“We all have scars, leannan. Some more visible than others. And it wouldn’t matter to me if yours showed. You’re still the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever known.”
“And you’re still the smoothest talker.” She took a step forward and looped her arms around his neck. “Now stop talking and kiss me.” She couldn’t believe she’d gotten so bold.
“As my lady commands.” He bent his head and took her lips in a kiss so passionate, she wanted to climb him like a tree. She opened her mouth to let him in, loving the sweep of his tongue against her lips and cheeks. In the back of her mind, she registered his fumbling with the snap and zipper of her jeans and she wriggled her hips to help him push them down to her ankles before he shucked his own denims as well. He must have pushed his boxers down with them—assuming he’d worn any. She felt his erection like a smoldering brand, pressing against the flesh of her stomach, even as her own body softened in readiness for him. No one had ever made her melt like Aidan could.
She wasn’t sure if he used magic to remove her bra and panties, or if she’d lost track of his hands—she was that caught up in his kiss. The next thing she knew, he was easing her down into the sheets, their mouths still fused. Aidan braced himself above her on his elbows, his legs pressing hers apart. Elise bent her knees to make more space for him and the move tilted her hips, bringing his thick shaft into contact with her mound, which made her moan into his mouth.
“Ah, dearling, this isn’t going to last nearly as long as I’d like.” He left her mouth to trail kisses down her throat and across her collarbones.
She opened her mouth to tell him it didn’t matter, but all that emerged was another moan as he shifted lower and took one of her nipples between his lips. Her spine bowed upward and she wound one hand into his hair while the other caressed the pointed tip of his ear. It was amazing how quickly her body remembered what he liked, just as he apparently remembered exactly how to make her writhe.
Despite his claim of urgency, he took his time on each of her breasts, until both peaks were stiff and swollen. Eventually, he kissed his way down her belly, which wasn’t as flat as it had been before childbirth, back when she was an active Wyndewin. She was still slim—that was thanks to genetics—but she wasn’t as toned as she’d kept herself once. Aidan didn’t seem to care. He caressed her skin with his lips and tongue before continuing down to the juncture of her legs.
Hooking his elbows under her knees, he opened her wide, humming his approval as he gazed at her wet and aching flesh. “So lovely.” He leaned in to lick the length of her cleft before drawing back to admire his handiwork.
“Aidan, don’t tease.” Watching him kneel between her thighs was pure torment. “I need you.”
“I’m right here, leannan.” Using his fingers to gently part her, he leaned down again to draw her clit between his lips, suckling with exactly enough pressure to make her moan. Just when she couldn’t stand it anymore, he slid one long finger inside her. “Goddess, you still feel like hot, slick silk.” Moving his mouth back down to her clit, he added a second finger and a third, stretching her almost, but not quite, to the point of pain.
“Aidan!” She shrieked his name as she convulsed around his hand. Sparks flashed in front of her eyes and seemed to skitter through her body, radiating out from her core to her skin, all the way down to her fingers and toes.
Aidan kept up his ministrations, drawing out her climax until she was panting and building again, the tension renewing its coil in her belly. He withdrew his fingers, licked them clean and slowly, purposefully crawled up her body to brace himself on his elbows above her.
She felt her breath catch, and for a moment, she froze. “Elise,” he murmured. “Are you sure?”
She looked up into his deep green eyes and any doubts she might have felt melted away. For a second as he’d moved over her, she’d almost panicked—she hadn’t even tried to have sex since the rape—but as soon as she’d locked gazes with Aidan, her fears had vanished. It was as though every cell in her body recognized the rightness of being here with him.
Aidan seemed to understand. He maintained the eye contact, gently cupping her cheek with one hand while he positioned himself with the other and finally slid his cock into her. He held himself perfectly still as she adjusted to his size, to the sensation of being filled, until Elise reached up and clutched at his shoulders. “Yes. I’m sure.”
