Shadows and Ruins

by Denise A. Agnew

  skin."

  She'd never heard anything quite as erotic as the deep whiskey tones of his voice.

  Tongue-tied, she remained silent as his lips touched beneath her ear. Her heart raced,

  her breath coming faster, and the ache of bitter memories disappeared under the

  pleasure that darted over her skin.

  "Cold?" he asked huskily as his lips traveled to the side of her neck, nestling,

  trailing tenderly to her nape. He changed places, moving his attention to her left ear.

  "No," she whispered, her voice a slender puff of sound as she took in a deep breath

  and shivered in his arms.

  He leaned back slowly and she instantly missed the carnal sensation of his lips

  against her. He gripped the pommel and slid from the saddle. As she looked down at

  him she was caught in the sharp, vivid hue of his eyes. His gaze stayed vigilant and

  devouring, thrilling her deeply. As he lifted his hands, she took the cue and swung her

  leg over the saddle. He clasped her waist and slowly lowered her, letting her body slide

  against his. She grasped his shoulders, anchoring to his solid, immobile strength. She

  brushed against every firm, muscled inch. Slowly, slowly he let her slide down until his

  hard-on nestled in the V of her legs and came up against her clit. Her clit throbbed with

  an almost painful pleasure and she almost drew her legs up around his waist, eager for

  motion, for heat, for the pressure to never end. For a second he held her there, aware in

  a way she couldn't avoid, of his steel hard presence and seized by a deep need that

  started low in her belly and spread outward. Finally her feet touched the ground.

  Excitement winged through her senses, quickening her breath. Gripping her waist, he

  kept her flush against him and her hands rested on his chest.

  "Do you know how much danger you're in?" he asked softly, holding her gaze.

  "You already told me that. From this Shadow Realm."

  "No." He moved, barely a twitch of his head. "From me."

  "You wouldn't hurt me," she said with conviction, knowing it in her bones.

  "I could. In more ways than you know."

  "Because you're a trained killer?"

  He nodded, and a sardonic smile barely touched his lips before it faded. "I can kill.

  But I never have. I've always managed to control a situation before it got that far."

  Relief loosened the last of the tension from her body, and she allowed herself to

  relax against him. "That's something to be proud of. You completed your missions and

  there was no need for…you don't have a death on your conscience."

  Unlike me.

  "And yet you're afraid of me." His gaze flickered relentlessly over her features, as if

  to memorize minute detail.

  "No." Anxiety sliced her as she wondered if he would pull away. "Not anymore. I

  think I was…more afraid of myself than anything."

  He drew his fingers across her cheek in sweet homage. "I see it in your eyes. Part of

  you is afraid to reveal yourself to me."

  "Maybe so." She spoke so softly she wasn't sure she'd said the words or merely

  dreamed them. "Show me that I'm safe, Shane."

  A cocky smile curved his lips as he traced her lower lip with his thumb. "You're not

  safe."

  As Emma's senses took in the excitement of his skin against her lip, she saw things

  about him now with a clarity that fascinated her. The thickness of his eyelashes softened

  his solid gaze, and as his lips parted slightly, the strength of his jaw relaxed.

  "You're trembling," he said, his voice dropping low.

  Bewilderment nagged her as huge sparks of desire exploded in her, each ignition

  building until it throbbed in her belly. Her nipples felt tight and sensitive, her body

  hyperaware of his with every moment that passed. His scent drew her closer, brought

  her near to the edge. His strength, the forbidden knowledge that he'd been in a

  dangerous job and survived it powering up primitive female responses. Every second

  more that he held her, she lost her will to move away.

  "Am I hurting you?" he asked.

  She licked her lips and knew that he saw the gesture. "No."

  Shane dipped his head slightly, and as his arms slid around her, he reached up to

  cradle her neck. As she tipped her head back further to look at him, her hat fell off.

  "Violence is in me, Emma. And I don't know when it might appear or if, when it

  does…if I can stop it." His gaze searched her face, as if trying to read her mind. "I don't

  want to hurt you."

  Thoughts of answering him receded when he lowered his lips until they almost

  touched hers. Time to retreat, Emma, if you're going to. But she couldn't, she wouldn't

  deny herself a few moments of pleasure. She knew, without a doubt, that his kiss meant

  paradise. Giving him permission to touch her, she allowed her eyelids to close.

  His lips brushed hers in a feather caress. Gently he stroked, brushing back and forth

  with soft attention. As a soft breeze danced around them, Emma's world narrowed to

  the scintillating sensation of his mouth tasting hers tenderly. Every breath he took,

  every gentle sweep of his lips on hers built a whirlwind of desire inside her.

  She wanted more.

  So few times in her life had she experienced a peak moment where time rolled

  away and sharpened until nothing mattered but now and all other thoughts

  disappeared. Now the day vanished, the hot plateau, the scrub brush, the trees, the cool

  air, and left her cocooned within a fantasy world where sensation overwhelmed.

