Unexpected Eden Page 13

  “What was what?”

  “I could have sworn I felt your hand on my neck. And that cologne you wear.” She motioned at him. “That leather and spice, toe-curling stuff. It got really thick.”

  Leather and spice, toe-curling stuff? “You think I wear cologne?”

  “Stop it and focus.” She sidled closer and rested her palms on his chest. “I felt you, but you weren’t anywhere near me. What were you thinking?”

  A low warning hummed along his shoulders. He grasped her wrists. “I was thinking of you.”

  She pressed closer and her eyelids drifted closed. “Think it again.”

  The memory of her hand on his heart this morning—her energy diving into his chest in search of a link—exploded. He crushed his mouth against hers, desire obliterating every fragment of reason.

  Ludan coughed behind them. “We done here?”

  Eryx eased away from Lexi, her lips a shade closer to rose than pink from his kiss. “I think I’ve got this.”

  Ludan took to the air, leaving loose blades of grass swirling in his wake.

  “You’re afraid I’ll run away if I know your feelings.” Lexi’s voice floated as easy as dandelion fluff on the wind.

  He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

  “You’re afraid if you tell me what your heart wants, I’ll bolt.”

  White space. A giant bucket of questions with zero answers. That was all his brain offered. “How’d you get that?”

  She grinned and her gaze glazed over. “I have no idea. I felt your touch and my brain went laser sharp.” She met his stare again and the grin grew to an ear-to-ear smile. “Then I kind of heard it in my head. I think. Or felt it.” She shook her head and choked out an awkward laugh. “It just was.”

  Everything inside Eryx ripped to a standstill. “You’re an emotional empath.”

  “A what?”

  “An emotional empath.” It made sense. The physical sensations she’d called out, not real but tied with an emotion. Her assessment of Orla. Her ability to identify not only a Myren presence, but to specifically identify Ramsay and the loyalty of his men. How attuned she’d been to his wild moods. “Where Galena physically takes on a person’s injuries, you take on their emotions. Emotional sensation manifested first as physical sensation, followed by insight.”

  “You’re saying this is one of my gifts?”

  “Most likely.”

  Lexi stepped back, hands absently rubbing her hips.

  The distance she’d created bugged him. He itched to step forward and gobble it up. She was learning things about herself, not him. So why did he feel so exposed? “Does it bother you?”

  “My heart is on the line here too.” A statement with an undercurrent of realization. “I’ve never known a family or love like you have. Not until Ian. But I’m not afraid of it.”

  Like histus she wasn’t. She’d put every kind of emotional wall between them she could since the minute he found her. Then again, Lexi had a penchant for tackling whatever she set her mind to. He reclaimed the distance she’d created and gripped her shoulders so she couldn’t run. For a second he could barely breathe, words bottled in his throat. “This is no small can of worms you’re prying open. Once it’s out, I’ll move nirana and histus to keep you in my life.”

  Her cheeks and jaw hardened and she lifted her chin. “Duly noted.”

  Ten years he’d searched. Dreamed and waited. And here he was, his soul perched on the edge of an emotional cliff. The muscles along his arms tensed and his throat croaked. “I want you as my baineann, Alexis. I’ve wanted it from the first time I found you in my dreams. I’ve wanted it since I first saw you in the flesh. I want you in a way a starving man wants food. In a way that is completely irrational and insane.”

  Quiet. Her breath remained even, unlike his own. Her expression locked into a blank slate. He was tempted to read her emotions, but it seemed dishonest. He laid her hand over his heart. “You’ve felt my emotions. Go deeper. Know my intent.” The plea in his tone grated at his pride. Ramsay and Ludan would mock him for years if they ever heard, but he didn’t care.

  She closed her eyes.

  Energy danced along his skin as she searched for answers words alone could never give. What if she railed against what she found? Could he handle it?

  “Love,” she whispered. Her eyes opened and tears pooled along the bottom edge. Was it fear that tightened her cheeks? Hope?

  “It’s been what’s driven me to find you. What will drive me to keep you. Will you accept me as your fireann, Alexis? Will you take that chance?”

