Unexpected Eden Read online

  “Which part? The words I said out loud or when I called you a dipshidiot in my head?”

  “The ones you said out loud.”

  Lexi kept her head down and swept the cloth against his skin once more. She laid it aside and finally managed to swallow. All she needed now was one, solid breath.

  She squared her shoulders and met his waiting gaze. “I love you.”

  Eryx’s emotions slammed into her. Joy. Pride. Gratitude. Lust.

  His arms banded around her and one hand cradled the back of her head. “I’ve loved you since before I knew you. I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you in my dreams and heard your laughter. No one will fit me the way you do.”

  He kissed her. Not a kiss of stormy passion, but one of devotion and awe. His firm, full lips stroked and coaxed hers over and over in an unhurried glide, each wine-spiced brush of his tongue luring her deeper into surrender.

  Too many years, she’d held herself aloof. Kept people distant. With this man, there would be no more holding back.

  He eased away too fast.

  Loath to let him go, she opened her eyes, intent on provoking her insatiable man to finish what he’d started.

  A predator stared down at her. Hungry and determined. If she thought the night was downhill from here, one look at Eryx’s face said the ride was about to get intimately bumpy.

  A spear of pleasure shot squarely between her legs. She licked her lips and savored the taste of his kiss. “There’s more isn’t there?” God, she sounded like a thrill-seeking, breathy nympho.

  She wasn’t entirely sure it was Eryx who answered, the pure grit that laced his voice unlike anything she’d heard pass his lips. A sensual smile crept into place. “Oh, yeah. There’s more.”

  Chapter 17

  Eryx wrapped Lexi close and shot them into the air on a barrel roll. Her stomach was still somewhere on the ground in a quivering mess, but she couldn’t care less. His lips slashed against hers, not bruising, but fierce. His need resonated through her emotional gift to layer on top of her own.

  The land streaked by beneath them, and the air swooshed along her skin. She didn’t know how far they traveled. Didn’t try to gauge their destination. Though she dimly wondered how he could simultaneously navigate and deliver such an all-consuming kiss.

  He shifted their bodies to land and eased his embrace, the swipes of his tongue against hers more succulent than gluttonous. They landed and he set her away with a mischievous grin. He turned her so she looked out from the top of a hill. “I wanted your first view to be the best.”

  She gasped so hard the cool air stung her throat, and a sparkling rush of awe tickled along her collarbone. It was a castle. A real life, honest to God, castle.

  Not a single light shone from inside the estate, yet the pale-colored rock walls looked pearlescent in the moonshine. Whitecaps sparkled in the background, and the crash of waves pounded her ears. An elaborate garden of blooms fronted the majestic scene, their stems bobbing in rhythm with the sea and wind.

  Eryx’s chest lifted and fell against her back. “Welcome home, Lexi.” He extended his hand, palm out, and hundreds of torches blazed to life, illuminating the garden and grounds in all their splendor.

  Eryx nudged her forward.

  She shut her gaping mouth. Her legs moved on autopilot. The torchlight rivaled the sun to expose a kaleidoscope of color. The white sand path looked as soft as baby powder and, for a minute, she thought about ditching her sandals in favor of bare feet.

  They neared the balustrade lining a raised patio and her heart gave a happy squeal. Ivy covered the railing and inched its way toward the castle walls.

  A sensation tapped at her shoulder, like a tentative child nudging for someone’s attention.

  Eryx halted.

  She followed his sharp gaze to a large rock beside the path. Behind it huddled two patches of red-haired youngsters shaking with barely restrained laughter.

  “Boys.” Eryx’s authoritative voice whipped across the short distance. He darted a quick wink at Lexi before resuming his mask of passivity.

  The giggling stopped and two boys, who looked all of seven or eight, rose from behind the boulder, their eyes wide and lips twitching with a mix of fear and giggles.

  Without a word, Eryx flicked an imperious hand toward the gardens.

  The boys scrambled to take their leave, but their delighted chatter hung in the air.

