Steam

by Lynn Tyler

  With that thought in mind, Sunny bounced out of bed and sauntered over to the bathroom. The steam hung thick in the air when she walked in. Sloan had switched to whistling, and she shook her head. He whistled “Yankee Doodle,” something he’d taken to doing when she insisted on some good, old-fashioned American food when she’d been in the hospital.

  She smiled at the memory. She had been cranky, in pain, and completely sick of hospital food. She’d demanded a burger, fries, and chocolate shake. He’d been happy to run out and get her what she wanted, but she’d insisted on the meal coming from McDonald’s. There was exactly one McDonald’s in the immediate area, about twenty minutes’ drive from the hospital. She’d really enjoyed that meal though.

  “Are you coming or what?” Sloan called from the shower.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she answered. She slipped into the stall with him and shut the door again, enclosing them in the steamy air. “Hi.”

  Sloan flashed a bright grin and smoothed her hair back from her face. “You were drooling on my shoulder this morning,” he teased.

  Still slightly grumpy because she hadn’t woken up to some lazy morning loving, she stuck her tongue out at him, but didn’t stop him when his soapy hands slid down her belly. He paused when he got to the scar, his hands hovering over it protectively.

  When she’d first seen the scar, she’d been horrified. It was huge and ugly and had made her cry every time she looked at it. But Sloan had soothed her ruffled feathers. He’d been insistent that the scar wasn’t ugly. It was only a reminder of how hard she’d fought to stay alive, and he said he found it sexy.

  He’d proved his words over and over. There hadn’t been a day since she’d come home that he hadn’t worshiped the spot with his lips. And today was no exception. He dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach gently.

  She twined his wet hair around her fingers and shivered when he trailed his lips over her sensitive hipbone. “Sloan,” she moaned when he stayed where he was, just teasing.

  “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll get there.”

  “But when?” she whined.

  Sloan pushed himself to his feet and loomed over her. “My baby doesn’t feel like waiting today?”

  She shook her head and wrapped one leg around his thigh, grinding her pussy against his hard muscles. Some days, she loved foreplay. And the good lord knew, Sloan was a master at foreplay.

  But there were other days, like today, where she wanted it hard and fast.

  “What my lady wants, my lady gets,” Sloan said with a lascivious wink. He slid his hand between her legs and tested her readiness. “Oh, baby. God, you’re so wet.”

  Gripping her hips, Sloan yanked her away from his thigh and spun her around so she was facing the shower wall. The motion was so quick, she had to slap her hands against the wall to keep her balance.

  Yes. She absolutely loved it when he took her like this.

  He slid into her without hesitation, until his balls were resting against her thighs. “Fuck, sweetheart,” he groaned, pulling out and sinking back in. “I’m not going to last long.”

  She, however, was nowhere near ready to climax. If they had been anywhere but the shower, she would have dropped her hand to her sex and fingered her clit, just to catch up with him.

  Sloan seemed to know exactly what she needed. She squealed when she felt a tiny jet of water begin to pummel the exquisitely sensitive right side of her clit.

  The orgasm hit her unexpectedly and her inner muscles clenched around him. Sloan kept the water in place even as he pounded into her and her climax seemed to go on forever.

  By the time they’d recovered enough to move, the water had gone cold. Wrapped in large, fluffy towels, they stumbled over to the bed and collapsed. “Good morning,” he said.

  Smiling, she extracted one of her arms, which had become tangled in the blankets, and poked him in the side. “Say it,” she said instead of wishing him a good morning.

  This time it was Sloan’s turn to stick out his tongue. “Why do I have to be the first one to say it?”

  She poked him again. “Because you owe me.”

  Sloan’s eyebrows flew up and he stared at her incredulously. “For what?”

  Oh, Sloan was going to love this. “For dragging you back into the land of the living.”

  Sloan rolled his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

  She planned on never forgetting those words. They were what had kept her going when all she wanted to do was let go of the pain and fade away. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. He already had a big enough ego. “Tell me,” she said again.

  Letting out a very exasperated breath, Sloan rested his chin on one of his palms. “Fine. I love you. I love you with every breath I take and every beat of my heart. Happy now?”

