“I can’t believe you arranged this. I missed flying.”
“I know, sweetheart. Want to give it a try?”
She stared at him, wide-eyed and grinning. “You’d let me?”
“Take the yoke in front of you.”
She gripped it with both hands.
“That’s it,” he said. “Keep it steady. Watch your instruments. Do you see this one here? Just keep the line level, and we’ll be fine. If you drop below the line and need to go up, pull the stick back. If you need to put the nose down, push down.”
She focused hard on keeping an even line. It wasn’t as easy as it seemed. When she saw him unclip his safety belt, she uttered a cry.
“Lann, you know I don’t like to actually fly the plane myself.” He ignored her with a mischievous grin. “Lann? Lann? Where are you going?”
He bent over her. “Here.”
He kissed her, long and hard. She tried to keep her eyes on the instruments. The steadiness of her hands was seriously affected by his palms on her breasts and his fingers on her nipples.
She pulled away. “Lann, darling, please take back your plane.”
He burst out laughing, making her glance at him in alarm. Lann had never laughed like that.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, nervous and excited at the same time.
“You just called me darling,” he said, looking very pleased.
“I did?” She looked back at the horizon. The wings tipped left and right as she tried to keep the line on the instrument panel level. “Oh God, Lann, please take back your plane.”
With a last kiss on her neck, he settled back in his seat and fastened his safety belt. She sighed in relief when he gripped the wheel in front of him.
“You see?” he said. “It’s not so difficult to be in control. You just flew our plane.”
She stared at him in awe. She was just about to get emotional over the gesture when he dipped the wing. She shrieked with excitement.
“Now, I do aim to please, and I believe you’ve asked me to go wild.”
He made sure she enjoyed the flight, giving her plenty of adrenalin before landing on an inland lake that surrounded a small island.
The pine-tree covered island had a white, sandy shore. Lann secured the plane next to the jetty and helped her down. They seemed to be the only people.
“This is amazing,” she said. “Where are we?”
“It’s a privately-owned nature reserve. We’ve got the place all to ourselves.”
They walked along the walkway to a clearing under the trees that overlooked the lake.
Lann spread the blanket out in the shade and pulled Kat down next to him. “Help me unpack this.”
They took out champagne, fruit, cheese, and a baguette. He handed her two glasses. “Hold this.” He popped the cork and served them.
“Lann, this is the best day of my life. Thank you.”
He brushed a palm over her shoulder. “You’ve been working too hard.” Worry flickered in his eyes. “Been cooped up in the monastery for too long. And you did keep your promise not to fly with anyone else.”
“So, this is my reward?”
“I think your reward will come later.”
“What a lucky girl I am.”
“The luck is all mine, krasavitsa.”
“Are you hungry?”
“For food?” he drawled.
“You’re impossible.” She gave him a stern look and brought a piece of cheese to his lips. “Open.”
He obeyed, sucking her fingers into his mouth. She fed him pieces of fruit and cheese, taking bites in between. When they were both satiated, he got to his feet and started to remove his clothes.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a laugh, looking around, even though she knew they were alone.
“Come swim with me.”
She glanced at the lake. “The water will be freezing.”
“Are you a pussy?”
She gasped. “You didn’t just call me that.”
“Oh, yes, I did.”
She jumped up and discarded her clothes. Before he was out of his pants, she was running stark naked to the water. She gritted her teeth as she entered the icy water up to her ankles. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Lann making his way to the lake with a huge grin on his face. Holding her breath, she charged into the water. It was so cold it felt as if it would stop her heart. She let out a yelp as Lann’s laughter echoed behind her. Taking a deep breath, she dived in and swam with furious strokes in an effort to warm her limbs. When she turned, Lann still stood on the beach.
“Come on!” She beckoned him with a finger. “Or are you a pussy?”
He made big eyes at her. “What did you just call me?”
“I said—”
He made a big show of charging at her, but she managed to splash him before he got his chest wet. He cursed and disappeared under the water to resurface in front of her, grabbing her around her waist when she tried to swim away.
“Not so fast,” he said in a wicked tone.
Turning her to face him, he yanked her against him. His body was warm in the coldness of the water. Already too familiar. Comfortable. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and held him close. He groaned in response, his erection pressing against her stomach. He wasn’t laughing any longer. He gripped her ass and lifted her slightly so that his cock teased her folds.
The cold water contracted her skin, and when he lifted her higher with one hand while spreading her open with the other, an onslaught of cold water assaulted her swollen clit.
The coldness was replaced with the heat of his body as he lowered her onto his erection, sliding effortlessly into her slickness. She arched back, gasping as he claimed her with every inch he had.
“God, Katherine, I’m buried so deep inside of you,” he said against her neck. He kissed her as if his life depended on it, sucking on her skin and making her moan as he bit down softly.
“You drive me wild.” He planted kisses down her neck to the hollow of her throat, continuing the path to her breasts. He kissed each upper curve before taking a cold, hard nipple into his warm mouth. That felt good. She whimpered when he sucked gently before letting go to move her up and down over his length with his hands around her waist.
