Hearts & Wishes

by Shiloh Walker

  “Last chance, Holly,” he muttered hoarsely.

  In answer, she reached down and jerked at the button on her jeans.

  Rhys didn’t even wait for her to unbutton them. He gripped the waistband in his hands and jerked. Her hips rose off the couch from the force he used and her eyes widened as she looked down and saw that he had torn through her jeans, shredding the tough material so that when he stripped them down, they fell away from her legs in tatters.

  Under the jeans, she wore a pair of boots—knee-high red leather that matched her sweater. A strange little smile lurked on Rhys’ mouth as he slid his hands down her legs, tugging what was left her jeans away. They wouldn’t come off unless she took her boots off but instead of doing that, Rhys tore the denim again. Then he slid her a wicked look, laid his palm on her ankle and stroked it up until he cupped the back of one calf in his hand. “I like your boots, precious.”

  She licked her lips, blushed, squirmed. He shifted and sprawled between her legs and her discomfort was replaced by sheer shock. She wasn’t a moron, she knew what oral sex was and hell, she’d spent many a night wondering about it, just as she’d spent many a night wondering about sex, plain and simple.

  But the intimacy of this, that wasn’t something she could have prepared for. He dipped his head and kissed her. Just like that—no teasing strokes, no warning, no preparation. Rhys just dipped his head, pressed his mouth to her pussy and kissed her, open-mouthed, full out, his tongue pushing inside her sex and his hands cupping her ass, lifting her up meet him.

  He tongued her, stroking in and out, taking her past shock and straight into sheer bliss as he pushed her closer and closer to climax. When he had her hovering just there, right before she would have fallen, he lifted his head and shifted his angle a bit so he could lick her clit. He licked her, he bit her, he sucked on her and before she even realized it, she was rocking against him, her hands buried in the silky length of his hair and holding his face against her, desperate and needy.

  “You’re so damn primed,” he muttered, lifting his head long enough to stare up at her. “It’s like you were made to respond to me, to every little thing I do to you.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. Even the sound of his voice, rough and guttural, was enough to stroke her senses to fever pitch. Whimpering, she tugged on his hair, tried to pull him back to her. She wanted to beg him, wanted to say something, anything but all she could manage was, “Please, Rhys!”

  He obliged, lowering his mouth back to her sex and staring up at her over the expanse of her body, watching her. One of the hands cupping her ass pulled away, stroking up along her thigh, his fingers circling the slick entrance to her pussy.

  “I could do this for hours,” he said harshly, pushing up onto his elbow and watching as he slid a finger inside her sex. “You’re hot for me, aren’t you, Holly?”

  She couldn’t speak. Moaning, her lashes fluttered closed over her eyes as she arched her hips up to meet each slow, shallow thrust. When he stopped, she whimpered, reached down and closed her fingers around his wrist, trying to ride his hand.

  In response to that, Rhys shifted again and pressed his forearm against her lower belly, pinning her in place. “Answer me,” he said gruffly, pulling his hand back and using just the tip of his finger to circle it around the entrance to her sex. “Tell me you’re hot for me, tell me you want me. Say my name.”

  “I want you…” she gasped out, her voice shaky and weak. “Rhys.”

  “Are you hot for me?” he asked teasingly, pushing the tip of his finger inside her.

  “Yes.” Her answer ended in a moan as he pushed three fingers inside her, hard and fast, pushing through tight, untried tissues and not stopping until he couldn’t push any deeper. Then he stroked, the tip of one finger circling around inside her sheath and pressing right there. She came. Clutching his wrist and holding him tightly, she shoved up on her free elbow and rocked against him, riding his hand and crying out his name.

  Rhys had had virgins before. Not a lot and they definitely weren’t something he sought out but after living three or four centuries, and definitely not living a monkish existence, he’d had his share of women. But he hadn’t ever had a woman—a virgin, no less—react to him like this, with such sheer, unadulterated abandon. Holly’s fingers held his hand in place as she rocked against him, her pussy clenching and convulsing around him, until she’d drained herself.

