Undiscovered Angel

by Sharon Saracino

  “Well, c’mon.” He laughed at the expression on her face as her eyes flew to his in embarrassed alarm. “I promise I won’t look…much. I don’t want you to slip…that bubble stuff is all over the floor and the marble is really slick.” He dutifully tipped his head back toward the ceiling and closed his eyes. Kat eyed him warily, and then slowly climbed out of the water, stepping carefully. She backed into the towel and reached out to pull it around herself, but Kassian folded it around her first, and he kept his arms wrapped around her snugly, before she had a chance to protest. He buried his face in the curve of her neck and she felt his chest expand against her back as he breathed her in. Kat relaxed against him, bringing their bodies into full length contact with nothing but her towel and his jeans between them. She could feel the hard evidence of his desire pressed insistently against her buttocks. She turned her head and rubbed her cheek against the warm silk of his chest in a silent gesture of longing. Barely aware of it for what it was, she reacted purely on instinct.

  “You are so tired, baby. You should get dried off and get some rest.” He mumbled against her neck.

  He turned her in his arms. Her eyes darted to his straining jeans and returned quickly to his face. She might be inexperienced, but she’d been around enough to recognize a man’s desire when it stood at attention and saluted. Her eyes dropped to his chest, but that didn’t help much, as he had bright drops of water glistening there and she felt a peculiar desire to lean forward and catch them on her tongue. She settled for tracing the path of one with her finger and felt more than heard his indrawn breath.

  “I, um…well, I know I don’t have much experience,” she whispered so quietly that he had to lean forward to hear her. “But do you think maybe I could learn to, um, please you?” Good Lord, had she really said that? Maybe she could give classes in seduction. What hot-blooded male wouldn’t want a piece of that? Well, she’d gone ahead and put it out there and there was no taking it back. She waited for his reaction with a mixture of embarrassment and anticipation. If he rejected her now, she would never be able to face him again.

  ****

  Kassian took a half step back and stared down at the vision in his arms. The minute he’d turned her toward him he understood his mistake as the sight of her wet, warm, and wide-eyed, wearing nothing but a towel, had a violent effect on his control. He rubbed his big hands briskly up and down her arms, pulling away slightly. He took a deep breath in an attempt to curb his lust. She’d already been through hell today. His gaze moved over her body slowly, hotly, committing every inch of her to memory. She was glorious, and innocent, and so very, sweetly, vulnerable. And she was deadly serious. So much so that he weighed his response carefully, knowing that one wrong word, one wrong move could hurt her terribly.

  “Katrina, look at me,” he ordered quietly. She raised her eyes to his as he struggled to keep a straight face.

  “Oh, God, please don’t laugh...” she began, tightening her fingers on the towel in a death grip and trying to step back.

  “Sweetheart, I am about as far from laughing at you as I have ever been.” He pulled her back against him. “Everything you do pleases me, honey, it’s only that I expected to be the one doing the seducing. You’ve had a hell of a day and you’re tired. I was trying to be considerate. Trust me, it’s a stretch. I’m a little out of practice.”

  “You were planning to seduce me?” she asked uncertainly.

  “Oh, I most definitely was,” he assured her. His gaze moved over her towel clad body with slow, deliberate heat, his eyes devouring every inch of her. She was so damned enticing.

  “Oh,” she replied breathlessly.

  He felt her trembling and saw the uncertainty on her expressive face. How could he explain it to her? He could barely understand it himself. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her with everything he had, everything he ever was or ever would be. He wanted to shelter and protect her so that nothing could ever touch her.

  “Just breathe, honey,” he whispered as he lowered his head and slowly rubbed his lips on hers, one hand cupping the back of her neck, and the other sliding to rest possessively on her rounded buttocks and pull her more closely against him. Kassian’s lips and tongue burned a feathery trail along her throat and shoulders that were still damp with heat and steam. He lifted her easily, the towel somehow falling away, and he let his mouth roam freely as he slowly moved them out of the bathroom and toward the bed. He felt Kat’s fingers on him, as soft as raindrops as she did her own exploring, learning the feel of him, becoming bolder when she felt his breath hitch and his desire spike at her slightest touch. Moonlight spilled across the black satin sheets and the lights of the city twinkled beyond the window glass like garlands of Christmas lights in the night, but he was blind to everything but her.

