Love Beyond Expectations (10 page)

He laughed, before horror slid up his spine. Were beds and rooms going to start flying around their heads?

They both fell silent waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he exhaled loudly.

"I wish I could just take us there."

His power surged through his body. Seconds later, with her in his arms, they moved through space. Her scream rang in his ears. Had he controlled his own power?

He hugged her tighter.

Chapter Eight

Ruby shook, her body feeling like it might never cease its rattling again. If not for Christophe's strong arms, she'd hit the floor. Where the hell had they gone? One second they'd stood on the street with so much sexual energy between them she thought a bomb might go off, the next instant they were swirling through nothingness going somewhere else.

She had no idea what happened; the only thing she felt certain about was that she had not caused the moving through space. That had to be Christophe…or some other Outsider. Or, god forbid, Sebastian…

"It's okay." Christophe sounded downright giddy as he squeezed her shoulders. "We moved through space to"—he looked left and right—"a bedroom. I don't know whose it is but someone's bedroom."

Looking around, she laughed, wondering if she sounded like a lunatic. "It's my room. In the mansion."

"I moved us." Why did he sound so happy? "Together. And I pretty much controlled it myself. I spoke aloud, and then I got to go to where I said I needed to go. That never happens. I'm always pulled out on a whim. No control."

"That's great." She had to calm down. How did Christophe manage this on a regular basis? Her powers let her acquire weird objects, not bang in and out of places in swirls of nothingness with no warning.

The key she held in her hand burned, and she looked down at it. Why did it hurt her? She held it up so Christophe could inspect it. "Does this look like anything weird to you? It's warming in my hand, almost painfully."

"Hand it over."

She gladly placed the object in the center of his palm. He curved his fingers around the key. "Feels cool to me, like the weather outside."

"It's burning my fingers when I touch it."

Christophe entwined their hands. "Your skin doesn't seem hot."

"Are you suggesting I'm imagining it?" She bit down on the inside of her cheek. She really, really hated it when people doubted her experiences. It had been bad enough when she had been young and her grandparents had insisted the things she thought happened to her hadn't occurred.

"No, sweetheart." He stroked a piece of her hair off her face. "Don't get all worked up. I'm simply saying I can't feel it. In the midst of all this lunacy, you think I question whether or not you can feel something I can't?"

All right, now he turned out to be reasonable when she wanted to act just the opposite. "Christophe, I feel like I'm losing my mind."

He stroked her hair, making her shiver. "I know. There's a lot going on right now."

"One day I was living a relatively normal life. I mean, I had to hide things. Strange abilities no one should have and then—
boom
—the next day, I'm involved in an epic quest, trying to make sense of a language no one could possibly decipher, and there's life and death on my shoulders."

"I understand."

He really did seem to get what she meant. His eyes held hers, making promises of security he couldn't possibly deliver. Still, it had been a long time since anyone had even wanted to care for her. She blinked rapidly, knowing if she didn't get control of herself fast she'd start to cry.

"Maybe I can make things start to feel better for you."

Her insides melted. Men had never held much interest for her, at least not sexually. At least now she understood why. The universe had designed her for Christophe. It looked like her body had finally woken up to the idea of carnal desire.

His words alone caused her knees to wobble.

"This time when I kiss you, I'm not going to stop."

She sucked in her breath. "That sounds…good."

He raised an eyebrow. Why did he always come across as sophisticated when she felt so completely ridiculous?

"I'd say…
good
…is an excellent descriptive word."

He moved closer until their faces were almost touching. Her words sounded more like a sigh when she spoke. "You're always the professor. Complimenting my word choice?"

"Stop talking."

His mouth took possession of hers. With firm lips, he coaxed hers open. Christophe's kisses were gentle. Surrounded by his warmth, she didn't care one bit about magical objects or quests she couldn't possibly complete. They were just one man and one woman discovering each other.

He pulled her closer as his hands roamed her body through her clothes. She shuddered. Yes, she'd waited for this and she wanted it, all of it, every single moment.

"Skin," Christophe whispered in her ear.

She pulled back to regard him. "What?"

"My language." He visibly swallowed, his throat muscles contracting. "It's going to get worse and worse in English. The more I desire you, the less capable I am of making myself understood. I feel like…a child."

"We don't have to talk." She stepped back, a surge of brazenness filling her veins. "You want to see my skin? I can make that happen."

When had her hands ever been so steady? She pulled her wet shirt over her head until she stood in front of him, her naked torso exposed, only her white cotton bra keeping her from being entirely topless.

She still held onto the key that warmed to her touch. Looking down, she realized she'd have to set it somewhere if she didn't want to make love to Christophe while she gripped it at the same time.

"Give it to me."

How had he known what she thought? "Do you read minds?"

"You looked down at it."

"What?"

He nodded toward the key. "You stared in its direction so I knew what you had to be thinking about."

"Oh. So no mind reading then?"

He grinned. "None."

His hand rubbed the fabric of her bra causing the skin beneath it to quiver into goosebumps.

"Touch me."

"Yes." He pulled her up against him, demanding with his mouth all kinds of erotic pleasures. She wanted to experience all of them.

"I don't have any experience with this." She moaned as his fingers traveled down her neck.

"Neither do I. But I somehow suspect we'll figure it out."

Her heart warmed at his words. He'd had the same desire for only her that she'd had for him.

"I want some skin too, okay?"

He nodded, his eyes glistening while he looked at her. Pulling his shirt off his body, he gave her what she asked for. His chest looked well defined and lean. She ran her hands over him, loving the way her fingers tingled when she touched him.

He had a smattering of dark chest hair. She ran her fingers through it, loving the way he shuddered when she touched him. He'd warned her that language would fail him, and she suspected he'd been correct. In fact, she hoped that had happened, because otherwise, his silence would be very concerning to her.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his chest. His skin tasted salty, and she licked her lips.