  She could have done without the sarcasm, but she knew he was just messing with her. “Very. Sloan?”

  Sloan snorted but softened it with a smile. “Yeah?”

  “I love you, too.”

  Rolling on to his back, Sloan put his arms behind his head and smiled up at the ceiling, looking entirely too pleased with the situation. “I know.”

  Huffing, Sunny looked up at the ceiling too, and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re such a know it all.”

  The mattress dipped, and Sloan hovered over her. “I do know it all. For example, I know if I do this, you’ll be all over me in seconds.” He nibbled on her neck, sending new sparks through her body to collect between her legs.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “I love that you’re a know it all,” she whispered, shivering when his hand dipped between her legs to play gently with her clit.

  He smiled softly and kissed the corner of her mouth. “I love you so much,” he said quietly.

  She pushed a lock of hair off his forehead and looked into his face. “I love you too.”

  Chapter 25

  Raven nibbled at his dessert, savoring the rich taste of the chocolate cake as he looked around the dining room. Leith sat by the fireplace, scowling into his drink. He’d been like that for months now, ever since Matthew had been released from the hospital.

  Sunny and Sloan were sitting halfway down the table in their own little world. They were bickering over something, occasionally sending little bursts of magic aimed at the other. The effect was ruined by the fact that they stopped to kiss every other second.

  They were a welcome distraction from everything else going on. He’d talked to Prince Gareth about the Takahashi’s accusation. The prince had taken advantage of his numerous contacts and had confirmed the Takahashi leader really had been murdered. And without a leader, the handlers had to be going more than slightly mad by now. The problem was that leaders didn’t come along every day. A leader was born. Usually they were identified before the death of the leader and trained. It wasn’t like any old witch could stand up and be a clan leader.

  Worse yet, the rumor floating around whispered that the Takahashi handler had been, if not married to the leader, at least in a very intimate relationship with her. If the rumor was true, it was amazing the Takahashi handler hadn’t destroyed the whole damn world.

  He’d managed to get word through a very trusted source to the Keita clan that the Takahashi leader had been slain. He’d received a response back that the Keita clan would increase the leader’s security.

  As for any MacAlister involvement in the murder, he really couldn’t say. He’d been apart from his clan members for so long, he was afraid he’d lost his hold on them. He’d discussed the possibility at length with Leith, but neither of them could really figure out how to determine the truth.

  But if someone was killing clan leaders, he really needed to step up the search for the next MacAlister leader. Because if he died, there would be nothing to stop his handlers from shaking the whole damn world apart in their sleep. Or causing a flood of biblical proportions. Or burning the whole damn thing t
o the core.

  Blinking his eyes, he pushed the thoughts away and turned his attention back to Sunny and Sloan. Sloan lifted his fork, offering her a bite of his crème brulee. He smiled at them even though they weren’t even giving him the time of day. It was nice to have some happiness back in the castle. Hopefully soon, there would have even more laughter. “So, what do you think we should do about the influx of clan members coming in?” he asked Anna, picking up the conversation they’d dropped to watch Sunny and Sloan.

  She pursed her lips and tapped her fork lightly against her plate. “Well, the cottages on the property are still in good shape. They just need some updating. And there’s plenty of room in the castle. Maybe we can give families the cottages and have the singles and couples stay here in the castle?”

  Raven nodded, trying to imagine the quiet castle alive with people. It had been just the six of them for so long, he’d almost forgotten what it was like to have people everywhere, singing, laughing and bickering. When was the last time he’d held a baby? It had always been one of his favorite parts of having his clan with him. The kids.

  Of course, there were going to be a lot more people living here than ever before very shortly. Not every clan member had resided in Scotland before the war. Some, like Matthew’s family, had made their homes elsewhere and only traveled to Scotland for the annual clan meeting. Now, with the decision to call each and every clan member to the castle, he had to figure out a way to house and feed all these people efficiently. Money wasn’t the issue. He had more than enough. He’d been blessed with the ability to understand fluctuating markets and knew exactly when and where to invest and when to sell.