  “They were only curious. You didn’t have to run them off.” It was a light reprisal. A natural banter she’d heard between other couples that shared a good stretch of history—and didn’t that concept warm her in a hearth and home kind of way?

  Eryx inhaled. A slow sexy one that stroked her libido with a promise of intentional seduction and purposeful delight. His wicked eyes sparked from behind hooded lids. “Tonight I’m busy feeding someone else’s curiosity.”

  The groan of opening doors sounded behind her.

  She whipped around. Two arched panels of distressed wood, thicker than two fists, beckoned her into the darkness beyond. Trailing her fingers against the rough surface, she crossed the threshold. The scent of mingled flowers from the garden, lemons, and earth tickled her nose. Only random shafts of moonlight and flickers of the torches beyond filtered through windows.

  Eryx settled his hands on her shoulders and his warmth wrapped around her in the stillness.

  Candles flickered to life to display a grand foyer. Magnificent didn’t cover it. Iron sconces lined the stone walls, the rock running a spectrum from pale gray to near white. Thick rugs in warm, neutral colors covered the floors, and a window big enough to let a semi pass through graced the front.

  He led her up an enormous staircase and through an intricate weave of plush hallways. No matter how much she gawked he didn’t rush her, letting her soak in every detail.

  The corridor ended before another set of colossal wooden doors, similar to those at the front entrance, but unique in their details. Candlelight glinted on the fine mahogany, and etched on each side was a winged horse, reared back in fury with wings stretched up and wide. She’d seen the image before, but—

  “These will be our rooms.”

  An odd way to phrase it. “Will be?”

  “This space hasn’t been occupied since my parents died. I didn’t want to be here without my mate.”

  A week. She’d known him less than that, but so much had changed. Twice now she’d walked through unknown doors for him, first the portal, and then meeting him tonight. The fact that she stood behind yet another symbolic entry wasn’t lost on her, and with the track record she’d had so far…

  The doors opened.

  Adrenaline ignited her newfound Myren energy and propelled her forward. She glanced back to Eryx, still at the threshold, his eyelids heavy over his swirling silver irises. He looked like a bull ready to charge. Strangely, it didn’t scare her. In fact, her confidence fairly sang with empowerment. If she had a red cape, she’d have wielded it only to provoke him further.

  With a slow, libidinous grin, Eryx approached and candles flared throughout the room.

  Splendor surrounded her. The same stone walls, yet deeper in color. A stormy gray to match the color of his eyes. Rich, velvet drapes of deep red fell from towering ceilings to pool on floors covered in thick, black rugs. And in front of her was a mammoth bed, covered in the same sinful red hue, and perched on a raised platform that reminded her of some kingly dais. The whole scene incited all manner of wicked thoughts.

  Eryx closed the distance between them, his footsteps silent on the plush rug. He moved in behind her and leaned close, the tickle of his lips against her ear and the heat of his breath sending shivers through her.

  “It’s not too late to run.” His voice caught, and his emotions crackled against her newfound senses.

  She shook her head, muscles shaking with excitem
ent and adrenaline. “I’m done running.”

  He slid his hands from her shoulders to her wrists. He circled the last jeweled clasp on each sleeve, sampling the texture of the gems with the pads of his fingers. “I’d have chased you anyway.” With a flick, he triggered a mechanism and released the clasps, freeing the fabric so the front and back sections fell away from each other.

  Only her wrists were exposed, but her heart hammered in expectation.

  Eryx said nothing. Only hovered at the same spot, his lips and steady exhalations feathering against her neck. He scraped along her exposed skin to the next set of clasps and released them. Then the next. Each drag against her skin ratcheted the volume higher on her lust. Each release detonated a tiny bomb of ecstasy.

  Only one set remained fastened at her shoulders. Cool air teased the skin along her arms.

  He skimmed the exposed flesh in an achingly slow descent. “Turn around.” Gone was his soothing, husky voice. In its place was a command that brooked no leniency.

