“Maybe you’ll be bloody by the end.”
He shook his head. “Maybe. But that’s part of the fun of fucking you, Meriel Owen. A man needs to be kept on his toes. You never let me slack.”
Her smile broke free and she threw a pillow at him. “I have stuff to do.”
“Yes, yes, you do.”
He pounced, bringing her to the bed with him. Laughing, he rained small, sweet kisses across her forehead and the bridge of her nose. “How can I want you so much?”
“Because I’m fabulous?”
“Well, yes. Certainly your body is fabulous. You’re gorgeous. You’re tight and hot and wet every time I get near you.” He slid his palm down her belly, stopping to cup her sex.
Her soft gasp echoed through his system. Pounding at him like the blood in his veins.
“It’s more than that. I can’t quite believe you’re mine.” He eased her shirt open, exposing one of those pretty bras she favored. “And I’m greedy for you.” Deftly, he popped the catch between her breasts and freed them. “For these.”
He pressed a kiss between her breasts as he unbuttoned and unzipped the pants, easing them down.
“You’re astoundingly good at getting my clothes off.”
“It’s my favorite pastime. Well, my second favorite.” He leered and meant it.
“Who am I to stand between a boy and his favorite sport?”
But she gave as good as she got. Rearing up, she pulled his shirt off and kissed over his chest, rubbing her cheek against him like a cat.
And then her hand was down his pants and she was gripping his cock, a definite look of challenge on her face.
“Show me what you got, then.”
His pants were off, followed by his boxers. As much as he loved the way she looked partially clothed and disheveled, he preferred naked. So off came her shirt and bra, the pants and a pair of teeny red panties.
“I’ve got a witch naked in my bed. A pretty flush on her skin. Nipples hard and dark.” To underline this, he bent and licked across one and then the other until she yanked on his hair to get his attention.
“Yes, mistress?” he teased.
She grabbed him again, thrusting a few times to underline her urgency.
They hadn’t been together since Sunday morning. He’d missed this thing between them — the urgency to take her and to feel the trembling of her muscles as he made her come, the easy familiarity they’d had since the first time he touched her.
He’d run from that and it hadn’t worked. He didn’t feel better without her. He missed her and her voice. The way she was so orderly and in charge but once it was just Meriel and Dominic, she’d softened and given herself to him. To them.
Why he’d ever imagined running from her would fix the ache in his heart he didn’t know. She made everything better. Even as she laid him bare and saw him down to the bone, she accepted him.
This intimacy they had drove him to possess her, to touch and kiss every part of her skin he could. The sweetness of her lips drew him back time and again. He wanted to take it slow, give her pleasure for the entire afternoon.
She writhed as he slid himself against her. But before he could get any further, she wrapped her legs around him and rolled over, straddling him. “You’re going too slow. I need you now.”
He didn’t ask where she got the condom she held up. It was one of his; she’d probably found it in his nightstand. It didn’t matter, only that she had it and wanted to use it.
“Will you miss your lady parts buffet now that I’m around and would naturally cut anyone who tried to show you her bits?”
And he put her on her back again, kissing down her belly until he ended up where he wanted. “These are the only bits I want.” He breathed over her, smiling again when she stuttered a breath.
Her taste wended through him. Drove him. He wanted more. Always wanted more. Loved the way her inner-thigh muscles bunched and strained under his palm where he held her open to him. Loved the way she arched to get more. Loved the way she exploded all because of him. He brought her pleasure and she knew who did it.
It made him smug. Made him feel like a king.
Even better, while she was still catching her breath from her orgasm to slide in deep, to catch the surprised gaze as her lids flew open, and then her eyes blurred with pleasure.
MERIEL had zero plans to move. She lay there on his bed, his body wrapped around her as he caught his breath.
“It’s been far too long since I’ve been this tingly and slightly sore.”
She didn’t open her eyes, but she didn’t need to be looking at him to know he laughed.
“I’ve neglected you, terribly. I apologize. For what it’s worth, I’ve been untingly and not sore at all since Sunday too. Though I did get a little sore after I worked out this whole week. But that’s not the same.” He pulled the comforter up and over them. “Not that same as having you make me tingly and sore.”
“All right, that’s pretty good.”
She turned and opened her eyes to look at him.
“Tell me about San Francisco.” He kissed her forehead.
“It was dramatic, as it tends to be when we all get together. I have an official report to make tomorrow for the council. This mage issue was one we were not alone in bringing up. Several other clans and covens have had problems. We traded some ideas. We’ll be doing a lot of cross-training over the next year I think. Nell’s already on this with some of the other hunters or lawkeepers for the smaller groups. I learned that nifty othersight trick. I’ll need to send out the changes you made. I think you really amped up the spell and cut out the background interference.”
“I should have gone too. I’m sorry.”
“You have a business to run, Dominic. You can’t come to all these meetings. I have them all the time. It’s part of my job. But I would like it if you’d help with something.”
“You know you only have to ask and I’ll do it.”
“You’re full of shit. I ask you to do all sorts of things and you do your own thing anyway.”
“I love when you’re vulgar. How about this — what I mean is, professionally. Ask and if it’s not something I think is dumb like letting you continue to live in a place the mages know about and have stalked you in — I’ll do it.”
“You already had appointments set up to look at apartments. Don’t pretend you didn’t jump on this to get what you wanted.”
He laughed. “Of course I did. Do you think I’d merit a woman like you if I was easily led or if I didn’t take full advantage of every situation to get my way?” One of his brows rose and she snorted.
“Don’t snort, Meriel, my love. You’re naked in my bed, still mussed from my attentions.” He winked. “Exhibit A.”
“I’m truly afraid of what our children will be like.”
“Yeah, me too. But you can handle me just fine. You’ll be great. They’ll adore you like I do.”
She rolled her eyes but snuggled into him. “I’m afraid this mage thing isn’t going to go away without a lot of work and most likely more people hurt and killed.”
And his mother was a part of it. Meriel had spoken to Nell about this and with Sadira Rodas, the leader of Rodas Clan. Sadira had told Meriel what they’d discovered when they were able to capture some of these mages, was that they’d been part of an organized movement to hunt and use witches for their magick.
And as they’d suspected, there were several witches helping the mages. Mainly by giving them information, critical information that only a witch could help them with. Where witches would likely congregate, what practice path they used so they could defend against anything a witch threw their way. And now it appeared they knew about the hierarchy in clans and were targeting council witches to steal magick from.
Now that their secrets had been exposed, it put them all at greater risk. This was a threat to their entire race. She could not shake the gut feeling that Gloria Ochoa was involved. They had a lot of circumstantial evidence on this fact already. It was really only a matter of time before they knew for certain.