  “That’s a good idea,” he said to Anna. “Do you know anyone who could help get the cottages ready?”

  Anna had taken over calling the clan members when Matthew had started negotiation alliance terms with the dragons, but her real talent was event planning. If anyone knew how to get things done, it was Anna.

  Thankfully, Anna nodded. “I do. Let me make some calls, and I’ll have people here by the day after tomorrow. We’ll probably have to look into doing some work in the castle too. Only two of the wings are being used right now. The other three haven’t really been touched in probably thirty years, at least.”

  “Okay. Just let me know what I have to do.”

  Anna smiled and popped another bit of dessert into her mouth. Sunny chose that moment to set Sloan’s crème brulee on fire in a small display of magic. Instead of yelling, Sloan blew the flame out and took a bite. “Mmm,” he said, offering Sunny a bite.

  “They’re kind of sickening, aren’t they?” Anna said softly, gesturing to the couple with her fork.

  Raven smiled sadly. He remembered the times when he and Niya would play like that. “It’s nice to see a little bit of love though, isn’t it?” he responded.

  Anna patted his arm. “Don’t worry. You’ll find her.”

  Stunned, Raven stared at Anna for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to his plate. He’d always wondered if Anna had known about his relationship with the dragon queen. He remembered the looks she used to toss him, those little knowing smiles, when he’d talk about the dragons. But she’d never said anything, and he’d eventually dismissed the idea as him being paranoid.

  Raven was saved from responding by Matthew, who came hobbling in, back from his meeting with Prince Gareth. “Hi,” Matthew said brightly as he let his cane drop to the floor and sat in the chair next to Raven.

  “Hi, yourself.” Raven raised an eyebrow at the young man’s appearance. He was flushed and the silly smile wouldn’t leave his face. His hair was ruffled and his normally impeccable suit was wrinkled. In short, Matthew looked like he’d been ravished. Raven couldn’t help but wonder about the logistics of having sex with Matthew’s bad leg. But clearly, Matthew and Gareth had figured it out just fine.

  Matthew grabbed Raven’s fork and helped himself to a chunk of cake. “Yum,” he said.

  Anna laughed and pushed her own cake over to Matthew, who looked at her with a delighted expression. “Do you want me to get you some dinner?” Anna offered.

  Mouth full, Matthew shook his head. He swallowed before talking. “No, thanks. Gareth fed me. I just felt like something a little sweet.”

  Raven glanced over at Leith in time to see him slam back a drink before getting up to prowl around the room. He mentally shook his head. He couldn’t figure Leith out. One second he treated Matthew like a little brother, the next, he pouted when Matthew found someone who was interested in him. Did the man return Matthew’s feelings or was he just jealous because now the younger man had seemed to put aside his hero worship and was spending time with someone else instead of following after him like a puppy?

  Matthew’s smile had dimmed a little when Raven turned around again. He presented Raven with a sheaf of papers and attacked Anna’s cake with what Raven recognized to be forced enthusiasm. “The negotiations went well. Basically, as long as we make a genuine effort to help in the search for the queen, the dragons will fight by our side whether we’ve found her or not. But Gareth included some reports on where the dragons have searched and where they suspect she might be being held. That’s why there are so many papers.”

  Raven pushed his cake closer to Matthew, knowing the boy would eat it all, and shuffled through the papers, concentrating on the reports Matthew had mentioned. He was more hopeful he’d find his love now than he had been in years. I promise, Niya. I will rescue you.

  He flipped a page and felt a tingle run up his arm. He froze as a giant wave of power rushed over him.

  The power was still radiating through him when he finally managed to move his eyes and search the room for the seeker. Leith had gone rigid and a look of intense concentration was on his face.

  “The earth handler has come into his magic.”

  Raven shot to his feet. “Find him, Leith. Before the Takahashis do.”

  The End

  Publisher’s Note

  Please help this author’s career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.

  About Lynn Tyler

  Lynn Tyler, erotic romance author, has been writing since she was young. An Amazon bestseller and a strong believer in happily ever after, Lynn writes predominantly male/male paranormal romance.