In facthe whipped her shirt over her head and ripped the front clasp of her bra. The backpack would provide her with another one. As the material sagged apart, he caught a glimpse of nipples the prettiest shade of pink hed ever seen.
Youre so beautiful. He sounded drugged, didnt care.
Th-thank you.
He bent his head and sucked one of the little pearls harder than hed intended. A gasp escaped her, but she didnt push him away. No, she tangled her fingers in his hair and held him against her.
He switched his attention from one to the other, laving them equally until goose bumps broke out over her skin. Until her belly quivered in anticipation every time he moved. Until breathy groans were falling from her lips, interwoven with his name, with pleas for mercyfor more.
Amun hadnt had a lover in a very long time, but he hadnt forgotten the basics, and hed never been so driven by instinct. Touch, taste, possess, own. He could have been a virgin, and he would have found a way to please this woman, because making her come wasnt simply a desire. Making her come was a necessity.
Her pleasure was his pleasure, and thats just the way it was.
Touchtasteyes, taste. He straightened, meshing their lips. He had to taste her again.
He wanted to go slowly, to savor every inch of her. To learn what she liked, what she didnt. But just as before, with a single kiss and a few caresses, the passion between them went nuclear. Those roaming hands clutched, nails scraped. He rubbed his erection between her legs, and she arched into every slide.
After everything shed told him, he felt as if he could lose her at any moment. As if someone would take her from him, and she would wake up in that cave in Greece, unable to remember him or this kiss.
They were both shirtless, and when her breasts brushed his chest, he hissed out a breath. The kiss never slowed, their tongues continually rolling, seeking, demanding. Possessown He cupped her ass and slammed her against him, the rubbing becoming a frantic seeking. A fever.
No, not a fever. His blood was on fire, true, racing through his veins with a swiftness that would have killed a lesser man, but the woman he held was becoming colder with every second that passed. Her skin was like ice, her mouth the storm, and as he sucked on her tongue, that icy storm filled him.
The demons had been hiding in the back of his mind, afraid to make themselves known. Now they shrieked, her touch affecting them as if theyd just been hooked to an electric generator. Each oneand gods, there were hundredsscrambled through his head, doing their best to avoid the renewing of Haidees pullthe unavoidable cold.
Finally the kiss slowedslowedand then Haidee leaned back. Are you okay? Soft knuckles stroked his cheek.
Just needa moment Amun closed his eyes and settled on his haunches, inhaling unhurriedly, exhaling with care. Every muscle in his body was locked in a desperate tug-of-war with his bones, lancing thousands of aches through every part of him. All at the same time. From the demons, yes, but also from unfulfilled desire. He hadnt been ready to stop.
My internal thermometer gets the better of me sometimes. Im sorry. I didnt mean for it toI could feel it Im sorry, she said again, a trace of misery in her tone. Ill control it, I promise.
No apologies, he told her. You did nothing wrong. Besides, I like it.
He wasnt sure why the demons were calmed by her one moment, then roused by her the next. He wasnt sure how she pulled on them or why they reacted that way, but he would puzzle over the answer later. With the distance between him and Haideeminute though it wasthe heat returned to him and the demons ceased fighting so stringently. For the moment, that was enough.
Secrets, though, had remained unaffected throughout the entire ordeal. Amun didnt think his soul-companion had liked the change in temperature, but the beast hadnt beenand still wasnt, because yes, Amun planned to have another go at his womanscreeching in fear. His woman.
The phrase delighted him in a way he never would have expected. But she was. His. In every way that matteredand soon in every way imaginable. His friends wouldnt understand. Might even hate him, might consider him a traitor. He couldnt make himself care. Just then, her well-being came before his own.
The change in his mind-set was radical, even to him, and he wasnt quite used to it yet. That didnt lessen the impact, though. Hed held her in his lap, listened to her story of loss, had heard the heartbreak in her voice, and something inside him had broken. Hed begun to comprehend the truth. They were alike in so many ways. Determined, constantly bombarded by the worst the world had to offerpeople, places, circumstancesyet finding joy where they could.
