Текст книги "Ties That Bind"

Автор книги: T. A. Grey

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

CHAPTER 22

Kearnyn took the company's bulletproof SUV over to Rosa's shop. The drive was short and with each mile closer he forgot about Telal and his problems and grew antsy with excitement.

It was nearly seven in the morning by time he reached her shop. He pulled his SUV to the curb and knocked on her door in the next second. He hadn't seen her in a while. Hell, he missed her. He was practically begging to be rejected and hurt by the beauty, but he didn’t care. It'd be worth the burn.

A dark, oval face appeared in the door's window and then the door opened. Rosa looked fresh and warm wearing a long dress with full sleeves in black.

“Rosa.” She looked amazing. He wanted to know everything about her until he knew her from the inside out.

With a hesitant smile, she turned the closed sign on the door to open and made room for him to enter. “Starting early today, huh?”

He loved how she spoke. All smooth tones and rolling syllables. He'd love it if she spoke her natural language to him. Shit, his dick hardened at the thought. Yeah, he'd like that a bit too much.

“Yeah, my earlier plans were canceled.” You could say that again, he thought wryly.

“Oh?” she inquired.

He followed her back through the beaded partition and into the work room. “Yeah.” He left it at that. Telal's business wasn't anybody else's.

Rosa got to work immediately. “Do you know if Lily got home safely yesterday?” She asked the question as if she wasn't sure how much he knew about the whole thing.

“Yeah, she and Telal got out of there. Don't know much else about it yet.” Not that he'd tell her, but it’d be damn hard for him to deny her. Man, he was being a total sap. All these crazy thoughts for a woman he'd barely talked to.

“I tried calling her this morning but she didn't answer.”

“Long night, heavy sleep I'm sure.”

“Yeah that must be it.” She didn't sound certain.

“I can have a guard check in on her if you'd like.”

She looked at him with wide, relieved eyes. Beautiful brown eyes. “Would you please? That'd mean a lot to me.”

He was up on his feet and in the next room ordering the call in the next second. Kearnyn finished and came back to take a seat but paused. The small child’s chair was gone and in its place was a sturdy wooden one. His lips curled up in a smile as he sat down. He sighed. It fit perfectly. She kept her eyes averted from him. He had the feeling she'd be embarrassed if he thanked her, so he kept his trap shut. The fact that she was concerned over his comfort now didn’t escape his notice.

Ten minutes later he received a text message. “Ms. Bellum is alive and well.”

“Oh, good. She's always getting into trouble.”

“And you're not?”

She seemed taken aback by the personal question. He'd have to tone it down; she was a shy one. “No, not at all. I keep to myself, quiet and busy.” After a moment of enspelling a weapon she grabbed another and started working on it. “So, where are you from?” she asked quietly.

Kearnyn smiled. He always felt good talking about his homeland. “Ireland.”

“I've never been,” she admitted.

“I'd love to take you sometime.” His voice deepened at the thought of her in his homeland. He could easily picture her there, lying in a sea of golden-samphire and blue-eyed-grass. She'd look lovely spread naked across it. His thoughts instantly derailed. Masking a groan, he fidgeted as his cock tried to stand up in his jeans.

“You have a lovely accent,” she said after a minute, her cheeks deepening with color.

“As do you.”

Her lips curled up in a semblance of a smile. He wanted to stand up and cheer that he'd made her do that or beat his chest like a preening gorilla. God, he was a beast.

Kearnyn waited for another three hours before he brought up what had been swirling around inside him. He waited until she made a cup of hot tea and sat down for a break.

“Are you ready?”

Her eyes widened. “For what?”

“To go out with me.”

She visibly swallowed. The teacup clinked along the saucer as she slowly placed it upon the table in front of her. “W-where are we going?”

“To lunch or breakfast. Whichever you prefer.”

“I'll have to get ready.”

He thought she looked amazing already but whatever. “Take your time.” Which really meant, I hope this doesn't take an hour. He wanted to feed her.

She came back in five wearing a pair of jeans that were neither too tight nor too loose and a plain white t-shirt.

“Why'd you change?” She still looked amazing. Just less witchy.

She shrugged and gathered up a black shoulder bag. “Something about wearing what I usually do makes me uncomfortable around normal people. They tend to stare.”

Kearnyn nodded though he didn't mention that what she wore probably had little to do with the attention she got. so much as how naturally beautiful she was. He led her outside and opened the passenger door for her. Her soft hand slid into his as he helped her up into the seat and he had to focus on not clasping their hands together like he wanted. He swore something passed between them with that touch—something warm and inviting.

His gut tightened. His cock started to throb with a dull pain from being semi-hard most of the morning. It made him feel like a creep around her. Maybe if he just got off once then it'd go away. Yeah, how many times have men tried that and failed?

He hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. He paused before pulling into drive and turned to her, one arm going to rest on the back of her head rest.

Eyes watched him, wary and shy.

“Before we go I need to tell you something.”

She scooted another inch against her seat. “Okay, what's that?”

He leaned in, keeping his eyes focused on hers. Damn, they were really pretty. Dark brown with flecks of gold and lighter browns. “I'm going to kiss you today.”

She gasped, her hand flying up to protect her neck like he'd just said he was going to kill her. “What? Why?”

He didn't move back, didn't give her the space her body screamed for. “Because I really, really want to.”

She practically trembled and while he could sit there and study her response to see if it was from excitement, fear or a mixture of both, he had a date to get her to.

* * *

They pulled up next to a cozy looking café in the city. Round tables with brown umbrellas sat under a wide red canopy from the building. People in business suits on their lunch break and groups of friends sat looking over their menus trying to decide what to order.

Rosa reached for her door handle, but Kearnyn's voice stopped her. “Let me get that.”

He hopped out the seat and opened her door for her. Again, her hand slid into his and it was like a spark shot between them. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she slid her hand out of his, disconcerted. Flashbacks from the vision she'd had still haunted her. Their bodies, naked and twining together while making love. Unlike her friend Lily Bellum's visions, hers were not hit or miss. They were always dead on.

She followed Kearnyn's big body into the café while her mind wandered off to her other recent vision—Lily dying. For once she hoped her visions were wrong, because the thought of losing her best friend made her want to vomit. Even the enchanted bracelet couldn't save Lily. When death chose you, there was no denying it.

She'd been through this before, too many times to count. Seeing close loved ones dying in a vision. A part of her had closed her feelings off to the matter; it was the only way she could cope with the grim knowledge she had. Lily's fate could possibly be changed, but that was up to her. Her own gift was merely an intermediary of sorts. She could see something but have no idea when, where, how, or why. So she dealt with the news as she did in the past—by pretending it didn't happen.

“What's wrong?” Kearnyn asked.

Rosa looked up from the table she'd been staring at. “I'm sorry, I was lost in thought.”

One reddish brown eyebrow shot up. “Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener.” She had no doubt he was.

She shook her head. “No, but thanks.” If she talked about her best friend dying then she might have a breakdown here and now. She had to keep herself detached from it, barricade her feelings from inside, or else she might not survive. She put on a smile. “So what's good here?”

He laughed a bit. “I have no clue. I don't eat food.”

Her lips pulled into a confused frown and then a light bulb went on inside. “Oh, I forgot for a moment that you're a...that you're a,” she glanced around the room for prying eyes then whispered, “Vampire.”

His green eyes lit up with laughter. “I am.”

Curiosity got the better of her. “So how do you, you know, eat?”

“Telal owns half a blood bank. He orders his own supply for me. It stays under the radar because I'm the only one who requires it on his staff.”

“Oh, the rest of his staff is human then?” He nodded.

The server came, a young woman with a bouncing blonde ponytail, and took her order. The waitress left with a promise to be back soon.

“You eat well.”

A flush warmed her cheeks. He stared straight at her and the look unnerved her so she pretended to study her hands. “Yes, well, I'm hungry.” She’d always had a voracious appetite.

He laughed, the sound very deep and masculine. “You don't have to sound sorry about it. I told you I wanted to feed you.”

Her lips twitched. “I don't recall you saying it quite like that.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his just in time to see his cheeks darken with color. She couldn't help but laugh and soon he laughed along with her, their eyes caught together.

After a moment the connection was too much and she broke it. She let out a long unsteady breath. I'm going to kiss you today.

The server came back and set a glass of tea on the table. Rosa sighed with relief at the much needed interruption. The café felt entirely too warm for her tastes. Maybe they should have chosen a table outside, she thought.

“How far along on you on the weapons?”

She took a sip of her tea. “I should be done in another two weeks. I could do it in one if you need them faster.” That would mean she'd get about two hours of sleep a night and she'd have to close her shop. She didn’t mind. Being on a deadline always gave her a rush that she liked.

“No, two weeks is great timing. So Rosa, are you going to tell me about the vision you had of us?” The way he asked it sounded erotic, husky. Caught off guard by the question, Rosa spit her tea onto the table.

Mortification quickly set it. Cheeks burning a deep red, she grabbed her measly white napkin and started patting at the mess. She’d never blushed so much in her damn life. It was getting to be irritated. He probably thought she was a simple-minded naïve fool.

“Here, let me.” He took the napkin from her and used his fresh one to clean the mess up. Still, she couldn't look at him. Instead she looked outside and watched cars driving by, people walking up and down the street with briefcases and purses all in a hurry to get someplace.