  When that happened, her fingers slid away, a sated, sleepy smile curved her lips and she melted back onto the couch. Lifting his fingers to his mouth, he licked away the moisture, greedy for the taste of her. She was sweetly addictive and Rhys suspected he could happily spend the rest of his life trying to get his fill of her.

  He wanted to spend a vast amount of time between her pretty thighs, kissing and licking the sleek, wet folds of her pussy but right now he needed to be buried inside her.

  Deep inside, that satiny flesh wrapped around his cock, his hands fisted in her hair and his tongue in her mouth. Need made his hands clumsy and he ended up tearing his clothes away. His shirt ended up in shreds and his jeans shoved down just far enough that he could free his cock and then he was on her, cradling her face between his hands and pushing his tongue into her mouth as he pressed against her.

  Not entering her—not yet. Rhys wanted her more than he wanted to breathe but he didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to move so fast that he scared her. So instead of pushing inside her, he rocked against her, his dick sliding back and forth over her wet sex, the head of his cock stroking against the bud of her clit, until she was moving with him, rocking frantically against him and pleading with him. His name fell from her lips in soft little whimpers, whispers and pleas that went straight to his cock and made him ache even more.

  He slid a hand down her body, cupped it over her hip so he could still those frantic, hungry motions. “This is going to hurt a little, Holly,” he whispered. “There’s no help for it.”

  “I don’t care,” she whimpered, lifting her head and pressing her mouth to his. “Rhys, please…”

  A little? Holly thought a second later. Shit. A paper cut hurt a little. This pain was massive. He felt huge as he pushed inside her, stretching her, forging deeper and deeper—unrelenting and merciless—until he buried the thick, hard length of his cock completely inside her. She arched up, shoved her hands against his chest and squirmed, seeking some relief from the burning pressure inside, a pressure that threatened to tear her in two. Rhys’ hands caught her wrists and he stretched her arms overhead, his chest crushing into hers and pressing her breasts flat.

  “Relax, Holly,” he muttered, brushing his lips back and forth over hers.

  She groaned and clenched her buttocks, trying to press her hips back into the couch to escape his body’s brutal invasion. Blood roared in her ears, drowning out his harsh, hungry groan.

  “Damn it, Holly, relax…oh shit…”

  His voice rumbled off into a low, deep growl and he let go of her wrists and shoved up onto his elbows. He pulled out and pain screamed through her, a pain that blossomed into something vicious and consuming. She felt the motion of his hips slow and then start to advance. Desperate, she clenched her thighs together, tried to keep him from pushing back into her.

  “Too late for that, precious,” he panted, pushing back so that he settled between her thighs on his knees. His big hands cupped her ass and pulled her close even as she tried to pull back. “Damage is already done…relax for me, baby girl. Relax for me and I’ll take you to heaven.”

  But she couldn’t relax. Not even for Rhys and his super-sexy voice and his supersexy eyes and his super-sexy body.

  “Rhys, it hurts,” she whimpered, trying to pull away.

  Seemingly unconcerned, he kept on touching her, kept on moving inside her. He slid one of his long-fingered, talented hands up her thigh so he could play with her clit. She flinched and jerked away instinctively but she couldn’t go far. Rhys still had one hand under her ass, lifting h
er hips, taking away her leverage and holding her body still. Still for his pleasure, still for the slow, insistent way he shafted her, riding her through her pain, riding her through her tears. No way could he take her to heaven. Not with this pain slicing through her.

  But then, his fingers circled over her clit and the hand under her ass lifted her just a bit more, changing the angle of her hips ever-so slightly and when he pushed inside her again, the fat, full head of his cock pressed against that sensitive little spot in her pussy and she exploded.

  “Damn, girl,” he muttered, bending low and licking her lips, sucking on her lower lip. “I’m supposed to take you to heaven…not the other way around.”