He wanted this woman. Would have her. And yeah, maybe he was driven purely by desire right now, convincing himself of feelings he wouldnt normally entertain to ease the shame of being with the enemy, but he didnt think so.
Maybe its best that we stopped, she whispered on a trembling breath. II still cant sleep with you.
Amuns eyelids sprang open, and he knew flickers of firelight showcased the dark menace in his eyes. Because of him? he demanded.
Yes. I wont cheat.
He popped his jaw. When did you last sleep with him? With every new word, there had been an increase of rage in his voice.
I didnt. Not once.
The rage vanished in a blink. Had she said yesterday, he would have wanted her stillhe doubted anything could change thatbut knowing Micah hadnt touched her in that way stoked his new sense of possession. When you dated him, you thought he was me, he reminded her.
Yes.
Amun gripped her hips, urged her forward and rubbed against her. Then you are cheating on me by staying true to him.
She moaned, her eyelids drifting to half-mast. When he forced her to steady, she nibbled on her bottom lip, white teeth sinking deep. Maybe I am, but theres still a note of dishonesty there. So, no sex. Not until I tell him were over. But
But Amun could kiss her, she was saying. The rage returned full-force. Kissing is a form of cheating, Haidee. He knew how he would react if he caught her kissing another man. Blood would flow.
Her shoulders sagged, her expression suddenly tortured. Youre right. Im sorry. I know youre right. You just make me sohot. Well stop, then. For good. Untiljust until.
Break up with him in your mind. Now.
In my heart and in my mind, he and I are done already. But I have to tell him, Amun. He deserves to know. I know you wont believe me, but hes a good man.
Amun had just realized he would do anything to protect this woman, even give up life as he knew it, simply to be with her. Yet she couldnt let go of an old boyfriend for him. Not completely. While part of him admired such loyalty, the other part wanted that loyalty directed only at himself.
No sex, shed said, and now, because of what hed said, no kissing, either. Well, then, by the gods, he would do everything else. Scowling, he caught her by the back of her knees and jerked, tossing her to her back. She landed on the flower petals, their softness cushioning the blow. Before she could suck in a breath, he was atop her, shoving her legs apart and fitting himself against her.
Dont cheat me, Haidee. Dont cheat me. Please.
She groaned, as if in pain, and then she settled. IImaybe Im a terrible person, but I need you to kiss me. Please.
Not terrible. Perfect. In that moment, he found he could deny her nothing. So, kiss her? Yes, even though hed thought to balance the scale. Their mouths met in a frenzied tangle, licking, sucking, biting. As promised, she kept her temperature under control. Still cold, but never freezing. How she did so, he didnt know. And he didnt like that she couldnt let go completely, that she had to remain guarded.
When this was over, he vowed, when hed gotten rid of the demons inside him, he would have her. All of her. The cold and every inch of her luscious body. Even her heart. He would shield his own, of coursewanting her, needing her, that was fine, but he would be owned by no onebut by gods, he absolutely would have hers.
He unsnapped her jeans and kicked them down her legsoff. She didnt protest, didnt try to stop him. She trusted him not to cross the line she had drawn. Again he found himself torn, liking that she trusted him, hating that she didnt crave more from him despite everything against them, as he did. Hating that she had him addicted to her, but didnt seem to be addicted to him.
Well, he would just have to change that.
Amun kissed and nibbled his way to her breasts and once again laved her nipples. When she was writhing, hips lifting, greedy for a touch, any touch, he worked his way to her navel. There, he tormented her with fleeting, gentle bites while his fingers toyed with the band of her panties, at her waist, around her thighs, but never stroking where she needed him most.
Amunbabyplease.
Begging now. Good, that was good. What hed wanted. Yet, his body ached with such unfulfilled desire, he wasnt sure he would live through this encounter. Sweat beaded on his brow, his skin pulled taut and consuming need blistered him inside and out.
Im going to taste you again. Take you to the end this time. Finally he kissed her between her legs, flicking his tongue against the damp fabric of her panties.
