She had long ago forgiven him for his earlier behavior. Mostly. Once she was ensconced in the privacy of her office, and the crazy events of the last forty-eight hours had become nothing more than memories, she had been able to really focus on her feelings for Kristos and thought about what changes they would bring to her life. Their dilemma was not going to be solved overnight. Baby steps, it was going to take baby steps to prove to him she could be a superwoman and do it all. Withholding her affection would only her hurt as well as him, and after the stress of the day she needed his touch.
With a soft sigh, she snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“The night must have gone well. You feel so content.”
“Nothing concrete but I have some feelers out.” She hugged him tighter around the waist then pulled back to stand on her tiptoes. As her lashes drifted shut, she saw the slow curl of his smile before his lips touched hers.
A lazy river of heat seeped into her bones, melting away the tension caused by a rough day. The tip of his tongue skimmed along the seam of her lips and she opened without hesitation, coaxing him inside to taste his fill.
“Perfect,” he whispered against her lips.
Pure joy. That was what letting go of old fears brought to her life, pure joy. It wrapped her in a fuzzy cocoon from head to toe and made her damn glad to be alive.
“I’m going to jump in the shower.” She took his hand and tugged him behind her. His deep chuckle sent shivers down the back of her neck and across her nipples. The tips beaded against the fabric of her sensible bra, scraping the delicate skin with a promise of what was to come.
The bathroom shrank in space the moment Kristos joined her. His hand brushed her backside as he turned the water on in the shower, while her own hand trailed slowly over his abdomen as she reached for a stack of towels.
He stopped her when she reached for the band tying back her hair. “Let me.”
His fingers were gentle as he released the strands. He smoothed the ends over her shoulders and down her breasts. “Do you know how hot it makes me knowing that I’m the only man to see you this way?”
God, she hoped it was as hot as he made her.
His green eyes glowed brighter as she stripped the sheriff away to reveal the woman beneath. The woman who ached for her man. The desire in his gaze flared into stark hunger as she slid her trousers over her hips.
Steam swirled around his shoulders as he slowly undressed, returning the tease. She finally had to look at the floor and bite her lip to keep from giggling with unadulterated glee. This perfect creation of man was getting naked in her bathroom? Unbelievable.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“I can feel your laughter. It’s like a billion bubbles racing over my skin.”
She slapped at his arm. “Stop feeling my emotions. I hate that.”
He shook his head and lifted her into the shower. “Can’t be helped. We’re connected, you and I.”
“Connected, huh?” She leaned her head back into the spray. “Is that why my eyes are white?”
He suddenly took a deep interest in creating the perfect swirl of bath gel on his palm. “Perhaps.”
“Explain, please.”
“Now?” He slid his soapy hands over her breasts, massaging and squeezing the soft mounds and making her eyelids drop in pleasure.”You don’t want to talk now.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Nah, not now.”
She let out a soft moan as he twisted the tips, alternating the pressure and rhythm that kept her off-balance. He was good but she was not without her own tricks. She forced her eyes open and reached up to tug at the hair along his nape. “Now. I’m not going anywhere.” She scraped her nails along his chest as her other hand cupped his balls. “And neither are you.”
His groan rumbled down his body to where her fingers rolled and squeezed his sensitive sac. The vibration ran up her arm and set her clit to throbbing. It took a herculean effort to keep from dropping to her knees and taking his cock to the back of her throat. He tasted so good but she needed answers more than his flavor on her tongue.
“That’s a very effective interrogation technique you’ve developed,” he moaned. “They teach you that in cop school?”
She squeezed the base of his shaft. “Talk.”
“You’re evil.” He kissed the tip of her nose then reached down to still her hand. “On Skandavia when a man and woman decide to join their lives together, one of them will speak the sacred bonding words while making love and their emotions intertwine. That way they will always know what the other is feeling no matter where they may be. Instead of exchanging jewelry they exchange physical traits to show that they’ve mated.”