  Her abdomen twitched and moisture pooled at her center. She complied but kept some distance between them, lifting her chin to meet his gaze.

  Crouching before her, Eryx lifted the hem of her gown and reached for one foot. “Hold on to me.” He removed each of her sandals, his touch at her ankles both tender and erotic. When he stood, his gaze trailed up from her feet. His arms hung loose at his sides, still as a predator poised to strike. He flicked his fingers.

  The last clasps snapped opened and the heavy fabric pooled on the floor.

  Lexi’s breath caught, the cool air a salacious stroke against her skin. Eryx’s mental triggering of the mechanisms had caught her off guard.

  By the smirk on his face, he knew it. “Get on the bed.”

  His authoritative tone sent a trill through her body. Even worse, she wanted to obey. She lifted an imperious brow anyway. “No seduction tonight?”

  His silver eyes smoldered. A stream of air swirled around her nipples and sliced between her legs. “I’ve already done that or you wouldn’t be here. Get on the bed, Alexis.”

  Lexi fought the order this time, her shaky exhalations loud in the otherwise quiet. The tendrils of wind increased at each pleasure point until desire won over pride. It didn’t mean she had to make it easy on him. She sauntered to the bed, hips swaying with each step. She crawled across the silk and rolled to her back. Resting on her elbows, she bent one knee provocatively and lifted her gaze.

  Feminine pride and power fired hot. Her sexual red cape had definitely done its job. Eryx’s drast lay discarded on the floor and his bare chest heaved. The gray of his eyes glowed and sparkled.

  “I’m raw tonight. Too long. Waiting.” His ragged voice seemed more animal than man.

  She refused to be daunted and trudged her chin up a notch. “Should that frighten me?”

  He unfastened his leather pants and shoved them down. “Do you think you should fear me?”

  The answer came to her quickly, unfettered by her usual doubts. “No. You wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Candlelight danced across his tanned skin, the muscles accented by shadow. He gripped the base of his cock and her mouth ran dry. “Will you take me then? Uninhibited? Trusting me to care for you?”

  His words and the visual impact shot a ripple of pleasure through her womb. “Yes.” Spellbound, utterly entranced.

  He stalked to the bed and nudged one foot with his knee to kneel between her legs. His touch drifted over the tops of her feet before he circled the insides of her ankles. “Spread your legs.”

  She nearly came from the words alone, her entrance needy and wet. She hesitated, more from the sting of insecurity than defiance. What he asked would leave her defenseless. Exposed in the most carnal of ways.

  His knuckles grazed the insides of her calves. “Give yourself to me.”

  The rasp of his voice, and the spear of pleasure that raced up her thighs, worked its magic and she spread her knees wide. She reached for him, unconsciously seeking some form of anchor in the storm of sensation.

  “No.” Unseen hands pinned her wrists above her head, the pressure formidable, but not so much to cause discomfort. His eyes tightened to a stern slash. “Tonight you take. I give.”

  He inched his knees closer and drug his index finger in a circle around her belly button. “Beautiful.”

  Her muscles quivered beneath his touch.

  He drew a slow, debauched path toward her mound. “Stretched out.” His gaze flicked up to hers. “Helpless.”

  Panic ricocheted with the fervency of a five-alarm siren. She tugged at her arms and lifted her leg to kick.

  And froze.

  Eryx stared. Intent.

  Christ. He knew. Knew her deepest fear and still wanted her submission. Her lungs burned and, despite the taint of fear on her tongue, she ached for his touch. Could she do this?

  Yes.

  The answer pushed from the depths of her soul and her hips lifted without another thought, a ragged moan slipping from her lips.

  His finger resumed its slow descent and she bucked against him, her legs widening further. He parted her slick folds and stared at her undulating body, watching his ministrations with rapt attention. “Let go.”

  A surge of power circled her clit and Lexi gasped. She couldn’t breathe around the overpowering rush, the wave of pleasure enough to short-circuit the last trace of rational thought.

