Gift of the Realm (9 page)

“No.
I mean, do you need him
here
? You say you dream every night and Colin is
always with you. Why can’t you just get him to
accidentally
enter the
ring in your dream again, to get your answers?”

“How
am I supposed to do that?”

“You’re
a beautiful woman, Keely. Colin may be a powerful Halfling, but he’s still a
man.” Her smile declared her confidence in the strength of feminine power. “I’m
sure you can think of something.”

Keely
burst out laughing. “Kathleen!” she charged, “Are you suggesting I use feminine
wiles to maneuver him into the ring? Shame on you. He’s your grandnephew!”

Kathleen
snorted. “Like I said, he’s still a man, and a stubborn one at that.”

Keely
grinned, but then she shrugged. “Well, I don’t see how it would work anyway.
Feminine wiles aren’t exactly my strong suit, and it’s not like I control the
dreams. They just sort of happen.”

“Don’t
you realize how rare your gift is, Keely? You have a power, a power
transcending both worlds. Have you ever
tried
to control the dreams?”

Keely
shook her head.

“Well
then. Maybe it’s time you did.”

****

“Colin?”
Whispered appeal. A pale hand to his whiskered jaw. The ring at her back, the
pad of her thumb sliding over his bottom lip.

Male
hunger in his wary eyes.

Tension
and desire.

Closer
now, up on her toes, lips replacing thumb. Tongues tangling. Velvet warmth.
Pressed close. Curves molding to sculpted angles. Full body caress.

Pleasure.

Hers.
His. Theirs. Arms clasping, hands exploring.

Dream.

Awareness
exploded in her brain and she forced herself to pull away from him to take a
step back into the ring.

Her
hands reached for his as his arms dropped from around her.

“Colin.”
His name was a plea on her lips, and she wasn’t sure which she wanted more at
the moment—that he follow her into the ring, or that he act on the desperate
need shining in his eyes, and continue what she had started.

To
her delight, he did both, taking the step necessary to bring her into his arms
once more, holding her captive to the plundering of his voracious mouth.

Like
a thirst quenched at long last, the moment his lips closed over hers, a deluge
of joy and passion swamped her, saturating membranes of her being she’d never
realized had been parched. The blood in her veins coursed with a fresh
fluidity, gushing through arteries to bring awakening life to her very DNA.

“Embrace
the blood of the realm, daughter of daughter. Let it lead your heart. For if
two from the two join together at last, destiny shall be found, and misguided
bonds will be broken.”

The
unfamiliar, feminine command echoed through her pleasure-drenched mind, pulling
at her, and she stiffened. Colin’s mouth left hers, and she stared up into his
darkened eyes. It took only a moment for realization to replace passion, and a
moment later, fury lashed at her from the laser-blue depths. She swayed and
nearly stumbled, left bereft and suddenly cold, when he thrust her from his
arms and spun on his heel to stalk from the ring.

She
turned back around, but the ring was once again silent and empty.

Chapter
Eleven

Keely
struggled to keep her feet as Donovan squeezed by her, bursting through the
open door, and raced down the path toward the Land Rover bumping down the lane.
She let the screen door slap closed behind her, waiting for Colin to bring the
big vehicle to a stop. Anticipation warred with trepidation in her belly.

She
wasn’t looking forward to explaining her actions in last night’s dream, but
that didn’t mean she wasn’t thrilled with the results. Always before, she had
moved through the dreams as a wary, if fascinated, captive. But last night, as
if they’d been planted in her head like a hypnotic suggestion, Kathleen’s words
had come to her as she’d stood at the edge of the ring with Colin. To her
amazement, when she’d put the suggestion to the test, she’d found she was able
to affect the dream to her own desire. That had never happened before, and the
potential ramifications of her discovery were almost as staggering as her
reaction to his kiss within the ring.

