Best to get it out in the open. “You’re a Fire Talent, Kiarra. And once word gets out, an army will start gathering to protect you.”
Kiarra blinked. “Fire Talent? Like in the legends?” Some of her mother’s stories had been about the Four Talents. While she didn’t remember much, she did recall that each Talent’s elemental magic was stronger than other first-borns and full of tricky secrets.
Jaxton nodded and she looked away. True, her powers worked differently now than before the experiments, but that didn’t automatically make her a Talent. Jaxton must know something she didn’t. She looked back up at him. “Why do you think I’m a Talent?”
“You can play with your abilities later, compare them with what you find in the legends, and find all the proof you need. For now, you’ll just have to take my word.”
She studied Jaxton’s face, knowing he waited to see what she’d do.
It had been so long since she’d trusted anyone that Kiarra barely understood the concept anymore. But as she eyed the tall Brit in front of her, she remembered how Jaxton had chosen to stay with her despite the out she’d offered. No one had ever really stood by her like that, offering support when the path ahead was difficult.
Even back when she’d been faced with Cam’s sudden appearance, she’d chosen to go to Jaxton, wanting the comfort of his presence. She’d been fighting it tooth and nail, but deep down, she’d started trusting him since that moment.
Still, the feeling was new and she didn’t quite know how to handle it, especially as everyone else she’d trusted in the past had let her down. She would trust him, but on her own terms. “I think you believe your words.” She put up a hand to stop him from interrupting. “But I want to find out more about the legends and my own abilities before I start thinking of myself as different from other first-borns. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s reasonable.”
“Fair enough.” He released her shoulders and put out a hand to shake. “If we’re going to work together, then from here on out, we share everything. Agreed?”
Kiarra hesitated before taking his hand. Something had just shifted in their relationship and it terrified her.
Jaxton tightened his grip and she yelped as he pulled her forward. He whispered into her ear, “Look forward to later, pet, because there’s another front I’m not giving up on either.”
“And what would that be?”
He moved closer, his breath hot against her ear. “The next chance I get, I plan to do much more than kiss you.”
Kiarra’s breath hitched. Her body was on fire as Jaxton led her out of the room, but not because of her magic.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kiarra frowned at the map on the table. “So North Berwick Law is the name of a hill?”
“Law is a Scots word for hill,” Jaxton answered automatically. “Where in the watch-house ruins on North Berwick Law did Giovanni say we can find the clue?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I thought my job was to get the clue while you played lookout.”
Jaxton shrugged. “Anything could happen, you know that.”
Kiarra pushed off from the table and dropped into a nearby cushy chair. Their new location was nothing more than a studio flat in eastern Edinburgh. Small, yet cozy, with a bed, a fireplace, and a “wee” kitchen.
It’d taken several hours to reach the flat and Jaxton hadn’t wasted a second, teaching Kiarra a few more of his tricks along the way. Jaxton’s drills of choosing the safest routes to go unnoticed and reciting DEFEND safe-house locations had distracted her from earlier revelations. Even now, she focused on their plan for following Gio’s instructions rather than on Jaxton’s unfulfilled promise or his claim that she was a Talent. She wasn’t quite ready to tackle either one.
She adjusted her position in the chair and said, “The clue will be buried in the only remaining corner of the watch-house ruins, under a rock, before tomorrow afternoon.”
Jaxton took out his new phone and pushed some buttons before laying it on the table. “Right, some people are going to watch that hill for me and let me know if anyone shows up.” Jaxton walked over to her and held out a hand. “Now that that’s settled, it’s time to train for a bit.”
She didn’t take his hand and gave a pointed look around the small room. “Where, exactly, are we going to do that? On the roof?”
Jaxton wiggled his fingers. “Are you ever going to cooperate easily?”
“No.”
Jaxton smiled. “Bloody woman.” He reached down, took her hand, and pulled her up before turning her around and placing his hands on her waist. She should scold his manhandling, yet part of her wanted him to move his hands higher, pull her up against his chest, and encircle her so she could feel safe in his arms again.
