by Tina Gayle
“All right, our fathers are off-limits.” But she still required answers. “Why are you being so stubborn?”
“How?”
“Why can’t you just tell me you love me?”
“Why can’t you?” His dark gaze bore into hers, condemning her own lack of response. She’d not voiced the words either.
“I . . .” She licked her lips. “I love you, Stihl.”
He stood in front of her. His fingers lifted her left hand. “Are you sure?”
She couldn’t speak with her heart waiting for his reply, so she nodded instead.
He traced the pale pattern on the back of her hand. “We still haven’t completed the bonding process. I think you’ve been holding out on me.”
He’d not given himself completely to her either. Anger rushed through her system. She jerked her hand out of his. “Right, I’m the one holding out.” She shoved to her feet. “Where’s the ‘I love you,’ ‘I need you,’ ‘I want you.’ Why can’t you say the words? Why is it so hard?”
With a quick turn, her foot hit the step to exit the pond. Two wet hands landed on her waist. A twist and the full force of her body landed on the shoulders of her opponent.
The man sank under her weight, but his head never slid below the surface. Instead, he jerked her down along the hard wet contours of his body. Repositioning his feet, he stood with her plastered to him. His velvet-brown eyes burned with a lustful glare.
“Marohka Taunton, I want you for the rest of my life. I need you by my side forever, and I’ll love you until my dying breath.” Arms circled her like bands of iron. “Lady, you’ll never be free of me.”
“Stihl—” she started, but his lips silenced her words. Her mind fluttered with Stihl’s thoughts. A joining of not only their bodies, his hands slid over her back, and the scene shifted.
Memories and emotions, feelings and desires, his dreams danced in her head. For once no demons stood in the distance marring the picture. Peace settled. Sweet music floated on the air, through her blood, in her heart. His wicked lips rubbed against hers, and he carried her body on a seductive journey by drawing pictures in her mind.
White ribbons swirled around them in celebration of their love. Red flower petals rained over them. The two suns colored the sky—blue, green, and purple. The world spun with brilliant hues of light. She stood within the circle of his strong arms, enjoying the sight. Without warning, a touch as chilly as death skittered along her ankle. Icy fingers brushed her skin and gripped her leg. The bright ribbons which circled her itons ago, changed now into cold hard bands of iron. They bound her in a soft clear layer of protection.
“Stihl,” she screamed. She tightened her hands into fists. She fought the transparent force. His arms were still around her, but she couldn’t feel them. An oppressive, frozen weight bound her limbs. In a panic, she realized she couldn’t move.
Stihl’s sly demons captured her. Wrapped in the tight cocoon of his love, she faced his fear. She understood his need to protect her, but it cut her off.
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Nothing will ever threaten your life again.”
Her physical strength useless against his doubt, she searched her mind and scrambled for a way to break free. Tears of frustration built, clouding her vision. “I can’t feel you, Stihl. You have to help me fight your demons.”
He shook his head. A frown marred his face. “But you’re safe. I can’t risk you ever being hurt.”
Her tears fell on his fingers, and a slight give loosened the ribbons binding her. “Please, Stihl. I want to experience your touch, know your warmth.”
Chapter Eighteen
“No, I need to protect you,” Stihl argued.
She strained against the bindings, and her pain nicked his senses.
“I love you, Stihl.” Her gaze begged him to slay the monster holding her captive.
He battled with his conflicting emotions and struggled with a maneuver to defeat his demons. As her husband, his job was to keep her safe. He loved her and fell short of protecting her in the past. He couldn’t fail again.
Yet . . .
“Yes, Stihl, I could die, but how can I hold you, touch you, love you if I can’t feel your body next to mine.” A shiver raced down her spine and tingled against his fingertips.
The cold pressure of the bindings pressed against his skin. Her hard cheek caressed his chest. The transparent shield prevented him from touching her warm flesh. “I’m afraid, Marohka. I can’t take the chance of losing you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, yet he felt no warmth emanating from them. “You’ve already lost me, if you won’t let me share myself with you.”
With a stroke of a frigid finger, she brushed a lock of hair from his face. “You’ve seen my demons, fought them. Now, yours are tied tight around me, but I refuse to let your fears win.”
She slid her hand down his back and cupped his butt. “I need you. I plan to set you on fire. But, if you want an ice maiden”—the words whispered against his lips, and her cool breath teased him—“then I’m your girl.”
His pulse raged. His thoughts slammed into a wall of emotions. Love, need, desire bombarded him with demands. He cupped his hand over her icy cheek. It melted. The blood pumping through her veins echoed through his. She worked her warm mouth over his and fed on his heat. The heady sensation of her thawing beneath his hands ignited a fire inside him, and he gripped her hips.