The server came back with her food and Rosa eagerly dug in if only to avoid answering his question or making a bigger fool out of herself. The man just rattled her so. From his large size to his kind eyes, the whole thing made her uncomfortable, nervous.

The silence stretched on as she ate. Eventually she had to look at him; they hadn't said a word to each other in at least five minutes. When she looked up, she found him watching her with a small smile on his face.

“What?” She couldn’t hide her defensive tone.

His smile turned into a smirk. “I just enjoy your company.”

She wanted to roll her eyes. “I doubt that.” I'm as boring as can be, she wanted to say.

“Why? You're beautiful, smart, and unique. I feel like I won the gold prize just sitting here with you.”

Oh. Her stomach clenched to try to quell the butterflies dancing there. She polished off her plate and pushed it forward. Her jeans suddenly felt tight and she wanted to undo the top button. Just another reason why she hated normal clothes. Normal clothes never fit her right.

“You're nice too,” she said and instantly winced at the lameness of the statement.

He tossed his head back and laughed a low rumble of sound. His laugh was so infectious she joined in and just like that the tension in her shoulders eased. She wanted to ask him about what he'd said, if he really planned on kissing her, but that would just sound immature, stupid, or needy. She didn't know what to expect with him after he said that, but she felt excited for the first time in a long time at the thought of it. Anticipation settled deep in her to wait. Even as he brought her into a conversation on magic and spellcasting, she answered while her mind sorted through all the possibly ways he could kiss her, all the ways it could feel. Would he be a slow and sensual kisser? Or maybe rough and a little aggressive? Her thighs squeezed tight at the thought.

“You're thinking about it,” he said, his voice laced with an erotic edge.

The jarring statement gripped Rosa out of her reverie with hard hands. She bit her lip and debated shaking her head as if she hadn't been, or maybe nodding and being bold like Lily just to see what his reaction might be. Instead she just looked at him, her lip caught between her teeth. His eyes wondered slowly down to watch her mouth and she could see the transformation in him. The darkening of his yes, the deepening of his, and the lowering of his eyelids into a sexy mask.

Sucking in an unsteady breath, she looked around the room avoiding the need to fan herself. It got hot in here very quickly.

“Let's get out of here.” He stood and tossed a big bill on the table. Not a light tipper she noted with a smile.

He helped her back into the SUV and they took off down the road heading back to her shop. She bit back her disappointment that he hadn't kissed her by putting on a smile. Not that the smile was fake by any means, she felt really good and relaxed around the warrior who, at first glance, had terrified her. Really it wasn’t her fault. He was built with a powerful body covered with hard sinew. He twice as wide as the average man. Now that he didn’t terrify her, she actually enjoyed looking at him. While working, she’d catch herself imagining what it’d feel like to be in his strong arms.

A tingling sensation bloomed in her belly and spread outwards like a veining plant. She hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time—the kind between a man and a woman. She placed her hand over her belly to help calm her nerves.

“Have you ever been married?”

The sudden question had her eyes flying wide. “What?”

He shrugged. She couldn't help but notice how well he drove. Such a simple task, one millions of people undertook daily, though not one she preferred at all. She'd never owned a car in her life and she was damn proud of her old ways. He drove with one big hand curled around the wheel, the other resting on his big thigh. And big they were; the man was built like an ox. Another bloom of pleasure surged through her, making her hyperaware of how close she sat to him, of how strong he was. He could easily bench press her five hundred times and barely break a sweat, she’d bet. She'd never been into muscular men until now. His muscles made her wiggle in her seat.

“Just wondering if you've ever been in a relationship like that.”

“No, never married. Just a few long-term relationships in the past. I stopped after—” she paused as she almost said his name. “I stopped after the last one. Didn't need another after that.” Understatement of the year. The man had managed to squeeze every ounce of confidence she'd ever had until she was completely dependent on his rare positive moments to feel good about herself. And when that wasn't happening, she was dodging his fists.

“I understand that. I was married.”

An eyebrow flew up. It shouldn't surprise her, but it did. She didn’t analyze the spark of jealous that flared up. “What happened? I mean where is she?” She didn’t know him well but she didn't figure him for the kind of man to just end something easily. He was a fighter by heart; he'd deck it out until the end.

He sighed softly. “It was a long time ago. Her name was Moira. We were married for a long time, but that ended a long time ago.”

She shouldn't probe, but she was dying to know. “May I ask why you aren't with her anymore?” she asked in a quiet voice. She wanted to make sure he knew he could back out of this line of questioning if he wanted to.

“She was killed,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “She fought in The Great War. She was a great fighter. Got killed when we were outnumbered.”

Rosa processed that like a snail. A warrior? A female warrior fighting for the Atal Warriors. She'd never heard such a thing. Though her death happened a thousand years ago, she could still hear the pain in his voice. Her heart panged with guilt at having brought it up.

