Oberon Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Welcome to Oberon

by P. G. Forte

  Her fingers stroked tentatively over the ravaged flesh. “Does it hurt very badly?”

  “No,” he said, his voice a little too insistent. “Not at all. I hardly even notice it.”

  She nodded, accepting his need to say it, even though she didn’t believe him. She had felt the heat in his skin, touched the swollen tenderness of it. It hurt, all right. It had to.

  Quickly, he sheathed himself in one of the condoms he’d taken from her pocket. He turned towards her again, just slightly awkward, and she felt a sudden qualm, at the thought of the pressure this position would put on his leg. “Wait, you don’t have to... let’s do this another way,” she said. She sat up and tried to push him onto his back.

  “No.” His eyes were bleak, his expression stark. “Not now. Not... not this time. Please. I just... I just want to make love to you.”

  He needed this even more than she did, she realized suddenly. He needed tonight to feel healed. To feel whole. He needed to feel he could still take control. To know he could make love to a woman the way he thought he should. She’d never ask him, but she would bet almost anything there’d been no one since he’d gotten injured. He would’ve been too proud to risk letting anyone see him like this. Afraid they might pity him, or think him weak. But tonight—

  He was trusting her, she thought all at once, treasuring the idea. Enough, anyhow, that he was willing to expose his vulnerability to her like this.

  “Then come to me, Ryan.” She sank back onto the rug and opened her arms to him. “Please. I want you so much.”

  “Siobhan,” he groaned her name as he maneuvered himself between her legs, practically falling on top of her in his eagerness to kiss her lips, her face, her neck, the curve of her shoulder. His mouth moved down her throat again to kiss her breasts. She arched against him as his tongue teased the tender flesh of her nipples. Running her hands over his back, his shoulders. Finally fisting them in his hair again to hold him to her.

  She heard herself pleading for him. Begging him to take her, as all the sweet, hot passion she’d been denying at last spilled forth. How could she have pretended for even an instant that she didn’t want this? How on earth had she managed to live for all this time without him?

  The heat was everywhere now, so intense she could barely breathe through it. “Please, Ryan,” she gasped, needing him so. “Now. Oh, please, now.”

  He drove himself into her slowly. And slowly began to move within her. His shoulders grew slick with perspiration beneath her hands and she had no way of knowing if the groans that erupted from his throat were from pain, or pleasure. Her fingers clutched at him, tightening convulsively. “Oh, yes. Oh, so good,” she murmured over and over again. She grasped his face between her hands and kissed him. He paused then, breathing hard, as he levered himself onto his good leg. He slid one hand between their bodies, reaching between her legs to stroke her there; where her flesh was most sensitive.

  His touch, more gentle than she could’ve imagined, ignited every nerve. Her head fell back against the floor as fire exploded through her veins. Her body arched like a bow as she gave herself up to him and to the climax that roared through her.

  It was everything she’d needed. Everything her body had been craving, and more. She wanted to weep with gratitude. With relief. With more emotion than she could remember feeling in a very long time. “Ryan,” she whispered, her voice thick with everything she was feeling. With everything she wanted to tell him, but couldn’t find the words to say.

  “Oh, God, Siobhan you’re just so... so—” he broke off again, bending his head to kiss her. Taking her mouth with his and then, with a suddenness that had all her senses reeling, driving himself into her again. And yet again. His body going completely rigid as, gasping out her name one last time, he came in her arms. And then slowly, his arms shaking with the effort, he pulled out of her and lowered himself to the rug.

  She turned on her side, curling herself into him. His face was buried in the carpet. She leaned closer and kissed his shoulder. He turned his head to the side then and their eyes met. His face looked strained and weary, but at the same time... relaxed. And there was a new softness to his eyes. He smiled at her, faintly. “Thank you.”

  She felt herself blink in surprise, both at his words and at the rush of tenderness she felt in her chest. She half sat up then, leaning in to kiss his mouth. Just once. But then, finding she couldn’t stop, once again. And then again.

  He groaned, half laughing, as he rolled onto his back and pulled her down on top of him. Her head rested on his chest. “Oh, God, honey, please, you gotta give me at least a couple of minutes to recover, you know,” he said as she kissed his chest. “Before we do this again.”

  She sat up and looked at him. “What? A young guy like you?”

  “It’s like I keep telling you. I’m not that young.”

  She just looked at him. Watching as his eyes traveled down her body. As desire flared to life within them again. And then he laughed. “Okay, okay, you win. But this time, you can do some of the work, too.”

  “Oh? Like this, do you mean?” Smiling, she straddled him; grabbing hold of his wrists and pinning his hands to the floor above his head.

  “Yeah,” he said wryly. “Maybe something like that.”

  She purred. “You know, Ryan, I do so love a man who knows how to surrender. At least occasionally.”

  He grinned up at her, making no effort to free his hands. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, sweetheart. But before you get too comfortable with the idea of being in control, there’s something you might want to keep in mind.”

  “Is there?” Arching an eyebrow at him, she leaned forward to tease his lips with her tongue. “And just what might that something be?”

