“I’m so glad you found me.” She shivered. “Adam—Godfrey’s stepson—he said he had to blow up the building, but then he changed his mind.”
He caressed her face. “Don’t think about it any longer. It’s over. You’re alive. You’re safe. You and our baby.” He gave Thomas a tender look. “I can’t wait to get to know him.”
She removed Nicolas’s notebook from her pocket and handed it to Lann. “Eve will want this.”
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Nicolas manufactured the serum. The dose is crucial. It increases exponentially.”
Lann gave the book to Maya. “Scan it. Get it to Cain as soon as possible.”
Maya gave Kat a bright smile. “You did well, Kat.”
Holding Thomas in one arm, Kat took the vial and disk from her other pocket. “You’ll want this too.”
“The serum,” Maya said, a note of wonder in her tone. “Joss will be happy. The sample Eve had to work with wasn’t enough.” She turned to Lann. “I’ll put this in the fridge.”
When Maya disappeared to the front, Kat said, “Here.” She handed Lann his son. “Can you please hold him while I get changed?”
Lann took Thomas into his arms, his expression one of wonder as he peered down at the face so similar to his own. As she made her way to the curtained area at the back to change, she caught the love shining in his eyes when he kissed his son’s forehead.
Lann watched Kat sleep in their room in the Josselin Castle. He was stretched out next to her with Thomas between them. His son was awake, but his mother still needed more rest. He offered Thomas his finger, and reveled at the strength with which the tiny fist closed around it. He’d studied Thomas for hours while he’d slept, watching his small chest rising and falling quietly. He planted another kiss on the soft skin of his baby’s cheek.
“Daddy’s going to take good care of you.”
His chest constricted again, thinking of the footage he’d seen from the camera recordings Kat had recovered from the lab, when Adam had taken Thomas away and almost given his son to another man to raise. Adam had been a monster. He’d enjoyed torturing Kat and had reveled in her emotional pain, but he’d also decided to save her life. Maybe he’d even fallen in love with her a little. It was a damn good thing he was dead.
He trailed his gaze over his wife possessively and brushed his fingers over her arm. She opened her eyes with a lazy expression, the brilliant blue turning dark with love.
“I’m a lucky man,” he whispered, bending over Thomas to plant a chaste kiss on her lips.
He’d undressed and showered her after feeding her, and then put her to bed. He’d bathed his son and changed his diaper, and held the two people he cared about most in the world close to him, content with just listening to their breathing. They’d only slept four hours, but Thomas needed to be fed. He’d start to fret soon. Lann smiled. He was learning to predict his son’s schedule. He needed to drink every four hours, like clockwork.
He pulled the sheet away to look at Kat’s naked body. Her body was fuller, even more breathtaking than before. Her hips were more voluptuous, and her breasts held the life that fed his child. It was a miracle that filled him with wonder. He touched her breasts lightly, careful not to hurt her, knowing they’d be sensitive. Her nipples pebbled for him. Her reaction to his touch pleased him. It tightened his body to painful arousal, but it was too soon. He’d hardly be able to wait the month Eve had prescribed.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, touching his face.
“That I want you more than ever,” he said, caressing her with his gaze where he couldn’t with his hands. Not yet.
A pretty flush marred her cheeks. “Not in front of Thomas.”
He chuckled. “He’ll have to get used to seeing a lot of this. I intend to love you at every opportunity I get.”
Tearing reluctantly away from her, he carried Thomas to the change table. Little legs kicked and arms flailed through the air as he swiftly changed his diaper before carrying him back to his mother.
“He’s hungry,” he said, looking down at his son’s face with pride.
“How do you know? He’s not crying.”
His heart swelled in his chest. “I know,” he nuzzled Thomas with his nose, “because he’s my son.”
“He looks just like you,” Kat said, taking Thomas and offering him her breast.
“He does.” That pleased him too. “However, he’ll have a decent education. I wouldn’t like him to have my Russian accent. He shall learn to speak English properly, like his mother.”
Kat smiled up at him. “But I find your accent so sexy.”
Her voice was seductive. She still wanted him, and it settled him for now. He watched her feed their baby until Thomas had his fill. When Thomas’s belly was full, Lann wrapped him in a blanket and left him in Kat’s arms to pull on a robe.
“What are you doing?” Kat asked. “Aren’t you coming back to bed? It’s still dark outside.”
“I am, but I need you to myself for a while.”
Kat shot him a puzzled look.
“Clelia offered to look after Thomas,” he said.
He took his son, kissed his wife, and made his way to the baby room. On his way, he knocked on Clelia and Joss’s door. Clelia exited a few seconds later, dressed in lounge pants and a sweater.
“Are you sure?” Lann asked. “It’s very early.”
A big smile spread over her face. “Very sure.” She held out her hands. “Give him here.”
Joss appeared behind her in the door, peering over her shoulder at Thomas. He’d pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt.
“Sorry to take your wife from you so early,” Lann said.
Joss kissed Clelia’s shoulder. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. If it wasn’t for Kat, we wouldn’t have had the hope we have now.”
Clelia smiled up at her husband.