Christophe pulled her against him, kissing her deeply. She melted in his embrace, her knees nothing more than jelly. He hauled her up into his arms, carrying her with him to the bed.

Lying over her, he covered her body with his own. A very evident hard bulge strained through his pants. She reached out to cup it, and he hissed, muttering something she didn't understand. His tone made his words clear, however. He didn't want her doing that again.

She grinned. "I guess I don't want you to be over before this gets started."

Not that she had any idea how long it should exactly go. He shook his head and kissed her again. This time the joining of their lips felt more fevered. Her mind whirled.

This was what she'd craved for so long, a true joining.

He pulled at the strap of her bra. "Off."

She smiled. "Yes. It's a front latch."

Christophe nodded, fiddling with her bra until he got it off. His eyes met hers. "You're perfect." He kissed her nose. "My Ruby. The most beautiful gemstone on the planet."

Ruby swallowed. "Wow. When you find your words, you really find them."

He took her nipple in his mouth, sucking on the peak. She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him tighter. Her body ached, and she squirmed beneath him.

As he sucked on one of her breasts, he squeezed the other one. She arched on the bed. When had they suddenly gotten so sensitive?

She tugged at his pants. If he got to touch her, she wanted the right to do the same. He helped her out, pulling them down before she could struggle doing it. In the meantime, she took off her own pants.

This happened to be the first time for both of them, but that didn't mean she was unable to grasp the basics of the whole thing. The pants had to come off.

He wore dark blue boxer briefs. The spray of brown hair that covered his chest made it all the way down past his belly button to where it disappeared under his underwear.

"You're a beautiful man. I mean, maybe I shouldn't say that. I have no idea what sexy women say in these kinds of circumstances. I really don't."

He ran his hands under her pink panties. "They say whatever it is you wish to say since you are the only sexy woman in the world. There is nothing you could utter that I would not wish to hear."

She kissed him because she had to. His response told her he had fallen equally under the spell that filled the room around them.

Her one wish would have been to enhance the mood with candlelight. As she thought it, the room darkened and every candle she owned illuminated.

Christophe raised his eyes to look at her. "Wish fulfillment?"

"Oui." She answered, deliberately using his language.

He grinned. "Please,
mon coeur
, speak in French whenever you would like. It makes me hard as hell."

That's a phrase he knew? Hard as hell?
She pulled down his underwear and took his penis in her hand. He hissed out a long breath and closed his eyes.

Although she'd worried that she wouldn't know what to do when faced with this situation, she found that not to be the case at all. Thirty-two years old and Ruby had never been to bed with anyone. But, she knew how to touch Christophe. She understood instinctually when she should be gentle and how he wanted to be touched.

"I have to tell you something." Was that her voice sounding so low, so sultry?

He opened his eyes. Passion met her gaze. She squeezed his cock tighter, and he bit down on his lip, his breathing quickening.

"By all means, tell me." He moaned. "Just don't stop doing what you're doing. Please."

She'd done this to him. When, in her entire life, had she had so much power over another person?
Never
. And the truth was she wanted nothing but to give him pleasure, to make him as happy as she possibly could.

"I can't get pregnant. Well, according to Isabelle. There are no accidental pregnancies with Outsiders. No diseases. We can only conceive under very specific circumstances. It has to do with the moon and a great deal of planning."

"So what you are saying then is that we do not need to worry? About—what is the word?—protection?"

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Wonderful."

Christophe positioned himself farther down on the bed so he could get closer to her pussy. She tensed up. What would it feel like to have someone touch her where only she herself had ever pleasured?

The chanting she had been hearing on and off since she'd first touched Christophe started in her ears again. He hadn't mentioned hearing them, but she'd bet the farm that he had too. Eden had told her it was the voices of the ancestors blessing whatever was about to happen. It meant the person had followed their destiny, had done something that would help the cause.

Apparently, sleeping with Christophe fell into the category of "good" things she could do. It certainly felt that way to her.

He inserted one finger inside of her, then found her clit.

She'd stroked it many times in the privacy of her own room. Silently when she'd been a young woman, for fear of getting caught, and still as quiet as she could be when she got older because of the sense that she didn't want others to know what she did.

Now? She moaned so loudly she wondered why the walls didn't come down around her.

"You like? Hmm?" He took his finger out of her and sucked on it, closing his eyes seeming to savor the taste. "I like it too." His eyes opened, and heat pooled in them.

She had never, in a million years, thought herself sexy. But the way he regarded her? It changed everything. In his eyes, she appeared the woman she'd always wanted to be.

He bent over. "I have to taste you some more. You are intoxicating, like a fine wine. You have so many flavors. I must discern them all."

His tongue swept out, finding her clit. She sucked in her breath. His fingers had been phenomenal but there were certain things he seemed to be able to do with his tongue that he hadn't done with his fingers.

"Christophe." His name slid out of her. Her pussy wept, and she felt like she might come apart around his mouth.

He made an appreciative noise, letting her know that the juices surging out of her body tasted good to him. She grabbed his back, clawing him with her nails. Pressure mounted in her, and she had no idea what to do with it. She thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow.

He didn't stop his ministrations. How did he know how to do this to her? All thought fled her mind after that question. Her body exploded around him. She'd never understood the description before, but it proved to be a true phrase. Her body shook, and her juices spilled out like a river pushing through a broken dam.

She called out his name. After a while, he lifted his head to regard her. She panted, looking back at him. She knew she must appear a mess. Her hair probably stuck up in a million different ways. Yet he looked so properly put together he could immediately leave this room and go out to dinner if he wanted to.