by Cherie Marks
His words sent electric energy coursing throughout my entire body, and exploded as starbursts in my lower abdomen. “You came because I was unprotected?”
He turned his head until our gazes met once more. “I came because I finally knew where you were.”
“And you’ve come to take me back?” My spirits fell. Would I be thrown into the dungeon with my parents?
“I don’t have a choice. It’s the only way to free our parents.”
One thing continued to bother me, and I hoped he could put the last piece of the puzzle into place for me. It seemed to matter the most.
“Ethan, who is holding our parents? Who kept you prisoner?”
His face fell, and he stared at the ground. His nostrils flared as he explained, “Someone used the royal guard to capture and imprison us, but the identity of who it is remains a mystery.”
“How is that possible? How can you not know who is leading the rebellion?”
His nostrils flared again. “I have an idea, but until I get back and confirm my suspicions, it’s only conjecture.”
“And who do you suspect?”
“It’s clear to me who it is. My father’s brother is the only one who benefits from our disappearance. I’m almost positive my uncle is to blame.”
“So, what’s our plan?”
He looked up at me again. “Our plan? You’re mistaken if you think this is a two-man operation. You’ll stay out of the way. I’ll find him and confront him. And if I’m right…I’ll kill him.”
“And I’m just supposed to sit around, twiddling my thumbs, while you get to have all the fun. I don’t think so.” I stepped closer to him. “I’m tougher than I look, and I’m all you’ve got. Might as well give me a shot. Besides, my parents obviously need me. I haven’t been there for them when they were in trouble. I want to be there for them this time.”
Rather than pull away, he stepped closer still, until there were less than five inches between us. He wrapped his arms around me as if to reassure me, and I didn’t hate it.
“I’m not saving your life just to turn around and risk it on nothing but a gamble.”
My breathing picked up and my heart pounded as he tipped my chin up and his gaze dropped to my lips. He dropped his hand and brushed the back of mine now resting between us on his chest. I licked my tongue along the inside of my teeth to keep my nerves in check, but I couldn’t seem to look away from him. Something like electricity fired between us, and I was sure he wanted to kiss me. I wasn’t so sure I’d say no to that, which confused the hell out of me.
Voice barely above a whisper, I said, “Maybe it’s not your decision.”
He leaned closer, his mouth next to my ear, sending a shiver down my back. His lips tickled the fine hairs on my skin as he asked, “What help could you possibly be? You can’t even shift.”
I reacted by using my hands on his chest to push him as far back as I could. Unfortunately, he didn’t go that far, but when he pulled back so I could see his face, his mouth split into a wide grin. Though I was irritated with the way my body was reacting to his closeness, I couldn’t help but admire his smartassery. I respected a fellow smartass, so he got mad props from me on this one, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
He ran his hand over his mouth before asking, “Too much?”
I couldn’t speak at first. He’d surprised me, but I wasn’t angry. Quite the opposite. My attraction to this man seemed to grow and grow, and that scared me more than anything. He was a stranger to me, even as he felt so familiar.
Despite the chemistry, I couldn’t let down my guard, though. “Bring it on, Ethan. Throw whatever you got at me. I can handle it.”
His smile broadened as he shook his head and strode away. For just a moment, I wasn’t his captive and he wasn’t my captor. For an “nth” of a second, we connected in an unexpected way, and, surprisingly, I wanted more.
He pulled out a blanket and made a pallet next to the fire. He used some rolled up clothing as a pillow. After throwing a few logs on the fire, he laid down on the bed he’d made. I stomped to the log across from him and plopped down, not nearly as elated as I was a moment before.
“Um…not to complain, but where exactly am I supposed to sleep?”
With a flourish that made the fire waver, he flipped the blanket back. “You’ll sleep next to me.”
“The hell I will.”
“It’s the only way I’ll be certain you won’t run while I’m asleep.”
I crossed my arms. This seemed like another trick. “What if I give you my word that I won’t run?”
“This will be your bed tonight.” He patted the ground next to him. “I insist.”
“Do you have another blanket in that magic bag of yours?”
“This is my one and only.”
Once again, I didn’t like being the last one to catch on, but I couldn’t see any other way I was getting sleep tonight. With heavy steps, I trudged toward him. I dropped to my knees and stretched out in front of him, leaving half a foot between us.
He threw the blanket over both of us, and I watched the flames flicker for a moment before they settled once more. My heartrate was racing, and every muscle in my body tensed. Maybe if I laid perfectly still, I would actually be able to close my eyes and sleep. Doubtful, but if I could make it through the night, I might finally get to see my parents again. Just the idea was enough to push me to go beyond my comfort zone. I relaxed enough to look up at the night sky.
“Look at that moon.” It glowed high in the sky above the treetops. “It’s a waxing gibbous, on its way to being full.”
“Is it, now?” He didn’t seem to be interested. I didn’t even think he was looking at it.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“We should get some sleep.” I felt his arm reach around my waist and pull my body flush against his. I was far from a prude, but I suddenly became aware of every inch of the skin on my backside as it touched every inch of his front side. The heat coming off him was almost as hot as the fire in front of me, and he smelled delicious, like spicy citrus. I wanted more of the scent and just stopped myself from turning over and burying my nose in the side of his neck.
