Authors: Sarah Brocious
Raina gave the others a look.
“Go, go,” Emily ushered her with assurance.
Raina went after him. His long strides were taking him to his study. She hadn’t been in there since the contract day. She thought of the pictures and almost smiled. She wondered if he had taken any pictures since. Her thirty five millimeter had been neglected lately.
“Nolan,” she called after him as he moved through the door.
He left the door open for her. This was a good sign. She hurried in and shut the door behind her. Her eyes quickly flitted to the walls. She was pleased to see her pictures were still there. Even after the whole instance he had kept them up. This made her heart swell.
He turned and caught her glance.
He too looked to the photos. He cleared his throat.
Raina blushed, feeling like she had been caught.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned, as if suddenly remembering the situation at hand.
“Please tell me what this text means!” She held up his phone.
“He professes his love for you and then leaves me without a goodbye. Days without contact and that is the message I get. What do you think it means Aelan?” He took his phone back. “I am taking something you have claimed as yours. I want to be her hero for once,” he read gruffly and tossed the phone on the desk.
Raina wanted to sink to the ground. “Surely he wouldn’t try…Nolan we are getting married. He said he knew it was final. That was why he was leaving so we could be in peace! He loves you too much…”
“He loves you more,” Nolan barked. He sat against the edge of the desk and ran his hands through his hair. “And you are missing him making it so easy for him to make it back! Have you talked to him?”
Raina’s eyes widened. “No!” She frowned.
He sighed and his shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.”
She went to him and wrapped her arms about his neck. She pressed her cheek to his. “We are getting married in just a few days Nolan. Don’t let this rattle you! If I miss him it’s a sentiment to our friendship. He can’t sweep me off of my feet if I am not standing on them!”
He leaned back and looked at her questioningly.
She rolled her eyes. “Because you’ve already swept me off my feet. “ She kissed him. “Corny yes…but true.”
He squeezed her. “I am so crazy jealous Raina…I am never going to get over that.” He shook his head. “Can you deal with that?”
She shook her head. “Jealousy just means insecurity. So I will have to work at securing the knowledge that I love you in that pretty little head of yours.”
Nolan grinned.
“Yeah, not such an awful undertaking.” She leaned into him and let him kiss her pretty efficiently.
“What should I text back?” he murmured, running his hands up her sides gently.
She growled. “Can we forget about the text and focus on the fact that you just told everyone about the kiss?” She sighed and set her head against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know me too,” she whispered. “I never meant to tell you to get over it like that! I just want us to get beyond it.”
He nodded. “I want that too.”
She trailed her hands through his hair. “I hate seeing you distant and angry. That’s not you! That’s not you at all!”
“There has been so much going on…too many close calls. I finally have what I want and I am going to do whatever it takes to keep you. The idea of anyone taking you away again makes me so mad I can’t see straight. If anyone even tries…”
Raina touched a finger to his lips. “No one will. I don’t know why he sent that Nolan. He is probably just confused! Let’s not let it ruin our time together now. We have other things to worry about in the future. We need to enjoy now.” She smiled.
“Okay.”
She nodded in approval. “We need to go visit our guests now and let them know the wedding is still on,” she teased gently. “So there are a few things we can not bring up tonight.”
He tilted his head handsomely and waited, squeezing her hips.
“No Thanatos.” She held up one finger and gave him a kiss.
“Hmm.”
“No Elenora,” she growled against his lips and kissed again.
“Uh Uh.”
“No mortality speak for more than one reason,” she sighed with another kiss.
He gripped the back of her neck not wanting her to pull away but he did not force her to stay. His fingers delved gently through her hair to cup the back of her head. He led her mouth to his easily. He paused just a breath away and whispered, “Anything else Aelan?”
She smiled. “And we should probably keep our hands to ourselves.” She caught her breath when he brushed his mouth to hers. Electricity ran through her.
“What’s that?”
She drew in a breath. “It’s just that we should probably not…” She sighed when the current from the touch of his fingers distracted her.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Play fair,” she growled, gripping his hair and tugging.
“That’s no fun.”
She tilted her head, pushed against his chest and stepped away. “Back to our guests!”
He frowned. “Come give me a kiss before we go Raina! It’s only fair.”
“We’re not playing fair,” she laughed, turning to the door. She looked over her shoulder intending to tease him more and then booked it, seeing the predatory look in his eyes. She was a little out of breath when she got back into the sitting room and received knowing glances.
Nolan entered looking calm and cool. He crossed to her, put his arm around her and took her wrist gently. He lifted it to his lips and Raina knew she was in for it when she felt the warmth skirt through her veins. He was going to be doing this to her all night and it was all her fault.
“I should exasperate you more often,” she smiled.
He chuckled. “I need your distractions Raina. Please, don’t stop.” His thumb ran the length of her fingers eliciting a shiver.
“You got it.”