Realization cut through the sensual fog like a knife. “You spoke those words to me?”
His cheeks went red, and not from the hot water. “Yes.”
“Are we…mated?”
“Not yet. Subconsciously you picked up on the bond and refused to complete the connection.”
“How long does the bond last?” she asked, although she suspected his answer.
“’Til death us do part.”
The shower stall seemed to close in around her. Hot air filled her lungs, suffocating her, as she struggled to take in a calming breath. He took her choice away from her and, what, she was supposed to be grateful? “How could you do that without asking me?”
“I’m sorry— No. Actually, I’m not.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I’m not sorry I said the words to you. If I thought for a moment that I was forcing you into something you didn’t want then I’d feel guilty. I know you want me but you fight it. You have a fear of the future. I had hoped that once we bonded you would share my strength in us.”
She shook her head, unable to face the passion and certainty in his eyes. “What makes you so sure of what I want?”
He placed his hand over her heart. “Because I feel you. I feel what’s in your heart, what you fight.”
Trapped in the circle of his brawny arms, she couldn’t run from the truth. This was way beyond taking things one day at a time, enjoying the moment for what it was. Yes, she loved him, but how could she plan a future when there was a very real possibility there wouldn’t be a future? The logic was insane, she knew that, but the fear lingered.
“Why am I here now, Brett? Have you stopped running?” Steam filled the room, obscuring her surroundings. In the white billowy clouds Kristos was an avenging angel claiming his earthly prize. He pressed the hard planes of his body to her soft curves, smoothing his hands down her spine to cup her buttocks. “I wish you’d show the same courage you use at work with me.”
That was different. Wasn’t it?
He didn’t give her the chance to respond as his lips sealed over hers, incinerating any thought of denying him her passion. Perhaps more than their physical traits had been exchanged with the attempted bond. His hunger for her punched her in the chest, filling her with a fire that made her heart pound and her thighs slick with cream. Empty. God, she was so empty.
The tips of his fingers skirted along the cleft of her hind cheeks before he pressed two deep into her slick sheath, caressing the sensitive nerves and making her writhe. He swallowed her cry as he pushed his thumb into the untried passage of her backside.
“Do not tell me you don’t love this.” He panted against her cheek. “Dear Gods, you’re melting in my hand.”
Brett bit her lip until she tasted blood. The wicked pleasure was unbelievable. She was so wet, her pussy gushed as he worked her body to a fevered pitch of want. She wanted to come so badly, she wanted his cock filling her, she wanted his cum to splash inside. She wanted Kristos.
“I can feel you, alskata. I feel your desire, the way your heart pounds, the fire in your veins, the uncontrollable clench of this sweet pussy. It’s so electrifying it burns in my belly and tightens my balls. It’s almost as good as being inside you.”
“Please, Kristos. Please,” she begged,
not sure what she cried out for. “I can’t—I can’t—” She squeezed her eyes shut as her knees gave out.
He was right there to catch her as she collapsed. He lifted her against the wall and impaled her on his pulsating cock, driving deep and true.
It was too much. Kristos was too much. His touch, his kiss, all overwhelmed her. Breathing was impossible as she drowned in a tidal wave of pleasure so intense her belly cramped and her muscles ached with effort to fight the all-consuming desire to let go, to unleash her fear and give her entire keeping to Kristos.
And he knew it. “Don’t fight it. Don’t fight me.”
His powerful thrusts picked up speed, shuttling her to the edge of mindlessness. Her fingers slipped off his shoulders and her legs refused to grip his hips, but true to his nature, Kristos kept her secure in his grasp.
“It’s too good.” Her tears mingled with the spray from the shower. “It’s too much.”
“It’s all that I am,” he groaned then thrust so deep the head of his cock nestled deep in her core, jetting his hot seed and branding her as his.
