Claimed by Ice (8 page)

And then he moved.

Sparks of pleasure strong enough to freeze her already frozen lungs shot through her, and she tightened her hold on him, tried to rock against him to get more of the sensation. But he held her in his grip, his arm clamped down on her waist keeping her from moving as wildly as she wanted.

Still buried inside her, he walked to his bedroom and, without breaking the connection, lay her on the bed and then spread out atop her. She’d never been inside his bedroom before, had been fascinated by what his personal space might be like, but right now, she couldn’t pay attention. Between the sheets that smelled of him, his sculpted arms under her hands, his hardness filling her as no one ever had, she was lost in a sea of Exander, unable to do anything but enjoy the ride.

She stared up at Exander, his face twisted into a grimace of desire that awed her. Never had Jane Graves inspired the lust and what she hoped was affection she saw on his face.

When she reached up to touch his face, he curved into her touch, planted a kiss on the palm of her hand. And then focused, eyes meeting hers as he gripped her hips tight, held her, and then began to slam into her over and over and over again, hips thrusting with power, his arm muscles straining with his exertion.

With each stroke, Jane let out a harsh breath that became a sigh and then finally a full-out moan. The sensations he stirred in her were completely unfamiliar, made her heart pound as her body drew tight with spiraling pleasure. And when he snaked his hand over her hip and between her thighs to pinch her clit, the passion that had been building inside her went off.

She cried out until she was hoarse, the sensations bombarding her body unlike any she’d ever experienced. She reached for him, held on to him, her anchor in the storm of pleasure he’d created, her pussy fluttering around his rigid shaft, which still plowed in and out of her, her fingers squeezing him tight.

Then he stiffened and, on a low cry, spilled his seed inside her. The heat of his essence filling her womb triggered another release, and together, they cried out their pleasure.

E
xander had held
her for hours, kissing and touching her softly, like she was precious to him. And she’d done the same, part of her still boggling at the idea of being in bed with him, but the other, much bigger part more interested in taking the pleasure they’d found together and leaving everything else outside, at least for now.

“Is Sebastian your friend?” she asked a long time later, regretting the question when he stiffened.

“Why?” he asked.

“I don’t know. You just seemed…upset when I was talking to him. I thought that…I’d done something. That maybe I shouldn’t have been talking to him.”

“Yes, he is. Actually, he’s one of the few people I consider a friend. Our fathers are close allies and we were raised together,” he said as he stroked her back.

“Then why were you so upset?”

“It wasn’t at you. Not really. But I know him. He was taken by you, and he would have gone further if I hadn’t intervened.”

She felt an incongruous warmth at the idea of Exander being jealous even though she was aware of how ridiculous the idea was. “You’re wrong. He was just being nice.”

He exhaled a little snort laugh. “Janie, dragons aren’t nice. We always press every advantage, business or personal. It’s our nature. And trust me, Sebastian is no different. He was taken by you, would have tried to sleep with you if given even half an opportunity.”

“If you say so,” Jane said.

Exander pushed her shoulder until she lay flat and then rose to hover above her. His body blocked the moonlight, but she could still see his face in the shadows, that intensity that always lit his eyes solely focused on her. The feeling was odd, left her vulnerable, exposed, but also brazen in a way she never had been before.

“You doubt me?” he said, eyes caressing her bare flesh the way his hands would have.

“Yes,” she finally said.

“Why?” he responded.

She froze, knowing the answer but reluctant to give voice to it.

“Answer me, Janie,” he said.

“I mean, come on. It was a nice dress, but I saw the women there. They were all beautiful. Tens, as Jewel would say. And I’m just me. Just stubby Jane. No way he was interested.”

Exander kissed her, her breath fleeing as it always did when she was close to him, and then he pulled back, rolled them until Jane lay astride him. As he spoke, he began touching her body, smoothing his hands down her flanks, teasing at the roll of her stomach. “You really can’t see it?”

“See what?”

“See what I see, what Sebastian saw?”

“I don’t care what he saw. But no, I don’t know what you see.” The words left her feeling even more vulnerable, exposed, but Exander’s little smile, one that she knew she would never tire of, heartened her.

“I see these beautiful curves, ones that feel and taste so much better than I’d imagined,” he said with a little nip on her shoulder. Then he touched her chest, settled his hand over her heart. “And I see this, the thing that made you act so selflessly, the thing that fascinated me from the very first day I saw you. The thing that made me
feel
, something I’ve never done before.”

He was earnest, said the words with conviction that Jane couldn’t help but believe. She leaned forward to kiss him, using her mouth to express the words that bubbled in her heart. And he returned the kiss, his lips hot, searing against her mouth, his hands the same against her body.

He delved a hand between her thighs, touched the tender tissue there, and then broke the kiss and looked up at her. “Are you sore?” he asked, stroking fingers making it hard for her to focus, let alone answer.

