All But Lost (The Gifted Realm Book 6)

by Jillian Neal

  Turning off of the highway, he began the twisting two lane roads that lead further away from city life. Fionna checked the map on his phone for him as he navigated the narrowing roads. They watched light, fluffy snow gather on the pine trees and melt on the blacktop.

  Turning around once, Dan pulled beside a small, brown, shack-like building that was the check in for the chalets. He leaned and pulled the fake license he’d created from the file folder.

  Placing it in his wallet, he explained, “I’m gonna cast the car, so don’t get out, okay?

  Giving him his smile, Fionna nodded. She tried to take in the area through the dark.

  “I’ll be right back.” He leaned and kissed her cheek before sliding out of the Expedition into the freezing night air. He immediately casted the car in his shield and added heat to keep her warm.

  She blew him a kiss and then summoned to light one of the interior lights. She began flipping through a magazine she’d brought along. Dan jogged inside, pulled open the clapboard door, and brushed the snow off of his coat before smiling at the elderly couple seated near the fire.

  “You must be Mr. Mueller?” the woman inside soothed as she moved behind a small desk. Her sweet smile smoothed a few of the wrinkles on her kind face.

  “Yes ma’am.” Dan always felt guilty for giving an alias to anyone that wasn’t either a criminal or involved in law enforcement in any way. He pulled his wallet from his pocket, slipped the fake ID out, and handed it to her. He’d already paid via his credit card over the phone, making hiding his identity much easier.

  “That’s fine, dear,” she patted his hand not really looking at the license. “Now where’s your lovely bride?” She began gathering brochures and placing them in a small basket.

  “Oh.” Dan knew he’d made the reservations for two, but he hadn’t referred to Fionna as his wife. “She’s in the car. I didn’t want her to get cold.” He decided not to correct the woman.

  Dan glanced at the man seated in a rocking chair near the small fireplace. He appeared to be dozing.

  The woman sighed, “When we were your age, we used to stay out late dancing the night away. Now, he’s asleep as soon as he sits down after his supper.”

  Dan chuckled politely, “Must just be content.”

  Giving Dan another warm smile, she handed him the basket that contained the keys and maps to the chalet he’d rented, along with brochures for things to do all the way back down the mountain.

  She’d added a bottle of wine and a baguette. “Well, there is something to be said for contentment, but try to enjoy every moment you have. They go away so quickly. We never know when the people we love won’t be with us anymore.”

  Dan’s jaw clenched. Dammit, not tonight. He wasn’t going there. Amelia was long gone. He’d somehow been given a second chance at love and at life. He just had to keep her safe.

  “Have a lovely Valentine’s, dear. Make good memories. Let her know how much you appreciate her. She’ll carry those with her when you’re asleep by the fire in your rocking chair on Valentine’s night a few years from now,” she laughed.

  “Thank you, I will.” Dan offered her a wave and sincerely hoped that at some point in the next few hours her husband awoke and celebrated Valentine’s Day with his wife.

  After releasing the cast on the car, Dan crawled in and began studying the map to the chalet. Each cabin was situated off of the main road along a different lane. The cabins were spaced several miles apart, offering the renters complete privacy.

  Snow continued to fall, but it remained off of the cement lanes. It created a picturesque scene on the moonlit trees that lined the narrow lanes.

  Fionna leaned and nuzzled her head near his neck, inhaling deeply.

  Chuckling, Dan leaned and kissed her cheek. “You okay, baby doll?”

  “Yes. It’s just that you smell like a fire and your cologne, all masculine and yummy. It makes me want you really bad,” she teased with a twinkle in her eye.

  Grinning at her, Dan reached and squeezed her thigh. “Believe me, the feeling is mutual. I’ll see if I can’t take care of all of those wants when we find our chalet.”

  Glancing back at the map, Dan took the last turn and drove up a long one-lane road.

