Harley added her thumb to the mix, rubbing her clit and flicking the button until it hardened. Each brush against it skipped awareness through her. Another thrust, and her sex tightened around her fingers. Ripples massaged the two digits she moved in and out. They didn’t come close to filling her the way Calan’s cock would. She’d felt the straight, thick length when she’d ground against him. He’d be a tight fit, maybe even too much for her, but it’d be heavenly trying to take him all, every way she could.
Saliva filled her mouth at the thought of swallowing his erection. She loved oral sex, often needed to feel the power of control it gave her in order to get in the mood for anything else. Making a guy moan and beg for release simply did it for her. After kissing Calan, however, she feared she’d never be able to touch another man.
“Take me, treasure me, or walk away, but know I will always be yours.”
Another soft whimper crawled up her throat. Harley wanted him. Had craved Calan for so long. Why had she walked away from him today? Calan had saved her, given her a piece of himself without asking for anything in return. No, that wasn’t quite true either. He’d asked her to release him so he could make love to her.
Tears welled in her eyes, partly from the pleasure building in her body but mostly from the emotion stripping her raw. Calan had been hers since that fateful night so long ago.
Her salvation. Her dream lover. Her hope.
Her hero.
Harley stretched out on the thick comforter and thrust harder, faster. Spread wide, she worked herself to the point where her orgasm hovered just out of reach.
She added a third finger in an attempt to push herself over the edge. Her palm smacked her swollen lips. Her breathy moans filled the room. More, she needed more. With her free hand, she grabbed her breast. The rough squeeze did nothing. She pinched a nipple and arched her back on the whipping sparks skipping over her skin. Not enough. Nothing she did was enough. She needed…
“Calan.”
His woodsy campfire scent wafted around her. She dragged in a breath and filled her lungs with the air she suddenly had to have inside her. She’d die without it. The silken wrap he’d left on her heart and body pulsed with his heartbeat. It echoed inside her and mixed with hers until both raced in a rapid cadence. She squirmed over the soft blanket. Surrounded inside and out by silk, she tingled. Every inch of her sensitive body craved attention. She yearned for his touch, only his.
Harley choked on shaky sob. “Need you, Calan.”
His warm breath fanned her cheek, and a wavering image of his face appeared above her. The eyes she loved showed a blurry band of darker blue around his pupil.
She reached for him. Her fingers scattered his image. “Don’t leave me.”
“Never, my Harley.” His form gained depth yet not dimension. She could see the wall behind him. “Picture me, and I can come to you for a little while.”
“Yes, please.”
She visualized his gorgeous body, recalled the feel of his hard muscles under her fingertips, and the thump of his heart against her palm. Colors added to the rapidly expanding image crouched next to her. He wore the ancient clothes she’d seen him in hours ago. The ugly black pants and brown shirt stretched over his body. She took in his bulging biceps and thick thighs folded next to her hip. Her breath escaped in a long rush.
“Oh God.”
He leaned over her and pressed his fingers to her cheek. Roughened, warm, real, even if he wasn’t exactly with her. He could touch her. Her heart raced more at the possibilities of what that meant.
“Not a god, only the bastard child of one.” He dragged his fingertips across her jaw. “Have you figured it out yet?”
A god. She wanted to ask who’d fathered him, but Calan concerned her most. Her view was biased, maybe, but fathers only supplied sperm. Dads held the true value, and hers had been killed by a redcap. The thought almost choked her, but a swipe of Calan’s finger drew her attention back to him and the question he’d asked.
Harley nodded, and he moved his featherlight caress to her neck. “You left a piece of your…” She fumbled for word to describe the silky sheen lovingly embracing her body and soul. “You shared your essence with me.”
A small, pleased smile graced the lips she wanted on hers. He lifted her hand and traced the swooping mark as she’d done. He didn’t stop at the end of the line, though. He continued the slow trace over her palm. She followed the path of his finger with her gaze. Realization struck. It wasn’t an X, but the center of two overlapping circles. He brought her hand gently to his mouth and placed a kiss on her skin.
A shuddered sigh escaped her lips. He glanced at her. The lust reflected in his eyes stopped her heart. “Not completely, but I will. Then I will act as your shield.”
She waited for the doubt to come. It never did. Only anticipation filled her at how he’d finish saving her.
“And you’ll do that by”—she swallowed hard—“screwing me?”
He frowned, and the brush of butterfly wings danced through her. She had the sensation of him rifling through her mind. His eyes widened. She used a metaphysical hand and pushed against his invading exploration. The tickling touch of his presence retreated immediately.
“What are you doing?”
Calan straddled her, took her other wrist and tugged both over her head. Stretched over her naked body, he braced himself with a hand next to her achy breast. “I’ve been locked away for nearly a millennium. Much has changed in the time I’ve been imprisoned.”
He lifted his gaze and scanned the room. Again his eyes widened as if he’d just noticed his surroundings. Such a small thing, but seeing the