  She barely even heard him. Rhys continued to move inside her and he was moving harder, faster, fucking her with a force that should have had her whimpering from the pain. The pain wasn’t gone but it had changed, melted into some erotic sensation that danced between pain and pleasure but higher, more consuming than both. They moved together, staring into each other’s eyes, his hair falling around them like a cloak, her hands gripping his shoulders while his held her hips steady.

  When the orgasm came this time, it came for both of them, striking them with a force that left them shuddering and breathless as it wrapped around them.

  For a minute, Holly thought they just might explode from it.

  “Look at me,” Rhys muttered against her lips as he plunged inside her one last time and went rigid.

  His cock throbbed, jerked and then, as she met his gaze, he seemed to expand. He hissed out a breath between his teeth and came, exploding deep inside the wet, receptive depths of her pussy, spilling his seed deep…deep…

  Exhausted, sated, he collapsed against her, sighed out her name. A smile curved her lips and together they fell into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

  * * * * *

  Holly wasn’t sure how to react when she saw Rhys.

  It had been three days since she’d seen him last. He’d canceled their Monday session so come Tuesday, when she entered the workroom, she didn’t know how she should act, what she should say, if she should expect things to change, or if that was naïve of her.

  But as she slid out of her jacket inside the workroom and hung it up, the silence pressed down on her like a smothering weight. Rhys sat at the huge desk that spanned the back wall. It was loaded with papers, books and supplies.

  Some of the books were so old that she wouldn’t have been surprised if they crumbled into dust at being handled.

  Others, though newer, were handwritten, handbound. They held the history of the elves, the history of the Northern Reach, the history of their magic. She’d spent hours studying those tomes. He flicked her a glance over his shoulder, then at the clock that hung on the wall above the mirrors.

  An odd look darkened his face and Holly felt a chill rush down her spine. But he said nothing, just angled his chin to the locker room and said, “Get changed.”

  His curt voice hurt. More than she’d wanted to admit. But she just slung her bag over her shoulder and jammed her fists in her pockets. Vaguely, she was aware that Rhys was following along behind her and vaguely, she was aware that he’d entered the men’s locker room. But more, she was too focused on the ache in her chest.

  No, she hadn’t walked in and expected some declaration of undying love. Honestly, she hadn’t. But it might have been nice to get something other than the cold-shoulder routine.

  Despondent and sinking back into her depression, she was unaware that she wasn’t alone in the locker room any longer until she walked straight into Rhys’ arms.

  Startled, she dropped her bag and stared up at his face.

  Rhys lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, holding her gaze as he lowered his mouth and pressed it to hers. “Sorry, precious but I think we’ll be having company tonight.”

  “Company?” she asked woodenly.

  “Hmmmm. Fuck me, I spent all damn weekend remembering how sweet you tasted, how soft you are, thinking I’d imagined it.” His tongue slid along her lower lip and his hands…damn, his hands. One hand curved over the back of her neck and the other had slipped inside the waist of her jeans, inside her panties…inside her. He pumped his fingers in and out of her pussy and Holly’s knees went weak.

  Her legs turned to water and she sagged against him, her fingers clenching fistfuls of his shirt. Then he pulled away. Holly moaned but all he did was sink to his knees in front of her, his hands going to work on her shoes, pulling them off and tossing them aside before going to work on her jeans and panties with the same single-minded focus. “Start wearing skirts,” he muttered, glancing up at her face before he cupped her ass in his hands and pulled her against him. “I want to be able to touch you like this without fighting your clothes or having to tear them to get to you.”

  Taking one leg, he lifted it, opening her, exposing the slick wet heat. Pressing his mouth to her sex, he pushed his tongue inside her. The rough heat circled over her clit, circled around the sensitized entrance, then inside, back and forth. Holly curled her leg over his shoulder and fisted her hands in his hair, desperate for something to hold on to. He was taking her too high, making her burn too hot. If it weren’t for her hands fisted in his hair and his hand curving over her ass, holding her in place, she thought she’d shoot up into the stratosphere. That or spontaneously combust.