  Perfect stillness. Even the breeze seemed to listen. His heart thundered in an uncomfortable rhythm and his stomach burned. What if she didn’t want him in the way he wanted her?

  She fisted her hand against his chest.

  “Give me time.”

  * * * *

  Maxis dodged an ellan scurrying from the council building and pressed his masked form tight against a massive marble pillar. The crowds were thick after the general session, a swarm of opportunities to misstep.

  “Don’t know why you bother with a hidden identity.” Thyrus trundled upstream through the exodus just twenty feet away. “Hardly anyone talks of your father these days,” Thyrus continued. “Anyone committed to the Rebellion keeps to Evanora’s guidance and skips right over the old man’s bumbles.”

  Those bumbles had cost him an incalculable loss of status and money—not to mention a good seventy years of time he could have spent ruling his people. “Let’s keep our minds focused on the task at hand.” He edged his masked form tighter against the golden marble column. One inadvertent brush with passersby and the crowds would go wild with panic. “Just pass the information on to Angus as we discussed.”

  Across the main isle, Thyrus shrugged. Too lackadaisical, dangerous. A loose cannon in charge of a delicate job.

  Maxis rolled his shoulders and breathed through his impatience. Taking over wasn’t an option. Planning and building his infrastructure alone was one thing. Now was the time to cultivate relationships. To spread his influence among those who counted—no matter how much he hated the task.

  “Mmmm,” Thyrus grunted. “There’s our boy.”

  Maxis nearly barked out a laugh. Boy wasn’t the term he’d have used. A three-generation relic was more apropos. Angus’ face was a wrinkled mass. Thin silver hair in short stumps of disarray shot out of his pale head. From his puckered mouth and the way he scooted about, obstinacy was probably the only thing keeping the old fart breathing. “Stick to the plan. We only get one shot.”

  Thyrus waddled forward and wiped his pudgy paws along the sides of his ivory robe, the stiff, stark white of Angus’ council attire making him look dirty in comparison. Thyrus thrust out his hand.

  The old man sneered at the offered palm.

  “Channel the conversation through the link.” Maxis could barely hold still. He wanted to pace, or even hover overhead where he could move without fear of impact with others, but the stir of energy would give him away to guards nearby.

  “Yes, yes. Sorry.” Thyrus gave up on the handshake and wiped his palm on his robe. “I apologize for catching you on short notice, but I’ve come into some urgent business I thought it best to convey as quickly as possible.”

  “Make an appointment with my page.” Angus sidestepped Thyrus to leave. “He’ll handle the details.”

  “I’m afraid it won’t wait,” Thyrus said.

  Praise the Great One. Thyrus had actually listened to Maxis’ instructions. And hadn’t given up easily either. Traits he’d be wise to remember in the future.

  “I’ve come into a bit of sensitive information. The type a man of your caliber and…situation could make use of.”

  The old man straightened, and his eyes pinched to match his scrunched up lips. “What are you implying?”

&n
bsp; Thyrus shook his head and his jowl wobbled. If Angus’ snide behavior bothered him, he sure didn’t show it. Then again, Thyrus was a well-practiced lawyer, so he’d likely earned a thick hide years ago. “Not implying a thing. Merely offering a faithful servant a tool to further his purpose.” He folded his hands over his protruding belly and gave a meek bow. “Assuming you’re interested in hearing what I have to say.”

  Angus scanned the area. He stared at Thyrus, tapping one finger atop his clasped hands, and then flicked his wrist toward the far end of the pavilion. “Over there.”

  Thyrus loped in the direction indicated, either oblivious or uncaring of Angus’ shrewd study. Probably the latter.

  Darting through the fast-moving throng, Maxis plastered himself along a nearby wall as Angus and Thyrus came to a halt.

  “Out with it,” Angus said, checking behind him one last time.

  “Yes, well.” Thyrus cleared his throat. “Our malran has made the acquaintance of a human. A lover, we believe.”

  “I don’t give a damn if he fucks them all. What good is such information to me?”