***
Part of Aidan wanted to hold back, to savor the overwhelming rush of emotion and pure physical pleasure of being inside Elise once more. It was a moment that he hadn’t expected to experience ever again, except in his dreams—the pornographic ones. But here she was, beneath him, holding him, her taut inner muscles gripping him like a fist. He was amazed he’d managed to last long enough to make sure she came first.
Looking into her dark brown eyes was more magical than all the sorcery the Fae could command. When she dug her sharp nails into the skin of his shoulders and said she was sure, Aidan started to move, his own eyes rolling back in his head. A groan escaped his throat. Given her history, he’d been determined to stay in control, to make sure he didn’t frighten her, but he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. So he did the only thing he could do. He put her in charge. Burying his throbbing shaft deep in her heat, he gripped her by the waist and rolled to his back, bringing Elise above him. Her eyes flew open and she grinned down at him. How had he forgotten how much she liked being on top? He slid his hands up from her waist to cup her breasts as she began to move. Her silky channel was unbelievably snug as she rocked up and down, swiftly picking up speed. Her enthusiastic response allowed him to break free and he bucked up into her, hard and fast. Elise met him with every stroke, grinding down as another climax shuddered through her. The ripples of her orgasm triggered his and he arched his spine, thrusting up until he was as deep as he could be, and let go. Over and over, his bollocks convulsed as he poured himself into her welcoming sheath.
Long moments later, she collapsed down onto his chest, her soft lips caressing the sensitive point of his ear. “Thank you, Aidan. That was…beautiful.”
“No. You’re beautiful. And at this moment in time, I’m the luckiest man in this world or yours. Now sleep, dear one.” Which a gesture, he moved the covers up around them both and with a sated sigh, Elise shifted off of him to lie tucked in the curve of his arm. He added a tiny magical nudge to help her rest and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. Now all he had to do was make sure he never let her down again.
Chapter Six
The alarm on Aidan’s cell phone chirped and he woke, slightly surprised to note he’d actually gotten two hours of sleep. He sat up in bed while beside him, Elise stirred sleepily.
He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek. “Time to wake up, dearling. We need to get ready to go.”
“What? Oh—” Her eyes flew open. She clearly remembered exactly what they were about to do. “It’s time?”
“Soon. We’ve time for a shower and a bite if you think you can eat something.”
She pushed herself into a seated position and made a face at the thought of food, but her stomach growled and she grimaced. “Probably should. I only hope I can keep it down.”
Aidan kissed her briefly but deeply, wishing he had time to do more. This one taste of Elise might have to last him for centuries and it hadn’t been nearly enough. But other priorities beckoned. “You can have first shower. Jase brought you a bag with some clean clothing. I’ll find us something light to eat.”
She put her hand on his cheek and kissed him back lightly. “Thank you. For everything, Aidan. It means a lot that you and your friends dropped everything to help. I won’t forget that.”
“Don’t thank me until Dina’s safely home,” he growled, his self-control wearing thin. He pointed at a door off the bedroom. “Bathroom is there. Your bag’s inside.”
He watched the swing of her pert backside as she climbed out of bed and scampered to the bathroom. Just lo
oking at her made him so hard he had to force his body back into submission so he could pull on his jeans without amputating his cock. When he walked out into the parlor, he was glad he had. Wallis sat there, reading a newspaper. As it was today’s, he’d obviously popped through the portal and back while Aidan slept.
“Any news?”
Wallis shook his head. “Nothing more relevant than the Lions losing again.” He’d shaved and was dressed in fresh clothing—cargo pants, combat boots and a heavy twill shirt. Before coming to work for Aidan he’d done a stint in the U.S. military, serving in the Middle East. “Mairead’s manning the kitchen here, in case you’re hungry. Would be good to fuel up before we go. Also, I’m supposed to let you know Lord Willow and his son will meet us in Edinburgh. I know they can’t go with you to the meeting, but they can be close and it’ll be good to have someone at your backs.”
“Good.” Aidan crossed the room toward the service hallway which led to the kitchen, while Wallis got up and followed him. “Thank you. You’ve arranged for communicators and tracking devices, right?”
