Flame Thrower (20 page)

Ryan’s lips found hers for another gentle but passionate kiss while his hand roamed over her stomach to slide between her legs. His expert fingers located what he sought and sent shock waves through her core as he flicked it a few times before traveling down to return the favor.

He loved her to death for she was his match sexually and she’d drained him repeatedly over the past day. He’d never been able to perform like this before and that made him stop for second…Maybe that was because he never was meant to for anyone other than Tillian.

When he heard her sigh Ryan released her and began to roll away.

“Ryan—” she started to say, only to be shushed when his mouth found hers after he’d rolled back onto her body to capture her lips. When he finally released her, she said quietly, “I love you, too.” She was rewarded with a bright smile and another deep kiss which he controlled by slanting his face so he could plunder her mouth deeper.

She pushed him away though, because air was very important at the moment since she was still winded from their love making. “So, what’s next?” she asked once the two were settled again in each other’s embrace, relaxing as the euphoria of the experienced faded.

“We get married. The sooner the better, I think.” Ryan wasn’t looking down at her but felt every muscle in her body flinch.

“W-wh-what did you say?” Tillian couldn’t believe she heard that right. She thought he said they should get married. That couldn’t be right, though. How could he ever think to marry her after she’d been so used? She wasn’t fit to be a Queen and surely not fit for Ryan.

“We get married.” He pulled back to see her better and laughed at her confused expression. “Unless you don’t want me?” he added in feigned hurt.

“Are you crazy?” She flew out of his arms and stood gazing down at him with a look of bewilderment. “What are you thinking with a statement like that?” she nearly yelled after her anger kicked in. There was a flash through her mind that made her falter, because was it anger or fear?

“I’m not crazy and yes, I meant what I said. I want to marry you, Tillian.”

Her arms flew up in frustration just before she stormed around the room in her glorious state of nudity and muttering under her breath.
He couldn’t mean this. It was absurd. She wasn’t fit to be a Queen in Yorath any more than she was in Folkyn. Her Father saw to that. Now Ryan tempted her with this and what, he just thought she’d say yes? There were so many implications to this statement, but those were overshadowed by hurt. How could he do this to her? How could he make this unrealistic offer and not have her be torn apart when it wasn’t allowed to transpire?

When she finally stood before the bed once more, she met Ryan’s amused face. He tried and failed to hide the smirk.

“Stop smirking,” she snapped. “This is not funny.” Tillian took two more steps then spun around again but that only made him laugh harder. “You do realize this would start a war, don’t you? You’ve not asked formally for my hand in marriage, and my Father will take offense. Ryan, you can’t do that to Yorath.”

“Why don’t you let me make decisions impacting Yorath and come back over here?” When Tillian stalked towards him, he continued, “What you don’t seem to understand is that I can’t give you back and can’t stop them if we are unmarried, love.” His earlier humor vanished and to be replaced with a seriousness that chilled her blood.

“I can’t lose you, Tillie,” he said, using that nickname from before. “More importantly, I won’t lose you.” Ryan sat up and rubbed his face, then leveled her with a look filled with rolling rage that she took a step back.

“I also could care less what your ‘Father’ thinks in this situation. He has shown no care for your feelings up to now, so why should I care for his?” The fierceness of his statement made her want to cringe but she didn’t. No one had ever been willing to fight for her before. Even though it warmed the core of her soul, she would still not let him start a war over her. She was most definitely not worth that.

“You will have to let me go.” When he began to react, she stalled him by holding up one shaking hand. “Listen. Send a note to my Father letting him know you’ve found me unharmed. Make your proposal and then wait. That gives us at least a month before they arrive to take me home. They will need to take me, Ryan.” Tillian could see the reservation and objection boiling in his eyes. “You know as well as I do, I have to return to Folkyn.”

“No,” he hissed with wrath.

“Ryan, I’m not worth a war. He will push it, too. I know my Father.” She was starting to panic that he’d go through with this.

“Do you want to marry me, Tillian?” he asked with pinched brows, afraid she’d say no.

“Of course,” she replied. “But it—” His voice cut her off in one word of finality.

“Done.” Ryan rose naked from the bed and strode towards the front door. Tillian watched his bare tight butt move around the corner when his final words sank in.

“No!” Tillian felt a moment of dread and she tore off after him. He talked with Kincaid through the cracked door but she couldn’t hear what was discussed. She was about to interrupt him when he shut the door and Ryan slowly turned around with an idiot grin on his handsome face.

“A bath is being drawn for us,” he said smirking.

She stood with incredulity when he just sauntered past her back into his room. His arrogance made her speechless. He acted like this was perfectly normal. “You are crazy,” she yelled to the ceiling.

“I’m most certainly not crazy but I suggest you get bathed and dressed.”

Tillian finally turned and saw he’d found a pair of thick cotton pants but left his chest bare. “Ryan, you can’t do this.”

“Too late. I suggest you get into something soon, because I also asked Kincaid to send for the chamberlain to map out the plans. He’ll be here any moment, dear.”

When he approached again, he wrapped her in his arms and placed his soft lips kiss her forehead. “I will marry you, Princess Tillian. You belong with me, don’t you see that? I can’t let you go back to the very people who caused you so much pain. Now move towards the bath please. I would really like to avoid Kincaid seeing you like this,” he teased with a gentle swat to her backside.

Tillian squeaked once before she moved quickly to the hot bath, which was large enough to fit four adults and sank below the surface, letting the hot water surround her. Ryan followed her in then pulled her into his lap, taking pleasure in the feel of her skin under the water. This felt almost as lovely as feeling her sliding against him on the bed. “This is what I want for the rest of our lives, Tillian. If you leave me to go home, I’ll die,” he murmured against her neck.

