by Helen Scott
She let her eyes wander down the elegant expanse of skin that was bared to her, and her mouth went dry. Lord, how did she get so lucky? The thought soured in her mind as soon as it occurred. What would he think of her now that he’d seen how vicious she could be? He’d watched her stab two men in the heart and slice the tendons in their knees so they couldn’t get away.
Had he picked up on the fact that she’d been electrocuting them whenever she stabbed them? Or that she’d used too much power too fast and that was how the commanding officer grabbed her? She had been building up to running an electric current over her skin, but it didn’t feel great, and she wasn’t sure she had the power to cover her whole body like that. Well, maybe it wasn’t about the power, but it was definitely about the control. What she needed to do was practice her control, and she needed to get a handle on it soon or she would be a liability to Alec and the rest of the brothers, and after months of fighting to stay alive, she wasn’t about to let her life depend on anyone else.
Alec was her soulmate, and she loved him to the point of pain, but what if he couldn’t love her after what she’d done? She’d understand; it wasn’t like realizing someone was a murderer was an easy thing. She just hoped that he’d realize that she would only ever use her powers like that in self-preservation.
The memory of the gun barrel being pressed to her temple filled her mind. The cold metal slowly warming as the officer dug it into her skin, his voice grating on her like nails on a chalkboard. The other men had held her wrists so she couldn’t let any lightning fly, and for some reason, she’d frozen. That moment had seemed to last forever, like staring into the midnight-blue of the night sky. She knew there was more going on than she could possibly grasp. If she hadn’t known better, she could have sworn she felt the fates pulling the thread of her life taut as they prepared to cut it. The cold shiver of death had swept over her skin, and when she had heard Alec speak, she knew the gun was going to fire.
Ellie had stared at Alec then, hoping that if this was how she was going to go out, at least she would be able to see the love in his eyes. She did, but she also saw an infinite rage that burned in his core that was tinged with pity and guilt. He had nothing to feel guilty about. When the gun didn’t go off and the men had boiled alive instead, the relief she had felt overwhelmed her. It had taken everything she had not to break down and sob right then and there, but that wouldn’t have helped anyone and would have left Alec vulnerable.
He seemed to stir as her thoughts centered on him. His legs thrashed under the blankets, while his hands clenched and released by his sides and his chest heaved. The scent of his sweat prickled the air, and Ellie went to touch his shoulder to wake him from whatever nightmare he was having.
“Ellie!” He shot up in bed, screaming her name, and in that instant, her heart shattered into a million pieces. Her beautiful, brave, passionate man was scared.
“I’m here, Alec. I’m right here,” she said, rubbing circles over his back. She didn’t care what was going on. In that moment, she only wanted one thing—to comfort her soulmate.
He didn’t seem to see her for a moment, so she kept repeating his name, softly calling him to the present.
“Ellie?” Alec finally turned to look at her.
“I’m right here, love.”
“You’re alive,” he said, letting out a shaking breath before he gulped more air in. His hands came up and pulled her head to his so their foreheads rested against each other. “You’re alive,” he whispered once more, as though he was still trying to convince himself that she was real.
“Did ye have a bad dream?” she asked, trying to suppress the shudder that ran through her when she remembered how dark her own thoughts had been moments before he woke.
“He fired the gun before I could stop him. I watched you die.”
The pain in his voice was like knives across her skin. “I’m not dead. Ye cannae get rid of me that easy.” She tried to joke with him, but he pulled away.
“Are you sure about that?” His hands fell from her face, and he put more distance between them as he spoke.
“What d’ye mean by that?”
“You saw what I can do. I’m a monster. I can kill a room full of people in the blink of an eye,” he said with a bitter chuckle. “I was a weapon. I didn’t know it until I was a little older, but I was sent into battles and wiped out full battalions without hesitation. People were terrified of me. I became the bogeyman, the threat in a war that no one wanted to see come to pass. How many wives lost their husbands? How many children lost their fathers because of me? I couldn’t even control it for the longest time, and now I’ve opened the box again and I don’t know if I can get all the pieces back in to close it again. I know I told you about it before, but now you’ve seen it, so I understand if you can’t stay with me.”