Her screams echoed against the tile as the tornado of her orgasm picked her up and threw her into oblivion. Her mind was not her own. Her body writhed and convulsed in ecstasy, soaking in every drop he produced, as if her body was a desert and he the first rain.
“I love you, Brett,” he murmured into her neck. “I love you.”
He didn’t need to say the words. She felt his emotion more keenly than she her own. His love for her was so beautiful, so bright and warm, like a bonfire on a cold night. It was sweet like the ripest berry, more dazzling than the biggest diamond. It amazed and humbled her that he felt so strongly for her, Brett Briggs. What had she done to deserve something so pure and amazing?
She continued to cry, overwhelmed by the flood of emotion. He kept her in his arms as he turned off the water and carried her out of the shower. Setting her on the counter, he pulled out a towel to rub her dry before focusing on himself.
While her tears ebbed, she watched him whisk the towel over his skin. He paused when he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Blond streaks ran through his hair like a tiger’s pelt. She turned to look in the mirror. The irises of her eyes were still white. The bond was not complete.
“Kristos, I’m sorry.”
He placed a finger over her lips. “I don’t need the words, Brett. I know.”
Son of a bitch. He made her want to cry again. She couldn’t complete the bond. Not now. Until she put an end to whoever was threatening her, she couldn’t make a promise to Kristos no matter how much she wanted to otherwise. Yet guilt about not saying that she loved him was there because she did, and he deserved someone who embraced that love wholeheartedly.
“Can I carry you to bed?”
She nodded, her voice raw from her screams and the love she didn’t dare speak out loud.
As he carried her she didn’t feel weak or helpless, but cherished. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to see to her needs and now she understood that it didn’t mean he didn’t think her incapable. He loved her, and because of that, he wanted to do for her.
A techno-dance beat shrilled from the bathroom the moment he set her on the sheets. She pointed to the pile of clothes scattered across the threshold. “That’s my phone.”
“I’ll get it.”
He dug into the pocket of her pants and retrieved the phone, bringing it back to hand it to her. She was very impressed he didn’t look at the display or say a word. She pressed the screen to see the text message waiting in the inbox. It was her contact from her former department.
Found a trail that’s very promising. I’ll call in a few hours.
“Do you have to go?” He sounded calm and half interested, but his body went tense and he held his breath.
“Nope, just getting the routine check-ins.” She turned off the ringer then set the phone on the nightstand. She turned back around to kiss his lips.
“Good, then I get you all night long.”
She rested her cheek against his chest and stared at her cell phone, waiting for Kristos to fall asleep.
* * * * *
Now that’s how a man should be woken up.
Kristos sighed and ran his fingers through the silky tresses of the woman sliding her tongue over his belly. “What time is it?”
“Dark,” she answered in a voice still husky from her earlier screaming orgasm. “Your body heat is keeping me awake. If you plan on sleeping over here again, I’m gonna have to install an air conditioner.”
“Done.”
Her throaty laugh buzzed against his abdomen, shooting electricity to his rapidly hardening shaft. By the Gods she was magnificent. The soft moonlight turned her creamy skin alabaster and added silver highlights to the wavy hair that pooled across his chest. She had put on a lacy black bra and panty set that emphasized her luscious curves and scratched teasingly against his skin where she brushed against him.
Brett’s passion was sweet and spicy, like warm mulberry wine. It poured over him in a hot wave that reminded him of sinking his cock into her tight pussy.
He tugged on her hair. “Ride me. Now.”
She laughed again. “You’re so bossy.” She caught his hands and pressed a kiss into each palm then placed his hands over the lace-covered globes. “Do you like my breasts?”
“Silly question. Of course I do.” He massaged and squeezed, giving her nipples a hard pinch. “Now ride me.”
“I knew it was going to go down this way.” From behind her hip she produced a shiny set of handcuffs and slapped one end around his wrist. “Don’t make this difficult, Kilsgaard.”