When she didn’t respond, he turned them again and began making his way down her body, licking at her nipples, swirling his tongue in her belly button before settling his head at the apex of her thighs. Watching him stare so intently at her most intimate flesh, his breath against her sensitive skin, almost made her climax on the spot. And she bucked off the bed when he pressed a soft kiss against her lower lips, then pulled back to regard her again.

“Yes, you’re too sore,” he said, nudging his nose against her core, which made her shudder. “But I’m going to taste you.”

Then, with focus and skill that Jane hadn’t thought possible, he did, sending her to climax after climax until she was completely wrung out.

“Sleep,” he finally said as he pulled her into his arms.

And as she drifted off, she knew no matter what happened, she would treasure this moment forever.

J
ane couldn’t wipe
the stupid grin off her face, even when Eric looked at her quizzically.

“Good mood today, Janie?” he said as he pushed away from the car and rounded to the passenger side.

“Very,” she said, not feeling even slightly embarrassed when Eric smiled at her knowingly.

“Where are we headed today?” he asked, reaching for the door.

“I’m visiting Jewel today, and I think I’d like to walk,” she said, lifting her face up into the bright sun.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “But I’ll call you if I need you, okay?”

“All right,” he said.

With one last smile, Jane headed off, moving down the sidewalk feeling almost as if she were floating on air. She tried to remember a time she had felt as happy as she did now, but she came up blank. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this, for what being with him was like. Happy seemed too simple a word for it, but Jane couldn’t think of a better one.

On occasion, more often than she wished, doubts would creep in, questions about how long it would last, whether it was real. And though she’d wanted to ask more times than she could count, she always held her tongue. Still, he seemed to sense those moments of question, because somehow, every time, he would grab her, kiss her until she could think of nothing but him.

In fact, she wished she was with him now, would have been if it was left up to her. But Jewel had called, told her that she missed her, and Jane had been struck with guilt. It had only been a few weeks, but that was far longer than she and Jewel had ever stayed apart. And Jane was looking forward to catching up with her, making sure that her sister was okay and letting her know she would soon take care of her money issue.

As she walked toward Jewel’s apartment, she debated whether or not to share the developments with Exander. On the one hand, Jane had never experienced these feelings before, and she was nearly giddy with joy, couldn’t wait to share it with someone. But on the other, she always tried to set a good example for Jewel, didn’t want to let her think that it was something more than it was.

And a part of her, one she tried to ignore, was worried about what Jewel might do, of the gain she might try to seek. And if she were being truthful, Jane knew she would try. She loved her sister, maybe more than she even loved herself, but she had no illusions about who she was, and knew full well that if given the opportunity, Jewel would take it.

The thought made her chuckle. Exander had insisted that dragons always pressed their advantage, something that reminded her of Jewel. Maybe she was part dragon. She’d have to share her speculation with Exander, could practically see his expression as he considered the words.

And that thought made her sigh. And again marvel at the change in their relationship. He’d let her in, shown more and more of himself to her, and just that fact, the insight into how he would respond, filled her with a happiness that was as strong as it was scary.

She passed a small bakery about two blocks from Jewel’s and then turned back. They had amazing loaves of bread, so she decided to buy a couple, make French toast for Jewel and even Henry if he was there. Another miraculous development as far as Jane was concerned. She’d never confessed it, but it sometimes annoyed her how often Henry was around, especially during what was supposed to be her time with Jewel. But she didn’t feel that now, and in fact understood a little bit better. There were no boundaries around her and Exander’s relationship. She didn’t even know if she would call it a relationship, but she understood in a way she hadn’t before why Jewel held so desperately to Henry, to others. If they made her feel even a fraction of what Exander did, she would’ve done the same.

And then she wondered what she’d do when he was gone.

That thought sapped some of her joy, so she finished paying for the bread and left, trying to reinvigorate her spirits. She’d go with it, for once in her life just relax and let the future take care of itself. She nodded her head, not caring how she may have looked to passersby, and then continued on.

She was a block away from Jewel’s now and turned to cut down the side street that would take her to the building.

Was stopped in her tracks by an arm wrapped around her elbow.

“Don’t scream. And come with me quietly. Jewel’s life depends on it,” a man with a low, evil-sounding voice said.

She dropped the bread.

E
xander read
the file in front of him, using all of his considerable will to not look at the clock. She’d left less than an hour ago, intent on spending the day with Jewel. He knew that, had encouraged her to go, but now found himself counting down the moments until she would return.

It wasn’t like him, or at least the him he had been before her. He prided himself on not needing anyone, anything, but a few weeks with Jane had shown him how wrong he had been. Because he did need things.

He needed her.

He waited for the denial, the recrimination that he knew would have come before. But there was nothing. He be lying to himself if he tried to pretend that she had managed to uncover the heart that he didn’t think had existed. But she had, and where before he hadn’t been able to admit, he couldn’t deny it now. Maybe this was what he had been missing for all those years, what letting someone in would do for you.

He tossed the contract down and left his office to stand in front of the balcony window. It wasn’t that simple, though. Would have been maybe more so if he could chalk it up to just anyone, make himself believe that this reaction was natural, a consequence of a newfound closeness.

