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he got there first. “Damn it, woman, I don’t care if you’re allergic to snowshoes and they give you the green willies, you’re going to leave! I’ll find some way to get you down off this mountain, and that’s that.”
P.J.’s mouth firmed in a straight line. Like hell he was. She was determined to see this through to the bitter end.
He smoothed a strand of hair back from her face. “Don’t you see, lass? You’re too precious to risk, and I must do this myself. My sister, my people, are counting on me.”
His simple words struck home. She’d forgotten that his position hinged on his successful completion of this mission, not to mention his sister’s sanity. How would he feel if he went back to his people and told them that she—a mere mortal—had solved the riddle for him and captured the crook? He’d be a laughingstock, and it would all be P.J.’s fault.
Unfortunately he’d just found the one argument that would sway her. “All right,” she said. “When should I leave?”
She felt Connor’s body relax. She hadn’t realized how tense he’d been up to now, and was rather touched at this sign of his concern.
He captured her lips in a gentle kiss. “Right after breakfast. We’ll pretend to go for a walk, then you head down to the car. After I’m sure you’re far enough away, I’ll tell Neil we had a fight and you left. All right, lass?”
P.J. agreed. She wasn’t looking forward to making that three-mile trek back to the car alone, but she guessed she owed it to Connor. How ironic—if only she’d told him her name last night, she could’ve saved herself the trip.
A sudden thought struck her. “The car—it’s Neil’s and I don’t have the keys. What am I supposed to do, walk all the way back to Vail? Or worse yet, hitchhike?”
Connor frowned. “No, I saw Neil put them in his coat pocket. I’ll distract him, and you get the keys.”
P.J. nodded. “Okay, but how are you going to get back if I take the car?”
“Magic, of cour—”
He broke off as they heard a knock on the door. Neil’s voice came through muffled. “Breakfast is ready. Are you coming?”
Connor sighed and raised his voice. “Aye, we’re comin’. We’ll be there in just a moment.”
He gave P.J. another kiss and released her from his warmth, then they joined Neil at the dining-room table. He’d dished up a wonderful-smelling breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast. Neil sneezed and P.J. stifled a grin. He didn’t seem to be feeling too well—it appeared his nocturnal ritual had given the man a head cold. Well, P.J. felt no sympathy—not even a twinge. It served him right.
They finished the meal and Neil stood, gathering the dishes together. “So, what shall we do today? We can-”
Connor interrupted him gently. “You promised us a quiet weekend away from the hustle and bustle. We’d like a little time to be alone. Isn’t that right, lass?”
P.J. nodded. “Yes, if you don’t mind, Neil. We’d like to take a nice walk together. We have something we need to.. .work out.” She might as well start setting up her angry departure now to make it more believable.
“But—” Neil protested.
“Wait, let me explain,” Connor said, and drew Neil aside, casting a significant glance back over his shoulder to where their coats hung by the door.
P.J. didn’t need him to draw her a picture. She crossed to the door, and while Connor spoke in low, urgent tones to Neil, keeping the producer’s back to her, she fished the keys out of the first pocket she looked in. Giving Connor a thumbs-up, she shoved them in her own coat pocket and shrugged into her coat. “Connor,” she exclaimed querulously. “Come on, let’s go.”
Connor rolled his eyes for Neil’s benefit, then finished his low-voiced conversation. “All right, lass, I’m comin’.’
They managed to escape from the cabin with very little ado, and took off on a path that not so coincidentally led down toward the car. Once they were out of sight of the hut, P.J. glanced down the snowcovered path with trepidation. She’d agreed to leave, but it didn’t look like it would be easy, especially since the air seemed to be about twenty degrees cooler than the day before.
Connor must’ve caught her apprehension, for he said, “No second thoughts now, lass.”
“No, it’s just that I’m not sure I can find the path down. It’s not real easy to see beneath the snow.”
Connor nodded slowly. “You’re right.” He pulled her collar tighter up around her neck. “But I’m going to give you all the advantages I possibly can. You de serve it for being such a good sport.” He kissed her on the nose. “And I want to make sure nothing happens to you, either.”
P.J. felt all warm inside, as if he’d just filled her with a magic heat. Right now she’d do anything he wanted—anything to keep him looking at her like that. “But how can you justify expending all that magic? What about your promise?”
“That doesn’t apply when someone’s safety is in jeopardy—faerie or mortal. Not even the Fae would expect me to ignore the need of someone in danger.”
Some of her elation faded. He’d do the same for anyone, of course. She was silly to read any more into it.
Connor released her and took off his gloves. Touching his talisman ring, he frowned down
at the ground. Slowly, an emerald green sheen came over the snow, then curved into a two-foot-wide path that stretched down the length of the trail.
Connor sighed. “There. Just follow the green and it’ll lead you down to the car.”
“Aren’t you taking a risk that someone will see it?”
“Perhaps, but since Neil booked the entire cabin, there shouldn’t be too many people up here, anyway. And, just to make sure, the green will disappear behind you.”
Clever. It would also keep P.J. from returning the same way.
Connor touched his ring once more and concentrated. P.J. felt her clothing warm up—even her hat and shoes. She looked at him in surprise.
Connor grinned. “That ought to keep you warm for your trip down the mountain—and I put an avoidance spell on you so the animals won’t bother you. But just in case, I’ll give you something of mine to use as a locator.” He fished in his pockets and came out with a comb. “Well, ‘tis better than nothing.” He concentrated again. “Here, take this. Put it somewhere where you can get to it quickly. If you get into trouble, just hold on tight and call my name. I’ll be there instantly.”
P.J. took the proffered comb and carefully put it in the jacket pocket opposite of Neil’s keys so the metal in them wouldn’t negate the magic. “Okay, but forget the snowshoes. I don’t know how to use them and the snow’s not all that deep, anyway. I’m sure my boots can handle it.”
She hugged him, putting all her pent-up feelingsrelief, caring, sorrow at their parting—into that simple gesture. She was reluctant to let go.
Connor finally pried her arms loose. “You’ll be all right, lass, you’ll see. And I’ll be seein’ you again, if you’ll let me.”
P.J.’s heart soared with relief. That had been her only remaining worry, but no more. Connor was as good as his word. If he said he’d see her again, he meant just that. She gave him a long, hard passionate kiss to remind him of the night they’d shared together, and released him reluctantly.
“You’d best be going now,” he said.
“All right, but you be careful.” Connor had thought of everything, and she was sure she could make it down to the car safe and sound.
A Little Something Extra Page 17
