Rock Bottom (The Gifted Realm #4)

by Jillian Neal

  The guy managed a nod as he walked backwards from Vindico, afraid to turn his back on him. He not only got out of Vindico’s face. He left the bar.

  “Thank you,” Rainer heard Fionna offer. She looked thoroughly embarrassed. The bartender set the wine she’d ordered on the bar, and Vindico very smoothly pulled his wallet from his back pocket and paid for the drink.

  “Well, that worked faster than I’d planned,” Garrett chuckled as he took the seat Vindico had been occupying.

  “Did you tell that guy to hit on her?” Emily was furious.

  “Hell no,” Garrett scoffed, “but it appears to have worked.” He gestured back to Vindico and Fionna.

  “Since, I’m afraid that I might’ve just scared off every guy in the bar, would you like to grab a table?” A definite hunger formed in Vindico’s eyes.

  Fionna played it well. She didn’t look quite as elated as Rainer assumed she must’ve been. Vindico pulled a chair out for her at a table for two that was situated in a dark corner in the very back of the bar.

  “Garrett, he’s going to break her heart,” Emily fussed.

  “Em, she’s been sick over him since the Academy. She’s hell-bent on doing this. There’s no stopping her. She’s well aware of his reputation.”

  “But he’s never going to love anyone but Amelia,” Emily whispered.

  Garrett drew a deep breath and glanced around the bar. He leaned in towards Emily’s ear. It appeared he only wanted Emily to hear him, but Rainer couldn’t help but overhear.

  “You know what I told you to do after the wreck thing?”

  Emily nodded.

  “Well, I told her how to do the same thing. She’s more powerful than you. You never know; he may fall head over heels,” Garrett stated hopefully.

  Rainer started to ask, but then realized that Garrett had given Emily instructions on how to take all of the terrifying energy of him killing his uncle away from him while he was inside of her.

  Only a powerful Receiver could have performed such a hefty task. She’d absorbed his horror and fear. She’d drained his shield of shame, and hatred, and terrorizing panic. She’d given him back love and peace as she’d tended to Rainer during those horrifying hours. She’d given him back his life.

  * * *

  A little while later, Emily pulled Rainer onto the dance floor after whispering in his ear that if he’d dance with her as much as she wanted, he could have his way with her when they got home.

  Rainer had chuckled and stood immediately. “I would’ve danced with you anyway, baby, but I’ll take what I can get.”

  As they danced, Rainer slid his hands down Emily’s sides as she grinded against him. “You know, we could go home, and I could do this to you without all of these clothes in my way.”

  Emily shook her head with a delighted grin. “You have to earn it, Mr. Lawson,” she drawled, and Rainer ached.

  A slower song began, with sultry island undertones, and Rainer wrapped Emily up in his arms.

  Fionna and Vindico had been tucked in the corner of the bar for almost two hours talking without end. They both seemed completely entranced by the other according to Emily, who’d been spying on them and reporting back to Rainer and Garrett.

  As the song began, Fionna stood and gave Vindico a look that could’ve set the entire bar ablaze as she led him to the dance floor and proceeded to lace her arms around his neck.

  By the second verse, they’d melted together. She was cradled tightly in his arms with her head on his shoulder, facing his neck.

  One of his hands was still on her back; the other had slipped to her backside, and he didn’t seem willing to move it anytime soon.

  Vindico was whispering softly in her ear, and Fionna looked like she’d died and gone to Heaven.

  “How hard do you think he’d hit me if I cut in?” Garrett teased as he danced Chloe next to Emily and Rainer.

  “Are you proud of yourself?” Emily was still concerned that Vindico was going to sleep with Fionna and then walk away, leaving her used and heartbroken.

  “Come on, Em,” Garrett urged, “you’re a Receiver. When you think about them, what do you feel?” Rainer could feel Emily concentrate as he swayed her. Her energy spun as she considered. A minute later, she smiled.

  “Maybe.”

