He didn't bother telling her it wasn't the location that posed the danger to his control but her closeness. "So why not set it up in the living room?"
"Because the bathroom has one door and no windows.
Easier to defend."
That made sense. She laid the last of the stones on the floor then reached for silver chains sitting on the vanity.
These she carefully placed around the perimeter of the stones, hard up against the walls and across the doorway.
"Silver stops magic," he said, clenching his fingers against the urge to reach out and pull her close as she raised up, her face inches from his.
"And, hopefully, will be our first line of defence."
Her breath was warm and quick across his face, her pupils dilated with desire. He forced himself to step back, freeing her from the aura of the wolf. She licked her lips, drawing his gaze to her lush mouth again. It took all his strength to remain still.
"Why don't you go get some bottled water in case we're here for a while? I need to finish this."
He nodded and swung away. He put on his still damp jeans then collected two bottles of water and a couple of chocolate bars and headed back. She was sitting cross-
legged in the bathtub and motioned him to sit opposite her.
"Thought you might need some chocolate," he said, placing his collection close to her knees.
Her smile broke loose. Something clenched deep in his gut, and he suddenly found himself wanting to wake up to that smile not only tomorrow, but the day after that and the day after that…
"Trying to get into my pants again, huh?"
"I'm a werewolf, and it's one night away from the full moon." His voice was a little harsher than necessary, and her amusement faded. For that alone he was sorry. "What do we do now?"
She took a deep breath. "Now we must complete the circle. Hold my hands."
He placed his hands in hers. Energy seemed to surge between them, an electric touch that pulsed in time with the ache in his groin.
"Close your eyes."
He did. And saw her naked, panting with need for him.
Her fingers clenched against his. "Concentrate."
"I'm trying," he ground out.
"Then try harder."
He bit back the urge to swear and forced the image from his mind.
"Breathe deeply. Draw breath until it seems to fill every pore in your body."
Her voice was a monotone. Soothing. He did as she asked and felt the tension begin to slip.
"Now, I want you to raise your body energy by tightening your muscles. Start at your toes and work your way up. Imagine the energy as a mist… squeeze it up through your body until it reaches our hands."
He had no idea what she meant, but as he methodically tightened his muscles, the air around him began to crackle with energy. When their fingers clenched against each other, it felt like the air was burning.
"Now, imagine that energy leaving your fingertips and fanning out in a clockwise circle around us. Imagine the two of us encased in an orb of mist. Feel the power of it pulsing through you and out into the night."
As he imagined that orb, she began murmuring. The air seared his lungs with every intake of breath, and energy vibrated through his limbs.
Then the noise died, the energy died and an incredible silence wrapped around them. He opened his eyes. The air seemed to shimmer above her head.
"Evil and magic cannot enter this place." Her gaze met his almost challengingly. "Not for as long as we touch."
"Touching how?" He edged a little closer so that their knees rubbed and was suddenly glad he still had condoms in his jeans pocket.
"Hands on hands. Hands on body." A smile touched her lips. "Not sex, if that's what you're thinking."
"Well, damn."
She raised an eyebrow, her expression amused. "Sex magic raises an altogether different type of power. I don't think you're quite ready for that yet."
He stared at her. "You're kidding."
She shook her head. The energy that zipped around them caught her hair, standing strands of it on end. "No. Sex magic raises a very strong energy that can be used in spells, but it's not particularly reliable when it comes to protection spells."
"Have you ever tried sex magic?" Even as the question left his mouth jealousy surged through his veins. The thought of her with another man made him want to hit something, which was totally irrational, especially given her history and the fact he could lay no claim on her. Not now, and certainly not in the future.
"My history?" Her green eyes narrowed dangerously, and anger touched her voice. "Shall we compare notes when it come to lovers, Ethan?"
He smiled grimly. "No. I'm a werewolf. I have had as many lovers as there have been full moons."
"Then let's not talk about my history. I've only had as many lovers as I have fingers."
If she was counting him as one of those lovers, that was still nine too many in his estimation. He frowned at the thought and wondered if in helping her create the protection circle, he'd somehow short-wired his brain.
"So," he repeated. "Have you actually tried this sex magic?"
She hesitated. "Yes. And it was damned amazing."
He released one hand and touched her mouth, running a finger across the warm lips he ached to kiss, then down the long line of her neck. "As amazing as what we've shared?"
Her full lips opened slightly, as if she couldn't drag in enough air. "Yes."
He ran his finger around the outline of one pebbled nipple. Saw the tremor run through her. "You sure about that?"
"Yes. It's just sex with us. You said that yourself."
That he had. But he'd been lying, and they both knew it.
What they had went beyond just sex. How far beyond he didn't know and would probably never find out. But one thing he did know. He'd never experienced this level of desire and need before. Not in all the long years and many lovers he'd had since Jacinta.
Maybe not even with Jacinta.
He tugged the blanket loose until it fell to her waist and allowed her wonderful breasts to spill free. He cupped one, brushing his thumb across her nipple.
She shuddered, but her gaze darted to the door. "They come."
"Can they see what we're doing?"
"Not with this type of circle, no. They'll just feel its presence when they try to get in here."
"And as long as we're touching we're safe?"
She nodded. "I think we'd better keep one hand joined, though, just so it doesn't venture too far into sex magic territory."
He smiled. He had no intention of going that far, but he did have every intention of exploring what he could one-
handed. He leaned forward and captured her lips. It became a long and tender exploration that did strange things to the rhythm of his heart and made him want her more fiercely than he'd ever dreamed possible.
He kept kissing her, kept touching her, all the while aware of the noise beyond their haven and the constant rise and fall of the energy that pulsed around them.
Through them.
The fever in his blood burned as fiercely as the air itself, but an awareness of the danger that waited beyond their orb of safety was just as fierce. He wasn't about to risk her safety to sate his own needs.
After a while silence fell and the trembling force of energy grew calm. They'd gone. The silence ticked away.
Alarm ran through him.
Silence didn't tick.
He opened his eyes and glanced toward the door. A small parcel sat in the doorway. "The bastards have left a bomb."
She grabbed him, stopping him from rising. "Don't break the circle. It could be a trap."
"It's not."
"You don't know that."
"I know I can't feel them anymore. Can you?"
She shook her head. "But that doesn't mean you can simply walk out of the circle. We have to close it first."
"We might not have to time — " "Then we find it. Believe me, breaking this circle right now could be more dangerous that that damn bomb."