  “Well,” he murmured between kisses. “You might want to remember... mmm... that I am a cop, after all.”

  She smiled at him. “And you know I’m sooo impressed by that, too. But you’re mentioning this now... because?”

  “Because,” He paused as she kissed him again. “What you’re... apparently... failing to realize is... even though you’re the one on top right now? I’m still the one with the handcuffs.”

  She sat back, staring at him in surprise. “Handcuffs?”

  “Uh-huh.” His eyes gleamed wickedly. “I know where they are. And I’m not afraid to use ‘em.”

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  * * * *

  Chapter Fifteen

  * * * *

  The next morning, Ryan woke up alone. His muscles were a great deal more than pleasantly tired and he was not altogether certain he hadn’t just dreamed the events of the previous night. He thought about it as he stretched and twisted in an attempt to drive the kinks from his back. It certainly had all the earmarks of a dream. Or a fairy tale. A mysterious maiden with skin like ice appears on his doorstep one dark, stormy night. And then turns to flames in his arms.

  He thought again, of the way she had looked, lying on the hearthrug with the firelight playing against her skin. Once he’d driven the chill from her, the touch of her fingers had all but burned him. He thought about all the things they had spent hours doing to one another, about all the hot words that had spilled, over and over again from her lips. She’d been so incredibly sexy. So beautifully responsive. So warm and giving. So real.

  It had to be real, didn’t it? He couldn’t have just imagined the way she’d made him feel. True, he’d gone without for way too long. But not so long he’d forgotten how good it could feel. And last night, it had felt very, very good. One thing was certain, if it had been a fantasy; it had been the best damn fantasy he’d ever had.

  It was the faint scent of her perfume still lingering in the sheets that provided incontrovertible proof. That and the single red hair on the pillow beside his.

  He stared at the hair for about a minute. Then he picked it up and wrapped it around the end of his finger. Laughing, even as he did it, at his own foolishness. She may have melted away in the morning light like some
creature of myth and fantasy, but he knew something of the old legends, himself. He knew that as long as he held onto this token of her, she could never truly escape him.

  Except... well, she sure as hell didn’t seem to know that, now did she?

  Annoyance and a growing sense of uncertainty gradually replaced the satisfaction he’d been feeling, as he checked out the rest of the apartment and found her missing.

  The fireplace was still warm. She must have shut it off this morning because he surely couldn’t remember either of them having done it the night before. It appeared she’d also fed his dog and filled her water bowl. And he guessed the fact that the setter wasn’t whining at the door to go out, meant she’d taken her out for a walk as well.

  Just how long had the woman been gone? He checked his watch and was stunned to find that he’d slept away the entire morning. So much for the ridiculous hope he’d been indulging – that she’d be back any minute with breakfast. No, she’d left, all right. She’d run away again. Sneaking off while he was still asleep. Not even bothering to leave a note.

  And what the hell was up with that?

  Surely the polite thing would have been for her to hang around for a while. At least until he woke up. That certainly seemed to be the point behind the many blistering phone messages he’d received over the years, whenever he’d done it the other way.

  Still, it was probably just as well, he decided, as he headed for his shower. He ruthlessly squashed the faint sense of unease the idea engendered. There was no ‘probably’ about it. It was a very good thing she’d left when she had. If she’d stayed, he would have felt obligated to make love to her again. And offer her breakfast. Maybe even walk her home. Right now, he was too damn tired for any of that.

  Besides, they were both adults. They knew the score. And nice as it had been, no good would come from making too big a deal out of what had happened last night. It had been really good sex, no question about that. But on the other hand; it hadn’t been anything more, either.

  Perhaps he should just go back to bed? he thought as he stood in the shower and let the hot water beat against his aching body. He leaned his hands against the tiled wall so that the water poured over his shoulders. It rolled over his back and down his legs and he sighed in relief. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. He’d go back to bed. Get some much-needed rest. Give her some time to adjust to what had happened between them. And then tomorrow he’d—

  But ah, shit, that was no good. He’d made that mistake with her once before, hadn’t he? Much as he disliked the idea, he’d better track her down and have it out with her. Now. Before things got complicated again.

  He sighed once more. Grudgingly accepting the inevitable, he turned off the water and reached for a towel. He was surprised to find himself feeling even more relieved, now that the right decision had been arrived at.

  Damn right, he’d better get his ass down there, he thought as he dressed. And in a great big hurry, too. Because who knew what kind of crazy idea she’d get in her head, if he left her alone for too long.

  “C’mon, you,” he said to his dog as he took the leash off the hook by the door. The creature stared at him; tail wagging, incredulous delight gleaming in her eyes. Two walks in one day was clearly her idea of doggy heaven. “But no pulling,” he cautioned. “You better heel today, if you know what’s good for you.”

  Outside, the air smelled clear and sweet, as if the night’s rain had washed the whole world clean. The sky above was a great swirling mass of slate blue and silver. His heart felt light, his body unbelievably weary, and his mind a maddening whirl of confusion.

  Why had she left? He thought about it as the sun warmed his face and a lone gull high overhead, pierced the air with its cry. She couldn’t have been disappointed with him last night, could she? For a moment, an icy shard seemed to stab at his heart. But then the memories surfaced and the ice dissolved. A grin split his face. Disappointed? Not too likely.