She got lost in the feeling but needed to stay focused. “Ryan, please think about what you are planning.”

He didn’t allow her to continue for her mouth suddenly disappeared under his soft lips while his beard tickled her face. He prevented her from any further arguments and didn’t release her until he felt her relax into his attentions.

He waited until he felt no tension then whispered between little kisses, “No more arguments. You will be my wife...my Queen...” which only further broke down her defense.

“You have to see how dangerous this plan is, Ryan.” The fire of her argument faded with each kiss he planted on her lips, neck, cheek and ear. He kissed her everywhere his lips could reach to distract her.

“I do, and honestly I’ve already had this argument with Wallace. I will marry you, my lovely Tillian, and I will accept the consequences. You will not be going back to Folkyn, so will you please stop fighting me?”

His kisses became more insistent and she felt him begin to rise to make love. “Stop.” She pushed at him. “If you continue with this seduction, Kincaid will be waiting for hours,” she ordered just before she slid off his lap and located the soap and oils on the opposite side of the tub. Far enough away from his firm body that made her want to straddle him right now.

That made Ryan laugh but he did the same and raced her while they both cleaned and exited the bath. When she was partially dried off, he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to his chest. “So, do you agree to this now?”

“It’s not that I don’t want it, Ryan. I don’t want to start a war over it, is my point.”

“Do you agree to marry me though?” he whispered against the shell of her ear.

“Yes.” Tillian could feel his arousal against her back and shivered. She wasn’t ready to give him up either, but a war?

“I’m glad you said that. Now that you’ve agreed to marry me, I’ll make you a promise. I’ll make love to you with the same intensity we’ve shared last night and then again this morning for the rest of our lives.” His words were said so softly, barely a whisper in her ear. It had her trembling in his arms and she felt the smile it generated against her ear.

He continued, “You don’t know something about me, Tillian. All those fears your Folkyn warriors have for me? They’re valid. There is a reason we’ve had peace in both our lands for such a long time and it has everything to do with that fear being very well substantiated.”

Tillian just stood there.

“It’s well known I’m a Mage, Tillian. A damn powerful one, too, so they can’t touch me.” He waited for her to react.

After the numbness wore off, she turned to look at the man she had agreed marry, the man she had come to love and shuddered. In Folkyn, the very word ‘Mage’ made grown men near wet themselves and here she was about to marry one? Yet...here was a gorgeous, kind man who loved her. Wasn’t he supposed be wicked and harm her if he was really a Mage—if the stories were true?

“You look scared.” He sounded concerned.

“I—” She was speechless.

“While you stutter, can you please finish getting dressed? You look terribly tempting and I would hate to keep Kincaid waiting as you so bluntly pointed out in the bath when I was about to seduce you again.”

“Flame Thrower,” she whispered and turned up to look at him again. The river experience, the warning of not hurting her, the heat she felt radiating off him and the flicker of flames in his eyes. It all became clear now. “That’s the meaning behind your name.”

“Yes. I earned it when I was very young, during our last war with Folkyn. My Father’s army was under heavy attack on the border and, while I watched from the knoll, he was about to be overrun by your Father’s army and killed. I was young and didn’t want to be King yet, nor did I want to lose my Father. The intense emotions woke my magic and I incinerated the Folkyn army while your Father watched. I sent a wall of fire down upon them and didn’t allow one man to escape. He lost half of his army that day under my fire. All whom he sent into battle. I still remember his glare from across the field when he realized it was a seven year old boy who had wrought such destruction. I laughed months later when I heard the name your country gave me—Flame Thrower.”

“It’s not something to be laughed at, Ryan. They fear you enough to be convinced you were the one who orchestrated the kidnapping. My Father will spread lies and threats.” She was all serious again.

“Tillian, I’m not worried. I’m three hundred times more powerful than I was as a seven-year-old boy throwing fire balls. I can protect my country...and my wife.” He grinned at her dumbfounded expression as he passed her to get dressed.

* * * *

Kincaid and the chamberlain showed up not much later. They both settled down to the topic immediately and pulled Tillian down onto the couch to discuss little details. They knew King Ryan would not participate at this phase and would interject once Kincaid had a plan. Then and only then would Ryan add to it with magic.

They plotted it out to take place in two weeks’ time, which surprised Tillian. Such a grand event normally took months to prepare. When Ryan saw her confusion, he added, “You have never seen Kincaid in action, dear. He could organize an army in less time if asked.”

Hearing her reactions to the planning kept distracting him from writing his message to King Irfan. He kept hearing her exclamations of surprise each time Kincaid presented a new idea, and he just couldn’t focus. His pen paused at the point in the message where he informed Irfan they had fallen in love and were marrying immediately. He even planned to offer a false apology that Irfan couldn’t attend. That was his own selfish dig at his fellow Ruler for the injustice he’d caused his daughter.

Tillian approached while he was engrossed again and scanned the letter over his shoulder. It wasn’t written like she’d suggested. Instead this was a declaration of intent, not a request for permission for her hand. “My Father will spread a rumor that you set all this up.”

“I understand that. Let him try. My reputation stands outside of Folkyn and the people of Yorath and those of Lysban will ignore it. In time, your homeland will too.” He penned the last sentence then signed it with a flourish, adding a drop of wax to which he pressed the signet ring on his finger to confirm his authority. “There, all done.”

“You are calling for many deaths with that note, Ryan. I can’t say I’m happy about this.”

He sighed, loudly. “Are we back to this again?”

“No, I’m thrilled to be marrying you, but I never accepted the war that will transpire because of it,” she answered before she turned to enter the adjoining room to let him finish.

“I sincerely hope it doesn’t come to that, Tillian,” Ryan whispered after she left, “but I’ll gladly fight to keep you if it does.”