Authors: Sara Humphreys
You.
Her body tensed.
You
moved
closer.
How
can
you
tell?
Shane's voice remained even and he tried to focus on their training, instead of how enticingly sexy her ass looked in the sentry catsuit. He took two more steps toward her.
Tell
me
what
you
feel.
There
it
is
again.
Her voice was laced with excitement, but her body stayed tense and ready to spring into action.
It
reminds
me
of
being
in
the
ocean
when
the
waves
rise
suddenly
after
being
calm. Kind of like what happens when another person swims by.
Excellent.
Shane held his ground.
Now
I'm going to come after you again, like I did a few minutes ago, and I want you to see if you can avoid getting caught.
Maya nodded but didn't respond.
Shane held off and he could feel the tension rising in the air while she patiently waited for him to make his move. Then with no warning he exploded toward her, but to his great delight, Maya spun around, anticipating his move. He'd hoped she'd fly off, but instead she jumped up into his embrace and linked her arms and legs around him before placing a big kiss on his cheek. Grinning like she'd won the lottery, she clung to him while he gripped her leather-clad ass with both hands.
“How was that?” Maya asked playfully.
“That is not exactly what I had in mind,” Shane said, struggling to squelch the smile that played at his lips. No matter how charmed he was, he could not let her turn this training session into some kind of game. “You did manage to sense my approach.”
“Would it be safe to say that I bested my opponent?” Maya whispered, brushing his lips with hers and squeezing him tighter, seductively wiggling in his embrace. “Perhaps I distracted you?”
“No.” Shane gripped Maya around her waist and placed her on her feet before stepping back and increasing the distance between them. Hurt flickered over her features, and even though his gut instinct was to gather in his arms and protect her, he knew that would be a mistake. There was no time for childish nonsense with both of their lives hanging in the balance. “This is not a game, Maya. If you don't learn how to defend yourself, you'll never make it past your first century, and let's not forget that your games landed us down here in the first place.”
“Fine.” A wounded look flickered over her features, and her mouth set in a tight line. “But I wasn't the only one who screwed up, Shane. So don't try and act like you're not partially to blame for us being sent away.”
Shane leveled a stern gaze her way, but he knew that what she said was spot-on. He'd lost his fucking senses because he had let his emotions cloud his judgment, but that would not happen again. Bloodmate legend be damned.
Even as he told himself that, he knew it was utter bullshit. He was in love with Maya and had been for months. The bloodmate legend wasâ¦incidental.
“You're correct.” He stepped back and kept his voice free of emotion. “I allowed my personal feelings to get in the way of my duty, and as you've pointed out, it cost us dearly. I can assure you that situation will not be repeated.”
“That makes two of us.” Maya folded her arms over her chest and glared at him with a cold, detached look that was like a kick in the gut. “So what's next?”
As if on cue, the engine of a car starting and the sound of tires crunching along the dirt and gravel driveway rumbled through the wild quiet of the rural Louisiana night.
“Lottie must be leaving for work,” Shane said tightly. “Good. Then we can continue our training undisturbed. We have much to do.”
“So stop talking,” Maya said. She placed her hands on her hips and sent him a challenging look. “And start doing.”
***
Maya never thought she'd enjoy fighting. In fact, the idea of any physical violence used to make her sick to her stomach. But when Shane took her through yet another round of sparring, she couldn't wipe the exhilarated grin off her face. For the first time since she could remember, Maya felt empoweredâstrong and unstoppable.
She was able to deflect every punch Shane threw. Each time he tried to grab her and pin her arms to her sides, she was able to spin out and throw a defensive heel thrust to the chin. However, her favorite move had to be the roundhouse kick because almost every ounce of anger and frustration could be expelled in the process.
He came at her again, flying through the night like the deadly warrior he was. Eyes wild, he whipped toward her, but instead of attempting to throw a kick or a punch, Shane rolled right into Maya's legs and knocked her feet out from under her. Before she could counter or right herself, Shane straddled her and had her pinned to the ground with her arms held above her head.
“Not every attack will come in the way you are trained for, youngling.” Shane's dark eyes peered down at her, and a smile played at his lips. “You have to be prepared for the unexpected.”
“Lesson learned.” Lying trapped beneath his body, Maya kept her sights on Shane and let her body relax. “I won't make that mistake again.”
“We shall see,” Shane murmured. He released her arms and rested his hands on his thighs while he continued to stare down at her. “It's always a different experience in the heat of a battle.”
“You know what they say?” Maya murmured seductively, trailing her fingertips up his bare arms. She traced the lines of his muscles and they flexed beneath her touch. “Don't you, Shane?”
“No,” Shane murmured. His gaze skittered over her face and his body tensed. “What do they say?”
With every ounce of strength she had and using the leverage technique he taught her, Maya grabbed Shane's shoulders, pushed her body up, and flipped him onto his back, totally turning the tables on him. Straddling him and pinning his wrists over his head, she didn't miss the sly smile on his face or the look of approval in his eyes.
“All's fair in love and war,” Maya whispered.
Shane's grin widened as he remained held within her grasp, and she felt his body harden beneath hers. His smile faltered when her grip on his wrists relaxed and she laced her fingers in his. Still he didn't attempt to get out from under her. Memories of their tryst from earlier came roaring to the forefront of her mind, but she also remembered what he said about the seriousness of their situation.
Shane was right. This was not the time for games.
Maya went to pull her hands from his so they could get up and resume their training but Shane wouldn't release her. His thumbs brushed along the underside of her wrists, sending tiny zings of lightning up her arms with each pass. Maya trembled, staring into the dark, limitless depths of his eyes.
I
don't want to be at war with you, Maya.
