by T. M. Cromer
Ryanne stood in the entryway between the rooms. The grateful look she gave him made his heart soar. While it bothered him to think prior to this moment she’d had such terrible relationships that she felt thankful for his simple statement, he also appreciated her unhappy past. It brought her to this moment and to him. He had no intention of ever letting her go.
She set the bowl in front of him with a butterfly-soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“No thanks necessary. I don’t want anyone else.” He met her eyes, hoping his honesty shone through. “Ever. Only you, babe.” He watched as her throat constricted, and he stroked the column of her neck with his fingertips to offer comfort. “You should know, I’m the grateful one. I’m sorry I never explored these feelings before now.”
“Timing is everything. Maybe neither of us was ready.”
“Perhaps. But I don’t want to waste another second.”
“Me either. Eat your ice cream.” She leaned in until her lips touched the shell of his ear. “I’ll make you forget Rylee’s offer after you’ve finished your dessert.”
The idea of making love to Ryanne had the blood surging from his brain to his dick. “What offer?” he managed through his dry throat.
Her husky laughter made him forget all about the ice cream on the table. In one smooth, swift motion, he rose and lifted her up. His hands cupped her ass as she wrapped her legs around him. “Is it bad form to have wild monkey sex while your sister is in the next room?”
“What sister?”
They shared a grin and ignored Rylee as he carried her to the master bedroom.
Nash cleared the door and kicked it closed with his heel while Ryanne gripped his face between both hands and fastened her mouth over his. With her positioned slightly above him, tilting his head back and taking the lead, the kiss was erotic as hell. Her tongue danced around his, and the taste of mint chocolate chip ice cream teased his senses.
He gave a low growl. “You snuck some ice cream in the kitchen.”
“I wanted fresh breath for this.”
He nipped her lower lip. “You knew this was going to happen, did you?”
A pink flush brightened her cheeks. “I’d hoped.”
He laughed and carried her to the bed. “Clothes off the old-fashioned way or the magical way?”
“Magical way?”
He shot her a grin filled with wicked intent and snapped his fingers. Dropping his eyes to her bared breasts, he said, “Magical.”
“Oh!”
Pivoting, he sat on the edge of the mattress and drew her down to straddle his lap. The action brought his erect dick in direct contact with her wet warmth. The heat emanating from her made him want to thrust into her and remain sheathed there for the rest of his life.
His cock twitched in reaction to his thoughts.
Ryanne released a small meep.
Hiding his smile, he buried his face against her neck.
The creamy skin begged to be sampled. He ran the tip of his tongue along the column of her throat, lingering over her wildly beating pulse point. Nash scraped his teeth over the area and sucked.
She inhaled sharply and dropped her head to the side to allow him greater access. Her hands drifted up from his shoulders to cup the back of his head, even as her fingers wound their way into his hair.
When she shifted to rub herself against the length of him, he nearly became unglued. “Again,” he murmured as he dropped his hands to her hips.
She guided his mouth to her breast and gasped his name when he bit down lightly.
“I said, again.”
Ryanne pressed herself to him and shifted her pelvis oh-so-slowly upward.
Each rub of her slick core against his straining erection almost sent him over the edge. He halted the motion of her hips and took a deep breath.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
When she moaned, Nash sucked harder on the tip of her pebbled nipple.
Her gasps of pleasure thrilled him, and he turned his attention to her left breast and devoted the same treatment to it because he believed in equality in all things. He cupped her full breasts and kneaded, delighting in the softness.
Ryanne’s passionate cries spurred him on. Nash became more aggressive in his sucking and was rewarded with another throaty groan as she dug her fingers into the back of his head to hold him close.
Burying his face in the valley of her breasts, he inhaled the fresh pear scent of her skin. Goddess, it was a fragrance he loved, in addition to the smell of her arousal. Nash trailed his fingertips down the smoothness of her abdomen. He paused to circle her belly button then traced a line around her side and down to the slope of her hip. Bringing up his other hand, he cupped the fullness of her ass.
With an achingly slow rub of his dick along her wet folds, he took her mouth in his in a long, drugging kiss.
“Please,” she panted when she drew away. “Please, Nash, touch me.”
He knew what she was asking. She wanted him to prepare her for his entry. To engage in the foreplay that would allow her body to readily accept his. Giving in to her desires, he trailed his fingers along the slick opening before sinking a finger deep inside. He made sure to caress the wall of her vagina as his thumb teased the nub of her clit.
He lightly kissed his way along her jaw to draw the lobe of her ear between his teeth. “Tell me what you want,” he murmured. “Exactly what you want.”
“Your mouth on me. Your tongue… ah!” She sucked in her breath as he inserted another finger and gave a pump of his hand. “That too!”
With one arm, he pulled her to him and rolled onto the mattress. As he looked down at her, he noted the feverish glow in her dark eyes and knew he’d never tire of seeing her in the height of passion.
“I’m going to taste you now.”
She whimpered and opened her thighs wider to accommodate his shoulders.
His tongue swept across her opening. On and on, he tasted and teased as she voiced her encouragement. Only when she cried out and gripped the sheets in her orgasm did he stop.