  Thyrus raised his hands in a calming motion. “We believe in this instance it’s a bit more…involved…than simply relations.”

  Maxis almost laughed. Relations? Apparently, Thyrus had a hang up with words of a more colorful variety.

  “It seems,” he continued, “the malran may have actually brought the human here. To Eden.”

  Angus snapped to attention. “What do you mean may have? Possibilities don’t interest me. Facts do.”

  “Already on it.” Thyrus puffed his chest out. “We haven’t yet confirmed her presence, but we’ve got men on the case. All we need is a sighting to prove it’s so.”

  Angus stood there with his mouth pursed tight as a drawstring pouch. Maybe he’d died and shot straight to rigor mortis. “Say nothing of this. To anyone. If you find this human and gain your proof, come and talk to me. Otherwise, this discussion never took place.” He shuffled off. No backward glance, no indication he’d even been interrupted.

  Thyrus rocked on his heels. “I’d say that went rather well.”

  Angus wound through the crowds, the golden council walls a painful backdrop to Maxis’ eyes.

  Anticipation whirred. “You did well, my friend.”

  One step closer. All Maxis needed was proof and Eryx’s world would come tumbling down.

  Chapter 14

  Lexi high-stepped it down the hall to the room she shared with Eryx. Sconces blazed to life along the walls with each step, Eryx setting them alight with his mind to light her way. Providing what you need.

  Ugh. Not something she could think about right now. His sure, confident strides sounded behind her. No matter how far ahead she tried to stay, his hunger burned inside her. Stupid gift. Now that she’d somehow uncorked it, she couldn’t get it turned it off—and damned if she wasn’t a raging inferno as a result.

  She’d thought asking for time would calm his fears. Maybe ease his foot off the throttle a little bit. But oh, no. She’d tugged the lion’s tail, tossed out a slab of meat, and thrown the cage door open wide.

  The door to their room whipped open and thudded against the wall.

  She flinched, but kept going. “You don’t need to be so melodramatic.”

  She’d gone for playful, but ended up sounding like Marilyn Monroe on a heaped-up dose of Spanish Fly. Moving to the dresser, she tugged off her blue leather sandals. “Maybe we can rest later and you can teach me how to move things with my mind instead.”

  Eryx ripped his tank over his head and tossed it to the floor. Smooth muscles flexed under tight, tan skin.

  She closed her gaping mouth. Tugged the lion’s tail indeed.

  “I thought I’d give you something else.” He stalked her until her back met the wall and caged her with arms on either side of her head. “Something that will feed you instead of drain you.”

  He ran his nose along the column of her neck and inhaled, slow and deep.

  Goosebumps prickled along her forearms and her belly fluttered. “I thought you said I needed to rest.”

  “You need energy. I’m going to give it to you.” He nipped her earlobe then sucked at the same spot. “You said you’ve never known family or love.” His hot breath brushed across her skin and his tongue traced the shell of her ear. “So I’ll give you that too.”

  A blowtorch, insane, leave-me-here-to-die-in-glory fire blasted from her insides out. Where the hell was her caution? Her worry?

  “I warned you.” He bit her lower lip and the sting zinged to her nipples. His hands abandoned the wall and caressed her back, her thin cotton tunic a nearly non-existent barrier. “You said you could take anything I threw at you.” He whipped the tunic over her head and the indigo fabric sailed to the floor behind him. “Then you’ll have me.” His gaze lowered to her bare breasts. “All of me.” He claimed her lips and crushed her body to his, the heat of his skin alone enough to make her gasp. His tongue swept between her parted lips and brushed against hers. No remorse, no constraint. Just a man beyond the confines of control, focused on one, single objective.

  Her.

  His fingertips skimmed and teased the sides of her breasts, and the cotton of her leggings rasped against her hips in a slow descent.

  How could he…

  She jerked away from his kiss.

  Her leggings continued their descent, pushed toward the floor by nothing more than his thoughts. His wicked fingers at her breasts never missed a beat.