“Feel good?” he asked.
“Lann…”
“Tell me, Katherine. Tell me what you want.”
“Everything.” She sighed. “I want everything.”
His voice took on a darker tone. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Then show me.”
He claimed her mouth with hard approval, sweeping his tongue over her lips before drawing the very breath from her. She struggled to inhale through her nose while he plundered her mouth. He kissed her until her body begged for air, but when she pushed on his chest for a pause, he only sealed his lips tighter over hers while thrusting harder and faster. Her clit rubbed against his groin, making pleasure coil around her insides.
When he folded one hand around her neck and gripped her ass in the other, she instinctively clung to him with her arms and legs. He tightened his fingers around her throat, applying gentle pressure. Sensations slammed into her as he squeezed, cutting off her oxygen. Before she had time to process what was happening, she felt a finger rubbing down her cleft, and then she felt it there.
She jerked when Lann pushed on that forbidden entrance. It was hard to think with her body craving both air and release. Her orgasm was like a tightly pulled string, a second away from snapping.
Panic set in. She trusted him with her body. Didn’t she? What did she really know about him? Nothing. Oh, God. Her fighting instinct kicked in with full force as warning bells went off in her mind.
“Shh,” he said, not loosening his grip or slowing his pace. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But it was already happening. She let go of his shoulders to claw and scratch. Black spots popped behind her eyelids. Just when she thought she was going to b
lack out, he released her throat, and at the same time pushed a finger past the tight ring of muscle of her dark opening. Her inner muscles clenched in an effort to expel the intrusion, but his finger sunk deep.
As oxygen reached her brain, her orgasm ripped through her with an intensity she’d never felt. She clung to him, filled by his cock and his finger, too full and too overwhelmed as the waves crashed over her and continued to ripple long after he’d spurted all of his seed inside her. Her strength gone, all she could manage was to lean her head on his shoulder, and to trust him to take care of her. She was alive. He wasn’t going to kill her. The fear had been part of the exhilaration. Maybe the most surprising—shocking—part was that she’d liked it.
Lann kissed her hair and her cheek. He uttered gentle words in Russian as he removed his finger and pulled out his cock. She made to lower her legs, but he caught her ankles where they were crossed at his back.
“Hold on,” he said, pressing a kiss against her ear. “Don’t try to walk.”
He gently cleaned her in the water, washing his cum from her thighs before carrying her to the shore.
She’d never felt more depleted in her life. It was worse than the time when she’d had a few drinks too many at the student bar and had to be driven home and put to bed by her friend.
She started shivering as Lann lowered her onto the blanket. He stretched out on top of her and folded the blanket around their bodies. He kissed her neck and her shoulder until his heat penetrated her skin, and her body once more relaxed.
When the shivering stopped, he lifted himself to look down at her. “I’m going to get off you now. At first it’ll feel cold with the breeze, but the sun will warm you.”
She whimpered when he rolled off her, exposing her skin to the air. “No, don’t.”
He rubbed her arms. “I’m too heavy.”
It was then that she felt it, a faint movement of air, invisible fingers brushing over her. It was as if a soft blanket of clouds were pulled up over her body. Was she imagining it? She stared at Lann in wonder. Was this what he’d meant when he’d said she moved the air for him? Lann moved many things for her. A knowledge nestled in the depth of her mind, a feeling she couldn’t acknowledge. The only thing she could do was to push it back. She’d promised Lann she’d walk away. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t care. She turned herself blind to her emotions, and instead, focused on the physical, on what her body experienced.
Slowly, her equilibrium returned, but the lethargy remained.
“What did you do to me?” she asked, trying to focus on Lann’s face and not falling asleep.
“I cut off your ability to breathe, just for a few seconds,” he said. “The surge of oxygen that follows makes you come harder.”
“That it did,” she said, closing her eyes.
“Katherine, look at me.” She gazed back at him. His eyebrows were furrowed. “Did you enjoy it?”
“It frightened me, but I can’t deny that it was the best sex of my life.”
A strained smile curved his lips. “Good.” His eyes warmed. “Your trust means everything to me.”
He lay down next to her and pulled her into his arms. They stayed like that until Kat felt some of her energy return. When she tried to sit up, he shook his head.
“Rest,” he said.
She reached for her glass. “I need a drink.”
“No more alcohol. Wait for your body to recover.” He took a bottle of water from the basket, unscrewed the cap, and, supporting her head in one hand, brought the bottle to her lips.
After a few sips, she lay back again, studying him through her lashes.
“You’re very handsome,” she said.
His smile came easier. “You’re very expressive.”
“Lann, I’m serious.”
“So am I. I love seeing you come, knowing it’s the pleasure I bring you.”
“You bring me lots of pleasure,” she said, mumbling her agreement.
“Good.”
He adjusted his position so that his lap formed a cushion for her head, and stroked her hair gently. She stared at the patterns in the branches of the trees, basking in the feeling. There were these times, when he was so exceptionally tender, and other times when he kept a deliberate coolness, a distance, between them. Would her heart survive when the time came to walk away? Deep down, she was worried that he was spoiling her for other men.
