by Lori Sjoberg
Desperation gave way to anger, and Marlena tried to break free a few more times before exhaustion forced her to give up. How dare he hold her down like a petulant child! God help him when he finally let her go. She’d shove her foot so far up his ass his nose would bleed. And to think, she hadn’t wanted him to risk losing what made him unique.
The thought vanished from her head at the sound of Adam’s gasp. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just—” He gasped again, and then all of his muscles locked up.
“Adam, what’s going on?” She wriggled and bucked, trying in vain to get out from under him. In the position she was in, she couldn’t see a damn thing but the stupid couch cushions, and her fear and frustration built with each passing second.
A groan tore from deep in his throat, so low it bordered on a growl. His grip on her arms strengthened as he began to tremble. How long it went on, she couldn’t say for sure, but when it stopped his body felt hotter than a furnace.
“Adam?” Try as she might, she still couldn’t move. “Adam, please talk to me. What’s going on?”
It seemed like forever before he answered. A shuddering exhale blew past her ear, then another and another. His heart was racing; she felt it pounding against her back. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strange to her ears.
“Magdala.” He rubbed his face against her hair. “Mmm. Oh, Magdala, how I’ve missed ye.”
Chapter 20
And just like that, Marlena’s demeanor went from alarmed to supremely pissed off. “You son of a bitch.”
This time Adam allowed her to break his hold, and she squirmed out from underneath him. He pushed himself to sitting, just in time for her to belt him so hard his head whipped to the side.
“Asshole!”
“What gave it away?” He rubbed the side of his face. Damn, that hurt. Beauty, brains, and a mean right hook. If she liked pit bulls, he’d marry her on the spot. “Did I go too far with the accent?”
The look she shot him was lethal.
“Christopher wasn’t from Scotland, you moron. He didn’t sound like Groundskeeper Willie. It’s not funny. I was scared to death of what his memories might do to you.” Her voice cracked and she slapped a hand over her mouth, and at that moment he felt so ashamed of what he’d done it tore a hole in his heart. She wrapped her other arm around her torso, her eyes staring straight down at the floor as the tears began to fall.
Christ, he’d only meant to give her a little grief about the fucking potion. It had pissed him off to think she wanted to replace him with a previous model. To hear otherwise was a relief, but a part of him still wanted to make sure she cared about him because of who he was instead of who he’d been.
To his surprise, the potion had actually worked. It was like someone had flipped a switch inside his brain and released a flood of hidden memories. Not just Christopher’s, but the memories of every other person he’d been in the past four hundred years. Countless images crowded his mind, so fast he couldn’t keep track of them all. It was enough to drive him crazy, if he allowed it.
Forcing it all to the back of his thoughts, Adam stood and closed the distance between them.
“Get away from me,” she muttered but didn’t resist when he gathered her into his arms. He rocked her gently, stroking her hair while she cried.
“I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss against the top of her head. The soft, sweet scent of her invaded his senses and settled his frazzled nerves. “I got so mad because I thought you wanted me to be him.”
“No,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. Her arms were limp at her sides, refusing to touch him, but at least she wasn’t trying to beat him to a pulp, and the fact gave him a glimmer of hope. “I brought it with me to the Polish restaurant, but I couldn’t bring myself to put it in your wine.”
Her breath hitched on a sob. He held her tighter, his cheek against her hair, at a loss for what to do next.
“Cassie’s potion worked,” he finally said, and her body went completely rigid. “I might not have regained every single memory, but there’s a ton of stuff swirling around in my head.”
No response, and the silence was driving him crazy. Closing his eyes, he focused inward until he saw a clear moment from the past that warmed his soul. “I remember you sitting in a small room beside a fireplace. The outfit you’re wearing covers you from neck to toes, and your hair’s tucked into some kind of bonnet thing that’s a little poofy along the back.”
The sound she made was somewhere between a laugh and a huff. “It was called a biggins. Back then, respectable women covered their hair and dressed modestly when going out into public.”
“Hmm. Thank God we’ve moved beyond that archaic attitude. You’re too damn beautiful to cover up.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, enjoying the silky feel against his skin. “I remember taking the biggins off your head and undoing the braid in your hair.” Heat flushed his body and shot straight to his groin as the rest of the scene played through his mind. “Do you remember what happened after that?”
She inhaled sharply, her hands moving up to rest on his hips. “If it was like every other night, you helped me out of my bodice and skirts and laid me by the fire in nothing but my shift.”
Oh, yeah. Funny, he couldn’t say what he ate for breakfast yesterday morning, but he recalled an event from a past lifetime with piercing clarity. The sounds she made when he sucked her nipples through the thin fabric of her shift. The feel of her body trembling beneath him. The way her back arched when she found release. And with each new memory came a growing desire to claim what was already his.
“I want you, Marlena.” That was an understatement. Already, he was so painfully erect he could barely think in complete sentences. But it was more than just physical arousal. No, it ran far deeper and felt much more intense. Was it the mate bond? Honestly, he had no idea, and at the moment he really didn’t care. He skimmed one hand down her back and cupped the curve of her soft, sweet ass. “Do you want me or Christopher?”