  “Here it is.” He parked the Expedition next to a two-story chalet. Fionna smirked. “Well, it’s certainly secluded, Mr. Alexander Mueller,” she sassed before cracking herself up.

  Thinking she was adorable, Dan joined in her laughter as they exited the Expedition. “Saw that did you?”

  She nodded as Dan began gathering up their things before getting out of the car.

  “Yes,” she giggled. “Now is that the name I should call out when you drive me wild, or is Dan still all right?”

  Shaking his head, he opened the back of the SUV and gathered up the many varied bags she’d packed. “Well, the lady that took the reservation apparently believes that you are Mrs. Mueller, so does that mean I get to call you my old lady?”

  Fionna grabbed a few of the lighter bags and headed up the walkway towards the front door. He saw her bend over as he leaned to gather the food bags as well.

  Suddenly, a loosely formed snowball slapped his backside with a thwack, soaking his jeans. Fionna cracked up as she shot him a look that dared him to retaliate.

  “Careful there, baby doll. Don’t get in over your head.”

  With a knowing laugh, Fionna waited on him to unlock the door. “You won’t throw a snowball at me.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, really, because I’m a girl and you’re a perfect gentlemen,” she informed him smugly. “Until I get you between the sheets.”

  Dan turned the key in the lock, chuckling at her assessment. He stepped back and let Fionna enter ahead of him. As she went by, he swatted her backside much harder than he normally would have. “Behave, Ms. Styler. You never know what I might do.”

  “Yum, do it again,” she sassed as he followed her in the house.

  Dan set the boxes and bags in the entryway, giving her a longing growl before he returned to the car for the last few items.

  Setting them down, he gave Fionna a hungry grin. “Come here, baby doll.”

  Narrowing her eyes, having figured out that he was up to something, she moved to him slowly. He grabbed her waist and jerked her the rest of the way. He slipped his hands up the wool sweater she was wearing, and pressed his massive, freezing cold hands against her back. He’d run them through the snow on his way back inside.

  She shrieked and tried to wiggle away, laughing hysterically. He tickled her as she continued to try and escape. He kept her trapped with ease.

  “Dan!” she shrieked. “Your hands are freezing!” She stamped her feet making him laugh.

  “I know.”

  “Let go of me!”

  “Never!” He didn’t let go of her, but a moment later he summoned heat from the room and soothed what he’d done.

  She giggled and settled down to let him warm her back up. He scooped her up and carried her to the large sectional sofa in the middle of the cozy living room. The chalet did have rustic décor, but the amenities were quite nice.

  “Can I ask you something?” She folded her body up against his, nuzzling her face between his shoulder and neck again.

  “In just a minute, you can ask me anything you want. Right after I do this.” He tracked one hand out from under her sweater and used it to cradle her face tenderly. He leaned and guided her mouth to his.

  He kissed her slowly, hesitantly, with a sinful pressure that spoke volumes as to his plans for their evening. He licked the perfect curve of her cupid’s bow and then devoured her luscious lips. Slipping the hand that was on her cheek to thread it through her hair, he leaned her back, letting his other hand cup her backside.

  He pulled her closer as he began slowly consuming her. He dipped his tongue between her lips as she let them fall open for him.

  With a great deal of that sexy grace she had, she leaned up and straddled her
legs on either side of his so she could grind against him.

  A hungry groan, low and rumbling, echoed from his lungs. His right hand reached down the back of those jeans that made him ache every time he caught a glimpse of her ass. He grasped her backside firmly and began guiding her hips in a rhythmic dance around his rapidly hardening length.

  She sucked his tongue and let her hand trail down his open jacket, then traced her fingers up his zipper line, but something else had distracted Dan.

  He felt the fishnet lace on the panties, but there were metal clasps running along the center of her lush cheeks. His mind spun as he continued to explore. He pushed his hands lower and found a silky crotch. The clasps extended all the way to her opening. His cock threatened to unzip his jeans itself. A man could only take so much tempting, and she was sliding her crotch up and down over him.