  “He’ll call her when you get back from Sydney. I’d bet my badge on it,” Garrett gestured back toward Vindico and Fionna.

  Vindico had her face cradled tenderly in his hand and was priming her lips with his own.

  He’d begun letting the hand he’d positioned on her backside massage and grope her as he guided her hips in rhythm around what Rainer assumed, from the low moan he heard Fionna gasp, must have been his pronounced erection. She clearly liked whatever she felt.

  In a deft, well-rehearsed move, Vindico slipped his hand from her face, over her delicate neck, and down her rib cage. It was apparent to the entire bar that she trembled in his arms as his thumb caressed the side of her breast. He traced her lips with his tongue, and she opened her mouth as he devoured her.

  “Well, ok, then,” Emily turned away from the display.

  The song ended, and Vindico leaned and whispered in her ear what was almost certainly a request to take the show somewhere more private. She gave him a sultry nod.

  With a quick turn, he led her out of the bar.

  Rainer braced. He wasn’t certain how Emily was going to take it when he heard the Agusta roar to life and saw the taillights of Fionna’s Solstice as she sped away from the bar, with Vindico following closely behind.

  Emily was on the verge of tears, still terrified that he was going to leave Fionna a heartbroken disaster.

  “You wanna go on home, sweetheart?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. We need to finish packing anyway,” Emily commented without any real emotion to her words. She continued to stare out the door where Fionna and Vindico had just exited.

  41

  No Outlet

  ~Dan Vindico~

  The thrumming roar of the powerful machine between his legs only slightly drowned out the savage war in his mind.

  She’s a Receiver, you idiot, pulsed through his mind again for what felt like the hundredth time in a three-hour period. He fought the thoughts valiantly. With ardent force he insisted to himself, I’m the head of Elite Iodex, one of the most powerful Ioses Predilects. I can suppress anything I don’t want her to feel. I just want to feel her. His libido won out easily. He wanted to unzip that skirt. He wanted to touch her, to taste her, and bury himself inside of her.

  She wasn’t only stunningly gorgeous. He reminded himself of just a few of the conversations they’d had over the past few hours. She was smart, and kind, and sweet, vastly different than any of the dozens of women he’d been with over the past decade. I won’t ever fall in love again, he vowed to himself. He wouldn’t allow it, so he pushed that fear aside as well.

  No reason we can’t hang out and give each other something we both clearly want, for a little while, the head below his belt argued vehemently.

  You’re leaving for Sydney in just a few hours. His mind, that he was finding to be extremely annoying at that moment, continued its plaguing reminders. He followed her taillights into the dark night as the highway turned into a two-lane road in Alexandria.

  If this is half as good as I know it’s gonna be, I’ll call her when I get back. Hooking up with Fionna Styler for a few months, whenever one of us needs a little bit of sweet release that we could so easily provide one another, sounds perfectly reasonable.

  He followed her down a street marked ‘No Outlet’ and she pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a recently renovated bungalow.

  He shut down his motorcycle, moved to throw his leg over the bike, and made it to the door of her car to open it for her before she could extricate herself.

  She looked momentarily startled that he was standing at her car and opening the door for her. He offered his hand and pulled her from the car. She was nervous. She
stared at the ground and bit her lip hesitantly as she fumbled with her keys and purse.

  With a clench of his jaw, he forced himself to be a gentleman; although, what he desperately wanted at that moment was to spin her around, lean her over her car, and take her hard from behind.

  Dan swallowed the desire as he forced himself to make his offer.

  “Hey, uh, I can go, or we can just have a drink. We don’t have to do anything you feel uncomfortable about.” His hands moved of their own accord. He brushed her cheek tenderly as he cradled her beautiful face in his hands. He raised her head so he could gaze into the most beautiful sienna eyes he’d ever seen.

  She stared up at him for a long moment, almost as if she could see into his soul.

  “I’m not uncomfortable, Dan, and I don’t want you to go.”