If the answer was Christopher, he’d have to take the longest cold shower in the history of man. He wanted her—God, how he wanted her—but not if she was thinking of somebody else. His ego simply wouldn’t allow it.
She pulled back far enough to look up at him, her amber eyes filled with raw emotion. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love Christopher. A part of me always will. He was my mate and my first real love.”
Cold shower it was. Or maybe he’d just dunk his balls in a bucket of ice water.
“Wait, I’m not finished,” she snapped when he started to pull away. Her fingers dug into his hips, holding him in place. “Christopher will always mean the world to me, but he’s not the man for me now. I don’t think he could handle the woman I’ve become, just as I couldn’t live with a man with ideals still stuck in the seventeenth century.” Her mouth curved up into a crooked smile that was both sexy and endearing at the same time. “It’s you I want, you big idiot. Nobody but you.”
Yes, that was the right answer.
Shoving his fingers into her hair, he dipped his head and kissed her fiercely. When she gasped, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, relishing the warmth and sweetness inside. The feel of her lips and the sound of her moan were enough to drive him crazy with desire. He had to have her, right here, right now, and if he didn’t he’d probably explode.
His hands slid down the length of her back and gripped the hem of her shirt. He broke the kiss long enough to whip the material up and over her head. With one quick flick, he opened the front clasp of her bra and slipped the garment off. She flushed a little, as if embarrassed by her nudity, but then her eyes met his and all traces of inhibition disappeared. Her back arched when he palmed her breasts, the look of ecstasy on her face nearly making him groan out loud.
“I need you inside me,” she said, her breathing rough and uneven.
“Not yet. You’re not anywhere close to ready.”
He kisse
d her lips, her chin, her jaw, his tongue tracing the line of her collarbone before dropping even lower. He kissed the curves of her breasts, burying his face in the valley between them before licking his way to one of her nipples. Slowly, he sucked the tightened bud into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it again and again until she let out a sharp cry of pleasure. Her hips jerked and her hand palmed the back of his head, urging him to take more.
Like there was any doubt about that. Before the night was over, he planned on taking her every which way he could imagine.
Reluctantly, he moved his mouth away from her gorgeous breasts and kissed a path down the center of her belly. Dropping to his knees, he licked a ring around her navel while his fingers popped the fly of her jeans and opened the zipper. With a tug, the material slid down her toned legs, leaving her in only a pair of lace panties. Pink. G-string. Good Lord, he was one lucky son of a bitch.
He nudged her thighs apart, sliding his palms up her smooth, soft skin before dragging the panties to her ankles. He looked up, and heat pounded in his blood at the sight of Marlena in all her glory. Something exploded inside him, carnal and raw, and at that moment he knew he’d never feel this way about any other woman.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he told her, and she blushed. It shocked him, how a woman who’d been around for so long could become embarrassed over a simple compliment. He made a silent vow to make sure she got used to hearing it at least ten times a day.
He skimmed his hands up her inner thighs, not stopping until his thumbs brushed her sex. She sucked in a breath and he grinned. The rich, musky scent of her arousal permeated the air, filling him with the need to taste her.
“Lean back against the wall,” he said, his voice coming out as a growl.
Marlena shook her head. “Not until you take off your clothes.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Because I’m naked and you’re not.”
Fair enough. Quickly, he stood and stripped off his clothes in record time. “Happy?”
“Hell, yeah.” Her amber gaze roamed over his body with brazen appreciation. When she licked her lips, he couldn’t help but imagine the feel of them wrapped around his dick.
“Good, now lean your ass against the wall.”
She let out a low throaty chuckle as she followed his command.
Adam’s gaze never left hers as he knelt. With his mouth, he worshipped her, leisurely kissing a path up the insides of her thighs until he reached the juncture between her legs. He guided her right leg over his shoulder, and for a few moments, he couldn’t do anything but stare.
Mine. All mine.
When his brain finally kicked back into gear, he skimmed the palms of his hands upward, slipping his thumbs between the folds of her swollen sex and spreading the wetness over her until her legs began to tremble. Then he replaced his hands with his mouth, tasting, teasing, loving the little sounds she made whenever he found a good spot. He groaned at the decadent taste of her, so much better than he’d expected.
Her hips rolled forward, urging him on, her fingers digging into his hair. She was close; he could feel the tremors building inside her and growing stronger with each passing second. The sound of her moans spurred him on as he ravished every inch of her. With his mouth on her clit, he licked and sucked until the climax ripped through her body.
“Oh, yes,” she groaned as her head fell back against the wall. “Oh, God.”
Masculine satisfaction filled him. Relentless, he sucked even harder while she rode out the pleasure, his fingers digging into her hips, holding her body in place. At last, the tremors subsided and the tension in her muscles relaxed.
Slowly, he kissed his way back up her body, savoring the salty taste of her skin. His dick ached with the need to be inside her, but he wasn’t quite through with her yet. And before they went any further, he wanted to make sure she was still right there with him and not thinking about a ghost from the past. In one fluid movement, he scooped her into his arms and started toward the bedroom.