But that wasn’t it.

It was Jane.

And in his heart, the one that she had only recently uncovered, he knew that no one else would do.

He suspected she felt the same, but he couldn’t say for sure. The thought made him smile. It had always been that way with Jane, her leaving him off-kilter, unsettled, unsure in a way he wasn’t with anyone else. So why would this be any different? Still, if she felt anything like he did, she’d want to make this permanent.

Just weeks ago the thought, the mere suggestion would have sent him running, set off a wave of anger and doubt. But no more. He knew to the very core of his being that he had found her.

His mate.

He laughed out loud, something he’d done so rarely before he’d met her. Father would be so amused, happy too, and he knew he’d get no end of shit from his brother and Sebastian. And he didn’t care. This was right, more right than anything had ever been in his entire life. He decided then he’d tell her as soon as she came back, hoped that she’d agree.

A knock at the door caught his attention and, surprised, he went to answer it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice stern when he saw Eric at the door and the expression on his face.

“You have a visitor. She insists that you see her, said you would want to hear what she has to say,” Eric said, his expression almost as stormy as Exander knew his was.

He looked down the drive, saw Jewel sauntering toward him, and felt his gut twist. But he bit back the worry, nodded at Eric. “Thank you, Eric.”

Eric paused and looked from him to Jewel and back again and then left. Then as Jewel, who was taking her sweet time, came toward him, he again marveled at Jane’s ability to touch people. Eric had been with him for years, and though their relationship was cordial, Exander knew that Eric had no care for him. But he cared for Jane. That much was clear.

“Jewel,” he snapped, “what have you done?”

“Patience,” she said.

Exander gritted his teeth, bit back the angry retort that threatened to emerge. Jewel would love to see that she was getting to him, so he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction, and more importantly he didn’t yet know what plan she had concocted, and how Jane was involved. And until he did, he would tread carefully.

And then he would deal with her.

She brushed past him, taking pains to linger, her touch, her sickening perfume making him want to recoil.

“I thought you were visiting with Jane today,” he said as he closed the door behind her.

“I will. Eventually. But I wanted to visit you first.”

She swept toward the French doors and then looked around the house, eyes moving over everything greedily, possession lighting her gaze.

“This really is a lovely place. I want one just like it,” she said.

“Then find some idiot to buy you one. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’re a pretty enough girl if one can look past the fact that you don’t have a soul,” he said casually.

“I already found an idiot to buy it. You. And I do have a soul. Same one as you.”

Jewel’s face went hard, ugly, and the annoyance and anger that thrummed in Exander’s blood turned to fear. He’d thought he’d known what Jewel was, a spoiled, greedy girl, but harmless. But now he wondered. There was menace in her, and he wasn’t sure if he had missed it before or if something had changed.

“Jewel,” he said with a calm he didn’t feel, “what do you want, and where is Jane?”

“Jane is…with friends. And you know what I want.”

“And who are these friends?”

“Don’t worry about that. She’s fine. And you want to keep her that way.”

Exander lasered his gaze to Jewel, clenched his fists to keep from throttling her. “If she’s harmed in any way…”

“Wow. You really do care? I knew you liked her, but I wondered. But Henry said that you did. Said you wouldn’t be able to resist good old noble Jane.”

“Jewel, think about what you’re doing. You know how much Jane—”

“Loves me? Of course I know how much she loves me. You, Henry, everyone else always goes out of your way to tell me so. Kind of get sick of hearing it if you want to know the truth.”

“So why are you doing this to her?”

Jewel looked confused, squished her eyebrows together. “I’m not doing anything to her. If anything happens to Janie, it will be your fault.”

“How much?” Exander said, his voice icy cold.

“That’s better.” She smiled. “One hundred million dollars.”

“Fine. But take me to Jane.”

Jewel’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re shittin’ me. I told Henry he was nuts, that we should have gone lower. But it looks like I was wrong, and we should’ve gone higher. You’d really do that? Give me a hundred million dollars?”

“I’ll give you anything for her.”

“I wish someone loved me that much,” Jewel said, looking almost reflective for moment.

“Someone does, Jewel,” he whispered.

Jewel huffed, turned away, but Exander could see that he had gotten to her.

“Where is she?”

“First…”

“You’ll get your money. But take her to me now,” he said.

Jewel stepped away, cringing, and he realized then that he had started to shift. He didn’t try to stop himself, wanted Jewel to understand what was at stake.

“I don’t know,” she finally said, voice a whisper.

“What do you mean?”

“Henry… He said I might lose my nerve, change my mind, so it was best that I not know.”

“And you believed him? Let him take your sister God knows where?”

“He’s not… He would never…”

“Of course he wouldn’t. Just like he wouldn’t sell you out and keep the money for himself.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked at him, doubt and maybe the faintest tinge of regret filling them. “You don’t think… I mean, he wouldn’t…”

“You kidnapped your own sister, and you love her. Yet you doubt what someone who doesn’t would do to her?”