“Please…please,” she whimpered, breathless. Begging didn’t bother her so much. The fact he wasn’t listening—whole other story. She slid trembling fingers into his hair and tugged just hard enough to gain his attention. Dark eyes wild with passion lifted to stare at her. “I need you inside me. Now.”
Dash stood, chest heaving, and shoved the jumpsuit the rest of the way off. He wore nothing beneath, leaving his beautiful, glorious body exposed to the night air and her hungry gaze. Propping his platform boot on the edge of the altar, he reached for the zipper. She covered his hand with hers, stalling him.
“Leave it.” At his frown, she smiled. “It’s kind of hot. You look like a pirate.”
The sexy grin curving his mouth almost made her jump him on the spot. Lucky for him, he was the one standing.
He tucked one of her legs against his broad shoulder and leaned over her, his eyes appearing fiery above the collar’s flashing purple lights. “A pirate who wears metallic platforms? What sort of pillagers have you been hanging around?”
She opened her mouth, a response forming on her lips, but he thrust inside her with a single, silken glide. “Oohhhgoddd.” Canting her hips, she wrapped her free leg high around his waist while he sank deep. The dizzying penetration was short lived. He pulled almost completely out of her before taking her mouth in a drugging kiss.
Then he started moving.
Shallow, deep, sideways, circling. His pelvis possessed a range of motion that should be outlawed.
He teased her and she clawed at his back, mewing and gasping, doing everything in her power to get him to take her hard and deep—the way she needed to be taken. She slid her leg behind his butt and squeezed tight. His face flushed and the back muscles shifting beneath her fingers became damp with sweat. He grabbed her leg from his shoulder and moved it to join its mate around his pistoning hips before he gave her the deep penetration she desperately craved.
“Yesyesyesye—” Her chant broke off on a keening cry as her body erupted in a shimmering shower of white-hot sparks. Dimly, she heard Dash’s own strangled shout of completion as he shuddered violently and came inside her.
A few minutes later he moved, quietly slipping out of her, and she murmured in protest. He brushed the hair back from her face before pressing a soft kiss on her lips. “We need to get you inside before Jerrick and Piper show up. I’ll come back and get our bags from the Cloud Chaser.”
“Can’t move. You’ve disintegrated my bones.”
He chuckled and hooked his arm beneath her knees, cradling her body as he straightened. With a contented purr, she curled into his yummy heat. “Did I hurt your poor, battered body?”
“I’ll live. But should I ask why the devil you’re wearing Baggins’ boots?”
“Easier to drive in.” She swirled her fingertips over Dash’s firm pectoral muscle while he strode down the pathway. “I gave him my shoes. More than an even trade, don’t you think?”
“Sher ’tian, you’d never make it as a thief. You’re too soft hearted.”
The rocky slope leading to the cave proved too perilous for Dash to navigate with the added burden of her weight. Leaving his arms for even a few minutes was disappointing, but it beat the alternative—getting dropped face first on a boulder. She took his proffered hand and scaled down the side with him. Once inside the hideout, Dash walked into the opulent bedroom and snatched a fawn-colored shirt and charcoal trousers from the closet. While he dressed she snuggled into the velvet throw from the chaise and settled on the edge of the cushions, enjoying the sights.
Mmm…he was too yummy for words. In or out of clothes.
Dash caught her watching him. “They’re my grandfather’s clothes. Never could bring myself to get rid of his things. Now I’m rather glad I didn’t.”
The trousers fit fine, but the shirt seemed pretty snug. He couldn’t button it past his navel. Admiring the bronzed expanse of his exposed chest and upper abdominals, she licked her lips. “Mm, now you really do resemble a pirate.”
Wicked temptation flickered in Dash’s eyes. Dropping his hands from the shirt, he prowled to the chaise and leaned down to nip her earlobe. “Don’t leave this room. When I get back, I’m going to properly plunder you.”
A shiver of expectation tingled her skin and she swallowed. He stood. Giving her a smoldering look, he ambled from the bedroom. She pulled the velvet throw tight and the wooden box resting near the lamp snagged her eye.