“Of course.” GPS and electronic communicators might or might not work Underhill, but they would if any of the team ended up on the mortal realm side of a portal. Hopefully between Wallis and Desmond, they’d magicked the devices enough to keep them working in either world. “I’ll be working from Scotland, while Lady Rose is at the palace. We’ll have Mairead and a couple of the guards running as go-betweens.”
“I assume you have someone back at the house watching Jennet and Dylan?” He named the groundskeeper and maid Greg had mentioned as being suspicious. “Any activity from them?”
“Not a peep.” Wallis loped along beside Aidan. “Bronwyn’s keeping them both busy with wedding clean-up, under her direct supervision, and she’s got Morgan working with them.”
Morgan, one of the guardsmen, was Toby’s nephew and as loyal as they came. Aidan nodded his approval. “Any word from the hunting lodge?” The advance team had included Ric, Desmond and the three wolves—a small enough group to be relatively unnoticed—with Toby, Jase and two guardsmen following a mile or so behind for backup.
“Just that they collected horses and left on schedule. No messages since that one via the scrying balls, and their communicators won’t reach this far. Anything by phone?” Ric also had a cell phone that worked Underhill, so Aidan would have gotten that call directly. Scrying balls were the Underhill mode of communication—sort of like magical camera phones.
“No, which is good. They were only supposed to contact us in case of trouble.” Aidan couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that they’d overlooked something. It had been way too long since he’d planned any campaign other than a hostile takeover. “And Fianna is safely locked away somewhere?”
“Secure under the watchful eyes of the queen’s personal guard. I checked in with the guardsmen too. Nobody knows anything more than that Oswald has been recruiting.”
“Good.” Once in the kitchen, Aidan turned his attention to his secretary, who was apparently doubling as a cook at the moment. “Miss Sutton will be here in a minute. Is there something light she can eat? She doesn’t care for a lot of meat and her stomach’s understandably touchy this afternoon.”
“Of course.”
After a short discussion, they decided on a menu. Aidan went off to a guest bathroom to clean up and dress for the meeting. His own stomach was less steady than he’d have liked as he donned clean jeans and a fisherman’s sweater with a pair of sturdy hiking boots—perfect for a drive in the Scottish countryside. The combat knife he strapped to his ankle was a bit less legal, as was the automatic pistol hidden in a belt holster beneath the baggy sweater. By the time he returned to the kitchen, Elise was already there, sipping a fruit smoothie under Mairead’s watchful eye. Like him, she was dressed in fresh jeans and a pullover, but in her case both were black, as were her knee-high riding boots. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail that hung to the middle of her shoulder blades. Her only jewelry was a leather-strapped watch and the malachite amulet on a black silk cord he’d given her years earlier. Goddess, but she was beautiful.
“Are you armed?” While Aidan could ’port in additional weapons if he needed them, Elise wouldn’t be able to. Of course that meant she also couldn’t make them disappear if they were accidentally stopped by the police.
She nodded and helped herself to a mini-croissant. Mairead had come through with a tray full of delicate food and another of heartier fare. “My collapsible hanbo sticks are in my purse and I’ve got throwing stars in the pouches on my belt.” She lifted the hem of her sweater enough to reveal a small leather bag on each hip.
“They make collapsible hanbo sticks?” Wallis paused with a thick sandwich halfway to his mouth.
Elise’s lips twisted up in a ghost of a grin. “They make collapsible police batons. They’re a little short for hanbo, but since I’m not all that tall, they work for me. I haven’t used them much in the last five years, but Des still makes me practice once in a while, to make sure I keep in shape.”
“Good for Des.” Aidan agreed with the mage for a change. No woman, no one should ever be helpless. “How about a gun?”
Elise shook her head. “No. I haven’t touched one since before Dina was born—and I won’t keep one in the same house as a child. Besides, I was never that good with them anyway. And stars don’t need to be silenced.”
“Fair enough.” Aidan grabbed half a club sandwich and sat down between Wallis and Elise. He turned to Wallis. “What kind of car do we have waiting?”