“I’ll settle Thomas in the crib in his room,” Lann said. “We’ll come back for him in an hour.”
“So soon?” Clelia asked, sounding disappointed as she gazed down at the baby in her arms.
“Go to your woman,” Joss said. “Clelia and I will take care of Thomas.”
Lann nodded. “Thank you.” He touched Thomas’s nose, already missing his son when he went back to their room.
Kat had pulled the sheet back up to her chin. Lann approached the bed slowly, throwing off his robe.
“It’s not cold,” he said, tugging at the sheet.
She allowed him to expose her again. He wanted to taste every inch of her skin. He straddled her, careful to keep his weight off her body.
“Everything I had to see on video, that I couldn’t live with you…” he started, emotions choking him.
She pulled him down and kissed him. “I love you.”
She did. Katherine loved him. He made everything whole. He cupped her face and stared at her beautiful features. He was going to take it easy, but when he lowered his head for a kiss, he crashed their lips together. Despite his intentions to remain gentle, he needed her with a ravishing hunger. It had left him empty for six long months, and he couldn’t get enough. Their tongues and limbs tangled, fusing together like they were meant to be.
He kissed her with the fever raging in his body, taking her oxygen and giving her his air. Only when she dug her nails into his shoulders did he pull away to give her space to breathe. While he gave her lips a rest, he kissed her neck, hungry for a constant point of contact. He kissed the hollow of her throat, inhaling the scent of her skin. He couldn’t wait any longer. Moving down her body, he planted feather-soft kisses on her breasts. She trailed a hand down his side, making his skin contract. When she dipped her hand between their bodies and closed her fingers around his cock, he gritted his teeth with the effort of holding back.
“Not yet.” Gently, he loosened her fingers, and brought them to his lips instead.
He kissed each one, and finally the wedding ring that marked her as his.
Wh
en he was done with her hands, he kissed her stomach. He dragged his hands over the soft skin of her inner thighs, pushing her legs apart.
“It’s too early,” she said with regret.
“Just a kiss.”
He couldn’t resist. He was careful, only sucking the nub at the top of her slit into his mouth. He growled with possessiveness when a moan escaped her lips. How he’d missed her whispers and moans. He increased the pressure of his tongue just to hear more of those sexy sounds. She arched her hips, making him heady with her need. Eve had said not to penetrate. She hadn’t said anything about orgasms. Kat squirmed underneath him. She dragged her nails over his shoulders. The air that had been vacant since her departure grew around him like clouds filling into the room.
“Come for me, Katherine. Let me hear you.”
Her moan was muffled, but it tore through his heart and filled the emptiness in his chest with a beautiful echo of love and belonging.
“Lann.”
He was drunk on her taste. “I need you more than food or water.”
“Come here, darling,” she said.
He chuckled. “You called me darling.” He kissed her mouth so she could taste herself on him, how delicious she was.
She pushed on his shoulders until he rolled over. “I’ll call you whatever you want me to.”
When she took him in her mouth, he nearly combusted. The currents in the air lashed at him now. Her kisses were tender. Breathing was near painful.
“You’re killing me, Katherine.”
She sucked him deeper. Harder.
Pushing onto his elbows, he enjoyed the sight. Her burgundy hair fell over him, the silkiness caressing his skin. He wasn’t going to last. For the first time in his life, he willingly gave up his control. His release came violently when he let go. He gave her all he had, spilling every drop in her mouth, and she greedily took it.
The air lifted, making him feel lightheaded. The edges of the bed sheets folded over, gently wrapping around his legs. The sensation was heady. Everything inside him came together in perfect harmony. It was legend. Magic. Yet, it was happening. She was real. His mate. Half of his soul. Making him whole.
He strained his neck to look down at his wife, the woman who moved the air for him. Like in a dream, they levitated above the mattress. He couldn’t tell what was real and what was fantasy any longer, but it didn’t matter. What seemed real was often not, and what existed beyond the material world often was. The sheets folded around them, a gentle dance of fabric. He could only stare in amazement as the pieces of his life came together. His soul and heart aligned. He was air. Acceptance tasted sweet. All because of her. She was the air he breathed.
She pressed her cheek to his stomach. “Did you feel that? Is there a draft in the room?”
“No, krasavitsa.” He threaded his fingers through her hair. “There’s no draft.” Only magic.
She crawled over his body to kiss his lips. “I’m never leaving you again.”
“No,” he said. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
Lann pulled away from their kiss to look at his wife. A month had passed since she’d returned to him. Thomas was his pride and joy. He was the most perfect thing Lann had done in his life—as perfect as his love for the woman lying on the bed.
They were both naked—and nervous. In many ways, this was like their first time. Only this time round, Katherine already knew she had him on his knees. He could hardly wait. He framed her face between his palms, drinking in the sight of her. Forever would not be enough. She lifted herself on her elbows and kissed him. Her lips parted for him. Her soft moan slipped into his mouth as he cupped her breasts. An answering groan spilled into their kiss as she fastened her fingers in his hair and tugged gently. He stilled in confusion when she pulled away. Not wanting to let her escape, he chased after her lips, but she stopped him with her finger on his mouth.