The rune. She’d completely forgotten about it.
“This is what happens when I’m distracted by hot, bone-disintegrating sex.” Well, no more. At least not until she filled him in on the rune. Hopping from the chaise, she waddled to the closet and rifled through the shirts before picking out a dark green one. It hung well past her knees, but at least she could roll up the sleeves. Since none of the trousers looked like a possible fit, she decided to wait until Dash brought her valise inside.
She grabbed the rune box and ventured into the main room. Given the way Dash looked at her earlier, it was probably wise to stay clear of the bedroom for the time being. Placing the box on the mahogany dining table, she journeyed into the kitchen and looked inside the cooler unit before remembering Dash’s warning about the dubious state of its contents. “Guess I should have eaten while I was at Zupellos.” Like that would have been remotely possible with her jittery nerves and stomach.
A plastic bag of crackers sat on the counter near the cutlery block. They might be stale, but her growling stomach didn’t care. Unzipping the bag, she grabbed a cracker and nibbled a corner. Yep, definitely stale. Shuffling noises came from the main room and she turned in time to catch Dash tossing a handful of bags on the floor.
She stepped into the kitchen archway and cocked a hip against the wall. “Do you have any idea how tempted I am to clean out that cooler unit? There’s some seriously scary stuff growing in those containers.”
Dash frowned when he spotted her. “You’re out of the bedroom. And you’re dressed.” He managed to make both statements sound like an accusation.
Munching the rest of the stale cracker, she nodded. “I figured it would be the only way we could talk. You know, without getting sidetracked.”
“Babe, I’m already sidetracked.”
“I know, that’s the problem.”
“You didn’t think it was such a problem ten minutes ago.” His mouth curled in a devastating grin designed to melt her insides. “By the way, that shirt looks wicked sexy on you. Now how about you take it off?”
“Nope.” Ignoring Dash’s impatient groan, she walked to the dining room table. She scooped up the rune box and tossed it to him.
“What’s this?”
She gave a negligent shrug. “Oh, just the prize we’ve been after this whole time.”
“The Rhyann?” Without waiting for her reply, he popped the lid open. “I don’t understand. How the devil did you get it?”
“It was inside a steel box stashed in Baggins’ vehicle.”
Dash returned his attention to the rune. A faint smile quirked his mouth. “I’ve got to hand it to the sneaky bastard, hiding the rune out in the open was brilliant.”
She caught Dash’s meaning and frowned. “You think Baggins kept it in there all this time? But why did he go to all the expense of securing traps around his house?”
“To fool and ultimately trap me. But I still don’t understand how you found it inside the steel box.”
“I didn’t. Baggins pulled the rune out so he could take a picture of me with it.” A chill crawled over her skin when the memory came racing back.
“Why did he do that?”
“He was…going to lure you with it.”
A harsh growl tore from Dash’s throat. “That sick son of a bitch. Knew I should have killed him while I had the chance.”
Thank goodness he didn’t know the true extent of Baggins’ intentions. If he did, no power in Aurion would stop him from making good on his threat. “It doesn’t matter. I’m fine. But
I owe my escape to the rune.” The strange, mystical circumstances surrounding the event filled her with wonderment all over again. “Dash, the rune is connected to the goddess Rhyann. She saved my life.”
He stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Uh…how do you figure?”
The trick would be giving him enough information to understand the story, without painting in the disturbing details. It wouldn’t take much to convince him to track Baggins down and beat him within an inch of his life. “When I was trapped inside Baggins’ vehicle, and he was taking the picture of me with the rune, I made a wish. Sort of.”
Dash cocked an eyebrow and she twisted her lips. “I’m doing a really bad job of explaining this, aren’t I?”
“No, I get it. You’re saying if you’re in possession of the rune and make a wish, it’ll come true.” His gaze dipped, a second before brilliant white lights shot from the stone nestled inside the box. A breeze tickled over her skin and Dash double blinked. “Holy sweet goddess.”