The dull light in his head cleared—no gray spots, no boundaries. Her body and spirit free, she wrapped herself around him in blissful union. Where she ended and he started, he didn’t know, didn’t care. He took pleasure from the love she gave. Nothing to hide, no holding back, he won what they both longed for and found a bounty of delights.
She guided his thick rod into the soft haven of her body. He couldn’t speak, or moan, or even grunt. With their minds linked, he felt his passion for her spiraled out of control. She held her eyes tightly closed, and her white teeth bit into her swollen lips. Soft cries escaped from her throat. Faster and faster he drove his movements to match the rhythms of time and space. On the brink, suspended for an iton, they stood in sync with the universe.
His climax exploded. Flames, hot and undying, danced around him. Past hurts vanished. Her laughter rang in his head. Happiness settled.
With him beside her, at peace and sated, he accepted the special gift of her love.
* * * *
With everyone in the house asleep, the peaceful solitude of his study didn’t sink into Zarro’s mind. The regal beauty of his oak desk or the scent of the leather-bound books failed to ease his stress like they normally did.
Zarro’s troubled thoughts hung over his head like a black cloud. Stihl, as usual, possessed great instincts. Someone out there wanted to hurt either him or Marohka. Zarro glanced at the report lying on his desk. The fire at the camp had started with help from someone.
The accident on the trail and the poison at the theater, he couldn’t confirm. A storm was brewing, not only the one outside his window, but also another one. Someone threatened to tear his world apart. With feelers out all over town, he planned to find the culprit.
He stretched his stiff shoulders and flexed his hands balling them into tight fists. Oh, how his hands ached to hit something. He drew in a cleansing breath and held onto his control.
Who stood behind this threat? What did they hope to gain?
The strike started after Stihl claimed Marohka as his mate. Yet, if that wasn’t the reason, why were they happening now?
Other factors filtered into the mix. Zarro picked up the papers lying on his desk. The Trisar Mine cost Vin Taunton’s company a great deal, but with the sale, the company shouldn’t have to book any losses.
Of course, the company wouldn’t be profitable. Not with Marohka gone. His sources confirmed her as the driving force behind Vin’s company. But if he hadn’t wanted her to leave, why not turn down Stihl’s request for her as his mate?
And what about
Vin’s new job and the rumors about Taunton Minerals being up for sale. Why? Was it because of the Trisar deal, or the loss of his daughter to run the company, or her marriage to Stihl?
Zarro shuffled through the reports. No one other than Vin and Marohka owned more than ten percent of the company, so it couldn’t be an angry investor.
Something didn’t add up. Why was someone trying to kill her or Stihl? They had no enemies.
Frustrated with the lack of answers, he slammed his fist on his desk. The sound echoed through the house. Something was missing. He could feel it, but he couldn’t decide what it was. He studied the data lying across his desk. Somewhere in all the mess lay the answer. I have to find it.
He downed the last swig of liquor from his glass.
No one will harm my family.
* * * *
“You’re sure you don’t care what you eat?” Marohka asked.
Stihl played the first message on his ECD and answered over his father’s voice. “I’m so hungry it won’t matter.”
“. . . I’m sorry. I missed the chance to talk to you when you called,” his dad was saying. “I’m glad to hear everything is working out with your mate. We should be able to make the decision on the mine at the meeting next week.”
A short pause then his father continued. “With you out of town, we decided to cut back production until we heard from you. If you can’t raise the funding to operate the mine in its current format, we’ll be forced to . . .”
“Do you want a spirit with your dinner or caffleck?”
Her voice from the service room blended with his father’s, and Stihl missed the last of the call. “Spirit would be great.”
He rewound the message and focused on his father’s words. “. . . we’ll be forced to consider the Morrison brothers’ offer. About the other matter, I’ve done some checking. The fire at the camp was intentional. The other incidents are still unproven. I have a few more leads to check out.”
Marohka entered the room carrying a plate in each hand. The sizzling aroma of meat hit his senses. His mouth watered. He pushed the button to delete the message and waited for the next one.
“Here’s our food.” She set down the plates. “I have to go back for the drinks.”
He caught her hand and stopped her from moving away. “No, you eat. I’ll get the drinks.” He stood, walked into the service room and listened to the final message.
“Hey, Stihl, I decided to call your ECD seeing as I can’t reach my daughter on hers.” The male voice continued in a reluctant manner. “I just received the news today about the Trisar Mine being sold. I know Marohka will be anxious about the outcome. Tell her she did everything she could to save the contract, but things have worked out for the best. The payoff will cover our losses with a little profit added in.”