“I knew you’d come back around eventually.” Dark eyes flashed with appreciation over the green eyed devil as he shrugged out of his jacket. “You have put on weight in the last six months.”
Thanatos green eyes narrowed. “You want to start critiquing now Elenora?”
“In all the right places,” she purred. “Calm down, Thanny!” She walked up to him and put her arms around his neck. “Now, you said you had a favor to ask me?”
He nodded, hating himself for liking the feel of her in his arms. “I think I have a way for both of us to get what we want.”
Her brows rose. “You can get me Nolan?”
Thanatos shrugged. “Maybe.”
“How?”
He ran a hand down her spine and pulled her close. “You would just have to trust me.”
She barked out a laugh and pushed away from him. “I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you and seeing as how you have put on twenty or so more pounds it’s even less now than it was six months ago.”
His green eyes danced and he pursued her across the room. “Very clever Elly.” He put his arms around her again.
She rolled her eyes. “You can’t tell me you’ve suddenly become bad again and all of your pining for Raina is over. I’m not buying it Thanny.” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulders.
He frowned. “I never said I was over Raina. I said there was a way for us to both get what we want. You take Nolan…I will swoop in and take Raina.”
The dark eyes studied his face. The corner of her mouth tipped. “Liar!”
He growled.
“You and Nolan…even when you were rivals couldn’t one be without the other. It’s an old fashioned bromance,” she teased. “Well, a new fashioned bromance. And besides, you are bestowed to him. Your connection is great.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I’m done with wanting a lasting friendship. Maybe I want the girl now?”
She winked and cupped his face. “No…I don’t think so. Hmm, I don’t like how soft hearted you have become!“ She ran her fingers along his jaw again. “I do like this…the scruff you have been sporting, ugh,” she sighed. “Does she like the stubble? Is that why you wore it like that?”
He scowled. “I liked it like that.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. “Raina could care less if I was clean shaven or wore a full on beard. She is not superficial like you. She never required me to be just so.”
Elenora rolled her eyes.
“Besides…I haven’t had time to keep up on things like shaving. You know…protecting, searching and saving. Those things can be pretty time consuming.”
“Nolan did the lion share of all that,” she cut in meanly.
Thanatos growled.
“You hate it…don’t you? Their connection? I hate it too,” she sighed. “I found him…I made him!”
Thanatos sputtered. “He was my friend…I found him. You decided to lust after him and ruin everything that I thought I had with you!” He winced when she caught him with that glare. “Go ahead, play your mind games!”
She stamped her foot at him. As much as she wanted to give him a massive headache, she was lonely. David was in Florida. Her dad was in jail and her brother and grandfather were not talking to her after the last little plot.
“You and David now?”
“He’s handsome.” She shrugged. “He’s really smart.”
“He’s also in love with Raina.”
Elenora slumped into her chair and pouted. “I know…what the hell? Look at me! I am gorgeous! I have a smoking body and killer eyes! She’s…well, she’s cute…maybe pretty…certainly her eyes and that aura but…”
“She’s breathtaking,” Thanatos murmured and sat across from her in a vacant arm chair. He ran his hand through his blonde hair. “And there is a lot to be said for humility and modesty Elly. You don’t just go around and say you’re gorgeous. You let others do it for you!”
“It’s called confidence!”
“It’s called narcissism,” he barked out a laugh.
She pouted again. “You always called me beautiful. Now you call her beautiful.”
He nodded. “It’s fitting on her. She still blushes when I say it…and I like that.”
She toyed with her hair. “If I blushed and sighed would you pursue me Thanny?”
He rolled his eyes.
She leaned back on the couch and sighed. “You are no fun! I am so lonely and bored in this town! I just want to get this over and…” she stopped as if she said too much.
His eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”
She raised her brows to him.
“Are you going to crash the wedding? The reception? Poison the food…burn down the house?”
She sighed. “I can’t do anything until I get orders.”
“From who?”
She shook her head.
“This David thing is just a distraction isn’t it? What’s Richard up to in his little holding room?”
She gave him that look and rolled her eyes.
He grinned and rose to his feet, walking over to sit by her on the couch. He sank down beside her and took her hand. The very air around him changed and the environment relaxed, as his thumb brushed her palm.
“I swear if you try to use your persuasion on me I will give you one hell of a headache.”
The green eyes softened. “But if I have a headache I can’t be effective to you in other ways.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Elenora kept her eyes on his lips. “You are good in bed, Thanatos but not that good,” she said shakily.
He kissed the inside of her wrist. “I don’t know. You never complained before, Elly. In fact I remember you quite often asking me insistently to take you to bed several thousand times or so.” His voice was warm and soothing.
Elenora shivered.
“You’ve been lonely.”
“I have,” she whispered.
“I’ve been lonely too,” he whispered. He tugged her hand and reached with his other to brush her hair to the side. “I could keep you company…good company if you like.” His words were warm breath on her face now.