I knew I could behave myself, but the real question was, should I?
This could be an opportunity. He was clearly reluctant to involve me in the rescue of our parents, but that wouldn’t do for this chick. If my family needed me, I couldn’t abandon them again. Not like I apparently had the first time.
Nothing like a bit of guilt to ruin any idea of romance. I still couldn’t believe I’d left my parents in a dungeon for ten years. Despite Nana Johanna’s advice, I should have returned to see why they never came for me. I should have gone back to see for myself what had happened to them.
But I hadn’t. And I couldn’t do anything to change that now.
All I could do was make up for it by not letting them sit there one more minute than they had to. If I had anything to say about it, they would be free by tomorrow night.
I just had to convince the wildman currently holding me in a vice grip that I could help more than I harmed. Perhaps, a teeny bit of female persuasion was in order.
My mind made up, I pretended to stretch and work to find a comfortable position, all the while, rubbing my ass strategically against his crotch. He pulled his hand from around my mid-section and slapped it down on my thigh. My breath caught at the slight sting, followed by the heat of his hand.
His breath brushed across my ear as he whispered, “Unless you want to finish what you start, I’d suggest you hold still. Don’t play games with a feral cat.”
My breathing became rapid again as my body reacted. He slid his hand up my thigh and splayed his fingers over my hip slowly before resting his arm over my abdomen once again. This time when he pulled me against him with a growl, I felt the evidence of my attentions.
Yet, he didn’t seem in too big of a rush to take things any further. As my body cooled down, I heard his soft breathing, marveling
at how quickly he’d fallen asleep. While I ached in all the wrong places, he rested peacefully. Rather than the relief I should be feeling, I was irritated.
Had I lost my sex appeal? Doubtful. Then, he had to be doing it on purpose—to punish me for leaving him behind those many years ago. What a dick! What a fool I was! Would he punish me for the rest of the time we were together? If so, then I needed to bouncy-slide off the insane plane as soon as possible, preferably with my middle finger flying in my stead.
I started to move, inch-by-inch, away from him, working my way free of his loosened grip. He continued to snore lightly, and I mentally celebrated the couple inches I managed to move. Then, he had to go and ruin it by tightening his arm and erasing all my progress in one, quick pull.
With a groan, he said, “I know what you’re thinking before you act.”
“You should just let me go. No reason to prolong the inevitable. I will get away. That’s a given.”
I wasn’t sure if he was still half-asleep or entirely aware of what he was doing, but he did the strangest thing. He leaned his head down and kissed my neck a few times, sending my senses into a whirlwind. I stilled completely. All the air left my lungs, and I moaned involuntarily. So unfair!
“There’s a good girl. Get some rest tonight, Celia. If you stay by my side tonight, I’ll reward you in the morning. Promise.”
All manipulation aside, I couldn’t help but be curious what would constitute a reward to this warrior-man. Though I didn’t actually want to stick around, I did want to see what he had in store.
Of course, I shouldn’t forget one truth. Curiosity killed the cat. Or in this case, might kill the bobcat.
Chapter 6
I came awake slowly, dreamily as I became aware of my surroundings. I was warm and snug and having the best dream of kisses and touches on all the favorite places of my body. I rubbed languorously against the hard body next to mine and realized I was stretched out over a beautiful, bare chest, my hair a blonde mess expanding out in fine tentacles beyond. My arms were splayed on either side of the chest, and my cheek rested just below a hardened pectoral. As I allowed my gaze to look downward, I knew my companion was all male by the very large tentpole doing its best to burst right through a pair of dark, denim jeans that rode low on a sharply chiseled abdomen.
Gingerly, I rolled my head around, wishing with all my might that he was still asleep. But the moment our gazes met, my hopes were dashed. His amber eyes, lids lowered, practically glowed with arousal. I released a pent-up breath all across his heated skin and a muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. He appeared every inch a feral creature in that moment.
In that moment, I had a choice. I could back away slowly and pretend this never happened, or I could use this awkward turn of events to my complete advantage. I had to admit, I wasn’t nearly as sexually bold as I led everyone to believe, but I had been around the block a time or two, and I knew how to drive a man to distraction. The question was, did I want to?
Once that cat was out of the bag, it was going to be damn hard to convince him to take things slowly. From the wild look in his eyes, he hadn’t been laid in a while, and the last person I wanted to meet in bed was the wildman.
With deliberate slowness, I pulled myself to a sitting position, allowing my hair to brush his chest seductively. I felt the cool air on my breasts and dropped my gaze to my naked chest. My immediate reaction was to cover myself with my hands. What the hell?
Where was my shirt? Where was my bra? With an anxious look downward, I was relieved to see my pants still in place.
His hands reached for me, and I pulled away, looking around for my discarded clothing. Somehow, my shirt and bra had ended up on the other side of the fire. How could that have happened?
I dipped my chin and turned on him. “Who do you think you are? What kind of person takes advantage of a sleeping girl? Are you a psycho?”