  Shane released his grip on her nape, as if assured she wouldn't flee. His arms

  tightened around her, molding as his hands explored her back. His thighs went taut, his

  chest crushing her breasts with a pleasant pain. Slowly his soft, exploring kiss

  deepened, his tongue brushing over her lips with a teasing sensuality that thrummed

  and sent quivers of excitement racing straight into her stomach and between her thighs.

  In all her life, Emma had never known a desire as strong as the one she felt for

  Shane. Regardless of previous questions that had bombarded her, nothing mattered but

  this sweet instant in his arms.

  Slowly he caressed her back then smoothed his hands down until he could cup her

  ass cheeks in both hands. As he squeezed her ass gently, she gasped and his tongue

  took her mouth, caressing and dipping, echoing the carnal movement as he rotated his

  hips against her.

  Answering a primal force, she plunged her fingers into his thick hair and his hat fell

  off onto the ground. Everything about him pleased Emma, crazed her and drove her to

  a mindless place she fell into without hesitation. As she met his tongue with her own,

  caressing hungrily, a sense of inevitability moved within her.

  A low whimper escaped her throat and he reached up to cup her breast. She gasped

  into his mouth as she felt the gentle brush of his thumb over her nipple. Her nipples

  ached to be tasted. Suddenly she didn't care where they were, only that he kiss her,

  touch her, drive her to a heaven she'd dreamed about but never known.

  Fire unleashed in her body. Shane shifted, a low, soft moan leaving his throat. She

  heard his breath quicken, his muscles go tighter. A combined desire ripped loose from

  the moorings and drove them toward a frantic conclusion she couldn't stop. His kiss

  deepened, th
e cadence more frantic. His hands tugged on her shirt as if he wanted

  inside but didn't dare undo the garment that shielded her from his lust. Lost in his kiss,

  she whimpered. She heard a series of pops and the snick of something tearing gently.

  Cool air on her shoulders awakened her to what he was doing. He shoved the plain

  pink cotton, long-sleeved shirt off her shoulders as buttons came undone. One more

  snick, and her bra came undone in front. His mouth devoured hers, his fingers found

  and cupped the round globes of her breasts. Shane moaned against her lips as he

  captured her breasts in both hands and worshipped them like jewels within a special

  treasure. With gentle kneading, he plumped, caressed and shaped her, his large hands

  caressing with a consistent motion she couldn't ignore and that set her senses

  humming. Still he kissed her, his tongue foraging deeply into her mouth. All sense fled

  as he clasped her nipples between fingers and thumbs. He crimped with tender, yet

  steady tugs.

  Oh, yes. God, that feels wonderful. Frantic to find relief from the pounding within her

  core, she stood on tiptoe to align his hard cock with her clit. But he was too tall to do

  this for long, and she returned, flat-footed, to the ground. He growled low in his throat

  and stopped kissing her.

  As he looked down on her, his eyes glimmered with heat, passion and demands.

  For a moment, she thought he would speak. His gaze dropped to the breasts he held,

  and his pupils dilated in appreciation. "Shit, these are beautiful."

  Reverently he lowered his head and tasted one nipple with a single hot lash of his

  tongue. Pleasure soothed through her as his tongue worked the naked tip, his palm

  holding her breast upward for the feast. Her fingers went tight on his shoulders as she

  shuddered under the awakening demands of her body, a body too long denied sexual

  release. As Shane's tongue bathed the puckered areola, she savored how he moaned,

  licked, slurped at the dusky pink skin. She'd never seen anything more erotic in her life

  and wanted with a gnawing demand that propelled her into motion. Whatever

  happened, happened.

  He tortured the other nipple with firm, steady touches, his fingers gentle but

  unrelenting. She tilted her head back and sighed, enjoying with hedonistic delight. "Oh,

  Shane."

  He switched to her other nipple, massaging with long strokes of his tongue then

  settling in to suck with strong pulls. He worked her other nipple with his fingers, and

  she writhed under the exquisite sensations. Heat spiraled low in her stomach and she

  ached, driven by rising passion to find an outlet for her body's relentless ascent into

  sexual overload. She panted, she wriggled in his grip, her hips arching. His cock

  bumped her belly, hard and obviously hungry. The thought sent a twist of desire

  straight to her pussy, and she felt her panties dampen with a rush of liquid.

  "That's it," he said, his voice a whisper so low it blended with the surrounding

  breeze.

  With slow, languorous movements, he released her nipples. She almost moaned

  with disappointment, and her eyes snapped open. Shane's expression, feral and still

  filled with desire unchecked, coasted over her features. His hands slipped upward

  under her torn open shirt and caressed her back.

  Shane inched his way down her body, pausing to pinch at her nipples with one

  sharp tug. Her nipples and pussy seemed intimately connected, the sizzle of his touch

  rolling through her clit and into the folds between her legs. She hissed in a breath as he

  peppered her stomach with quick, desperate kisses. He unzipped and unbuttoned her

  pants, then rose to his feet again to capture her lips in another demanding kiss. She met

  him kiss for kiss, licking her tongue into his mouth before he took over and assertively

  thrust and plundered. He slipped one hand into the back of her jeans, his hand

  kneading her bare ass with rhythm. His fingers worked their way under the elastic

  band of her panties then skirted the crevice between her ass cheeks to work into the

  area between her legs. She gasped into his mouth as the first hot stroke of his long

  fingers pushed into her hot, dripping folds. One long finger barely thrust inside, but it

  felt exquisite. Her body reacted, quivering in fine threads of pleasure as he plied her

  folds with steady attention before pulling back.