  ****

  Kat felt the smooth, cool caress of the satin against her heated skin as Kassian tucked her beneath him in one smooth movement before again reclaiming her mouth. She opened her lips to his sweet invasion, tangling her tongue with his, memorizing his taste. Pressing against him, she felt her taut nipples graze his smooth chest, the feeling so exquisite it was nearly pain. He pulled away for a moment and when he returned to her there was no longer anything between them. He lavished his attention on her sweetly curved breasts, teasing and taunting, feathering light kisses on first one and then the other, before finally taking a nipple into his mouth and suckling the tender peak with an ardor and expertise that Kat felt all the way to her toes. He licked and kissed and suckled nearly every inch of her until she felt as though she might go up in flames. His long hair brushed against her skin as his lips moved over her and that, too, felt incredibly erotic. The hard, muscular length of him was pressed tightly against her belly and she moved her legs restlessly along the outside of his long, hard thighs where they rested between hers. Fully concentrated on Kassian and the glorious, unfamiliar sensations, there were no distractions, no thought in her mind but the delicious pleasure that was building until the urgency became nearly overwhelming. She could hardly breathe with wanting him. Her common sense tried to intrude, but she knew that her heart was already lost. Kat was done thinking, done worrying; for now she was giving herself up to what her heart and body wanted. If there were consequences, she’d worry about them later. Even so, when Kassian slid a hand between their sweat slick bodies toward the moist heart of her she tensed automatically.

  “Kat, open up,” he commanded softly. “What am I feeling right now?”

  She lifted her gaze to his and opened herself fully to his emotions. It was then that she felt it, raw, primal desire, but something more, so much more she was nearly swamped by the strength of his feelings. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Kassian…” she whispered.

  He smiled tenderly and swooped to capture her mouth. This time when she felt his clever fingers seeking her core, she opened for him readily. He continued to plunder her mouth as his fingers teased her with a slow, intimate massage that nearly sent her over the edge. She bucked against his hand with a stifled scream of pleasure as he slid first one long finger, and then another into her slick, wet heat while his thumb continued to stroke her sensitive nub.

  “Honey, are you sure? There’s no going back after this, not for either of us.” Sweat beaded his forehead as he held his weight off of her and waited for her answer. “I don’t want to hurt you, Kat. Not now, not ever.”

  “Kassian,” she gasped. “Yes, I want…please…now.” Her voice was hungry and the strength of her desire shook them both. He came to his knees and nudged her thighs apart. He fisted his hot, swollen flesh, guiding it to her moist cleft, and slowly eased himself inside her tight, tight warmth, his eyes locked on her face.

  His mind was open to her and though he didn’t say the words, there was no mistaking the deep emotion pouring from him. Kat’s eyes filled with tears and she thought her heart might burst as she reached to pull him down to her, feeling the odd but strangely right sensation of invisible ties b
inding them together heart, mind, and soul as his lips closed over hers. She wasn’t sure whose desire was the driving force now that their minds were joined, but she knew that if she didn’t have him inside of her right now, she would go mad with wanting. She discarded caution and uncertainty and her hips rose to meet him, obeying an instinct she hadn’t known she possessed, accepting all that he offered in one deep thrust. She froze and cried out at the unexpected pain and burning fullness. He stilled instantly.