She looked down, noticed her shirt was gone, and hurried to finish the story. “You’ve got it partly ri—” Wait a second. Her attention jerked back to her bare breasts and her mouth fell open. “You wished me naked?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The enormity of the situation hit Mara and she groaned. “That was your one and only wish.”
Voices sounded outside the opened rock doors. Dash must have heard them at the same time because he whipped his shirt off, popping the buttons free in his haste. He spun her around before wrapping the shirt over her.
Jerrick’s amused chuckle came from behind them. “Did we come at a bad time?”
“Yes,” Mara bit out. “You should have waited until after I strangled your idiotic, one-track-minded brother.”
“Now, Sher ’tian, no need to get—yeeow!” Dash yelped when she pinched his nipple. “That bloody hurt.”
“Good. You deserve it.” Yanking the shirt closed, she stalked into the kitchen. She waited until Dash followed after her before whirling around. “I can’t believe you just wasted your wish getting me naked.”
He held up a finger. “One—I didn’t know it was a one-shot deal.” Another finger popped up. “Two—getting you naked is never a waste.”
“You’re really not helping your case right now.” She fumbled to secure the shirt with the few remaining buttons. Thankfully its baggy shape adequately covered her curves.
Jerrick stepped into the kitchen. He held Dash’s blue jumpsuit in one hand and her panties in the other. “Uh, found these outside. Thought you might want them back.”
Fingers stiff, she reached out and plucked the panties from Jerrick’s outstretched hand before ducking out of the kitchen. While Dash bitched his brother out for his incredibly bad timing, she went into the bedroom and sank onto the bed. Cheery buzzing announced Piper’s arrival a few seconds later.
“You should have seen the cool fight the three of us got into. There were at least ten bad guys, and they had knives and guns and rocket launchers. But I busted out some of my moves.” Piper executed a spinning kick in the air. “The bad guys didn’t know what hit ’em.”
Mara gave the sprite a dubious glance. “Rocket launchers?” Before she could say anything further, Dash ambled into the room, bearing her valise. She wanted to remain angry at him for wasting the wish and dissolving a perfectly good shirt, but her heart just wouldn’t let her.
He settled the valise near her foot, his expression wary. “Why don’t you get dressed and join us in the main room? I know Jerrick’s more than interested to hear how you escaped Baggins.”
“Okay.”
Her easy cooperation pulled a dazzling smile from him. “Does this mean you’re no longer mad at me?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
His grin deflating, he motioned to Piper and they left her alone to change. After wrestling off Baggins’ boots, she wiggled into a fresh pair of pants and reached for the shirt draping her. She caught a brief whiff of Dash’s woodsy scent. Unable to resist, she buried her nose in the soft fabric. Desire, bliss and love bound her in a tight embrace. The emotions swirling in her head and chest were exhilarating and frightening all at the same time.
She’d known being intimate with him would only complicate things. “Damn it, sometimes it really stinks being right.” Dropping the shirt from her face, she stripped out of it and pulled on the green wool sweater from her valise instead. Suitably clothed, she walked into the main room and perched on the arm of the massive leather couch. Before she could stop him, Dash reached for her bare feet and swung them into his lap.
“So Baggins wasn’t blowing smoke up my ass. You really did take off with the rune.” Jerrick held up the little wooden box. The white stone tucked inside its bed of velvet seemed to glow beneath the prisms of light cast from the nearby chandelier. “Mind explaining how you managed that spectacular feat?”
Mara tried to concentrate on Jerrick’s baritone instead of the smooth glide of Dash’s fingers over her sensitive arches. “The rune granted my wish.”
Skepticism colored Jerrick’s expression.
“Hell, if I didn’t witness what the stone’s capable of with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it either,” Dash said.
“It doesn’t make sense.” Shaking his head, Jerrick eyed the rune. “I had it in my possession for nearly a week before selling it to Lefere, and it didn’t grant me any wishes.”
“Did you specifically make any?” Mara waved her hand in response to Jerrick’s frown. “Keep in mind this is only a theory, but maybe the granting process only works if you actually word or think a specific wish.”