She
couldn’t think about that kiss right now, not with Colin climbing from the Land
Rover and moving toward her like a powerful animal stalking prey. He’d
obviously come straight from his business in Galway. The dark suit fit his tall
frame to perfection. It crossed her mind it was no wonder he was successful in
business. A man who projected that kind of confidence would be sure to
intimidate the males he dealt with, and as for the women? Well, what woman
wouldn’t be swayed by a man who managed to look so sexy, compelling, and
dangerous, all while wearing such a conservative suit?

His
steady gaze moved over her like caressing fingers, skimming the shorts and tank
top she wore, and had her thinking she should have changed into something a
little more conservative herself—like a suit of armor. His expression was
neutral, but his eyes appeared heated with either passion or anger when they
rose to meet her gaze. She wasn’t sure which.

If
it was anger...

She
assured herself he couldn’t know what she’d done. He may know
of
the
dreams now, but that wasn’t the same as experiencing them. It wasn’t as if he
had an actual memory of her tricking him into the ring against his wishes last
night, or of how angry he’d become when he’d realized she’d managed it. He
simply knew she would have dreamed in the two nights he’d been away, and now he
expected her to fill him in on the details.

Still,
she couldn’t help taking a startled step back when he stalked the last few feet
to where she stood. Her hand reached out in subconscious defense.

“I
have so much to tell you,” she began.

“Aye.
That you do.” His voice was a guttural growl, his brogue more pronounced than
usual. Strong fingers folded around hers, and he pulled at her hand, tugging
her up against him. His mouth came down on hers with a hunger that was as
thrilling as it was disconcerting. “After,” he murmured against her lips.

The
world spun suddenly as his arm tightened about her waist and her feet left the
ground. Held tight against him, she felt him reach out to open the door, and
then they were inside the house, moving through the hallway toward the
staircase. She heard the screen door clatter shut behind them, and Donovan’s
nails clicking against the aged wood as he scrambled to follow.

“Wait,”
she implored, only to have her words swallowed by the return of his mouth on
hers. As with every other time their lips had touched, she promptly forgot what
she had been planning to say. Still primed from last night’s dream, her body
heated and dampened in greedy anticipation.

Apparently
later babe
was now. And didn’t that work for her!

She
clung to him, arms clutching at his shoulders, while her legs wrapped around
his waist. Against her breasts, the erratic thumping of his heart was
exhilarating. He took the stairs, never releasing her lips, or her body. The
crash of her bedroom door being kicked shut had her pulling back to stare into
his eyes so close to hers. The look in them sent her already pounding heart
into overdrive.

He
said nothing, glancing around to get his bearings, then headed for the bed. The
faded quilt was cool against her bare shoulders and legs as he lowered her to
the mattress, following until his big body covered hers. A muscled thigh thrust
between her legs, spreading them, and a wide palm found her breast.

The
contact had fire licking at her very core, and she arched into his touch. His
mouth found hers once more in a kiss so scorching she wondered absently why the
curtains on the nearby window didn’t spontaneously combust.

Locked
outside the room, Donovan expressed his displeasure with a round of excited
barking. Her eyes drifted open when Colin paused, lifting his head to stare
down at her.

“Quiet,
Donovan,” he commanded softly without looking away. To her surprise, the
barking ceased on a whine. “If this isn’t something you’re wanting, darlin’,”
he said, his voice a low rumble, “tell me now. Because in another ten seconds,
it’ll be too late.”

She
blinked up at him. Excitement made it difficult to speak, but she managed to
breathe, “Ten seconds? You’re really going to make me wait that long?”

A
dimple scored his cheek at his quick grin. She reached up, tangled her fingers
in his hair, and pulled his mouth back to hers. She had no idea what had set
him off, and didn’t care. She’d had just enough self-control to hold him off
the other night, but she knew then it was only a matter of time until her
willpower caved. Last night, if he’d been with her in reality instead of just
in her mind, she could guarantee the evening would have ended quite
differently. Denying what he made her feel was no longer an option.

And
wow, what he was making her feel!

His
mouth went on a sensual journey. His teeth scoring the sensitive tendon beneath
her ear. Fingers of excitement raced over her, making her arch her head back to
give him better access. Until now, she didn’t know her neck was an erogenous
zone.