He traced the line of her brow with a finger. “Why the frown, krasavitsa? Are you still feeling weak?”
“I was just thinking no one will ever measure up to you.” She tried to make light of it. “Where will I ever find someone who knows how to strangle me and make it feel like the hottest thing in the world?”
He remained serious. “Don’t forget your promise. After thirty days, you will walk away, and never think of me again. Our time, you and me, are in the present, not in the future, and I don’t want to be the reason you hurt. Just live with me. Now. That’s all I ask.”
“So, you’ll forget? Just like that?”
His eyes took on a sad light. “You have me in the palm of your hand. All it will take to crush me is a squeeze of your fingers. That kind of power, a man can never forget.” He kissed her softly. “Now, stop talking. I want to fuck you again, but I’ll go easy this time.”
From the way his eyes darkened with lust, she knew despite what he’d said, he wasn’t going to be gentle.
Kat needed a lay-in on Saturday morning to sleep off Friday’s adventure. She woke up shortly before eleven, took a quick shower, and pulled on her bikini and a sundress.
Alfonso intercepted her in the hallway. “How was the excursion, Miss?”
She’d fallen asleep in the car on the way home. Lann had insisted on carrying her to bed. She couldn’t remember much after that, except that he’d been exceptionally tender with her, holding her for a long time before going to his own bed.
“It was wonderful, thank you,” she said with a glow that spread through her body at the memory of sleeping in Lann’s arms.
“Sir has invited you for brunch by the pool, if Miss wishes.”
It was only mid-morning, but she was starving. “That sounds good.”
She found Lann at their usual table, working on his laptop. When he noticed her, he closed the screen. “Good morning, beautiful.”
Her stomach warmed at the compliment. “I passed out.” She stopped next to his chair. “And it wasn’t from drinking champagne.”
He pulled her into his lap. “You were amazing. You always are.” He gave her a chaste kiss. “Hungry?”
“Very.”
“I ordered poached eggs and smoked salmon. Will that do?”
“That sounds delicious.”
Alfonso arrived with their brunch on cue, as usual, but when Kat moved to get up, Lann tightened his hold. She stilled in his arms, looking at him curiously. Pulling her plate closer, he started to feed her. It was sweet. She obediently opened her mouth for every forkful he brought to her lips, but she couldn’t bask in the attention. Despite the intimate act, he seemed distracted, thoughtful.
Only after she’d cleaned everything off her plate did he say, “I have to leave for business next week.”
Disappointment settled in her stomach. “Oh.” It wasn’t as if they had that much time left.
“It’s not something I can refuse,” he said apologetically.
“Of course. When are you leaving?”
He leaned forward and poured coffee into her cup. “Monday. I’ll be back the following Monday.” He added sugar and milk and handed her the cup. “Would you like to stay here or go back to your place?”
She folded her hands around the cup, inhaling the welcome scent of the brew. “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay. I work well here and I’m making good progress.”
He swept her hair over her shoulder and kissed her neck. “Alfonso will look after you. If you need anything, you only have to ask.”
“Thank you. Where are you going?”
“Out of town.”
As Lann closed up as he always did when they broached the subject of his business, she didn’t ask more questions.
“Feel free to invite friends over if you wish,” he said. “I don’t want you to be lonely.”
“Thank you,” she said again, appreciating his consideration, but she had every intention of using the time to make headway with her work.
“Would you like to go for a swim?” he asked, patting her ass.
“All right.”
Why did she get the feeling he was trying to make up for something she couldn’t name?
The following week was quiet. Kat buried herself in her work and had a long chat with Charles, who was happy with her progress. The kitchen and cleaning staff weren’t particularly talkative, which suited her fine. She could write and do her research without distractions.
On Thursday, when the museum and library were open, she worked in one of the reading rooms. Marianne was still curious about her relationship with Lann, but Kat refused to elaborate, and Marianne was too polite to push the issue.
By Friday afternoon, she was exhausted, but happy with her efforts. She missed Lann, and when most of the staff left for the weekend, she suddenly felt lonely. He hadn’t called, not that she expected him to. It wasn’t as if she were his girlfriend.
At six o’clock, she decided to call it a week. She was ahead of schedule, and her brain felt mushy. As she was shutting down her laptop, Alfonso entered the library with a glass of cherimoya juice that he left on her desk.
“Thank you. That’s so kind,” she said. “Has everyone gone for the weekend?”
“Yes, Miss, everyone except security.”
Lann always left the monastery heavily guarded. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of the treasures he kept inside or for his safety. The kidnapping of wealthy businessmen for ransom was an unfortunate crime in this part of the world. On the other hand, maybe he was involved in something illegal. It wasn’t the first time she considered the possibility, but like an ostrich, she buried her head in the sand.
“Have you heard from Lann?” she asked.
“Sir called this morning, Miss. He asked if you were well cared for.”
Aeromancist, The Beginning (SECOND EDITION): Prequel (7 Forbidden Arts Book 2) Page 9