“I'm sorry.” The useless words sounded incredibly insufficient in the context of things.

His big shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It was a long time ago. I've moved on, Rosa.”

The way he said her name made her breath catch. He said it softly, like a man who really liked something. Rosa quickly diverted her gaze out the window to hide another stupid blush. If this kept up she'd end up with permanent pink cheeks. Ridiculous how she was acting. She was a grown woman; she could control herself better than this.

“We're here.”

Nodding, Rosa reached for the door handle. Warm fingers wrapped around her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Don't,” he said.

As he walked around the car, her heart started pounding faster and faster.

I'm going to kiss you today.

Why?

Because I really, really want to.

Her breathing couldn't stay even as he reached the door and opened it. Her lips, her body, everything tightened in anticipation. He took her hand and helped her out of the car. For a moment they were so close she could feel the blazing heat radiating off of him. She swayed a little on her feet and bravely met his gaze.

Strong, sure eyes met hers, glowing with barely-contained heat. His arm reached by her and she tensed, a small gasp left her, but he didn't wrap his arm around her as she thought he would. Instead, he closed the car door behind her and nodded toward the shop.

“Come on, let's get you inside.”

Rosa blinked several times to clear the foggy haze around her. It worked—somewhat. It took her two tries to get the key in the lock and turn it. The welcoming scents of coffee, incense, and fresh herbs greeted her making her smile. It felt good to be home. While she'd never admit it, she didn't really like leaving her shop. It was her home. She knew she was somewhere between mildly agoraphobic and reclusive, but luckily not quite that severe.

She made it halfway through the shop to the little sitting area before she turned back around. “Can I get you anything?” Like the kiss you promised me? She wanted it. Badly. She wanted to try it, to feel (hopefully) sensual excitement rush through her blood and make her heart race in the way that only a certain kind of man could do. She frowned as she saw he still stood at the doorway.

His head jerked to the side and she frowned with disappointment.

“I need to get back to Telal actually. I kind of left things when maybe I shouldn't have.” He sounded different, hesitant.

“Yes, of course.” Her chest suddenly felt hollow like several key pieces were missing.

He must have seen her disappointment because he cursed. “Ah, hell.”

He strode towards her, one of his long steps eating up what two of hers made. With each step closer, her heart beat faster, harder, louder. Her chest shuttered, trying to draw in air, and then he stopped before her. One strong arm swept around her waist and smoothly pulled her against him.

“I told myself I wouldn't do this because you looked so nervous.”

“Not nervous!” she said, her voice high.

His eyes softened, darkened, and then his mouth pulled into a wicked grin that curled her toes. He didn’t make her wait long but gave her exactly what she'd been thinking about since he warned her.

He pulled her up against him until she felt like she could roll around in his scent, in his strong chest. His head lowered, her lashes fell. Just a hint of his touch passed across her lips, the touch so light it could have been a number of things. But she knew it was his lips because his breath blew gently across hers. As if he'd asked her something not communicated by words, her lips parted.

Only then did he kiss her. But “kiss” didn't adequately describe it. His lips molded against hers and his tongue took advantage of her parted lips and swept inside. A hot rush imploded inside her. All at once, she needed so much more.

With a needy sound, she flung her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Licking, thrusting, and learning his mouth, his heady masculine taste, the raspy touch of his tongue. But what caught her off guard, what made her core melt in need, was the fangs. She'd already forgotten, maybe because he didn't look like a vampire, maybe because he didn't run around hissing and showing them off like a teenager. But as she dipped her tongue inside she passed his fangs, two sharp points that could easily penetrate her.

He groaned a deep husky sound that came from deep in his chest. One big arm wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her until only her toes touched the floor. Even then he had to lean down because he was so much taller than her. But his other hand slid down her back and cupped one cheek in a possessive touch. She squirmed, her hold on him tightening as every part of her body burned for more. To be in a man’s arms again was thrilling, made her blood quicken. She felt needed, wanted, desired as a woman should be.

She grew wetter, hotter. Their uneven breaths panted against each other as they both fought to find the best angle, the best means of penetration. The need in her core grew to distracting levels. She needed relief, so she arched forward and caught his erection with her hips.

He groaned, pumped his hips once. And then he thrust away from her, and bent over his knees breathing like he'd just run a race. Rosa took a step towards him, her hands reaching. He'd started something and she needed him to finish it, finish her.

He held out his hand and she froze. “Don't come any closer. Damn.” He dragged in a deep breath and stood. “That was amazing. I have to go before I do something...” His smoldering gaze trailed over his body. “Yeah, before I do something.”

He stalked to the door, his hand pausing on the door handle, and then he turned it and left.