“Armored sedan,” Wallis answered. “Top of the line. You’ll appear to be a couple of the gentry out for a picnic in the autumn sunset.”
Aidan winced at the intentional pun. “The Gentry” was an old folk term for the Fae in some parts of Britain. The plan was good, though, so he nodded. “Excellent.”
They finished the rest of their meal in silence.
***
Elise took ten minutes to meditate after eating and it went a long way toward settling her stomach and firming her resolve. Now adrenaline was starting to kick in. It had been a long time since she’d been in a life-or-death situation, but thankfully all her old instincts seemed to still be in place. She held Aidan’s hand as she stepped through the portal in the queen’s office. Wallis had gone through first, then returned to tell them it was clear.
Stepping out of the portal into a lovely sitting room, they were greeted by four Fae, all wearing their human glamours. One of the gifts of the Wyndewin was the ability to detect species, at least most of the time, despite the illusions Fae and others could cast to mask their inhumanity. What her eyes actually saw behind the auras, however, were three men and one woman, all looking worried.
“Lord Willow,” Aidan said to the oldest of the gentlemen. His human guise was that of a fit man in late middle age, tall and lean, like most elves, with a lightly lined face, graying hair and tired hazel eyes.
He reached out his hand to Aidan. “Green Oak. You know my son Clive and the Braeburns, of course.”
“Of course.” Aidan shook hands with each of the three. “Meet Elise Sutton, healer. Elise, this is Clive and Cynric of Willow. Clive’s fifteen-year-old son, Colin, is also missing. Ian and Darla of Braeburn are the guardians here in Edinburgh.”
“Thank you all so much for helping us,” Elise said. She shook their hands, pretending not to notice the faint looks of disapproval from the Braeburns. Why would someone who disliked humans be charged with guarding a portal house? She turned back to Clive, a halfling like Meagan, took his hand again and squeezed it, a rare gesture for her with a stranger. “I promise, if we can do anything to help find the other missing people, we will.”
“Thank you,” Clive said. “My wife is home with my mother and sister—they’re all worried sick.”
Elise grimaced. “Believe me, I understand.”
Lord Willow frowned. “I wish I understood why they want Green Oak and yet none of the rest of us h
ave heard a word. I’d gladly have traded myself for my grandson.”
Aidan shook his head. “I can’t fathom either what it is they want from me. But if giving myself up is what it takes to put a stop to this, that’s what I’ll do.”
“The car is fueled and waiting,” Braeburn offered. “Do you know how to reach Bald Tor from here?”
Wallis handed Aidan a sheaf of printer paper. “I found directions online.”
Mrs. Braeburn checked them over and nodded. “Yes, this is the best route.” She blinked in a pen and scribbled a phone number on the top sheet. “Call us if you need anything.”
“We will.” Aidan took Elise by the arm as they followed the older couple through the stately home to the circle drive, where a sleek black sedan waited. He accepted the keys from Braeburn and walked around to the driver’s side while Wallis held the passenger door open for Elise. Minutes later they were driving across town.
Edinburgh was a beautiful city. Elise stared out the tinted windows at the vibrant blend of ancient and new and sighed. “I always wanted to see Scotland some day. Not like this though. Now all I want is to be at the meeting place as quickly as possible.”
“Perhaps one day I can bring you and Dina back for a visit,” Aidan said. “I don’t know the Braeburns all that well, but there’s another portal in Glasgow. Gordon, the guardian there, used to sail with me on the Faerie Queene. You’d like him, I think.”
“Aidan…” Why did he persist in pretending that they’d see each other after this was all over. Yes, they’d had comfort sex—damned good comfort sex—but it didn’t change anything. He was still a workaholic and after all this she was even less enamored of trying to fit in with the Fae aristocracy. At the party she’d attended with Aidan five years earlier, she’d been snubbed and overtly derided in the ladies’ room by a few snooty elven bitches, though they’d been polite enough in Aidan’s presence. It had been made clear that she wouldn’t be accepted socially on a long-term basis. That had been one of the factors leading to their argument a few weeks later on Christmas Eve.
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