“I can walk,” she said, her voice husky and her eyes heavy-lidded.
“Not when I’m finished with you.” He glanced down, enjoying the way her breasts jiggled with every step. When he reached the bedroom, he tossed her on the bed. Laughing, she bounced on her side and rolled onto her belly. A wicked grin lit her face as she looked at him over her shoulder. He dove onto the mattress, and she let out a squeal when he gripped her ankle and tugged her to his side of the bed.
Bending over her back, he nipped the soft skin between her shoulder blades. She shivered, and he slipped one arm beneath her, palming her breast as he drew her up to her hands and knees.
“Who do you want?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, not good enough.” He wanted her more than air, but not if she was thinking about another man from another century. In all his life, he’d never been the possessive type, but something about her turned him into a fucking Neanderthal. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple, and it pebbled beneath his touch. “I want to hear you say my name. Now, who do you want?”
“Adam,” she breathed.
“Louder.”
Her muscles tensed with a spark of temper. “Adam!”
He smiled against her skin. The scent of her arousal surrounded him, enticing him as much as the feel of her breast in his hand. “That’s better. Now tell me what you want, Marlena.”
“Oh, God.” The ragged sound of her voice shot straight to his groin.
“Close, but not quite. Try again.”
She was panting now, her chest rising and falling with each short, labored breath. Unable to resist, he kissed a path up her spine and nibbled the tender flesh at the hollow of her shoulder. His dick rubbed along the seam of her ass, and when she let out a whimper, it took every ounce of his self-control not to give in and fuck her blind. “I’m waiting, kitten.”
“I want—” Her body quivered when he sucked her earlobe. “I want you, Adam. I need you inside me. Now.”
Masculine triumph hammered in his veins. Reaching down, he positioned himself so his aching shaft rubbed against her core. The feel of her sex, so hot, so wet, had him cursing under his breath. “Tell me if I hurt you or if you need me to stop.”
“You won’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Promise to tell me if I do.” Even though it would damn near kill him to stop, he’d do it in a heartbeat if she asked.
“Yes. Fine. Whatever you want. Please.”
Jaw clenched, he pushed inside her, one blissful inch at a time. Tight, slick, her pussy flexed around him, her inner muscles milking his dick. When he finally buried himself all the way, he paused to allow her to get used to his size. A long time had passed since she’d last had sex, and his goal was to make sure she experienced so much pleasure she’d want it again and again.
“Are you okay?” he asked, straining to maintain control.
She nodded, her head tilted downward, her hair covering her face. “That. Feels. So. Good.” The way she dragged out every word made his balls tighten.
He moved his hand from her breast to between her legs, touching the place where they were joined before stroking her swollen clit.
She moaned, her back arching against his chest.
“Like that, eh?”
Another moan was her only reply, so he kept at it, rubbing small circles as he began to move his hips. Careful not to hurt her, he used slow, short strokes, making note of her every response.
“Adam?”
He froze. “What’s wrong, kitten? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But you need to stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”
He grinned, grazed his teeth against her neck. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
She reached a hand down between his legs and cupped his balls. “What do you think?”
Fine by him. Slow and gentle was driving him nuts. To test her threshold, he pulled halfway out and thrust back int
o her. Hard.
She groaned. Ground against him. “Oh, yeah. Like that, only harder.”
If she wanted hard, who was he to say no? Still rubbing her clit, he increased the force of his strokes, pumping harder, faster, until sweat slicked both of their bodies. Already, he felt the tension building inside her, her telltale whimpers letting him know that she was close to finding release.
No, not yet. Not like this. He wanted to look into her eyes while she came, wanted to see if it affected her as much as it affected him.
When he pulled out of her and turned her onto her back, she let out a frustrated sound.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not even close to being finished with you.”
Adam hooked her knees over his elbows, and the noise she made when he drove in deep sounded somewhere between a sigh and a moan. Her eyes drifted shut and her mouth dropped open as she grabbed on to his shoulders. Two thrusts to adjust, and then he picked up the rhythm, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.
“Look at me,” he growled, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. “I want you to look at me while I fuck you. And when you come, I want to hear you say my name.”
Marlena’s glassy eyes opened, filled with so much lust and emotion he almost lost it right on the spot. Those short little nails dug deeper into his shoulders, the nips of pain taking the pleasure to a higher level. He surged into her, harder, faster, the pressure building in his balls as he barreled toward the inevitable orgasm. Gritting his teeth, he forced back the urge to come inside her. Soon, but not quite yet. He could feel her inner walls beginning to clench, her back arching up toward him.
Wanting—no, needing to watch her come, he tangled his fingers in her hair, forcing her gaze to meet his. “Come for me, kitten,” he said as he ground against her clit. “Now.”
With her eyes wide and her mouth slacked into an openmouthed O, her inner walls convulsed around his cock, squeezing him while she climaxed. A guttural sound tore from her throat, the noise soft and low at first but then turning into a high-pitched whimper. Then it came—the sound of his name on her lips, chanted over and over like a prayer.