In one swift motion, he pulled me under him and spread my arms over my head, holding my wrists with one hand. Our mid-sections touched and he locked my legs between his as he leaned on his other hand, right by my shoulder.
“What are you playing at? I don’t like games.”
“I don’t either. Thought it went without saying, but don’t fucking take my clothes off while I’m asleep.”
His forehead wrinkled as his eyes squinted, studying me like he was trying to read ancient Sanskrit written on my face. “I didn’t touch your clothes. Are you telling me you didn’t remove them to tempt me?”
The thought had occurred to me, but I hadn’t acted on it. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you! Are you saying you didn’t slip my clothes off when I couldn’t protest?”
“If I had, you would not have slept through what I would’ve done to those beautiful nipples, and I would not have sucked them without you begging me first.”
Oh! Shit! His words seemed to seep into my brain and shoot fire straight to the juncture of my legs. In that moment, I wanted to beg him. My dream came back to me, and I realized I’d been dreaming of his mouth on my body. Had I somehow shucked my shirt and bra in my sleep? Had I put us in this awkward position?
His gaze dropped to my lips once more, and the charge in the air between us would have blazed to full-on flame with the slightest spark. Seemingly unable to control himself, he let go of my wrists and slid his hand along my arms, over my hair, until he cupped my face. He lowered himself slowly, and the tension between us tightened as he closed the distance between us.
I pulled my arms down and rested them on his chest, but I surprised myself and just watched his approach, feeling wild energy roll through my body. His lips hovered over mine and with a simple lift of my chin, I could melt into the softness of his mouth. Yet, for some reason he didn’t go any further.
Frustration built, and I brushed my naked chest against his, feeling his groan vibrate over me.
His voice deepened as he said, “I want to kiss you.”
“Then, do it.”
“Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Because you’re not kissing me.”
He chuckled slightly and leaned his forehead against mine. “Feels like we’re being watched. Like we’re not alone.”
With obvious reluctance, he pushed himself up and sat back on his heels, searching the forest for signs of life. I did the same from my low vantage point, looking from side-to-side, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
A loud sigh left his lungs as he stood and quickly gathered my clothes. He handed them to me and began walking around the immediate area while I dressed. I stood and did the same for a moment or two before saying, “There’s no one here but us.”
His mouth tightened as he continued to look around, concern pushing his eyebrows close together. “Maybe you’re right. The feeling is gone now, but I know someone else was here.”
How…creepy. What if he were right? What if we weren’t alone in this forest? I didn’t like the idea of some perv watching us get it on, and a shudder shook my shoulders at the thought.
He must have noticed how unnerved I was getting because he turned toward me and rested his hands on my shoulders. He lifted my chin and stared at me a moment before saying, “I believe I owe you a reward.”
“Thought that’s what you were doing a minute ago.” The smartass strikes back.
The smile he gave me took my breath away. He was beautiful when he was genuinely happy, and I couldn’t help the attraction that continued to build. I wanted to see more and more of it, which meant I didn’t want to run anymore. I wanted to stay by his side.
The situation was getting dangerous. I needed some space, and I needed it now.
I pulled free from his touch and bent over for my pack. “Is there somewhere I can wash up a little bit before we move on?”
The smile faded from his face, but he nodded and pointed me in a direction.
“There’s a small stream just over that rise. If you want them, your reward will be warm, sugary donuts, pan-fried over the fire,
waiting for you when you return.”
Despite my desire to put distance between us, I couldn’t help but get excited about a little sugar and dough. It sounded downright awesome.
“Do I need to sing while I wash?”
He stared at me a few erratic heartbeats before he shook his head. “Sing if you want. You don’t have to. I’ll give you ten minutes. If you’re not back by then, I’ll move on without you.”
I stood still, mouth open, searching his face for a sign he was joking, but he stared back, unflinching. He was giving me an out.
Why would he do that?
And, more importantly, would I take the out he was giving? Or would I take the donuts?
Chapter 7
Maybe following a crazy wildman deeper into the forest wasn’t the smartest decision I’d made in recent days, but something kept pushing me after him.
We trudged up hills and back down them for hours, barely speaking to each other, stopping only to eat and drink. I was beginning to question my own sanity, considering I was taking the word of the guy my physical presence was supposed to keep sane. We’d been apart for ten years now. What if Ethan had made the whole thing up? What if my parents were fine? Perhaps they’d just been on a long-ass vacay.
But Baba Yaga told me the same thing.
Even stranger to me though, Ethan actually seemed completely in his right mind. He didn’t seem feral at all. Well, except for when I ran from him…or he was aroused. But that surely didn’t count, considering the situation. So, if he were supposed to go bonkers without me, how was he making such rational decisions? Something didn’t add up, and, as a teacher who worked with calculations regularly, I made a living correcting lousy math.
“Ethan, can I ask you something?”
He kept walking but stared over his shoulder at me. “Anything.”
“Not to bring up terrible memories, but I have to ask. The whole reason I ran away was because you were supposed to be…that is…I’d overheard…I mean…”