  He watched her hot breath form sensuous spirals in the cold night air. She shivered slightly as she forced herself to move her eyes away from his. She headed towards the front porch.

  He slid out of his leather jacket and hooked it over her shoulders as she moved. A sexy, half-grin splayed across her lush lips as she unlocked the door.

  An odd sensation moved over Dan as he stepped into her house. It was warm, soothing, and welcoming. He felt something stir inside of him. Though he couldn’t recall the exact emotion, he’d felt it before, somewhere in the very distant past.

  The furniture was a mix of antiques and newer pieces with sleek modern touches. There were quilts folded on the sofa, and everything about the home eased him.

  “I bought it a year ago,” she hesitantly gestured around her house. “I’ve been slowly remodeling it. I’m not quite finished, but I’ve learned a lot.”

  Dan watched her every move. She was pleased with her work.

  She’d left the original, wide-planked hardwood floors, with the rubbed, battered markings he noted in several places in the cozy living room. It seemed to fit her. She could see the beauty in the imperfect. She sensed the stories behind the blemishes.

  “So, uh, do you want something to drink?” she offered nervously. It seemed she just remembered that she should ask. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her gorgeous curves on luscious display in that leather skirt.

  “There are a whole lot of things I want, Fionna,” his voice was low and reverent in his need. He watched her abdomen clench tightly from his admission. “But, honey, before I let you make me a drink or we take this any further, I need you to know that I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m the guy your parents always warned you about, and I don’t want to hurt you. So, if you want me to go, I’ll understand,” he forced the words from his mouth.

  He’d made that same speech to dozens of women. This was the first time he’d ever had to force himself to say them, and somewhere in the recesses of his mind he knew that, this time, he didn’t really mean them.

  She gave him a sultry chuckle. Her eyes were dark and hungry. They made him ache.

  “I’ll be fine, Dan. I’m a big girl, and I’m not looking for anything other than maybe a good time. I’m not the kind of girl who expects a ring and a commitment just because I take you up to my room.”

  She was making his pulse race. His breaths came in rapid, voracious pants.

  “The only thing I expect…” she husked as she moved until they were only centimeters apart, letting her thumb slid up his length. He groaned. “…Is for you to make me feel good and make sure I’m taken care of before I do the same for you.” Her wishes were penned in the breathy air between them.

  “Oh, baby doll, trust me. You’ll be taken care of. I’m about to carry you up those stairs and make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before.”

  She shot him a look that said for him to come and take what he wanted. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and devoured her mouth again.

  She pulled away just as he dipped his tongue into her mouth. He could feel her energy when he kissed her, and it startled him momentarily. It was somehow intoxicating and soothing all at the same moment. He wanted more. It spun in sinuous spirals all around him. He wanted to drown himself in it, and that scared him to death. But my God, he needed more.

  “That’s pretty big talk, Mr. Vindico,” she drawled in heated challenge.

  With a deliberate chuckle, he nodded as he leaned and lifted her into his arms.

  “Did you want that drink, honey, or can I just go ahead and start taking care of you? I’m thirsty for something else.” He felt her body tense deliciously against his.

  “It’s the room at the end of the hall.” She tucked herself into his embrace and let him cradle her tenderly as he began climbing her stairs.

  42

  The Shield and The Receiver

  He kicked her bedroom door shut with his boot. His mind and his pulse raced in ardent need. He wanted to feel it again, feel what he felt when he’d kissed her on the dance floor and in her living room.

  The desire conquered the fear, with one quick glance at her luscious ass caught up in a tight leather skirt.

  The first time he slept with someone new, often the only time, his mind chanted, was never as good as when he’d learned how they liked it and could show the girl he was with exactly how he wanted it.

  If kissing her was any indication, her bed was likely to catch fire once he laid her out and showed her a good time.