  So why had she gone? The grin gave way to a frown again. And why, having made up her mind to go, couldn’t she have just had the decency to write him a note? Or to leave him a message. Or to have just done... something.

  Anything that would have given him a clue as to what she was thinking would have been damn helpful right about now.

  He’d never been particularly good at this morning-after bullshit. Never seemed to know exactly the right thing to say. But... well, what the hell could she be expecting him to say, anyway? She was the one who’d shown up at his door.

  And then she’d been the one who’d left.

  His frustration grew more acute as he realized that his mind had just circled its way around the question and ended right back at the start.

  The gull dove suddenly to land in the waves and his dog lunged for it. He winced as the movement knocked him off balance and pain knifed up his leg. Jesus. Obviously, despite last night’s performance, he still wasn’t back to normal.

  Depression settled in his chest as he went back to worrying the questions that had tugged at his mind all day. What game were they playing now? And just who did she think she was – Cinderella?

  Well, too damn bad for her if she did, he thought, as his leg began to throb again. ‘Cause at the moment, he was feeling none too charming.

  Her door was unlocked, as usual, and it didn’t take long to find her. She was back in the infirmary stitching up a long, jagged cut on the inside of her left forearm.

  “Jesus. What happened to you?” Ryan’s knees felt suddenly weak and he let himself down on a stool opposite her to watch.

  Siobhan looked up briefly. “Pelican. I had a call when I got back here this morning. Man found him sitting in his front yard. I think he must’ve tried to fly through the weather last night and got blown into this big palm tree the guy has. Cut himself up pretty bad. Tore off most of his flight feathers. Had his legs tangled in some fishing line, too; which is how I got this.” She nodded towards one of the large cages where a wading pool full of salt water was kept at room temperature. “That’s him there. A couple of things you want to watch out for: projectile voiding, pelican lice and, oh, yeah, he does not like to be handled.”

  “Yeah, no shit.” Ryan shook his head and glared at her. “What the hell is wrong with you? You got a death wish I don’t know about? You should have called for help with something like that. At least you could’ve hit him with a tranq dart before you tried picking him up. Or do you want to get yourself killed?”

  “No, that would be cowardly.” She flashed another inscrutable look his way as she cut off the end of the thread. “What’re you doing here, Ryan?”

  “I came to find you.”

  Her smile was strangely skewed as she answered, “Well, you’ve found me.”

  “Why’d you leave like you did?” he asked quietly, surprised by how much it mattered to him. “You didn’t even write a note.”

  She frowned. “Sorry. I just thought it would be easier that way.” Getting to her feet, she began cleaning up; packing the supplies she’d been using back into the first aid kit.

  “Easier for who?”

  “Shit. I knew this was a mistake.” She put the kit back into one of the cabinets that lined the wall leaned her forehead against the cabinet door and sighed. “I knew it all along. I told myself it was and still I—”

  He got up, too and crossed to where she stood. “What was a mistake? Showing up at my door last night? Why did you, then?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I just—” She broke off, laughing sadly. “I just couldn’t stop myself.”

  Encouraged by her admission, he felt himself relax. “It doesn’t have to be a problem, you know.” He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders and gently massaged the back of her neck. “We can still take things slowly, if that’s what’s worrying you. One step at a time. And just see where it takes us.”

  She shook her head. “How about no steps? It was just one night. It’s over now and – and it won’t happen again.”

 
“Over?” Disbelief gripped him. He spun her around and glared into her face. “What are you talking about? You think you can just wipe this away? Pretend it never happened or something?”

  “Look, Ryan. I told you. I shouldn’t have come over like that and—”

  “Yeah, but you did, Siobhan. You did. And now—”

  “And now it’s over,” she repeated.

  “Why’s that? Just because you say it is?”

  She blinked at him. “Well, yes,” she answered, as though she thought that should have been obvious to him. “Exactly.”

  “Oh, the hell with that.”

  She stared at him coldly. “What’re you going to do about it, Ryan? You gonna force me to have sex with you?”

  Oh, that was a good one. His hands tightened on her shoulders. “Force you, Siobhan? You mean like I had to do last night?”

  Red flags appeared on her cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her. “Is that how you remember it, honey?” He brushed his lips across hers again. “That I forced you to dig your nails into my shoulders so hard you nearly broke the skin? That when you begged me to love you, it was because I was making you say it?”

  “Ryan.” Her voice was just shy of a whimper.

  He kissed her again. This time she kissed him back; her lips trembling as they opened for him. And once again, her fingers felt as though they were burning holes in his shirt.

  “Tell me, Siobhan.” His arms slid around her and he kissed her harder. “Tell me if that’s what happened.”

  “Please. Ryan, don’t...”

  “Yeah, that’s not the way I remembered it, either.” He released her and took a quick couple of steps backward. Reaching behind him for a stool, and sitting down quickly – before his leg gave way. Damn. He’d never had his legs go weak over a kiss before. But he knew it wasn’t just the kiss.