“Are you jokin’? Did ye not see me? I killed at least five men, possibly seven depending on if they bled out before you put the whammy on them, and I didn’t bat an eyelid. I electrocuted them. If anyone should be running for the hills, it’s you. At least you know the extent of your powers. I just discovered how powerful I truly am, and now I cannae help but be scared of myself.” Ellie took a breath. Until the moment the words crossed her lips, she hadn’t realized she felt that way, but it was true. She was afraid of herself and what she might be capable of. “I’m different now. Purgatory changed me in ways I cannae explain. I dinnae ken if I’m the same person ye fell in love wi’, and if you want me to go, then I understand, but I do love ye.”
His hands came back up and gently cupped her face. “You’re fiercer and more beautiful than ever, and it has nothing to do with your powers or your new fighting skills and everything to do with the fact that my love for you grows every day.” His mouth was on hers then, and it was hot and wet and everything she wanted. Her lips moved against his, and one of his hands wound its way up into her hair, holding her head in place while his tongue came out and played with hers. The kiss was almost brutal in the unrestrained passion Alec showed toward her.
When they broke for air, Ellie said, “There’s nothing you can do that would send me away from you. I might need time to process, but I’ll always come back to ye.”
“I’ll always find you. Whether you’re kidnapped on Skye or lost in your own head. I’ll come for you, because I love you too damn much to let you go through something like that without being by your side.”
Something clicked, and everything that had been making them pull away from each other was gone. Every barrier smashed. Now, it was just the two of them, the way it was supposed to be. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his. It wasn’t the tempest of lust that his kiss had been a moment ago, but she put so much emotion behind it that her heart hurt from the outpouring of it.
The dynamic changed then. One that had been fueled by lust was now something else, something stronger. It was their commitment to one another, their love for one another shining through. Now the kiss was so much more intimate and became more about them reconnecting than satiating an urgent desire. Not that the desire wasn’t still there—there was an inferno blazing inside her for Alec—but it was about more than that now.
Alec’s mouth moved over hers in a way that set her blood on fire for him, and when his tongue traced the line of her bottom lip, she wanted to melt. Ellie opened her mouth and twined her tongue around his before nibbling on his lower lip. He groaned in response and gently pulled her so she was lying down on the bed next to him. Her hands came up and slid up under his T-shirt. His skin was satin soft to her touch, making her want to feel more of him. She pushed at the bottom of his T-shirt, pulling it up as far as it would go without breaking the contact of the kiss. He took the hint and swiftly removed the T-shirt with only the briefest of breaks in their connection.
As they kissed and licked and gently bit each other, their hands roamed freely. This wasn’t a new coupling. There were no boundaries that they weren’t aware of for each other, and they each knew which bu
ttons liked to be pushed, so when Alec’s hand came up and squeezed her breast over the cotton of the T-shirt she’d fallen asleep in, she moaned and let her head roll back.
He took advantage of the opening and his head came down, connecting her neck with the heat of his lips. His teeth grazed her collarbone, making her skin break out in goosebumps. Being touched and kissed by Alec was heaven. When he trapped her pert nipple between two fingers and moved them back and forth, the soft cotton became rough and tantalizing as it scraped against her delicate skin, making her gasp and her hips swirl ever so slightly.
“By the gods, Ellie, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” Alec rasped out as he moved on top of her, positioning himself between her legs. Now that both his hands were free, he cupped both breasts, gently squeezing them, as they felt heavy with desire. His fingers found both of her nipples, and as they began to squeeze and roll the taut peaks, her breath came faster and was punctuated with gasps when he pinched a little harder than before.
