Atlantis Rising

nearly consumed with that dancing blue-green fire. 'Come for me, Riley. Let me taste your sweetness in my throat.'

Then he bent his head again and she shattered at the first touch of his mouth. Coming and coming and coming until she thought she would pass out from the sensation.

When he finally released her, he pulled her down beside him and touched her cheeks. 'You're crying. Did I hurt you?'

She gazed up at him through the tears tangled in her lashes. 'No. Far from it. I think… I think you may have healed something in me.'

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her. 'I need you inside me, Conlan. Please.'

Satisfaction and pure possessiveness shone in his eyes. 'Then you will have me.'

He pulled her legs up and centered his thick erection over her, nudging at her sensitive core. 'Now?' he asked, teasing.

'Now.'

With one thrust, he seated himself in her to the hilt, his heavy sac slapping against her bottom. She screamed and clenched around him, convulsing again and again.

He pulled back and thrust again, groaning, as her body tightened around his thickness. In fewer than a dozen strokes he yelled out his own release and shuddered in her arms, spasming inside her for a long time.

When she could form words, she laughed. 'Okay, I'm totally pleading guilty if that's the punishment.'

He rolled over, pulling her with him. 'I'm not sure we could call that a punishment,' he said, still breathing heavily.

'Although maybe for you. My control is as bad as an untried lad in his early days at the Academy.'

She snuggled into his arms. 'Tell me.'

'About my lack of control?'

'About Atlantis. It must be incredible.'

He caught her lips in a kiss. 'It is more amazing than you could ever imagine. I cannot wait to show you my home. But first, a shower. Then food. Then I'll tell you anything you want to know.'

Riley shook her head. 'Food. At a time like this. Is food all men think about?'

He sat up with her still in his arms, then stood, carrying her, as if she weighed nothing. 'I'm not sure you can ask me that after this night, little empath. At least not with any credibility.'

'I'm not little! Put me down,' she said, holding on to his neck tightly and laughing.

'I will. In the shower.' He waggled his eyebrows in a fake leer. 'Did I mention I'm from Atlantis? I'm really great with water.'

She laughed all the way into the bathroom, where she discovered that he wasn't great with water at all.

He was spectacular.

Ven walked out of the shower and realized what was niggling at the edge of his brain. He hadn't heard anything from Riley's room all night. And he'd definitely seen Conlan go in there after unceremoniously dumping Denal on him. He'd expected an explosion.

Of one kind or another.

Not that he'd planned to stick around if anything like those vibes of pure sex had started pumping through the walls, like they had the other day. Something about an empath and an Atlantean set sexual tension to loud on the broadcast frequency.

Might be something to consider.

He thought about Riley's sister while he pulled on clean pants and a T-shirt. Nah, Chick was too dark and complicated for him. He liked them simple and welcoming.

Easy to leave.

The gods knew he was destined for the same unwelcome fate as Conlan. Married off to some ancient maiden they'd pick out for him at the time.

It was the royal duty to carry out the Council's plan for the Atlantean lineage.

Sucked to be a prince.

Not that any of Poseidon's warriors escaped that exciting chore. Forced marriage to an eleven-thousand-year-old virgin. Woo-hoo, could he control the excitement?

At least he had another fifty or so years before it was his dick on the block. So to speak.

He grabbed the bag he'd tossed by the door when he'd come back in the middle of the night. Figured Riley would be wanting it about now.

Grinned at what he might discover in her room.

He pulled open the door and walked into the corridor and nearly ran into Alaric. The priest wore all black again, which only highlighted the extreme pallor of his face.

Somebody didn't get his beauty sleep.

'Watch your step, Vengeance.' The snarl on the priest's face would have scared most people.

Ven just laughed. 'What's got your panties in a bunch? Couldn't sleep after making a fool of yourself in front of Riley's sister last night?'

Alaric froze, then slowly turned his head to stare at Ven. Power glowed a fierce green in his eyes. 'You may wish to learn to watch your step in more ways than one. I am nearly at the limit of my patience.'

Ven started to give it right back to him, but something in the priest's eyes stopped him. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn Alaric was in some kind of pain.

If he didn't know better.

'Hell, why ruin the day before I've even had any coffee? Let's hit the caffeine, Alaric. Oh, and I have to give this stuff to Riley, if she and Conlan didn't kill each other last night. I didn't feel anything at all from her room last night.'

Alaric's lips thinned, but he started walking toward the kitchen. 'I shielded their room. If I'd had to feel any of their—well. I shielded the room. Leave it at that.'

Ven blinked as Alaric strode off down the hall. Something was definitely wrong, beyond even the obvious guilt that tore at the priest for the loss of the Trident.

'Which reminds me, we need to get our asses in gear,' he muttered, then crossed the hall to knock on Riley's door. 'Rise and shine, sleepyhead.'

He didn't hear a response and wondered if the shield kept her from hearing his knock. Cautiously, he opened the door. 'Riley?'

And was treated to the glorious sight of Riley's beautifully bare backside as she stood, stretching, beside the bed.

She let out a little scream and dove into the bed, yanking the covers up over her body.

'Oh, man,' he said, looking down at the floor, at his boots, anywhere but at her. He could feel his face heat up in a slow flush.

Not that seeing a woman naked had ever bothered him before but, hell, this was Riley. Lady Sunshine. She was as brave as any warrior, and she deserved better than some idiot walking in on her.

Plus, from the scent of sex in the room, Conlan was going to try to kick his ass.

'It's okay, Ven, you can look up now,' she said drily. 'I'm decent. Thanks for knocking.'

He grinned at her. 'Hey, don't blame me. I did knock. Alaric put some sort of spell on the room to shield it so we didn't have to put up with… er, I mean, oh, crap.'

Her face flamed red all the way down her throat and the enticing part of her chest he could see above the sheet she was clutching. 'Oh, God. Oh, I never, we never… ohhhhhh.'

Naturally, that was the moment Conlan chose to walk out of the bathroom, damp from the shower and wearing nothing but a towel. 'What? Ven! What are you doing in here?'

He stepped between Riley and Ven, blocking Ven's view. 'What are you doing in here when Riley is undressed?' he repeated, an ominous threat in his voice.

'Oh, chill out, bro. That's exactly why I'm here.'

Riley made an interesting squeaking noise from behind Conlan. 'What?'

He held up the bag so she could see it over Conlan's shoulder. 'I couldn't sleep last night. Thought you might