“I want you in me. Now.”
“Isn’t it amazing how both our desires align?” he laughed.
As he started to ease into her, she held up a hand. “Condom.”
“No need. Witches and warlocks cannot catch diseases like regular mortals. Have you noticed you’ve never had a cold?”
She rose on her elbows, her mouth hanging open in amazement. “I never thought about it other than to believe I had a good immune system.”
He smiled as he filled her. “You do.”
Ryanne inhaled sharply and ran her hands over the contours of his chest. When she pinched one nipple, he bit back a moan. Slowly, he withdrew, and inch-by-inch, he entered her again, savoring the exquisite torture.
Her hands gripped his ass, and as she urged him deeper, he clenched his teeth against the pleasure. It wouldn’t do to embarrass himself and come too soon.
“I never thought this moment would ever happen,” she said, as she raked her nails along his back. “I thought you weren’t interested in me that way.”
He twitched inside her. “Does this feel like I’m not interested?”
She laughed, and the sound was pure joy. “Nope. But to make sure I’m not mistaken, could you do that again?”
He complied, adding a deep thrust.
On the next thrust, she raised her hips to meet his. “God, yes!”
Before long, they were both incapable of words. Each met the other with a fierce desperation, striving to reach climax. She crested seconds before him and clutched him to her as she shuddered her release. The spasms of her vagina walls milked him and heightened his own pleasure.
He collapsed onto his back, arms spread wide. “Dear Goddess, I think you’ve killed me,” he moaned. “At the very least, taken me out of commission for days on end.”
“You only need be taken off the market. I want you in full commission.”
&nbs
p; He sighed and patted her shapely leg. “Consider me yours and yours alone, babe. But you have to promise I get more of that.”
Her delighted giggle triggered his grin. It occurred to him that Ryanne hadn’t laughed nearly enough in the time he’d known her. He hoped to change that going forward. The sound of her merriment was something he wanted to hear for the rest of their natural-born days.
“I don’t want to be the one to bring up your sister at this delicate time, but should we make her comfortable in the guest room? It’s going to be a long night.”
“I suppose we should, although I’m inclined to make her suffer a bit more.”
He rolled atop her and buried his nose in her neck. The scent of spiced pears greeted him. “Is it bad how crazy turned on I get when you become bitchy?”
“You need therapy.”
“Most likely. Want to pretend you’re my doctor and I’m your sex-addict patient? I can tell you all my deepest, darkest fantasies.”
“Mmm, your role playing has merit, but only if we get to act out those fantasies.”
He might have whimpered. Not a good sound to prove his masculinity, but the fact that he’d found the one woman who was game for anything made him weak at the knees.
“I’ll tell you what. You go do whatever magic is necessary to secure my sister while I run a bath. You can join me when you’re done, and we can discuss what’s next on your sexual checklist.”
“Yeah, we may need to take the bath first. I’m not sure I can walk out of this room with a raging hard-on and still keep my head up.”
She stroked the firm length of him. “I’d say you have plenty to be proud of, but I agree, I don’t want anyone else catching sight of what you’re packing. Let’s get a shower and take care of your needs first.”
“Marry me.”
Her happy laugh rang out.
“You think I’m kidding, babe, but I’m not.”
“Let’s discuss this again after the retrieval of the necklace, okay?”
“All right, but don’t be surprised if I ask you every few hours on the off chance you’ve changed your mind.” He was dead serious. He’d marry her this minute if she was willing. But he also understood he needed to give her time to process all that had gone down today.
Chapter 11
Later that evening, as Nash lay sleeping, Ryanne studied his face, half hidden in the shadows of the night. She memorized every pore, every soft whisker, but more importantly, all the planes and angles that made up his handsome visage. She could no longer deny how deeply her feelings for him ran. In the time she’d known him, he’d become vital to her happiness. Seeing him sit across the desk from her, engrossed in his books, or witnessing him finagle a deal over the phone as he shot her a wink and a wicked grin, had become the highlight of her day.
Liz had been correct. Ryanne had been casting covert glances his way. She only hoped she hadn’t given him full-blown cow eyes.
“What has you thinking so hard?”
The deep rumble of his voice in the silence startled her.
“Good grief, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were sleeping.”
His sleepy chuckle warmed her. “Come snuggle with me. My arms feel empty without you.”
“Who knew you were so poetic?” she murmured as she snuggled close.
“You inspire me.”
“Pfft.”
Nash raised his head and squinted down at her. “You don’t believe me?”
“I believe you’re full of crap. How ‘bout that?”
“You’ve wounded me,” he moaned as he flopped back against the pillows. “A barb straight to the heart.”
“Fine. I’ll say I believe you if you stop being a drama-llama.”
“You didn’t just go there.”
“I believe I did.”
“Be prepared to pay the price, woman.”
With an alligator roll, he managed to touch every part of her naked form. Her arousal followed fast on the heels of their playfulness. How was it possible that everything he did excited her? From teasing to serious discussions, he was electric. Was their combined magic responsible for the attraction? Had she been this overwhelmed before Alastair unleashed her power?
