Blackwood: The Dynasty Series Book One

by Marian Gray

  I had never had an intimate relationship. “Because I don’t know what I’m doing.” I was a fish out of water when it came to seduction, attraction, and pleasure.

  Elijah’s hand latched onto my leg as he rolled onto his back, forcing me on top of him. “Then you lead me. You set the pace and mood.” His palms slid up my thighs. “We’ll only go as far and as fast as you want.” They curved around my bottom. “And you have free reign to do with me as you see fit.” And continued up my sides. “Use me to please yourself.”

  A chill skirted up my spine. “And how do I know what will please me?”

  “We’ll explore,” he whispered. “You direct.” He didn’t give me another chance to protest. His hand pressed against my back, forcing me downward to meet his kiss.

  The blonde stubble along his jaw tickled my cheeks as his lips toyed with mine. They moved in slow but determined strides—wanton but afraid to scare me away. My body sunk into our kiss, and my weight fell upon him. His lips increased in enthusiasm, offering me more. I took it in with a small bite.

  He sighed into me. His hot breath slid down my face, thick with relief and desire. It was similar in flavor to our first time together, but this struck with more yearning and less gentle apprehension. He wasn’t holding back his emotions. He wasn’t hiding the gratification he derived from my body.

  His fingers wrapped around one of my hands and brought it to his face. “For weeks I’ve thought about nothing but being right here with you on top of me.” His palm pressed atop the back of my hand, sliding it over his prickly jaw, down his neck, and over the muscles in his chest. His physique was one cast from cold power, and yet, in this moment, I felt nothing but sensual excitement. Pure erotic enticement. “Does my body turn you on?” My stare rose to his face. A half-smirk peeked out, as his eyes unearthed my enjoyment.

  “Perhaps.” I teased.

  Elijah grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, revealing his naked torso. “What about now?” He didn’t need to ask. From his confident tone, he was certain it aroused me.

  My eyes streamed down his every muscle and contour. “More than you can possibly imagine.” His figure was something only captured in dreams, but here it laid beneath me. My heart thumped in my chest, filling my body with hot blood.

  He lifted his head to mine. His lips were heavy with passion. My thighs tensed. I couldn’t wait to have his fingers between my legs. But instead, they found their way to my bare midriff. The tips sunk into my skin, his grip was desperate for me to remain. He roamed over my stomach, hips, and back, but wouldn’t move passed my bra. Because it was I that was supposed to lead us.

  I lifted from him and sat back onto his hips, wanting to give him the full view. I withdrew my shirt and watched his eyes. They glued themselves to my exposed chest. In seconds he rose to meet me. His mouth enclosed around a nipple, licking and suckling, as his hand wrapped around the other. My fingers twisted in his loose strands as my jaw fell. I caught a deep breath inside of my lungs, shocked by the rush of pleasure. It coursed through my veins and slicked my thighs. When the air released, it flew through my mouth in disjointed sections.

  My hands slipped from his hair and fell to the zipper of my pants. “Here,” I instructed.

  He obeyed my command and slipped his fingers into my underwear. A moan tore from my mouth. My breath became ragged within his grasp. Pressure built in my hips. “Elijah,” I whimpered. My legs trembled, eager for the rise and crash. A hard thump pulsed through my pelvis before spreading throughout my entire body. My head dipped back in an uninhibited cry of pleasure. He milked my orgasm out of me with ease.

  His hand retreated to his pants, shucking off the cloth. “I need to be inside you,” he confessed, as he pumped himself, inches away from my spread legs.

  But I didn’t give in. “I direct, remember?”

  His eyes shut. “You teasing witch.” He released himself and sunk into the bed. His once rigid body relaxed, waiting for me.

  There was something so exquisite watching him struggle to surrender control. But I didn’t torment him for long. I lowered myself onto him. Cool relief slipped from my lungs.

  His hands lifted to touch me, but I pinned his wrists against the bed. He didn’t fight. His eyes fluttered.

  My hips rocked against him in a slow sway, allowing me to feel all of him. But there was a particular spot his body naturally struck that made my toes curl. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. His scent grew stronger in my nose, and the growing pulse in his wrist beat against my palm.

  We moved together as one, in tune with each other. Feeling and sensing every inch that we shared.

  The familiar, spark of pleasure began to build deep in my core. It climbed higher and higher, forcing harder breathes from my mouth. As it took hold of me, Elijah broke from my grip. His hands seized my hips, and he thrust into me from below.

  I ascended into the skies and moaned with wild ecstasy, propelled by him. The rough rush of pleasure crashed through me. My muscles tensed and throbbed, I could feel them take hold of him. And that’s when he lost it.

  His back arched, trying to continue his rhythm, but his body interrupted the flow. He groaned in the pillow as his chest puffed in ruthless release.

  When he rejoined the world, he leaned forward, placing smell pecks on my stomach. His lips traveled upward until they found my mouth.

  “I need to tell you something.” My arms wrapped around him, soaking in his warmth.

  “What?” He breathed against my neck.

  “I-I’m falling in love with you.”

  “And I with you.”

