Promises (Blood Brothers #1) (8 page)

Chayle never felt the boy shorts as they skimmed down her long legs, all senses fixated on that tongue as it lapped and worshipped the indention at her belly button. When she felt Kayne begin to move down her body, she was lost. Strong hands gripped trim hips, not bruising but holding her as he settled between her thighs as if it was an almost natural place for him to be, and then he stopped.

"Look at me, Chayle." She had not realized her eyes were closed until Kayne's command penetrated her tortured thoughts. When she finally forced them open it was to see him lying between her thighs, his face above her naked mound, dark blue eyes blazing with lust and something more she could not identify.

"See me," he demanded. "Just me, Chayle. No ghosts, no monsters are here! Just you and me… here - now!"

Kayne waited, determined that she acknowledge who was in her bed and what was happening now. He wanted no doubts but more than anything, he did not want shame to be a part of their first time together.

"Please… " she whispered, unable to finish.

"Say it, Chayle. Tell me what you want. I will stop right now if this isn't it, so help me God."

"You would stop?" she screeched. His grin was beautiful if not pained.

"It would kill me, my beauty, but yes… I would walk away from you if that is what you asked me to do."

He waited, giving her the choice because Kayne knew the only way this strong woman would be able to fight her demons was on her own terms. He knew the instant she had made up her mind. A slow, slumberous look came into those chocolate colored eyes turning them almost honey gold and his heart melted. He could smell her arousal before but now it rose from her like ambrosia calling him home.

"I need you, Kayne," she whispered. "All of you… now! To take away the nightmares, replace them with something beautiful! I won't break but I will go insane find a way to replace the nightmares with something wonderful.”

He didn’t wait for more of an answer, could not if his life had depended on it. Watching her face, holding her gaze, Kayne blew across her swollen clit and flicked his tongue across with a gentle swipe. With the small puff of his breath, she tried to come off the bed but his hold on her hips was gentle and firm, keeping her in place, allowing him to plunder and lick to his heart's content. He used his long fingers to open her drenched folds and lave sweet cream up and over that little nub sucking it deep into his mouth. A high-pitched scream echoed through the room as Chayle road the first of many waves Kayne intended to give her before he was finished.

Over and over he pushed her, first with his tongue and then long fingers, stretching gently to ensure bruised and tortured tissue did not protest too much. When he continued to be too gentle she pushed him, begging and cursing him for not being fast enough. One final push and he watched the beauty of Chayle shatter above him.

Finally, Kayne knew he couldn’t hold himself in check any longer. As Chayle rode the last peak of her last orgasm, he rose above her to pull those long legs over the top of his thick thighs and toward him. Pre-cum already seeped enough to lubricate the condom as he rolled it down the massive shaft, making him groan because it was so sensitive, wishing for the first time in his life that he could take her bare. Kayne had not taken a woman bare since his first time and now was not a time to start.

Pushing those thoughts away, he eased into her tight channel and groaned, feeling her muscles spasm from her last orgasm and all thoughts of slow and gentle vanished. He plunged into her, seating himself halfway and growled, feeling her heat, her tightness. He forced himself to hold still, not wanting to hurt her, reminding himself of the tortures and abuse she had suffered, stilling the animal inside of himself. He fought it, waiting, allowing Chayle to adjust and praying she could handle this, knowing many females never would after an ordeal like what his woman had endured. Because Kayne finally knew she was his woman, that uncanny feeling that he had finally come
HOME!

"Don't stop!" she whispered, begging, nails digging into thick biceps and pulling him close. She starred up, watching the battle raging in dark blue eyes and was struck all over again by how she could ever think this man was anything like the monsters who had taken her.

"Mine!" he growled low in his throat, pulling back almost all the way and glancing up to find Chayle's startled eyes staring at him. "Mine!" he rumbled low again.