Whenever she gasped or moaned, his hips would rock against her, making her body tight with need and excitement. Eventually he couldn’t take it anymore and pushed her T-shirt up, allowing her breasts to spill free from the confines. Ellie pulled the rest of it over her head, and as soon as she lay back down, his mouth was on her creamy flesh and kissing a line from one aching pink tip of a nipple to the other, and the whole time, his stubble grazed her sensitized flesh, making her writhe in anticipation.
She wasn’t sure how much more foreplay she could take. Her body was beginning to take on a life of its own as it swiveled and swayed, trying to make contact with Alec’s thick erection. He’d let her, but only for a moment before he’d shift his position and tease her body in some new unexpected way. Finally, his hands slipped under her and grabbed her butt, squeezing the cheeks before he hooked a finger on each side of her shorts, pulling them down her legs slowly, allowing the material to trail all the way as he stoked the fire that already raged within her.
He picked up one of her small feet and ran his hands down the leg as he kissed along her calf muscle to the back of her knee. At the same time, his fingers just skimmed the tight curls that lay at her core, letting her know that he was within touching distance but wasn’t going to give her what she so desperately wanted. At least, not yet. Gently, he spread her legs so she was completely bared to him. Her chest heaved as her body coiled even tighter with need.
Alec’s rough fingers skimmed the skin of her other leg, up and down, until they brushed against her most tender flesh. Without warning, he slid a finger into her wet heat, and she almost screamed in pleasure then. Instead, what came out was a half grunt, half moan. Then he did touch her, his finger moving out of her tight depths, and began circling her clit, driving her to the edge of an orgasm before backing away. Her short, heated breaths only seemed to push him to tease her further.
As her hands uselessly grasped at the sheets, all she could do was whisper, “Please . . .”
He knew what she wanted, what she needed, and was ready and willing to give it to her. His finger thrust into her once before he added two more, stretching her. He thrust into her again and again before withdrawing to circle her clit. The pressure of an orgasm was suddenly there, and on the next circle of his fingers, she let out a ragged scream while her body pulsed with pleasure. Wave after wave of it crashed on her, and as Alec refused to relent, her body began bucking against him, desperate for his cock, for the completion it would provide.
Alec, on the other hand, had other ideas.
His luscious mouth was back on her breasts, his stubble scraping her skin, making her arch into him as his tongue swirled around her nipple. Ellie’s breath caught as his fingers sank into her sex once again. She felt herself throb around him as he pushed against her. Her hand went to his head and tugged on his hair to pull him up to her mouth, but it had the opposite effect. Alec went south instead of north. Not that she was complaining.
Soft lips kissed their way down her abdomen, nibbling at her hips before he nuzzled his way between her legs. She wasn’t sure she could take another orgasm, but with one flick of that devilish tongue of his, her body let her know that it was ready and willing for more.
The fine, subtle, circling movements he made started a frenzied feeling within her, one that wouldn’t be completely satisfied until he was buried deep inside her. The rhythm he set was hypnotic, and Ellie fell into it freely, her hips rocking in time with his thrusting fingers until she felt the orgasm start to build. This time it was more intense. Her already sensitive flesh wouldn’t take much more before she fell over the edge into the abyss of pleasure.
When Alec’s tongue replaced his thrusting fingers and his thumb circled around her bud of desire, she thought she might lose her mind. The sensations of his hard fingers and soft tongue were delicious as he continued to stroke her. Ellie’s body exploded with pleasure without warning. The orgasm had been building, and she had been too distracted by Alec’s attentions to notice. Her hips bucked and her body jerked as she let the orgasm wash through her.
It seemed like minutes had passed by the time the world came back into focus again, and she found Alec staring at her, his blue eyes scorching with desire. Ellie felt like she was sitting on a beach in the sun. His gaze was so hot, and the way he raked it down her body made her shiver with anticipation.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you most,” he whispered back as he leaned in for a kiss.