A pause, then Vin Taunton rushed on. “She needs to spend time with you, Stihl. Her mother and I want her to be happy. Give her our love.”
Stihl picked up the two glasses sitting on the counter. Her father sounded relieved to have the mine off his hands. From what he’d learned from her profile, her father’s company sat in good financial standing. This information, added to what he’d learned from Cyd about her father planning to sell the company, told Stihl his idea might work. If he could convince her that he had the answers to their company’s problems.
He placed her drink in front of her and returned to his seat. No time like the present to close the deal.
“Your dad left a note on my ECD.” He sipped from his glass and watched her reaction. “He said not to worry about the Trisar Mine. The payoff will cover the losses your company incurred with a little profit.”
She paused in eating and set down her utensil. Then without a glance, she picked up her spirit and drank a long swallow. “I didn’t know my dad had your ECD number.”
He twirled the contents of his drink, and the sweet aroma of the liquor awoke his taste buds. His stomach grumbled with hunger. He set his drink on the table and picked up his utensil. “He probably found it in the file I gave him.”
“Oh.” She toyed with her food. “Is that all he said?”
He hesitated and studied her for an iton before he cut his meat. She sat staring at him, her unease apparent, but he couldn’t determine the cause. Their ties with their fathers were an area neither had chosen to share.
Now, he wondered if he should’ve pressed the point. “No, he just said he wanted you to be happy and to give you his love.”
He took his first bite of food in days. The flavor sang on his tongue. A strong active sex life certainly enhanced one’s appetite. Her silence slowly invaded the pleasure of his feast. He glanced at her to find her frowning at her plate. “Is there something wrong with the food?”
She shook her head and shoved her plate away. “I guess I wasn’t that hungry after all.”
He knew her too well to believe the lie. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Not your concern.”
When his hand slammed against the table, she jumped in her seat. His anger vanished as quickly as it sparked. “I thought we established the fact anything concerning you concerns me.”
Her gaze sparkle with a glow of resentment, then she blinked. “You’re right.”
“What? What did you say?”
“I said you are right.”
She cleverly shut him out by staring down at her glass. He fought the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until her teeth rattled.
“I’m just a little worried about my dad.”
“Why?”
Her head sprang up, but she remained quiet. Confusion danced in her eyes, and she turned her head to stare out the window in the den.
Hoping to calm her ruffled feelings and instead of demanding she tell him her problem, he captured her hand and placed it in the center of his. “Marohka, please tell me why you’re upset about your father. Is he in trouble?”
The soft smile in her gaze when she turned soothed Stihl’s frustration.
“No, Dad has a new job with the Lustralia Mining Commission. That’s why he agreed to let you claim me as your mate.” Her head dropped. “He’s selling our company.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you know any other question?” She glanced up, and laughter lines played around her eyes.
“All right, why is that a problem?”
“I . . .” She tugged on her hand, but he held firm. “I work for my dad.”
“Yes?”
“If I’m your mate,” she stared at her food. “I can’t work for him anymore.”
“So?” Like dragging an alba-ox across a cactus field, her answers tested his patience.
She pulled on her hand again. “He counts on my expertise.”
“Wait.” He used his other hand to lift her chin to study the green light in her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me you run your father’s company?”
“Well, I . . .” Again she stalled.
“Yes or no?”
Doubt surfaced before pride flashed. “Yes,” she answered. “My dad’s never really liked the business. He liked the research, but there isn’t any money in research, so my grandfather, who liked to work in the field, let my father handle all the office work. After my grandfather retired, my dad taught me the business. The better I became, the less field and paperwork he did.”
She shifted her head, and he released her chin.
“After learning how to use my skill with the armidiggos, I traveled to the mines. While I was away, Daddy agree to come into the office, and then only until I returned. I handled the day-to-day paperwork and all the offsite work.”
“And his job?”
“He enjoys the research and spent time in the lab or visited the university.” She picked up her glass with her free hand and gulped down a long drink. “I think Mom pestered him into letting me have a mate. That’s when he decided to search for a new position. Once he received the appointment, he saw no reason to keep the company.” Worry lines m
arred her forehead.
“And why is that a problem?”
“I don’t know. I’ve worked so hard to make the company profitable and now . . .” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have bonded with you.”
He freed her hand and retrieved the glass from her other one to place it on the table. With grim determination, he shoved back his chair, rose, and drew her to her feet. He encircled her in his arms and held her close. “We’ll work this out, even if I have to let you return to being a mineralogist.”