Kayne began a rapid onslaught of thrusts that completely left both of them mindless. He focused on her face, their eyes held by an invisible force that not only connected them by body but also by souls. Every movement, every muscle, every heartbeat the other felt as if their breathing synced together, each knowing exactly when he reached that peak and she rose to meet him. He refused to let her reach it alone and each time he pushed into her mind, showing her how much he needed her, how deeply they were connected. He shared the pleasure flowing between them, the ebb and flow of it, the uniqueness, how right it felt for her to be in his arms.

The feedback loop was pleasure and pain tenfold, tearing Chayle apart and rebuilding her on an emotional and cellular level that was beyond anything she could have ever expected. When she finally crested the last time, it was to the feeling of Kayne being with her, inside her mind, a part of her soul. It was so overwhelming she completely lost it.

A high pitch scream echoed across the ceiling as her entire body clamped down on Kayne's shaft, pulling every drop of semen from his body that he could possibly produce.

The connection was Kayne's undoing. He felt her struggling to hold it back, whispered for her to let go, and finally felt Chayle accept what it was he was showing her. The two of them soared, the melding of souls so intense that a blinding light took him down and out for several heartbeats, melting with her. They both lay on the bed, sweat drying and the coolness of the air conditioner blowing over the heated bodies. He closed his eyes for just a minute, allowing the peace to finally envelop him and take him.

When he finally opened his eyes, it was to see Chayle unconscious and cradled in his arms, a light cover tossed over both of their naked bodies and the room nearly dark.

"Rafe…"
he reached out, hoping it was his brother and not one of the servants or other men who had come into the room while he could not protect his mate.

"Be at ease, brother mine. I was down the hall and sensed your bonding."
His brother's silent chuckle rankled Kayne's nerves and he was not exactly sure why.
'You are possessive of your mate, fool. That's why."

"I've never felt this way before. We've shared women before this so why is this different?"
he scowled, trying not to feel bad that his twin was on the outside of this coupling.

"It is normal, brother. She is worth the effort, so not to worry. We knew the time would come when we would each go our separate ways with our mates."
Rafe's calm words made sense but it still hurt to know his twin would now be alone.

"Yes… she is worth the effort!"
Kayne gently brushed back the damp hair from Chayle's brow, and marveled at how strong and determined this woman in his arms could be, how much she had done to survive.

"Rest with your woman, brother. We can talk tomorrow."
His twin's gentle push at his mind to rest usually perturbed him, but this time he couldn’t really get angry. Yes, he would need his rest if he planned to keep up with this woman of his. He had to protect her from those still out there.

Cradling her close, he spooned his large body protectively around Chayle's and felt her automatically snuggle close, her firm butt nestled against his groin. With a groan he expected not to sleep with all that warm female snuggled so close. However, the warmth and contentment washed over him, and Kayne drifted into a dreamless sleep with his mate tucked close against his chest. It was the first time in a long time that he slept without the nightmares.

Chapter 10

The warm sun felt good as Chayle closed her eyes, letting it bathe her skin, the midmorning breeze soft and gentle on the patio outside their bedroom suite. A quiet, soft-spoken young woman had brought her steaming hot coffee just the way she loved it with a selection of fruit, fluffy eggs, and crispy bacon strips shortly after she had emerged from her shower, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for someone to attend her everyday needs. Then, just as quietly, the young woman had excused herself and disappeared, leaving Chayle to enjoy the peace and quiet she found outside the French doors of the secluded patio.

The veranda style porch on the second floor of Kayne's home offered a spectacular view of dense woods surrounding the property with cleared grounds around the house, and outbuildings close by. She hadn’t seen a single person the entire time she had reclined on the padded chase lounge soaking up the sun's rays but Chayle wasn’t fooled. Her skin prickled every so often, alerting her to eyes that skimmed over her skin, an almost silken touch not really there.

Another presence also prickled her subconscious, allowing a slight uneasiness to touch her but she pushed it away. Chayle could sense others moving inside the house and around the grounds, nothing intrusive but almost protective, watching, guarding. She sighed, realizing she was going to have to ask some hard questions now that her mind was clearer. Kayne had some explaining to do and it couldn’t wait much longer. She had never run from a problem and she was not going to start now. Kayne would have to understand that from the beginning of this relationship.