Nash lifted his head from where he’d been paying marked attention to her left breast. “What has you troubled, babe?”
“How do you know I’m troubled?”
He cast one last regretful look at her dampened nipple and sighed. “Mainly because you aren’t producing the moans of pleasure I’d hoped to elicit. What gives?”
“I’ve been attracted to you from the moment we met. But now… now, I’m overwhelmed and a bit stunned. I feel like I’ve been smacked in the head with a frying pan. Is it all because of magic, Nash?”
“Thornes seem to know our soul mates straight away. You were that for me, Ryanne. When I walked into that conference room and saw you for the first time, I was gobsmacked. Liz saw it and teased me unmercifully after you’d left that day.” He traced one finger along her brow line and cheekbone before he tapped her on the nose. “You’re it for me. But know that I would never use magic to attract or bind you. I want you to be with me of your own free will.”
“No, I don’t mean that. I know you would never do something so underhanded. What I’m wondering is if the magic attracts other magic? Does it amplify our feelings?”
“No, not based on any of the texts I’ve ever read, and believe me, I’ve read plenty. What we feel for each other has been building since the instant we met. I think this moment was always inevitable for us.”
“Okay. Then take me.”
“Excellent!”
His delighted grin brought an answering smile to her lips. When Nash latched on to her breast, Ryanne gave over to the pleasure.
Morning came all too soon, and Ryanne found it difficult to crawl out of bed. Nash had made love to her two more times throughout the night, and as energized as the sex made her, she was currently worn out. As the sun’s rays beamed through the curtains, she pulled the covers higher to block out the light.
She felt the mattress sink on her side of the bed, and she scooted a little to the right to allow Nash more room. The distinct whiff of roses tickled her nose seconds before the petal-soft touch of the flower caressed her forehead and moved to her cheek.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Nash cajoled. “We have a lot to accomplish today, my love.”
She cracked open a lid and squinted in his direction. “Go away. I need sleep. My new lover wore me out last night.”
The rose left her face, and within seconds, a single petal teased her lips. “New lover, hmm? I’d prefer new boyfriend, but I get it if you are a little reticent to label our relationship.”
“I’m not sure how you can call it a relationship when nothing’s been defined,” she retorted as she rolled onto her back and tucked the bedspread under her arms.
“I thought we made things pretty clear last night.” Nash transferred the rose and the petals in his hand to the nightstand, then placed a fist on the pillow on either side of her head. “How about we define it now? Ryanne Caldwell, will you go steady with me?”
She fought a happy grin and lost. “Steady? As in I get to wear your letterman sweater and class ring?”
“I’ll conjure them both this instant if that’s what you want.”
“No need. It’s good enough that you’re mine. Now I can tell all those letter-opener-wielding bitches to cool their jets.”
“What am I missing here?”
“Never you mind, boyfriend.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“That’s definitely a yes,” she growled as she wound her fingers into his thick blond hair and dragged his face to hers.
He didn’t let her down and immediately captured her lips for a possessive kiss that curled her toes. Or maybe it was her kiss that was possessive. It didn’t matter; he was hers.
When he moved away, Ryanne released a frustrated sigh.
“I must no
t have satisfied you as well as I could have last night.”
She bit the pad of the thumb brushing her lower lip. “You satisfied me plenty. I’m simply a glutton. It’s been a bit of a dry spell.”
“For me, too,” he murmured as he bent to kiss her again.
Her hand flew up and stopped him on his downward descent. “Wait, what? Guys don’t have dry spells. Especially not guys who look like you.”
“I haven’t touched another woman since the day you walked into my life. I haven’t wanted to.”
“Fuck me, that’s sweet,” she whispered, awed and a little emotional that he’d abstained from a random hook up.
“You think so?” He frowned and gave a slight shake of his head. “I hadn’t thought about it.” He released a heavy sigh. “Regardless, babe, playtime is over for today. We have to decide what we are doing about Victor and your sister.”
“Way to spoil the mood,” she muttered as she allowed him to pull her into a sitting position. “I need coffee and a shower before I can even dream of dealing with those two.”
“Go get your shower. I’ll make your coffee. I need to check on Rylee anyway.”
“One cream, one—”
“Sugar. Yes, I know. I also know you treat yourself once a month to a caramel latte, with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. You’re strict about it being the first Friday of the month.”
“As a woman, I have to watch what I consume.”
His hot gaze swept her naked form, lingering on all her lady bits. “No need to calorie count for my benefit. I prefer a woman with curves, and you have the perfect amount.”
Her skin tightened with yearning, and she almost tackled him onto the mattress then and there. When Nash leaned in and licked the hollow of her throat, Ryanne whimpered.
“Want me to share a little secret?”
“Okay,” she breathed. She didn’t care what he shared as long as he continued those little love nips along her neck.
“With the return of your powers came an amped-up metabolism. You’ll have a hard time gaining weight, even if you try. Oh, and your aging has pretty much slowed to a crawl. You’ll look like this for the next fifty or sixty years of your life.”