  Two fingers slipped inside her entrance and his free hand held her hips place. “Don’t fight it. Take my energy. Let it take you where you want to go.”

  The sensations didn’t take her anywhere. They dragged her, catapulted her into another dimension where sensuality ruled with an iron fist. The silk tips of his hair tickled the inside of her thighs. Wet heat surrounded her core and she exploded. Shafts of light burst behind her eyelids and her back bowed from the bed. Wave after wave crashed through her, Eryx feasting from her core.

  She relaxed in gradual degrees, muscles shaking as they found their way back from her sexual peak.

  Eryx’s grasp slid up and around her upper back, urging her breasts toward his tantalizing mouth. The swirls of energy around her core regained in strength and the same temptation built at her breasts. His lips closed around one turgid nipple.

  Lexi moaned, her passion vaulting to meet his once more. She lifted her arms, prepared to fight his restraints, but found them gone. She rested her hand against his heart. “Eryx, please. I need you.” More than just inside her. Something else. The drive for the deeper connection she’d felt before was back, stronger and unrepentant.

  He released her sensitized nipple and sat back on his heels. His cock teased at her core and swirls of energy still rushed each pleasure point. She wriggled her bottom, desperate for his fullness, but he hesitated.

  Covering her hand with one of his own, Eryx pressed it hard against his chest. With his free hand, he trailed a slow path along her abdomen, between her breasts, to lie against her own heart.

  “Alexis, look at me.”

  She opened her eyes—barely. Her hips undulated against his rigid length.

  Strain etched his face and sweat beaded his brow. Hunger raged behind his molten eyes.

  “Eryx, now.” What the hell was he waiting for? Every nerve ending screamed with a mind-numbing mix of pure agony and pleasure, the swirls of energy at each pleasure point now twice as intense.

  “Know you have my heart.” His words were rough, barely formed. “Know I love you.”

  He thrust deep.

  Sweet, delicious fullness stretched her walls. She rocked upward, greedy for every inch.

  A swooshing sound filled her ears and reality shifted. The room vanished, replaced with the nothingness of dreams and her incorporeal body—and it was falling. Plummeting from some unknown height. Space screamed past her with nothing to grab onto.

  S
he fought. Tried to regain balance. Tried to reach for Eryx’s physical presence in her altered state, but met only air. Only dusky space surrounded her. And panic. Everywhere.

  In some peripheral sense, she heard a shout. Male. A wail of agony that scraped along her spine. Eryx. In pain.

  The wind swept by her, the free fall never ending. The muddled mire of confusion and the thick press of dread pressed in on each side.

  God, he’d done so much for her. Taught her. Pushed her to trust him. He was hurting and she couldn’t help him.

  That was it. Trust.

  Certainty leapt in her heart and billowed out along her chest and arms. She let go. Surrendered to the free fall and accepted her fate.

  The swooshing sound came again. Like the exit from a long dark tunnel on a fast moving train into open air.

  Strong arms surrounded her and snatched her from her nosedive.

  She was back.

  Eryx’s hips hammered against her core and she sank her nails deep into his flanks. She pried her eyelids open and nearly wept. It was the most carnal, delicious sight. Eryx’s tanned hand at her heart, her legs spread wide, his cock slick with her wetness, tunneling deep with each thrust.

  His gaze lifted from the point where their bodies joined and he slipped a hand between them. One rasp against her swollen nub and her world splintered. Her strangled cry filled the room.

  Eryx’s garbled growl followed right behind it. His hard length pushed and pulled against her convulsing walls, layering fine tremors on top of each clench and release.

  A quick shout rang out above her and his pelvis slammed home. His cock throbbed and jerked within her, the flex and release of his abs against her belly a perfect mirror of the ripples fisting around his shaft.

  She held fast and rode the pleasure, tears mingling with the sweat at her temples.

  “You’re mine, Alexis Shantos.” His velvet lips brushed her forehead, his skin hot against hers. “My baineann. My malress.” The words rumbled through her mind, possessive, but comforting.