The suddenness of that thought forced her eyes open and her hand to reach for her throat. Where the hell had that come from?

Realistic if nothing else, Chayle smiled, realizing that her life had changed more drastically than she thought. She hadn’t missed the fact that Kayne had referred to her as "mate." Nor the fact that everyone treated her like a special status of some sort when entering into the suite of rooms. However, they were going to have that talk about all of this. First, she needed answers.

Why had she been taken? Kayne had said the drugs in her system were physically making changes to her very DNA. That alone caused her some alarm until she finally accepted that what was done was done. She couldn’t change the past but she could damn sure take control of her future. No one else was going to be playing with her genetic makeup and Chayle wanted to know how and why it was done in the first place. Kayne and his brother had some explaining to do that was for sure.

The other worry she had was the other girl and what had happened to her? Did they use the same drugs on her and for how long. From what Chayle could remember the other woman looked like crap when she opened her eyes and found her curled in the corner of the room where they held Chayle. If the same experiments were performed on her then there was no telling what those monsters were after.

The more she thought about it the angrier Chayle got. Could she stop it from happening again to anyone else because it was apparent that what had happened had been deliberate and well thought out.

She shifted on the lounge and felt the pleasant ache in all the right places from the night before, vastly different from the nightmares, the monsters who had taken her. She still ached in places no human should have been violated, yet her muscles were returning to their normal strength, albeit slowly. It chafed her inherent stubbornness to know that it was going to take longer than she would like for her body to recover. She hated lying around waiting. They were going to have to make some serious decisions - soon. It was as if Kayne had inserted himself into her subconscious without her even realizing it, and she was accepting it without a fight, which was not like her at all. Before the "incident," she only had herself to rely on, to fight for or against, and stubbornly make the determination as to what direction she would go forth and conquer. Now it seemed her mind and body were telling her something before she even realized it. Well, her alpha male was going to have to come to the realization that she was not sitting this one out, and the sooner he realized that the better for both of them.

There she went again - "her alpha male."

No sooner had the thought entered her mind than Chayle felt the air stir slightly to her right, a musky scent tickling her senses. She didn’t need to open her eyes, just took a deep breath and drew him in like the warm breeze, deep into her lungs like a life-giving force.

"You look like a cat curled up in the sun," he purred near her ear, causing Chayle to grin.

"Humm… and it feels good to just soak it up after someone left the warmth of the bed. I got cold." She cracked an eyelid, turning her head slightly to see a small smile ghost Kayne's features before it was gone. "I'm kidding, Kayne. I couldn’t lie there any longer and needed to move. My muscles are aching and need exercise."

"I brought you some more clothes," he offered, holding out his hand. "The walk might help with the soreness."

Chayle didn’t comment but took the offered palm, feeling the calluses and strength as he tugged her from her curled position on the lounge. He led her back into the spacious bedroom where someone had made the bed while she lay outside without her even hearing them, straightened the room, and replaced the cut flowers on the dresser. On the back of the large wing-backed chair lay a pair of jeans and tank top with comfortable sneakers and ankle socks.

"How did you know what size I wore?" she asked, grinning as she picked up the tank and jeans. "I'm not some skinny miss who fits into just anything."

"It wasn't hard," Kayne grinned. "You forget. I've carried you more than a couple of times lately so I had a pretty good idea of your measurements."

She blushed as memories of last night flooded her, his hands and mouth reminding her of just how much he knew about her body. When Chayle looked back up it was to see the same heat reflected in Kayne's eyes.

"You keep looking at me like that and you'll never get into those clothes so you'd best take them into the bathroom if you plan on getting dressed anytime today." His grin was friendly and open now but Chayle could see the banked fires sparkling in those blue eyes, a clear indication of how much he still wanted her. His hot gaze roamed over her body causing it to ache and burn.