  He stood her up in front of the wall nearest her door. Dan took a split second to take in their new surroundings. The room was entirely her. Photos of places she’d traveled, he assumed as several of them appeared to be on stunning beaches, were placed around the room and situated among an antique vanity that held a tray of perfumes and jewelry.

  An old dress form stood in one corner, where she’d stowed numerous scarves and necklaces.

  Her bed was queen-sized, with a wrought iron headboard and a purple, pin-tucked covering. It even held the scent of her, vanilla musk and coconut, mixed with her perfume and shampoo.

  Dan inhaled deeply as he gazed into her eyes.

  “I’m gonna take your clothes off, baby doll, and then I’m gonna run my hands all over that gorgeous body,” his promise made a low moan escape her lungs. The sound set him on fire.

  Amelia had finally given in to his begging when they were seventeen. She wasn’t Gifted, so he’d never been too concerned about the energy transfer or the commitment level that happened when two Gifted people had sex.

  She’d died when he was twenty-two, and he’d drowned his sorrows in plenty of women. He certainly wasn’t a novice in bed, and he planned on showing Fionna just what he could do.

  He kept his kisses deep and drawing. He traced his hands down to the first button on the extremely low-cut blouse. He had no trouble working her out of the shirt, and, with every button he loosened, she came undone.

  “Oh baby, you are gorgeous,” he groaned and felt himself throb tightly as he watched her breasts spill out of the bra he’d removed in a second flat.

  Her deep olive complexion glowed enticingly as her body swayed between his and the wall.

  He traced his hands up the sides of her waist and drew patterns with his thumbs over her nipples. He watched them tighten and pucker as he slowly ripened her for him.

  Her back arched. He knew what she wanted, but he was going to make her beg, drive her wild, until she wanted nothing as much as she wanted him to set her free.

  He left her breasts aching and tender. They needed to be sucked and tended to tediously, which he planned to do when he was good and ready.

  He dropped to his knees, and her breath caught deliciously. He traced his index finger just along the perfect line of skin above the waistline of the skirt she was wearing. He could see the very edge of a tattoo from his vantage point, and he was instantly intrigued.

  “Let’s just see how naughty you can be, sweetheart,” he urged as her eyes flashed intently. “I know you’re a sweet girl on the outside, baby doll, but I want to see what you’re like on the inside.” He slowly edged the zipper that ran the
entire length of the leather mini-skirt, down.

  A low, luscious groan spilled from his mouth as he took in Fionna Styler wearing nothing but a pair of lacey, black G-string panties. He’d never seen anything so tempting in all his life as lurid thoughts of what he planned to do to her seared through his mind.

  He shuddered as he stared at her lips swollen and pulsating behind the scrap of black lace.

  In his vast experience, he’d always found that you could tell a great deal about how a woman liked it by the undergarments she wore. A black lace G-string meant she wasn’t afraid to be adventurous, and that she also wasn’t afraid to tell him what she wanted and how she wanted it.

  “I like it dirty, too, baby doll, and I’m about to show you what that gorgeous body was really made for.”

  A moan quaked from her entire body. The sound took up residence in his groin.

  With that, he spread her legs slightly with his hands. “Lean back against the wall, honey. I’m hungry. I want to taste how sweet you are.”

  She did as she was told. He let his tongue swirl over the fabric between her legs. He occasionally pulled away and huffed hot air over her swollen lips. They were dripping with need. He caught a tiny taste of the essence of her energy as he licked. It was even more intoxicating here than in her saliva, and he became frantic for more as he dragged his tongue over the lace.

  He rapidly lost all traces of rational thought that was trying to warn him off as he pulled the scrap of fabric and the elastic band to the side and dipped his tongue inside of her. He moaned in starvation. The sensation made her writhe. She tasted like heaven.

  “Oh yes,” panted from her as he slipped one finger inside of her, and traced until he found the spot that made her gasp loudly. He kept his finger coaxing her as he licked her again.

  She laced her fingers through his hair and pushed his tongue deeper. It made him ache to take her hard and fast.