  Or both. It seemed entirely possible as Rhys eased her back, rose to his feet and pulled her against him. She still wore her shirt, he was still dressed but neither of them could pull away long enough to deal with their clothes. Rhys whirled around and pressed her against the bank of lockers built into the wall. The cold metal bit into her back, a stark contrast to the heat of his body. Tearing at the fastening of his jeans, he freed his cock, lifted her and then, holding her gaze, he sank inside, pushing deep, deep, until he had buried his length balls-deep inside her.

  His mouth bussed hers. “Open for me, Holly. Hold onto me.”

  The weekend away from her had been hell. Rhys had started to go to her more than once but he had thought she’d need some privacy. Yesterday, he’d planned for them to spend some time together but a security breach at headquarters had caused him to cancel their lessons and then today, when he’d arrived at the training center, there had been a message that Nik and Chelly would be coming by toward the end of class.

  So much for the dinner he’d been planning. A dinner at his place, away from the prying eyes of cameras and overprotective parents and nosy coworkers. Aware of the cameras that monitored everything in the classrooms, he’d sent Holly to the locker room to get her away from them. When he’d used his magic to enter the women’s locker room without detection, he’d planned just to speak with her. Explain.

  Then he’d seen that stark, sad look in her eyes and he hadn’t been able to not touch her.

  It was going to be a problem, Rhys knew, looking at her without touching her, without kissing her, without sinking his aching dick inside the satin wet softness of her pussy, without tasting her, without cuddling her close and trying to bring a smile to those sad eyes.

  “Hold on to me,” he said again, hooking an arm under her hips and bracing her body as he started his slow entry, taking her fully. Pulling back out and then sinking back in as her sex tightened around him, milking his cock like a fist. So hot, sleek, sexy—so sweet. So fucking perfect. He traced the outline of her lips and then pushed his tongue into her mouth.

  She mewled deep in her throat, a hungry female sound and it ripped through him like flash fire.

  Fisting a hand in her hair, he jerked her head back and kissed her deeper, harder. His hips slammed against hers in rhythm with his mouth.

  It’s like being eaten alive, Holly thought, and loving every second of it.

  She felt every nuance of his body, every beat of his heart, every last inch of his cock as he shafted her. It was sheer bliss. A faint ache lingered between her thighs and he took her now with a brutal passion that was probably going to make itself known
after, but she didn’t care. She loved it. She loved the way his cock stretched her, loved that way he kissed her, the way he touched her, as though he couldn’t possibly get enough of her.

  Holly sure as hell couldn’t get enough of him and even as she went shuddering into orgasm, she wanted more. Needed more. Yet it ended too fast. His cock jerked inside her pussy and he exploded within her, the heated waves of his release flooding her depths. His lips softened, gentled against hers.

  When he pulled away, he nuzzled her neck.

  “Didn’t mean to do that. Did I hurt you?”

  “Ummmm…” it was about all she could manage just then, with her heart pounding, her ears roaring and her head swimming. He lowered her to the floor and her knees wobbled, barely able to support her weight. Rhys laughed and eased her up against him, stroking a hand up and down her back.

  “A bed, next time,” he murmured. Then he pressed a kiss to her jaw. “Tonight. Come home with me tonight.”

  * * * * *

  But Holly wouldn’t be going home with anybody that night. Except her damn parents. Two hours later, after a quick shower with Rhys and then a hard grueling session that left her needing another shower, she stood in front of her parents, so pissed off she was seeing red. Seething, she glared at them as Nik informed her that there had been a security breach and effective immediately, she’d go nowhere without an armed escort.

  Worse, the relatively private wing where she lived was too private and Nik expected her to pack up her things and move into the main wing, back into her old bedroom where she could be protected better.

  Her voice shaking, Holly said, “I’m not a child, Da. I can damn well take care of myself.”

  Yet he acted as though he didn’t even hear her. He continued to speak with Rhys about the required security changes and, though Rhys glanced at her with sympathy, he said nothing.

  “You’ll assist in choosing her escort?” Nik asked after Rhys suggested a few other security measures.