He
wasn’t silent, murmuring Irish interspersed with English words of encouragement
as she writhed under his talented hands and mouth.

“So
delicate,” he purred, brushing his lips over her collarbone.

The
strap of both her tank top and bra slid over her shoulder, guided by his hand
smoothing over the skin of her arm. The slide continued until he’d bared one
breast to his gaze. His nimble fingers released the front clasp of her bra with
a flick, and breath caught in her throat when he cupped her bared skin.

She
looked down at his hand on her body, mesmerized by the contrast of his tanned fingers
against her pale flesh. “And so lush.”

His
laugh sounded pleased when her nipple tightened beneath his gaze, a gaze dark
with desire as he glanced up at her. “Ah, darlin’ none of that,” he crooned,
and she knew he’d noted her blush. “This,” he said, brushing his lips over her
puckered flesh, “is lovely. A tender bud demanding to be worshiped in the way
it deserves.”

A
throaty moan escaped her throat as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Arrows
of pleasure shot through her body, hitting their mark with deadly accuracy,
leaving her quivering in places she never even knew she had. Without her
notice, he cleverly relieved her of her shirt and bra, and when he moved to her
other breast, giving it the adoration he’d said it deserved, she wallowed in
pure, heavenly sensation.

The
need to touch him, to taste him as he tasted her, was overwhelming. She
grappled with the knot of his tie, tugging until it loosened, and dragged it
over his head. He must have sensed her urgency for he shrugged his way out of
his suit jacket. His fingers tangled with hers where they worked the tiny
buttons of his dress shirt. Finally, she pushed the material up and over his
shoulders, and reveled in the feel of muscled flesh.

He
pulled away from her to slip the buttons on both cuffs, and finish the job,
flinging his shirt and the jacket he’d worn aside. Then he took her hand,
pressing it against his naked chest and said, “Touch me, darlin’. Anywhere you
want. Everywhere you want.”

She
took him at his word. Her eyes followed as her hands learned his body. Lean
muscle plated a wide chest. His shoulders were broader than she’d expected, his
arms all sleek muscles and roped veins. Springy, black hair dipped in a
thinning line, dividing washboard abs to disappear behind the waistband of his
slacks. The tight skin around his navel jumped when her fingers followed the
trail to pause at his belt buckle. She glanced up to meet his smile.

“Anywhere,
darlin’” he repeated. “Everywhere.”

The
belt came open with a click, and then she attacked the button and zipper. She
ordered herself to breathe as she pushed the material over his hips. He lifted
them to aid her, and in no time, his slacks joined the other discarded pieces
of clothing littering the floor around the bed. She reached for the waistband
of his boxers, but he stilled her hand.

“These
first,” he said. He didn’t ask permission. He flicked open the button on her
shorts and peeled them away with her panties.

And
then she lay before him, completely naked. The moment stretched out as he
leaned over her, his heated gaze brushing her from feet to face.

Now
that he was no longer touching her, creeping doubt threatened and she fought
the urge to cover strategic spots until he spoke.

“
A
Rún
,” he said on a quiet purr. “
Tá tú go h-álainn.
”

“Um,”
she cleared her throat. “That sounds pretty, but what does it mean?”

He
smiled. “You, my dear, are beautiful. You take my breath away.”

Happiness
made her weak. She wanted to be as beautiful to him as he was to her.

“Oh,”
she said. “Well then. If we’re handing out compliments, you’re not so bad
yourself.”

“Not
so bad, am I?” he said with an amused leer.

She’d
imagined this moment many times, but not once in all her fantasies had she
wanted to laugh. She did now. “Exactly,” she said fighting a grin. “Now, if you
don’t mind.” She waggled a finger at his boxers. “I can’t make a final judgment
until I’ve seen the entire package.”

He
didn’t fight it. His grin went wide. “Ah, so you’re wanting to see my package,
are you? You had only to say so.”

She
cursed her pale skin, certain her blush stood out like a bad rash.