Shane's deep voice whispered seductively into her mind, sending flickers of desire through her blood. He sat up slowly, still holding her hands in his and keeping that intense gaze locked with hers. With their hands intertwined and pressed between their bodies, Maya sat in his lap, fitting there perfectly as though her body had been made just for his.
I
am
equally
resistant
to
love. For love is also a dangerous prospect that can wound or maim as deeply as any weapon.
Shane placed a kiss at the corner of her mouth and trailed kisses down her throat, which added to the seductive sensations of the telepathic contact.
Maya let her head fall back, allowing him clear access to the sensitive skin of her neck. She knew that what he was saying was true and that taking the leap into love was as dangerous as going to war, but with his lips brushing her flesh and his voice touching her mind, all she could do was feel. Even when he tried to rationalize why they shouldn't do what they were doing, his fingers were dragging down the zipper of her catsuit and peeling the fabric from her torso.
Moaning with desire and sheer anticipation, Maya sat up, grabbed Shane's face, and kissed him. There was urgency between them, a stark, driving need to touch and be touched. Maya suckled his lower lip and grinned, then gripped the edge of his T-shirt and helped him pull it off. Shane tossed the offending garment aside, and Maya gasped, taking in the sight of his well-muscled chest covered with a dusting of dark hair. She trailed her fingers along his collarbone and down the center of his torso as he covered his mouth with hers.
Maya groaned and pressed herself harder against him, reveling in the erotic sensation of his bare chest brushing against her nipples. Kissing her, he pulled her hair free from the confines of the ponytail and sighed into her mouth, running his fingers through her long locks. They both needed more.
“Stand up,” Shane murmured as he broke the kiss. “I want to look at you in the moonlight.”
Maya rose from his lap, taking in the sight of him as she went. His broad-shouldered torso was perfectly sculpted, and it was plainly evident that every single inch of him was rock hard. Her eyes widened briefly and panic welled when she saw that his erection was barely contained by the faded jeans, but once she looked back into his eyes, any fear she might have felt abated.
Shane went to his knees and, with incredible tenderness, lifted her left foot before carefully removing her tall boot, tossing it aside, and placing a featherlight kiss on the tip of her toes. Maya lost her balance switching feet and laughed nervously. Shane captured her hand and pressed it to his lips before placing it on his shoulder so she could regain her balance. Desire surged as the muscles of his shoulder flexed beneath her fingers, and she watched him remove her other boot and set it aside. Shivering with anticipation, she stood barefoot in the grass as Shane rose higher on his knees and grasped her hips with his hands.
Maya threaded her fingers through his hair while he rained butterfly kisses over her lower stomach and flicked his tongue in her belly button with wickedly seductive strokes. His tongue trailed a line over the curve of her hip, and he peeled the rest of the catsuit down her legs, kissing and nibbling his way to the crook of her knee before helping her step out of the suit, leaving her totally nude in the light of the moon.
Quivering with gut-clenching desire, Maya ran her knuckles down the sides of his beard-stubbled face while he looked up at her with pure, unadulterated lust. The look in his eyes was savage and tender at the same time, and he reminded her once again of a tiger ready to pounce. On his knees with his gaze locked on hers, Shane let his fingers drift up her thighs, and his thumbs brushed lightly along the inner curve of her legs.
“You're beautiful, Maya,” he murmured. Rising to his feet, he linked one arm around her waist and tugged her against him while his other hand drifted in between her legs, slipped between her slick folds, and began to stroke. “And you'll look even more beautiful when I make you come,” he growled before capturing her lips with his.
Maya kissed him and clung to his shoulders desperately while his talented fingers rubbed her clit in slow, seductive strokes, delivering knee-bending waves of pleasure with every pass. She lifted one leg and draped it over his hip, allowing him full access to her hot, wet center, and cried out as he slipped one finger and then two inside of her. He gathered her hair in his hands, tilting her head back so he could devour her mouth with deep, penetrating kisses while she rode his hand and the orgasm started to crest. Somewhere through the thick haze of desire, she knew she wanted and needed more. She wasn't ready for it to end.
Maya broke the kiss and pushed Shane's hand aside before quickly unbuttoning the fly of his jeans and pushing them down his narrow hips. Maya licked Shane's lip, grinned, and wrapped her fingers around the hard, steely length of him. He groaned, a low rumbling sound of pleasure, as she massaged him in her hand and ran her thumb over the velvety tip. Maya moved faster, sliding her hand over him in quick, hard strokes while he licked and suckled her lips urgently.
“I have to be inside of you,” he rasped. Shane lifted his head and linked his fingers around her wrist, gently pulling her hand away as he stepped out of his jeans. Cradling her face with one hand and circling his other arm around her waist, he pulled her against him, pinning his thick erection between their bellies. “Are you ready, Maya? Will you give yourself to me?”
Staring into his intensely handsome face, she realized she'd known the answer before he even asked, and it was the most beautiful moment of the entire experience. Shane was asking for permission to take the one thing she hadn't given to another man in years. He didn't take what he so clearly wanted, but
asked
, even with the chance that her answer might be no. Her blood surged and every cell lit up like a live wire with his flesh rubbing against hers. One word thundered through her head.
Yes
, she whispered into his mind.
“Thank God,” Shane groaned before covering her mouth with his.
Kissing her, Shane lifted Maya off the ground as she wrapped her legs around his waist with his cock still pressed between their bodies. She thought he would take her right then, but he didn't. Paying thorough attention to her lips, and with her body wrapped tightly around his, Shane flew Maya up to the roof of the giant house. She shrieked her delight when he landed on the flat section along the back of the house, just above the kitchen.
Shane lay down and pulled Maya with him so she was on her knees straddling him. She leaned forward, bracing her hands on either side of his head, her blond hair spilling around them. His erection, hot and full, was pressed beneath her in just the right spot, and his large, strong hands rested on her hips.