  ****

  “Baby, you should have told me,” he groaned. “If I’d known it was your first time I could have made it easier for you.” His every nerve ending sang with need, his blood running hot and fast, but he clenched his jaw and remained unmoving. He knew that she didn’t understand the significance of the step they were taking. This was more than desire, more than sex; it was a blending of two souls that had been created for one another. He would never let her go. Now that he had finally accepted and given in to his feelings for her, there was no other option for him. It was the Earthbound way. He thought it might very well kill him if she asked him to stop now, but he would do it rather than cause her an ounce of discomfort or a moment of regret. It wouldn’t really have mattered, but somewhere deep inside he was arrogantly pleased that he was her first; and he was just as arrogantly sure that he would be her last. She might never know how great a gift she was to him. She took a shuddering breath and he felt her muscles begin to relax around him.

  “I’ve …well, it never seemed right before; it was never…like this,” she panted. She stroked his hair back from his damp forehead. “I can hear what you’re thinking, feel what you’re feeling, and it’s… I want this, Kassian, I want you. I think I must have been waiting for you my whole life.”

  He couldn’t think with needing her and she didn’t have to tell him twice. He began moving, slowly at first, allowing time for her body to adjust to his. As he felt her relax and move with him, he gripped her rounded bottom possessively and brought her more closely against him, driving deeper, guiding her hips until they found a perfect rhythm. As they moved together, their hearts and minds melding as closely and intimately as their bodies, he felt something stir inside, something deep and hot and aching. He experienced an indescribable awareness as they became part of one another, completely encompassed, heart to heart, soul to soul, and intertwined at a cellular level. He watched her face as Kat fought for breath, fought for control, but he knew that both were beyond her. He was all but strangling on the riot of emotions that he could not voice, but she could read them in his mind, just as he could read them in hers. When at last they fell apart in each other’s arms, Kassian felt the missing pieces of his soul knitting themselves back together.

  Much later, with a well-loved and exhausted Kat curled warmly against him in sleep, Kassian held her close, stared into the darkness and swallowed past the lump in his throat. Only now did he truly realize how alone he’d been, how isolated. It had been a conscious choice, one he’d hoped would give him some measure of absolution. He’d all but cut himself off from his family, reluctant to face them, though they’d never even hinted at blame. But now that Kat had come into his life and opened his heart, somewhere deep down he was finally able to face and accept the truth about that night. He had done what he had to do; and Calli had known better. It didn’t make it hurt any less; it didn’t make it any less tragic; it didn’t mean that his vendetta against Rapier was over; in fact, now that he had Kat to consider, it was even more imperative that Rapier be dealt with. But a little of the pressure that he had carried in his chest for longer than he could remember finally eased, and with Kat’s arms wrapped around him, he slept peacefully for the first time in years.

  Chapter 13

  Kassian rose early and was in the middle of making a pot of coffee after reluctantly detaching himself from the warmth of Kat’s body. He’d been painfully tempted to waken her with another round of lovemaking, but knew she would be both tired and sore after last night. He figured gluttony wasn’t an unusual side effect given his years of starvation, and he was still working on rediscovering his capacity for consideration, not an easy task. When the call came, it was completely unexpected.

  “McAllister,” he snapped into the phone. The news conveyed by the nearly incoherent voice of his assistant on the other end was both alarming and unwelcome. One of his warehouses near the harbor was in flames. What Kassian found even more concerning was that the mutilated body of a young woman had been discovered near the loading docks soon after the fire department arrived. Rapier’s calling card. He assured the nearly hysterical woman that he was on his way, and then punched in a number to let Alec and Luca know what was going on. They could get into places that the firefighters couldn’t in an effort to locate and rescue any men who might still be trapped inside, and who knew what Rapier’s next move might be. He couldn’t allow more innocent people to get in the middle of this private war.

  Hurrying back to the bedroom, he quickly and efficiently pulled on his clothes as quietly as possible and grabbed his car keys from a porcelain dish on the dresser. He chafed at the delay of having to drive, but it would cause more than a sensation if he suddenly faded to the scene using Earthbound methods. He hesitated, debating whether or not to waken Kat, finally deciding that he didn’t want her to wake up alone after the night they’d shared. After fighting the urge for precious minutes, he finally pressed his lips to Kat’s bare shoulder where it peeked from beneath the sheets. Once she woke up he knew it would be a struggle to leave her, but Rapier had upped the ante, both by striking in daylight and by attacking Kassian through his human employees. He had an uneasy feeling that the Fallen might only be getting started and had something even more sinister in the offing; it was time to end this, for everyone’s sake. And now that he’d found something besides vengeance to live for, he was more anxious than ever to rid the world of Rapier’s threat.