Her hips shot up, and she cried out uninhibitedly. Yes!
Youre going to give me everything.
Yeno. She undulated, seeking more of his mouth. I cant.
I know. But soon.
Soon. Yes, soon.
With that promise ringing in his ears, he ripped the material away and feasted on her. At the first true glide of his tongue, she screamed with absolute abandon. He tasted her femininity and those frosted apricots hed scented the night they met. Hed thought himself on fire before, but thisthis burned him alive.
His cock filled to the point of bursting, and he ground himself into the hard floor, pumping as if he were already inside his woman. She tugged at his hair, not to pull him away but to urge him on.
He licked inside her, feeling those tight walls close around his tongue. He sucked and swallowed, laved and flicked at her clitoris. Soon she wasnt just writhing, she was making love to his mouth, moving against him, legs finding their way to his shoulders, heels digging into his back.
Hands over your head, he commanded, and he was immensely glad he could speak into her mind, that he didnt have to stop what he was doing.
Wh-why?
Do it.
Hesitantly she released him and drew her arms high.
Clasp the rock behind you.
This time she obeyed without question.
Dont let go. He grabbed her thighs, lifted, and twisted her so that she faced the ground. Twisted himself, too, ramming himself beneath her, but still between her legs. Her body fell back on him, her core directly over his face. Her grip on the rock kept her from smashing face-first into the petals, but didnt save her from the increase of pressure his mouth caused as his tongue sank deeper than before.
Oh, God. Amun! Tremors rocked her, vibrating into him.
So wet. So perfect.
Amun. Please, more, need, want.
With one hand, he clasped her hip. With the other, he stroked his cock. And as he worked her, he worked himself, pretending they were making love. She pumped against him, up and down, her essence all over his face, and he matched her with the movement of his hand.
So damned good. Had he ever experienced something this good? Impossible.
Hurry! Have toalmostneed
Him. She only needed him. He released her hip and reached under her, never ceasing his carnal attentions. On either of them. Feverish, he impaled her with two fingers.
Tight. She was so tight. And as he slammed those fingers deep, so deep, she convulsed around him, pulling him even deeper.
There! she shouted, the climax razing her voice as every muscle she possessed clamped down, trying to hold him inside.
Feeling her spasm around him sent him over the edge. He erupted, hot seed jetting onto his stomach. And when the last of the shudders left her, when the last drop of come was squeezed from him, she rose on her knees, panting, severing that intimate contact. They moaned in unison at the loss.
She scooted down his chest and collapsed atop him. Though his first thought was to clean them both, he couldnt bring himself to move her. His arms wound around her, and he held on, knowing he would never be able to let her go.
His head was (somewhat) clear, so he couldnt blame desire for the possessiveness. She was his. Nowalways.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FOR HOURS, HAIDEE AND AMUN alternated between sleeping, eating, kissing and talking, careful not to mention their pasts, their circumstances or their future. They were just a man and a woman, their hands never far from each other. Through it all, Haidee remained in a state of bliss, joyful in a way she knew she couldnt afford.
For her, joy never lasted.
This joyful stretch ended when Amun released her to build a campfireand didnt return to her side. He fiddled with the backpack, then pulled out two robes, his motions rigid.
Angel robes, he said (just as rigidly). Without looking back at her, he placed the white one at her side. The material will clean you. Itll even untangle your hair when you lift the hood.
A simple robe could do all that? Wow. Thank you.
Welcome, he said as he tugged the material over his head. And damn if the dirt smudges on the back of his neck didnt disappear. Now, we do what needs doing.
You mean, now we play the quiet game?
Among other things.
This formalityhow she hated it.
He had given her the sweetest, most agonizing orgasm of her life, playing her body in a way that conquered all doubt, all inhibition. Passion had filled her so inexorably, she hadnt been able to hold it all inside. She had erupted, barely managing to temper the ice. Her body was now so hyperaware of this man that the ache, the need for him, never left her. Constantly her stomach quivered and her skin tingled.