  “You gotta teach me that trick.” Licking her lips, she raked her nails along his abdomen. A few inches and the right angle, and she’d have the hot erection tenting his linen pants cradled in her palm.

  “I don’t think so.” He swept her into his arms and strode to the bathroom. “I can’t show you all my tricks.” He splayed her on a wide chocolate-colored chaise and stepped away before she could pull him close.

  She shifted, uncomfortable. Down-soft chenille caressed her back, but the skin along her front? All tingles and tightness. Laying naked in front of him was one thing, but the power in his expression stripped away the deepest barriers. “What are you waiting for?” Even her whisper seemed frantic against the tiles and Grecian columns.

  “Enjoying you.” He shoved his pants past his hips. They dropped to the floor with a whisper. “Persuading you.” He planted one knee at the foot of the chaise, and gripped her knees. “Loving you.” He spread her wide and lifted her hips, his greedy mouth on her before she could draw a steady breath.

  Her lungs hitched and burned, the wet heat of his tongue making the need for air a secondary concern. She rode each stroke, surrendered to every lick.

  The muscles along his shoulders strained and his dark head bobbed and circled with each swipe of his tongue. His sultry gaze lifted and locked with hers, gleaming with challenge. With slow deliberation, he held her stare, licked from her drenched entrance, and circled her swollen clit.

  Holy shit. Every muscle locked and quivered, her entire focus zeroed on the bundle of nerves.

  He sucked with a hungry groan and thrust two fingers deep.

  She splintered, existing nowhere and everywhere in one moment. She arched, ablaze with fire and stretched to a perfect pitch. Her pussy milked him and waves of pleasure raced through every cell.

  “That’s it.” His heated breath brushed her mound, sweet crooning sounds dancing across her flesh as he kissed her belly. He kept a steady, sinful rhythm between her legs. “Take from me.”

  Her muscles softened, his voice cushioning her fall back to reality. She grappled for a witty retort. Something to make her feel less exposed.

  He straightened, his erection straining nearly to his navel. A self-satisfied grin tugged at his lips.

  She stroked the soft fabric beneath her, craving a different surface entirely. She wanted more, crav
ed more of the connection he’d started, to touch him as deeply has he’d touched her. Could she?

  Starting at her abdomen, she trailed her fingers in an erotic path to the valley between her breasts. “You know. I think I do feel more rested.”

  Eryx’s gaze locked on the visual, the silver in his eyes lightening with flecks of white. The rise and fall of his chest increased.

  Pushing up on shaky arms, she tucked her legs beneath her, the chaise tickling her skin. The springs groaned as she crawled toward him and paused, scant inches from his cock.

  He fisted the base, ready, waiting.

  She exhaled against his length, mimicking that glorious sensation he’d given her only moments before, and locked gazes.

  He hissed and the muscles along his stomach tightened. His smug expression shifted to tight intensity.

  With the barest caress, she pressed her fingertips against the hard columns of his thighs just above his knees, and skimmed her thumbs along the inner edge. His erection jerked as her hands drew closer, impatient with her slow intentions. With one tentative touch, she traced the most prominent vein from base to tip, and circled in the drop of precum.

  A tremor rippled along his formidable body.

  Her heart pounded in triumph. The silver centers of his eyes sparkled, the whites surrounding them a pleasant glow. His lips parted and his breath rasped past them in a slow, steady rhythm.

  Oh, yes. She’d reached him. Maybe not as deeply, but getting there. She inched forward and savored his musky scent, sampling his taste with a swirl of her tongue.

  Eryx’s growl bounced from the tiled walls and he gripped the hair at the nape of her neck.

  “Careful, hellcat.” His hips flexed so his shaft brushed her lips. “Teasing can go two ways…and I can hold out a long time.”

  Lexi’s stomach vaulted and an electric jolt ran thick beneath her skin as she clutched the base of his staff.

  “Take me in your mouth.” He cupped the back of her head. Dark. Demanding.

  Part of her bristled. Told her to sit back and prove her own power by refusing. A bigger part of her thrilled at the command. Yearned to submit.