  ****

  Kat awoke with a start, disoriented, with her heart pounding wildly. For a split second, she wondered if she’d imagined the whole night. Then she became aware of Kassian’s sizzling lips tracing a path from her collarbone to her ear and a satisfied smile curled her lips. She shoved her heavy mane of hair out of her face and struggled to a sitting position, stretching contentedly. The movement induced delightful aches in regions she hadn’t previously been aware of, convincing her that last night really hadn’t been a dream, though she doubted she could have dreamt anything half as spectacular if she tried.

  “Hey,” she whispered softly, reaching up to bury her hand in his thick, dark hair and pull him closer. He pressed his lips firmly to her jaw then pulled back to sit on the side of the bed facing her. His hand rested on the rounded curve of her hip through the satin, and she noticed he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. She wasn’t complaining. With a final lingering caress, he stood and stepped back from the bed.

  “I have to go out for a while,” he said gently. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I don’t want you to leave the apartment. I’ll leave a man outside in case you need anything.”

  Kat blinked the sleep from her eyes and came completely awake. Her hopes of waking up in his arms for a repeat performance of last night’s bliss were dashed for the moment, so she slid from the bed and reached around him to grab the tee shirt that he’d tossed over the chair last night after the battle of the bubbles. She pulled it over her head hugging it to her and wrapping herself in his scent. Though she’d been initially worried that it was only about the sex for him, the look in his eyes and the emotions pouring off of him this morning assured her that she wasn’t mistaken in thinking that last night had bound them together in some profound and lasting way. For maybe the first time in her life, she felt accepted, normal, and complete. It was a good way to start the day.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, coming to stand in front of him and placing her hands on either side of his trim waist.

  “There’s a fire at one of my warehouses and I need to get down the
re,” he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Don’t you have ‘people’ for that?” She smiled lazily, leaning her face into his hand, mildly surprised that the light touch was enough to start the flames flickering in her very core all over again.

  “Ordinarily.” He returned her smile and rubbed his thumb along the corner of her full lips. “But there may be men still trapped inside and there’s…a possibility that Rapier is behind it.”

  “What if it’s a trap?” Her brow furrowed and a hint of worry crept into her voice. “Maybe…”

  “Kat, I have to go,” he said firmly. “Luca and Alec will be there and everything will be fine. I’ll be back as soon as I can and we’ll go out later and do something. If you play your cards right, maybe I’ll even let you take me grocery shopping.”

  She let herself be reassured by his playful grin and stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his chin. “Don’t be surprised when I hold you to that, McAllister. For your information, I have a vast collection of coupons in my purse.”

  “You have a mean streak, woman,” he laughed. “I’ll see you later.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and strode from the room.

  “Be careful,” she called after him in a worried voice.

  “Come back to me,” she added, sending the thought to his mind.

  “Always,” came the reply as she heard the door click shut.

  When he was gone, Kat padded barefoot into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower, letting the water work its magic on her deliciously sore muscles. After drying her hair, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a soft, beige turtleneck. She dropped her mother’s locket over her head and tucked it inside her sweater, then grabbed her laptop bag and plunked it on the couch while she went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She was sorting through her disorganized stack of notes, waiting for her laptop to boot up, when her cell phone jangled from her purse. Thinking it might be Kassian, she jumped up, tripping on the end table and stubbing her toe painfully. Cursing under her breath, she hurriedly limped around the couch and grabbed her bag from behind it, digging her phone out before it could stop ringing. She didn’t bother to check the display as she flipped it open.