  He moved his hands back to the top of the panties and confirmed his theory. Hook and eye closures, similar to what might be on a bra, joined the panties together.

  She pulled away with a sexy grin that said she was very anxious for him to release her in every possible way.

  “Have I mentioned how much I love your lingerie?” His voice strained. He was on ragged edge, and she knew it.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” she leaned in for another slow sensuous kiss. Her eyes were at half-mast, hungry and dark. But, after another taste of his lips, she pulled away and laid her head on his shoulder.

  His heart still pounding, he forced himself to slow. He cradled her to him feeling her warmth and her tender healing spread through him as he held her. He felt contentment soothe her soul as she let him wrap her body up in his.

  “What did you want to ask me, baby doll?” he gently reminded her.

  Feeling her smile against him, he listened to her sweet giggle.

  “I don’t remember.”

  Conversations

  Laughing, Dan was delighted. He squeezed her tightly, still trying to imagine what her delectable ass would look like in the panties he’d just run his hands all over.

  “Okay, do you wanna look around and see if you remember?”

  “Yeah, let’s explore.” She climbed out of his lap.

  “Oh, honey, believe me, I plan to explore those panties in depth.” He took her hand, summoned, and lit the lamps around the chalet.

  “I was certainly hoping you would. That’s why I bought them.”

  They walked hand in hand into the kitchen. “I’m not sure what you paid for them, but I promise, I’ll put them to very good use.”

  She gave him a broad grin as they traveled back through the cozy living room. Dan lit the gargantuan fireplace with his hand, watching the room take on a soothing glow.

  “Is there water running somewhere?” Fionna’s brow furrowed.

  “Ah.” Dan smiled as he led her to the one bedroom in the chalet. Lighting the fireplace in the bedroom, which was much smaller than the one in the living room, he pulled back curtains that ran the length of one entire wall to reveal glass doors.

  Fionna’s mouth fell open as her eyes lit excitedly. Dan slid one of the doors open and they stepped out into an enclosed sunroom that contained a small, heated, stone swimming pool. One side of the pool consisted of a small waterfall. There was a cozy nook behind the falls constructed of stone as well.

  “Wow,” she gasped furthering his delight. “This is amazing!”

  “I think you’re pretty amazing.”

  Giving him his favorite grin, she wound her arms around his neck. “Did you know that I have a waterfall fantasy, Officer Vindico?”

  Certain his jeans were never going to become comfortable again, Dan panted. “That so?” He braced her backside in his hand again, making certain she felt what she was causing. “If you’ll tell me your fantasies, baby doll, I’ll do my best to make them all come true.” His voice was low. His entire body ached.

  “Just feeling how much you love me when we’re together is better than any fantasy I could ever have dreamed up.”

  “Yeah, well, I still want to hear the fantasies. So would you like to play in the waterfall, or would you like to have dinner? Or you could open your present?”

  “I thought this was the present.” She gestured to the chalet.

  Scoffing, Dan shook his head. “This is the house where I get to hold you hostage all alone with me for the next forty-eight hours, honey. This is not the present.”

  “Sure sounds like a present to me.”

  After deciding that they were hungry, Dan helped Fionna heat a few of the things Kara had packed. He poured two glasses of red wine and set them on the small glass table in the dining area of the living room.

  “I remembered what I was going to ask.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip just the way she did when he was about to send her over.

  “What, baby?” He managed to answer without taking his eyes off of her lips. “That looks absolutely delicious by the way.”

  She smiled. “Well, your sister made it, not me.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the food.” He watched heat creep seductively up her slender neck and settle in her cheeks. “Now what did you want to know?”

  “How do you choose your aliases? Do you just pick a name and go with it?”