His hands stayed on her hips, but he did move in closer, surrounding her with his male scent mixed with soap. She resisted a shiver at the heat of his body against her back.
Jaxton leaned his mouth next to her ear. “We’re going to work on your concentration. Call up your fire.”
Kiarra closed her eyes, but Jaxton pinched her hip and said, “Keep them open and on your target.”
She opened her eyes and elbowed Jaxton in the ribs. Hard. “All right, teacher, what is my target? The fake plant in the corner?”
“That’ll do.”
She kept her eyes on the plant and channeled her heat outward as before. Without looking, Kiarra knew there was a flame surrounding each of her hands. The heat tickled against her skin and she realized how much she’d missed it over the years.
“Now,” Jaxton said, “make the fire dance in front of you.”
The air was full of elemental energy particles, each compass direction holding a higher concentration of a specific element. If she could find a way to draw the elemental fire particles to her flame, she could direct the fire to jump from energy particle to energy particle, appearing as a constant stream of flame to those without the ability.
She concentrated and sensed the change in the air, attuned to the gathering energy in front of her. The flame jumped from her hands to its new fuel source, creating an arc of fire that extended out six inches from her chest.
Kiarra wanted to celebrate, but maintained her concentration for a few seconds before Jaxton nuzzled the side of her head and stroked the right side of her ribcage. She was hyperaware of his touch, and before she realized it, her fire extinguished as her hormones battled for control of her brain.
Jaxton stilled his fingers and she felt his smile against her ear. “Is that the best you can do? Try again.”
Kiarra repeated the process, determined to best Jaxton. When she had another stream of fire dancing in front of her again, Jaxton started to stroke her side, but she was prepared. The touch prodded her to expand the flame farther away, creating a larger swath of fire.
Jaxton blew into her ear. The flame flickered for a split second before she regained control, extending its reach. Her fire was now only a few inches short of the plant in the corner.
“Now, try to surround the plant, but don’t destroy it,” Jaxton whispered.
Just as she directed the fire a little closer to the plant, Jaxton traced his finger up the side of her neck. He continued to stroke her sensitive skin, and Kiarra gritted her teeth. She would reach the plant if it killed her.
Careful not to melt the plastic, Kiarra encircled the outside leaves. The next few leaves would include the stem, making it tricky, but she pushed forward. Then Jaxton nipped her neck and the fire disappeared, leaving behind a small branch of melted plastic.
She let out a growl and turned around to find the bastard was smiling. “Is it a habit of yours to bite trainees?”
“Only the ones that taste as good as you.” He swirled his finger in the air, indicating for her to turn around. “Now, try it again. If you can’t concentrate with something as small as a nip on your neck, then you bloody well won’t be able to block out the people fighting, and possibly dying, around you.”
Kiarra was ab
out to protest, but then she had an idea. She turned around as directed, but before he could tell her what to do, she reached back and grabbed his genitals. He drew a sharp breath and Kiarra smiled. “If you can’t concentrate with someone’s hand on your balls, then you might not be able to block out the distractions around you when you’re fighting.”
She gave a light squeeze, surprised to find him hard. The image of his erection free of his clothing, open to her touch and her mouth, made her lower belly tighten and her panties damp.
“Is that how you want to play it, pet?” Jaxton whispered before cupping her and rocking the heel of his hand against her clitoris.
She gasped. No one had touched her so intimately since Ty.
No. She wouldn’t let the past invade the present, and when Jaxton flicked her beaded nipple with his free hand, she leaned her head against his shoulder and inhaled his addictive scent. The stubborn and bossy man behind her was the only one she wanted to think about right now, especially as he rocked his hand against her again.
Careful not to let her arousal turn her hands into coals, she stroked Jaxton’s erection through his pants, imaging how soft yet hard he’d feel in her palms. Jaxton thrust into her hand and bit her earlobe. “Are you wet for me, pet?”