Jerrick’s expression turned thoughtful while he pondered her theory. “In that case, I guess not—” He lowered the rune and stared at it. Stillness descended over him.
“What?” Mara leaned forward on the arm of the couch, excited. “Did you think of something?”
“Yes, but it’s…insane.”
“Your brother wished me naked. Trust me, whatever your wish was, it couldn’t be that ridiculous.”
Dash’s hands squeezed her feet and she glanced down in time to catch his unrepentant grin.
“There’s only one thing I recall specifically wishing for. And it’s something I’ve held deep inside me for the past fifteen years.”
Out of nowhere, the crazy old woman’s words floated inside Mara’s head again. The deepest wish you carry will come true. The eerie déjà vu returned, but she shook it off in order to pay close attention to Jerrick’s story. She had a feeling it would be quite enlightening. “What was it?”
The tanned column of Jerrick’s throat moved with his rough swallow. His knuckles whitened as he fisted the rune box. “To find a way to forgive my brother. And restore everything lost between us.”
His admission added to the emotional overload already burdening Mara and she blinked back tears. “Jerrick…that’s so sweet.”
A groan rumbled from Jerrick. “Please don’t use sweet in the same sentence with my name. It’ll severely impact my reputation as a hard ass.”
Dash’s hand encircled Mara’s ankle and he propped her foot against his thigh. “So we have another piece added to the puzzle. Rhyann might not always grant the wish immediately.”
“Or maybe some wishes take longer than others to fulfill.” Mara gave Jerrick a tentative smile. “Perhaps you needed those fifteen years for your brain to catch up with the wish carried inside your heart.”
“Hell, Blondie. How’d you get to be so smart?” Jerrick’s mouth crooked upward.
Piper hopped onto the chair with Jerrick. Her wings twitching together, she scrunched her face. “Wait a minute, you’re saying that rock gives away wishes?”
Mara snorted. “Glad to see you’ve been paying attention the past ten minutes.”
“Well, I want my turn.” Without warning, Piper plopped butt first onto the rune. White lights streamed from the stone, seconds before wads of merca bills rained from the ceiling. With a whoop,
Piper scooped them up and shimmied her tiny hips.
“She wished for merca.” Mara rolled her eyes. “There’s a shocker.” Leaning an elbow on her knee, she cupped her chin. “We’ve all used up our wishes. Now we’re stuck with fate to get us through the rest of this mess.”
Dash lifted her foot and tucked it on the couch cushion before rising. “Wait here, I’ll be back.”
Her thoughts were too glum to question where he was going.
Jerrick set the rune box on the arm of his chair. “For someone who outsmarted a sadistic bounty hunter, you don’t look very happy.”
“We might have defeated him, but does it really change anything? Finian still wants your brother dead.”
He remained quiet for a long moment. “There’s no proof Baggins didn’t kill Dash.”
Her palm fell away from her chin and she stared at him. Hope fluttered in her chest. Until reality once again set in. “Baggins—he’ll report to Finian and tell him what happened.”
“Not necessarily. I think he’ll cooperate, especially once he sees the logic in lying. He won’t want to return all that nice merca Finian paid him.”
The hypothesis Jerrick rolled out in front of her made a lot of sense, but Baggins’ cooperation was only part of the problem facing them. “Nalia won’t just take my word for it that Dash is dead. She’ll want to retaliate.” Fear trembled down her spine when she thought of the danger Gideon would be placed in. It seemed no matter what, fate insisted on stepping in and demanding a choice from her. Gideon or Dash. Her brother or her love.
“Then give her proof.”
She met the steel in Jerrick’s eyes. The answer was there—temptingly within reach. “The slave collar.” Her mouth suddenly felt dry as desert sand. “It might not be enough to convince Nalia.”
Jerrick opened his mouth but immediately snapped it shut when Dash strolled into the room and stopped in front of the couch. Humming beneath his breath, he scooped her into his arms.
“Hey, what do you think you’re—?” She broke off when Dash’s tongue pushed past her lips. Moaning, she curled her arms around his neck.
Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1 Page 26