  Smiling at her, he nodded. “Sometimes you do just have to pick a name if you’re having to do it on the fly, but that can be really dangerous because you have to remember to answer to that name whenever someone says it, just like you would your real name. So if I get a chance to create a name, then I try to pick something that interests me, that way when I hear it, I’ll instantly perk up. Like I did with Mueller. Alexander Mueller is the physicist that figured out how to give the Non-Gifted Realm superconductivity. He gave them the computer chip, and his work has always fascinated me. If I’m going into a situation where it’s very unlikely that there will be any trouble, then I use his name because when I hear it, I immediately pay attention.”

  ~Logan Haydenshire~

  “I’m so sorry, sir. I apologize again for the delay. We’re just swamped this evening. You understand, right?” the maître’s d pled to Logan for the third time.

  Adeline smiled at her kindly as Logan clenched his jaw. “It’s fine,” Adeline pledged.

  “As soon as the party at your requested table leaves, we’ll seat you immediately, and your appetizers will be on the house tonight.”

  Feeling Adeline elbow him, Logan forced a half nod. “Thank you, we do understand.”

  As the woman departed, she turned the full force of her pleading onyx eyes on him. “Don’t be mad, please.”

  “I’m certainly not mad at you,” Logan assured her.

  “I know, but I don’t want you to be mad at all. It’s fine. The food will just taste that much better when we get it.”

  “Ad, this is not at all how I saw this night going.” It was nearing eight o’clock, and they’d had a seven o’clock reservation.

  “But we’re here together, and the view is amazing, and your arm is around me, so I think it’s perfect.”

  Logan forced a smile as he kissed her cheek. The fact that his wife was extremely easy to please, as she seemed to be perfectly happy with nothing at all due to her lack of material possessions growing up, did nothing to soothe his irritation.

  He’d wanted this night to be perfect. Wanted to feed her an outstanding meal and take her to a swanky hotel. The past few weeks and months had been rough with finding her father, facing her mother in court, and then knowing that her mother was going through psychological testing and imprisonment, not to mention his mother and the baby and their unending hours at work. He’d wanted a night away from it all where he could spoil her rotten, and if he were being perfectly honest he wanted to spend hours locked up in their suite equipped with a vast Jacuzzi tub, a steam shower, and a king size bed.

  He wanted to spend hours making her forget that anything else existed except for the two of them. He’d planned to tediously tend to her every desire and
then he wanted to own her.

  “What are you thinking about?” She laid her head on his shoulder.

  Deciding to give her a full confession, he chuckled at his own admission.

  “What I want to do to you when I get you to the hotel.”

  She trembled deliciously against him. Her breath stuttered. It made him ache and did nothing to quell his rapidly building fury at the time they were having to wait.

  ~Rainer Lawson~

  “Do you think it’s okay if we look around?”

  Rainer watched intently as the tongs of the fork left Emily’s beautiful lips. They’d been finishing the pieces of pie Rainer had ordered from the deli that had fixed their picnic.

  It took him a minute to remember how to speak. His mind was full of provocative fantasies of him in her mouth being slipped in and out. He drew a ragged breath.

  “Sure, baby. We’re buying it, and she’s moved everything out that she’s not planning on selling.”

  Her grin only proved to seize the breath hung in his lungs. Rainer helped her up and followed her into the kitchen. Reminding himself that his main goal for the evening was to make her comfortable in their new home, he tried to push away the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind for most of the day.

  His libido had been in overdrive since he’d sat down at his desk with the laptops from the raid that morning. The banality of the work had left his mind free to fantasize, and knowing that they were going to actually have an entire home, their home, all to themselves had several ideas flowing rapidly through his veins. They pulsed endlessly between his groin and his brain.

  Emily bit her lip as she took in the kitchen. She switched on one of the burners on the six-burner stove. Reaching for a cabinet, she turned back to Rainer. “You’re sure this is okay? I feel like I’m going through Fionna’s house.”

  “It’s our house, Em. Fionna even said if we wanted to start moving stuff in that it was fine. We’re supposed to sign the papers next week.”