Kiarra should feel embarrassed, but his words shot straight between her legs. “Yes.”
“Good.” Jaxton tilted her head at an angle and kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue. He put his hands on her breasts and pinched her nipples. Kiarra moaned, dug her nails into Jaxton’s scalp, and arched into his touch, wanting him to do it again.
Jaxton broke their kiss just long enough to turn her around, grab her ass, and pull her up against his body. As he lifted her, Kiarra instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and rubbed against him. She purred as the seam of her jeans created a wonderful friction.
This time, she knew what she wanted, without reservations. The past would no longer control her.
“Skin,” she managed. “I want to feel your skin against mine.”
Jaxton groaned at the pressure of Kiarra rubbing against his cock. He managed to reach the bed and get them both horizontal without disentangling Kiarra from his body.
He braced himself on his forearms and looked down at Kiarra, flushed with kiss-bruised lips. He wanted to rip her clothes off and plunge into her wet heat, pounding until they both forgot about their troubles.
But this was her first time with him, and after what she’d revealed about her time inside the AMT, he needed to be careful. She hadn’t frozen at any of his touches yet, but there was still a chance she would again.
Kiarra gazed at him with heavy-lidded eyes and pulled up her shirt, revealing her abdomen. “Before this shirt goes any higher, you’re going to take yours off.”
Jaxton was stubborn, but not daft. He took off his shirt and let Kiarra’s hands roam over his chest. But when she scraped his nipple, his patience evaporated. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, sucking and biting her bottom lip before trailing kisses down her neck. She arched her back, jutting her breasts forward, but Jaxton avoided them on his path downward, instead kissing the exposed skin of her belly. He smiled at her noise of frustration.
His hands roamed over her abdomen before pulling her top up over her breasts and tracing around the taut peaks of her nipples through her bra. Kiarra pushed away his hands, and Jaxton froze. But when she pulled her top over her head and slid off her bra straps, he chuckled. “So impatient.”
“And you, sir, are a tease.”
He moved up and traced the top of her breast, just above the cup. “Don’t worry, pet, you’ll thank me later.”
She snorted. “For a self-assured sex god, you’re not doing a very good job.”
If Kiarra could tease him, she was more than ready. Jaxton pulled her bra down and gazed at her lovely breasts, round and full, greedy to see them bounce when she rode him. He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth, lapping and biting the taut peak before moving and doing the same to her other breast.
Kiarra’s hands were on his shoulders, and he rubbed her forearms before kissing the spot between her breasts, and continued lower. When he reached the top of her jeans, Kiarra’s nails dug into his shoulder. He licked her belly just about her waistband and blew. “I can’t show you the full extent of my sex-god powers unless we take off your jeans.”
Kiarra giggled, the sound a tinkle of delight he would never tire of, and her hold relaxed. He looked up and raised an eyebrow, hooking his fingers under the waistband of her jeans. “Just don’t burn me into a crisp, okay? I’m quite fond of my cock.”
She tapped his arse with her foot, and Jaxton took that as encouragement. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had teased him in bed. He’d kept women at a distance since his brother’s capture, focusing solely on his family, but somehow Kiarra had found her way around his internal barriers. Not surprising, since the woman was as stubborn as an ox.
Smiling at the thought, he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, kissing the patch of skin just above her knickers. This was the point of no return, but a quick glance told him Kiarra was still with him and willing. As he slid down Kiarra’s jeans, exposing her knickers, his mouth watered; all he wanted to do was taste her.
Her legs now bare, he traced a finger up the inside of her thigh to the edge of her knickers, tracing one side and then the other, but never dipping beneath them into her dark curls. Kiarra raised her hips as she made a noise in her throat, and he said, “Tell me what you want, pet. Your wish is my command.”