  He broke the kiss at the same time, but if she worried he might stop, he proved her

  wrong in the next second. Shane wasted no time kneeling in front of her again. His

  smoldering eyes and his firm grip on her hips said he didn't plan to stop yet.

  She put her hands on his head but couldn't bury her fingers in his luxuriously thick

  hair because he'd restrained it with a tieback. His tongue flicked around her

  bellybutton, his hot breath stirring goose bumps across her skin. She groaned softly,

  falling into a world where nothing mattered but his fabulous touch. When he drew her

  jeans downward with her panties, her heart thumped with forbidden excitement.

  Oh, what am I doing?

  Surrendering. Giving. Discovering what is between us.

  He shoved her garments to her knees and the warm wind brushed like loving

  fingers over her lower butt, her thighs and emphasized her vulnerability.

  He grasped her butt cheeks and then pulled her forward without hesitation. She

  gasped as he buried his mouth in the heated softness.

  Oh, heavens. God. This is… His tongue flicked over her folds. Oh yes! She quavered at

  the rough soft combination as his tongue massaged her labia, laving over sensitive skin

  with steady, long strokes. Heat rose inside her pussy, and she felt her escalating arousal

  flow liquid and creamy. She felt plump, soaked, unbearably excited.

  He drew in a deep breath. "God, you taste good."

  She closed her eyes, her head thrown back as waves of ecstatic enjoyment drew her

  senses into a spiral rising straight upward.

  Another hot lick, and his tongue speared straight between her swollen folds. She

  shuddered. "Oh, Shane."

  He moaned softly and fucked her with his tongue. He reached up and stroked his

  thumb over her clit. Another gasp left her throat. Then his tongue left her channel and

  stroked fast and rhythmically over her clit. She clasped his head between her palms, her

  hips twitching, and gasps of pleasure rising higher as his assertive touch pushed her to

  the edge. With steady persistence, he worked her sensitive clit and wet folds with

  increasing movements she couldn't resist. She fell into the feelings, refusing anything

  from the outside to end this rocking, fantastic ride. A second later, he covered her clit

  with his mouth and sucked. She came apart. She sobbed out a breath as orgasm

  slammed into her. Quavering, shaking, gasping, she took the full force of the blast. He

  held onto her hips as she twitched and writhed and her cries of completion echoed in

  the air.

  Suddenly he drew away and the world came crashing back.

  * * *

  Chapter Eleven

  Shane stood as he drew her panties and her jeans up over her hips. His smile was

  tender and rueful. With a slow, methodical pace, he redid her jeans, her bra.

  Some of her shirt buttons had been lost in the haste. "Sorry about your shirt."

  Still bre
athless with wonder, she said, "I have others. Why are we stopping?"

  "I can't," Shane said huskily as he held Emma at arms' length. His eyes blazed with

  undiminished need. "If I don't stop now, I'll make love to you right here. Right now. I

  want to take you back to the ranch house and show you how much I want you. On the

  bed. In the shower. Wherever you want it." He grinned. "Besides, all we have up here

  are pinecones, pine needles and summer heat to cook our ass. Wouldn't you like to be a

  little more comfortable?"

  She had to agree with that. "Yes."

  "And we need protection," he said. "I'm not getting you pregnant."

  She nodded. "I'm glad you're thinking of that, but I'm on the Pill and I'm healthy."

  His gaze intensified. The slight flush in his cheeks, the unsteadiness in his voice, the

  quickness of his breathing…all of it betrayed him. The man was turned on by her

  statement, by the knowledge he could come into her bareback. If that wasn't enough,

  the huge bulge in his pants would give him away. He wanted her. Yet he was telling

  her that he couldn't go further, couldn't give her what she wanted more than anything

  right this moment. It was maddening and exciting. Trembling with aftershocks, she

  watched as he bent over and picked up both his hat and hers. After Shane handed her

  the baseball cap, she plopped it on her head. He placed the cowboy hat over his

  gleaming hair.

  As the realization of what they'd done vibrated through her in powerful waves of

  reality, she wondered if she'd soon regret their impulsive action. They'd proved their

  physical attraction, but what did she want? A short affair that would burst like a

  supernova, bringing her a deeper pleasure than she'd ever experienced? No. Because it

  would have to end. She took a deep breath, trying to steady the drumming of her heart,

  but she couldn't speak. An ache formed in her heart when he remained silent. He

  walked toward the edge of the ridge and the closer he got to the deadly drop-off, a

  notch of dread rose, unreasonable and unbidden, into her.

  "Shane, don't go so close to the edge," she said suddenly. "Please."

  Keeping his back to her he asked, "Are you afraid I'll step off?"