“I want you to make love to me,” she said. “I want you to lose control, and I want to watch your face while you let go.”
He smiled. “You’ve been a good student, krasavitsa. You know asking for what you want makes me wild.”
She pushed on his shoulders and moved him around, reversing their positions.
“Do you like me on top?” she asked.
Fuck. She knew he did. He liked watching her, especially when she was touching her breasts like she was doing now. He bit down the growl of pleasure as she slid herself over his cock.
“What about this?” she asked. “How much do you like it?”
He grabbed her waist, holding her in place so he could lift his hips and have more of that delicious friction. She abandoned her breasts to touch her clit, running her fingers slowly around the swollen bud.
“Let me taste you,” he said.
She shook her head. “Put your hands above your head.”
Didn’t she know how dangerous this game was?
She cocked an eyebrow. “Or I stop.”
Manipulative minx. Grudgingly, he lifted his arms above his head, watching her with growing hunger.
“Now,” she said in a husky voice, “you’re going to watch me play with myself.”
She rotated her hips, making another groan catch in his chest. When she pressed a finger over his lips, he obediently sucked the tip into his mouth. She watched from hooded eyes, not trying to hide her lust. She showed him everything like she always gave her all. She held his gaze as she pulled her finger from his mouth and ran it over her slit. His breathing quickened at the erotic sight, but when she slipped her finger through her folds, he nearly lost it.
“Ah.” She arched her back and closed her eyes. “This feels so good.”
“Your fingers?” His voice was strained. “I think you’ve forgotten how my cock feels.”
She peeled her eyelids open and gave him a passion-drenched look. “Maybe I have. If you’re good, I’ll let you remind me.”
“Katherine.” He hoped his voice held a warning, because she was pushing him too hard.
She smiled. “Impatient?”
“Fuck.”
“Just a bit longer, but you can speed things up.”
“Tell me.”
“Touch my breasts the way you do when your climax is near, and fuck me with your fingers.”
The sound that came from his chest was animalistic. A growl. He gritted his teeth and rolled her nipple. When she pulled out her finger, he took over where she’d stopped.
“Don’t stop playing with yourself,” he said. “I want to watch.”
He slipped one finger inside, testing to make sure she was ready for him, while she rubbed a forefinger over her clit.
“How is this?” he asked, watching her closely.
The blue of her eyes turn darker. Her inner muscles contracted around his finger.
“I want to come with you, Katherine.”
She got onto her knees, giving him the access.
“Now?” he asked, not wanting to take away her power.
In answer, she lowered herself onto him. Her pussy took him like a hot, wet fist. He balled his hands to keep from touching her, but when she started moving, it was too much.
“Fuck it.” He grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her back, pressing his cock at her entrance.
“Katherine.” Her name was a plea. “I only have so much control.”
“Lose it,” she challenged.
Those were the magic words that made him snap. Grabbing her face between his palms, he pushed deeper. From a distant corner of his mind, he tried to hold onto reason. He wanted to be gentle, but it was so damn hard with her rubbing against him.
“Come on,” she cooed. “Give it to me harder. I know you can.”
He plunged forward, stretching her, feeling her, and everything else but his love ceased to exist. He lost all reason as she locked her ankles behind his ass. She was everywhere, all around him—her body, her scent, her essence, her love. He lost himself, giving in to the power of the feelings surging through
him. She grabbed his shoulders for support as he moved faster, desperately trying to fill her with every inch of him, every damn thing that made him a man.
When her moans became incoherent, he fucked her harder, deeper. Gentle would have to come later.
“Please, Lann.”
Her begging did it. The atoms around them split. Her muscles clenched around him as her orgasm hit, setting off his climax. The pleasure was a violent explosion. A tornado ripped through the room, hurling the bed sheets through the air. Her hair whipped around her face as his lashed like a whip at his back. Incredible heat detonated through his body. She blurred in his vision as the edges faded. Gravity disappeared. Nothing existed but them, and air. They were floating, their faces contorted with pleasure as the bed curtains billowed in a howling wind. The turbulent elements lashed at him until their aftershocks ebbed out, and they slowly caught their breaths again.
The air dipped, and then stilled. Spent, they collapsed onto the mattress.
“Ah, krasavitsa,” he said with his nose pressed to her hair. “I love you, woman.”
“I love you, man,” she said with a smile in her voice.
In contrast, his tone was serious. “You know what kind of man I am.”
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re the man who moves my air.”
He looked around at the disheveled bed and the linen on the floor. “We better stop letting it get out of hand like this.” He grinned. “One of these days, we’re not going to come back down.”
“Stop talking,” she said, pulling his mouth to hers, “and let’s fly higher and wilder.”
“Anything you want, my beauty, but first, it’s my turn.”
Already the air started moving again.
Epilogue
Everyone was gathered for the baptism in the Josselin Castle chapel where Clelia and Joss had gotten married. Kat held Thomas, dressed in a white frock in her arms, facing the priest. For the occasion, she’d shopped with Clelia, dragging a complaining Maya along, and had chosen an off-white dress with blue embroidery. Lann stood next to her, looking ravishingly handsome in a cream pinstripe suit and crisp blue shirt.
Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Page 27