She looked down at him, her face flushed and eyes dilated, and Jaxton couldn’t remember seeing a more beautiful sight. She licked her lips and he focused on the act, barely restraining himself from crawling back up to kiss her again. His voice was a growl even to his own ears when he said, “Well?”
“Touch me.”
He smiled, rubbing her thighs. “But I am touching you.”
She narrowed her eyes, her face a bright pink. “Are you really going to make me say it?”
He grinned. “Show me where.”
For a second, Kiarra kept her hands clenched in the sheets, but eventually she raised one over her knickers and ran a finger down her swollen folds. His cock jumped, wishing he could see her do that while naked.
All in good time. “As you wish, pet.” He traced her opening through her knickers, proud that she soaked the material—for him. Deciding she’d had enough torture, he plunged a finger into her curls and groaned at her wetness.
He stroked up toward her clit, but drew a path around the sensitive bundle, avoiding direct contact, and traced back to her entrance. Kiarra breathed his name and he lost his restraint, impatient to taste her. He leaned down and kissed her through her knickers. Kiarra raised her hips, and he dragged her knickers down past her knees and pushed her legs wide; she was pink and glistening.
He growled, but resisted tasting her until he blew a hot breath into her folds. Kiarra wiggled and he delved his tongue inside her, lapping her sweet wetness before licking up to her clit and swirling it with his tongue.
Kiarra thrust her hands into his hair and moaned. After sucking her clit between his teeth, he thrust a finger into her wet heat, barely aware of Kiarra mumbling his name. He continued to thrust his finger while lapping and swirling her clit with his tongue. Soon Kiarra was moving in time to his rhythm, so he added a second finger and thrust deeper.
He bit her clit lightly and he felt her tense before her muscles started to spasm around his fingers. Once her muscles relaxed, he stilled his fingers, removed them, and took one last plunge with his tongue. The taste of her orgasm nearly made him come in his trousers.
Jaxton kissed Kiarra just above her curls, before rubbing his hands up her body, gently squeezing her breasts, and nipping her neck. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes half-lidded. Jaxton brushed the hair off her forehead and said, “I told you that you’d thank me later.”
She gave a half-hearted glare, but ruin
ed it with a smile. Kiarra reached up and pulled his head down. “Just shut up and kiss me.”
One minute Kiarra lay boneless, recovering from her orgasm, and the next she’d ordered Jaxton to kiss her. The combination of his weight settling between her thighs and the taste of herself in his mouth made her sex throb, aching to be filled. Jaxton’s mouth and fingers had been glorious, but she wanted his hardness inside her.
She raised her hips against Jaxton’s jean-clad erection and moved. He groaned into her mouth and Kiarra broke the kiss. “Why do you still have your pants on?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Because once they come off, I don’t think I can stop myself from pounding into your tight, wet sheath.”
Another jolt went between her legs at his blunt words. But then she realized he was minding her feelings. Her heart softened, and she reached up to stroke his shoulders. “But that’s exactly what I want you to do.”
Jaxton growled. “Be very sure about this, Kiarra.”
She ran her fingers under his waistband. “Take them off.”
He was up and out of his pants and boxers so fast, Kiarra barely registered he was gone before he laid his weight over her again. His skin touched hers, and she reveled in the heat of his body. There was no panic or fear, only desire, comfort, and a sense of safety.
Jaxton moved his hips and his erection rubbed against her, creating more wetness between her legs. She tried to wrap a leg around Jaxton’s waist, but he pushed it back down and said, “I need you to help me with something first, pet.”
He sat up and she couldn’t keep her eyes off of his jutting erection, the tip already glistening.
“If you keep looking at it like that, wetting your lips, I’m going to come right now.” Kiarra looked up before he continued, “Now, sit up.”
He put his hands out and she took them. Once she was upright, she stared at his erection again and reached out to touch it. A bead formed on the tip, and without thinking, she put her finger there, rubbing the liquid around the head. Jaxton inhaled deeply and grabbed her wrist.
Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats) Page 19