  Chapter Thirty

  I cracked open my suitcase, releasing the scent of my aunt’s floral fabric softener. “The whole experience was odd. The only part I enjoyed was Christmas. My mother reverted to infancy and ignored me the entire break.”

  “What? You spent the entire break in silence then? Like a monk?” Sara leaned back on my bed.

  “No, I stayed with my uncle and aunt. They invited me to stay with them when I arrived, and I accepted. We were supposed to go to Brick Row for New Years, but my aunt got sick and we stayed in instead.”

  “That sounds rather unfortunate.” Her voice held notes of sympathy. “My vacation wasn’t too great either. I had been looking forward to spending time with my school friends, but after an hour or two, it was apparent to all of us that we lived in different worlds with very little in common. Not to mention, I had to lie about practically everything.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I think that was the worst—returning to my mundi appropriate identity.” My hands dove into my suitcase and retrieved my pressed clothes.

  “It’s not as easy as I remembered. It never used to bother me to hide and keep all these secrets about who I really am. But after not having to do it for months, putting the mask back on felt like one of the heaviest burdens I’ve ever had to carry.”

  “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

  “You at least got to see Eddie though, no?”

  I sighed. “For a day. His family went on vacation, so he was only in town for the first two weeks of the break. I introduced him to my mundi friend, James. That was a disaster.”

  Sara looked up at me with guilty eyes. “Yeah, Eddie sent me a letter about the experience. He said it was great to see you, and that Mrs. Peterson was one of the nicest people he’s ever met, but James was irritating at best.”

  My head drooped. I wanted the two of them to get along more than anything else at the moment. James needed friends, and I would not be enough to help him with whatever he was going through. But the man Eddie met was a strange monster even to me.

  “He also said you were dating someone, but he felt giving away anymore information would be a betrayal of your trust.”

  I sighed. I didn’t want Sara to know that I was even dating someone. She hadn’t given me reason not to trust her, but her obsession with celebrity gossip was a red flag in my mind. “I am, but I haven’t discusse
d with him whether he wants to make our relationship public. We agreed to be exclusive the day before winter break.”

  “So, he’s a public figure, otherwise he wouldn’t care if people knew you two were together.” She dissected my words.

  My weight shifted from one foot to the other as I gave her an unamused look. I would not allow her to play detective and steal the answer from me.

  She sat up with a wicked grin. “I’ll drop the subject entirely, but I just want to know one thing. Does he play holmgang?”

  “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”

  “Cross my heart,” she giggled. Her tongue licked her lips in anticipation. She was practically drooling over the upcoming answer.

  “Yes, he plays holmgang.”

  I sunk in my seat as the room filled with students. The first class of the semester was Hexes, Curses, and Cures, which fell under the casting branch of magic. Since spells had been chopped from the curriculum, dueling wouldn’t be on the agenda. A part of me looked forward to a calm casting class.

  “I’ll meet with you after classes, then.” A familiar voice chimed in the hallways.

  My body stiffened from the sound. I prayed the individual would simply pass, but I wasn’t that lucky. My heart sank when my pony-tailed adversary stepped in.

  Lili dawned a scarlet peacoat with black leggings tucked into knee-high boots. I watched as she climbed a few steps up the small auditorium aisle. She chose a lower level and scooted to the middle. Her little leather messenger bag slid off her shoulder and met the ground. A manicured hand grabbed the back of the simple wooden chair and slid it out. Just as she was about to sit down, Lili’s caramel eyes glanced up and found me. “Kim Blackwood.” She called out my name in civil greeting.

  I groaned under my breath. “Lili Banach.”

  “How fortunate we are to find ourselves in a casting course together once again. I do look forward to whatever this semester holds for us.” She grinned with a row of perfect teeth as she lowered into her seat.

  “Good morning, good morning, good morning,” Professor Dart rushed into the room with wand in hand. “Please everyone take your seats. I know we still have a minute before we’re supposed to begin, but I don’t want to waste any time. We have a full course load this semester, and I want to cover all the material on our syllabus to ensure we don’t fall behind on day one.”

  I pulled my notebook from my backpack and flipped to the first free page.

  “And there he is. Right on time as always.” Professor Dart clapped his hands. His stare fixated on someone in the hallway. “Students, please welcome your PA for this course, Elijah Harlow. He’s my apprentice and will be assisting me throughout the spring semester.”

  My heart leapt into my mouth as Eli shook Professor Dart’s hand. A painful mixture of excitement and dread twisted around my spine.

  “How was your break?” Elijah set his book bag beside the first desk in the front row and sat.

  “It was interesting. I went to Alaska for a seminar. Twenty-four hours of darkness. How about yourself?”

  “Busy. I traveled around New Zealand for most if it. My managing agent thought it was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on my time since he no longer had to compete with academia.”

  “That sounds like a terrible vacation, and at the same time a unique and lucky one. You live a life I only dreamed about at your age.” Professor’s Dart looked up to his expectant class. “I hope you all had a relaxing winter break. Oh.” He grinned. His eyes flicked up to me. “How fortunate a man am I? Ms. Banach and Ms. Blackwood together once again. I’m sure this is will be an interesting class.”