Intrigued by what she was planning in that pretty head of hers, Kristos allowed her to stretch his arms over his head and attach the cuff to his other wrist. The soft clang of chain against the metal bedframe sent goose bumps along his flesh. “What’s this all about?”
“You’re under arrest.”
“For what?”
She squeezed the base of his cock, sending a bolt of pleasure to his balls that drew them tight with an ache to release. “Carrying a loaded weapon without a permit.”
Their eyes met for several long moments before they both burst out laughing. She fell to her side and covered her face when her laughter turned into a snort.
“I can’t believe you actually said that,” he gasped when he could draw a breath.
She wiped a tear from her eye. “I can’t either. I’ve never said that to a man in quite that way before.”
“I should hope not. You’re mine.”
“Am I?” She hummed with a secret grin and smoothed her hands over his chest and down his legs. It was a leisurely perusal that had his hands clenching with the urge to break his bindings and pin her to the mattress. This playful side of Brett surprised him and made him realize he had so many wonderful things he had yet to discover about his woman. He’d let her have her way with him. Even if it killed him.
Her lips were petal soft and her tongue a hot, wet lash that seared his heated skin. As she trailed kisses along his inner thighs, the cool jade pendant around her neck grazed his cock with light, teasing flicks followed by the scratchy fabric of her bra. The contrast of texture and temperature twisted the coil of his desire until the metal bedframe dented in his grip.
She straddled his waist. The hot pad of her cunt teased him through the black lace. She pulled a lacy cup down to expose a puckered tip. “Suck my nipple.”
“Yes ma’am.”
No need to ask him twice. He pulled the pink bud into his mouth and rolled it against the roof of his mouth. The silky skin of her inner thighs brushed his sides as she wiggled and shimmied like a live wire. He buried his nose against her skin and took in her incredible scent, jasmine with a hint of cinnamon. She was intoxicating and it made his head spin.
The dizziness worsened until he had to close his eyes to concentrate on the beautiful woman kissing her way to his straining cock. With each breath his body sank deeper in
to the mattress. What magic was she weaving that made it seem as if he were floating between fantasy and reality?
Her nails scraped his flanks as her tongue danced a line from hip bone to hip bone. The sensation made him hiss in pleasure, but there was something wrong. It was as if the wick of their emotional connection was slowly being turned down until it sputtered out.
Kristos lifted his heavy eyelids and tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. A glint of silver from the corner of his vision caught his attention.
While he had been preoccupied by Brett’s drugging kisses, she had been busy wrapping a chain of molybdenite around his arms. He tugged against his bonds with nothing but a soft clink for his efforts.
“Brett.” He tried to keep his rising panic from his voice. “What’s this about?”
“I don’t want you to escape and take control. This is my show.”
“Alskata—” He groaned as she took his shaft deep into her mouth.
Without their emotional tether, all of the sensation was centered on the ache in his balls and throbbing beat in his cock. The sensation wasn’t unpleasant but he missed feeling her in his mind as well as heart. Her hands worked in tandem with the edge of her teeth and the suction of her lips to bring him quickly to the edge.
“Brett, untie me. I promise I’ll let you do whatever you wish. Let me go.”
In response she tightened the suction of her mouth. The sight of her saliva, wet on his flesh, drew a whimper he was quick to squelch. From beneath her lashes, her pale eyes dared him to beg.
A Llanos never begged.
Her smile grew wider with the challenge and her moan of approval vibrated down his length and up his spine. His fierce warrior was as wicked in the bedroom as she was in uniform. Why he thought she would give any quarter was a mistake born of his male ego. He didn’t need their connection to know she was going to work him over like a prize fighter in the ring.
As his eyes rolled back into his head he figured it was a lesson he might be willing to relearn again and again.
The backs of her knuckles skimmed under his sac then lower. When she speared her finger deep into his ass, he couldn’t hold back his shout of surprise. Despite his lack of energy he bucked his hips, desperate to tip over into the abyss.
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