He didn’t expect her to push him onto his back, and it startled a chuckle out of him. When she climbed on top, the chuckle turned into a sharp intake of breath, and his head fell back as her sex rested against his arousal. She could feel the heat of it against her own skin, like she was standing in front of a fireplace.
At first, she mimicked him, playing with his nipples with her fingers, but she was too impatient to tease him the way he had teased her. Ellie brought her mouth down to first one nipple and then the other, coaxing the dark, flat skin into tight peaks while she listened to the music of Alec’s breathing change, becoming more ragged. When she gently scraped her teeth over one of his nipples, he moaned and his hips rocked up to her, sliding him along her slick skin. She felt every inch of him as he moved, and it was too much. She’d waited too long, and now she needed him inside her more than she needed to mercilessly tease him. She could save that for another day.
As she pulled back, she reached between them and angled his cock just right so she could feel it parting her folds. His breath hissed in through his teeth as she slid his swollen head into her molten need. Ellie slowly eased herself down onto him until he filled her completely and their hips met once more. She paused for a moment, allowing her body to adjust to his size, before she began to move.
When she pulled back, Alec’s body jerked and he let out an almost pained grunt as his hands came up, grabbing her firmly by the hips. She could feel his fingers digging in and pulling her back down onto him, and for a moment, she allowed him to dictate the speed and movement, because if he was anywhere near as sensitive as she had been, then she didn’t want to overwhelm him. Slowly she rocked her hips back and forth, not moving up and down, but circling him around inside her. She needed more, though. She needed the pounding flesh, the sharp aggressive thrusts that only he could give her, but that would have to wait a moment. First, she wanted to ride him and just enjoy the feeling of him inside her.
Ellie lifted her hips until just his head remained within her core. She held herself there for a moment, enjoying watching him writhe in pleasure, before sheathing him fully once more. Quickly, she picked up her pace, and his hips began to rise to meet hers in a sensual rhythm.
Alec sat up unexpectedly, throwing off her pace, but his arms wrapped around her and crushed her to him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him, and was pleasantly surprised by the new sensations from the position. They’d tried it before but not from her starting out on top. He rocked against her, and she swiveled h
er hips in response. Alec’s hands cupped her butt and her back as he moved her to lying back on the bed without ever pulling out.
It was his turn then, and he started out slow, inching in and out of her until the pace was going to drive her mad. As she looked up at him, the words forming a plea on her lips as she was about to ask him to go faster, he chuckled. It was rich and sexy and vibrated through her whole body. She loved it.
He began to move then, and it was all she could do to keep up. The aggressive claiming of her body that she’d been wanting was now there, and she was loving every second of it. Each stroke of his erection inside her was pure bliss. He pulled her legs up and hooked them over his shoulders. His already large cock now felt enormous inside her, and he slowed his thrusts so he didn’t overwhelm her, but the fierceness of his movements remained. She could hear flesh slapping against flesh, the ragged breathing of her soulmate, and her own galloping heart in the world’s most intimate symphony, until it all became too much and everything fractured.
The most intense orgasm of her life had her screaming Alec’s name in ecstasy as the light show that she always put on flared around them. She heard Alec shout her name as his body speared into her once, twice more, his manhood pulsing within her. He sagged onto her, his breath shallow and fast while he lay sweet kisses along her neck. Finally, the haze of her orgasm seemed to fade, and her brain could function again. A smile that was probably a mile wide spread over her face. She’d missed him so much.
“Was that okay?” he asked, sounding almost drunk with pleasure.
“Aye, more than okay, ye silly man,” Ellie said as she stroked his rich brown hair. She loved that he always checked in, always wanted to make sure she was satisfied before he passed out.
“You’re an amazing woman, Eilidh MacLeod, and I love you, but I’m not sure I can keep my eyes open.”
There was a bone-deep exhaustion within her, as well, so she said, “Ye dinnae have to as long as I get to cuddle ye.”