  Eli’s head whipped around, and his gaze found me. His face was void of expression, but his eyes warmed and a small smile stretched his lips.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Sorry I’m late,” Eli called to me as he entered the training hall. “My meeting with Dart ran over. We were going over my practical and thesis as well as what lies ahead for me after Ivory.”

  The notion hit me hard. I knew he was in his fifth year, but our dwindling time together hadn’t entered my brain. After this semester, Eli would no longer live on campus or be a student. He would be out in the real world, working and building an adult life for himself. It opened a pocket of insecurity, but the relationship was too young to press for future plans.

  “Is everything all right?”

  My attention snapped back. “Yes.” My feet moved with determination, closing the space between our bodies. When I reached him, my arms wrapped around his neck in a desperate hug. “I missed you.” It had been a week since we were last alone.

  He sunk into the embrace and curled his arms around my waist. “I missed you too.” His lips lowered to mine and placed a gentle peck upon my pout. “How was your first day?”

  “Miserable. Yours?”

  “Not bad. I got to see your beautiful face.” A glorious grin grew on his lips.

  “Such a charmer.” I leaned my cheek on his chest. “Did your meeting go well with Professor Dart?”

  “Yes and no.” He released me in order to meet my eye. “I feel more than capable of passing my practical, and my thesis is on track, but the whole question of what I’m going to do after I graduate is killing me. Dart kept pressing me to not worry about it, but an athletic career is short-lived. What do I do after the Sons? After I can’t play holmgang anymore?”

  “I think it’s too early to worry about it. You could turn out to be a legend and get paid for sponsorships or create your own brand of holmgang training clothes.”

  He shook his head. “I doubt I’ll reach that level of fame.”

  “What are you talking about?” My brow scrunched into several lines. “You already have practically. Make a cologne line and see how many woman snatch it up so their husbands can all smell like you.”

  He chuckled with a warm tone. “You think I smell good?”

  “Of course. You smell like comfort and love.” I nuzzled his neck and drew in a deep breath.

  A wide smile spilled upon his face. “Like you?” His hands grasped my waist. “I’ve missed your body.”

  I giggled, filling his hands with my own. “We’re supposed to be practicing.”

  “Maybe I want to just have you instead,” he whispered.

  “I don’t think that’s appropriate with you being both the captain of the holmgang team and my PA as well.” I slid my finger down his chest.

  “Isn’t that wild?” His hands returned to my body. “I’m a PA for only one class this semester, which happens to be yours.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, glancing downward before meeting his eyes. “I wanted to ask you if you’d followed through with our agreement and hadn’t told anyone about us.”

  His playful antics ceased. “Of course. Who would I tell?”

  “Professors, your friends, the holmgang team.”

  “Well, my family knows, but that’s about it.”

  I sighed. “That’s a relief.”

  “Oh?” Eli’s eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Why is it a relief?”

  “The more my mind chew’s on the idea, the more I think we should keep our relationship just between us. Like a secret, you know?”

  “A secret.” His lips drew into his mouth as his arms folded across his chest.

  “Yes, I don’t think it’ll be a positive thing for either one of us if this gets out.”

  “Why not? What are you afraid of?”

  “Please, don’t take this the wrong way.” I reached out for him, but he took a step back from me.

  “Answer me.”

  “Well.” I threw up her hands in surrender. “Think about it. If people outside our trusted circles find out we’re together, it will call a lot of things into question. You know all the ridicule and harassment I received when I joined this team—I’ve worked my ass off to prove that I was added because of my skill. The others on the team will question my legitimacy along with the student body. I c
an’t go through that again. And there’s the whole thing with you being my PA. Everyone will question my grades received in that class and think I have some sort of advantage, no matter how fair you are.”

  “These are all reconcilable,” Eli countered. “As far as the class goes, that’s as simple as informing Dart about our relationship. He can transfer me to another class or choose to grade your work himself. The team has seen you on the field, they know you’re the real deal. And once the student body has seen you perform, I doubt they would question whether or not you rightfully earned the spot. If they don’t agree, they can all go to hell for all I care.”

  “You don’t care because you’re leaving in a few months. I still have years here. I don’t want to be dealing with this for the rest of my academic career at Ivory.”

  His face drained of emotion. “So what’s the plan then? You want to sneak around, pray we don’t get caught, and meet in secret?”

  He mocked the idea, but it was exactly what I had in mind. “You don’t have to make it sound so ridiculous.”

  “It is ridiculous, Kim.”

  “Please, Eli.” I cradled his face in my hands. “Please just do this for me. It’s only a few months. Once you graduate, we can tell the world. But please just do this for me.”

  His eyes jumped back and forth across my face, and his expression remained hard. “Fine.”

  “I don’t want to fight with you. Please be understanding.”

  “I said ‘fine’.” Elijah leaned back, pulling from my grasp.

  But I knew things weren’t fine. “This isn’t my ideal situation either.”

  “All right.” He turned and knelt by his bag. His fingers unzipped a long side pocket and withdrew his wand. “Let’s just do what we came here to do.”

  “You still want to do a lesson?”

  “That’s why we’re here isn’t it?”

  I retrieved my own wand, not knowing what else to do.