Flare of Promise (Asylums for Magical Threats #3) (16 page)

“Yes. But let’s make it more interesting, shall we? Whoever makes the greatest discovery gets to have their fantasy played out.”

She raised her brows. “And just what kind of fantasy are you talking about? One where I meet the actor of my dreams?” Petra replied, her voice tinged with humor.

Will pierced her with a glare. “The only man in your dreams should be me.”

She clicked her tongue. “Someone’s jealous.”

He gripped the handles of her wheelchair tighter. “Bloody right I am. Only because of your leg have I not tried to get you naked and at my mercy.”

A flush crept up Petra’s cheeks. “Keep your voice down. Anyone can hear you.”

“So? If they don’t know by now that you’re my woman, then they aren’t very intelligent.”

He turned her chair into the room he used for his research. Turning on the light, he kicked the door closed and moved to crouch down in front of Petra. Tracing her lower lip with his forefinger, he murmured, “Maybe I should remind you of why you want me and only me.”

Heat flared in her eyes. “Maybe you should.”

He leaned closer. “I love that you don’t hesitate with me.”

Placing a hand on his cheek, she answered, “I’m just trying to make up for lost time.”

“Good answer,” he growled before taking her lips in a rough kiss.

Careful not to bump her leg, Will tilted his head and swept his tongue into her mouth. Her small moan vibrated against his tongue and shot straight to his cock.

All too soon, Petra pulled back. They both breathed heavily as they gazed into one another’s eyes. Will asked, “Why did you stop?”

“Because I have a competition to win.”

Laying his forehead against hers, he murmured, “Surely the results can wait a bleeding minute.”

“You have a choice—talk about my brother, as I know you want to do, or kiss me again.”

He sighed. “All I want to say about your brother is let him stand on his own two feet. If he can’t do that at his age, then he should choose a different line of work.”

Petra shook her head. “Did it ever occur to you that I was going to do that anyway?”

“He took advantage of you, love. I don’t want him to have the chance to do it again.”

“And I’m a big enough person to realize what I did wrong before.”
 

He frowned. “Just like that?”

Petra shrugged one shoulder. “Nearly dying has put a few things into perspective. I don’t intend to waste time trying to save everyone at my own expense again. I love my brother and would still charge into battle to save him if his life truly depended on it, but I’m no longer going to watch his every action. I need to live for myself as well.”

Will rubbed his hand up and down Petra’s upper thighs. “I hope there’s some room for me, too.”

She remained silent and Will gently clutched her thighs. If Petra was trying to tease him, he didn’t like it.

Smiling, Petra kissed him quickly. “Of course.”

Growling, he moved his hands to her waist. “Then why take so bloody long to say so?”

She grinned. “Because it’s fun. I like making you squirm.”

At the humor dancing in her eyes, Will’s irritation eased a fraction. “It’s nice to see you opening up, Petra. I love all of you, but it’s good to see some of your humor is still intact. I think we’re going to need it in the future.”

Placing her hands over his, she answered, “Don’t be so negative. Look at everything Jaxton, Millie, and the others have accomplished since we met them. I think Neena has a chance at winning.”

“I’m not sure whether to be glad we’re on the same side or scared at relying on that woman,” Will muttered.

“Well, she’ll definitely be scary if we don’t get to work soon. Maybe I’ll find the answers we need today and then I can ask for my fantasy.”

“But your leg—”

Petra waved a hand. “There are plenty of ways to work around that. Besides, it barely hurts at all anymore.” He frowned and she added, “It’s the truth. If you won’t believe anything else, then believe this—I’m done with keeping secrets from you. I love you and don’t want to lose you again. If the pain in my leg becomes too much, I’ll tell you.”

Searching her eyes, his desire to protect battled with the honesty of her words. “I don’t want to lose you either. I guess it just means I need to find a solution first. That way I can postpone the fantasy until after the cast comes off.”

She smiled with mischief in her gaze. “If you think I’m waiting that many weeks to see you naked, I may have to jump you when you wake up in the morning. A little skin-to-skin friction should melt all of that steely resolve.”

He nipped her lip. “If you lay on the bed and let me be on top, then I might be willing to negotiate.”

Will took her mouth in a rough, quick kiss. Sooner than he liked, he pulled away. The sight of Petra’s reddened lips only reminded him of what he needed to win to have those beauties caressing every inch of his body. Just the image of her plump, warm lips around his cock made him a little hard.

Petra whispered, “Why did you stop?”

He chuckled. “What happened to staying on Neena’s good side and doing our work?”

“I’m to be the responsible one again?”

Standing up and holding out his hands, Will answered, “Come here, love.”

She took his hands and he gently pulled at the same time as Petra balanced on one foot. Picking her up at the waist, he sat her down on the desk so he could stand between her legs. With one possessive hand on her arse and the other on the nape of her neck, he murmured, “Just show how much you love me with a kiss and then we’ll get to work. I may even give you a five minute head start.”

Petra tilted her head. “I can’t imagine you giving me an advantage.”

“Why not? It just gives me the chance to memorize every line and curve of your body while I watch you.” He nibbled her lip. “I will never tire of looking at my woman.”

Petra’s breath hitched and her eyes turned wet. “I keep thinking this is all a dream and I’ll wake up alone, without you.”

He brushed the hair from her face. “I’m not going anywhere. And even if this were a dream, I’d search high and low until I found you again. You fill an emptiness in my very soul, Petra Brandt. I took you for granted once, but I’m never doing it again.”

“Kiss me, Will.”

Lowering his head, Will slipped his tongue between her warm, soft lips. He’d barely stroked inside before Petra threaded her fingers through his hair and stroked back.

Pulling her body closer to his, Will wasn’t about to screw up his second chance.

Hell, he couldn’t believe she’d given it to him. Deepening the kiss, he took his time showing Petra how much he loved her with his mouth. No matter if he had to jump out of a helicopter to save her, Will was going to fight to keep Petra Brandt.
 

He just needed to stop the bloody curse first or they’d never grow old together.

Epilogue

Several Months Later

Will adjusted the focus on his microscope. He was about to jot down his latest findings when his computer chirped. Lifting his head, he met Petra’s gaze. “It’s done.”

Since Petra sat at the desk, she was the first to click the mouse. Data and graphs popped up on the screen. Will moved to stand behind her. After a cursory scan, he muttered, “Bloody hell. You were right.”

Leaning her head back against his abdomen, she replied, “Glad you can admit that. It means I won.”

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently kneaded. “Forget about the bloody competition for a second. After months of sequencing individuals inside DEFEND and compiling the data, the computer algorithm was finally able to pinpoint the genome sequence in those with latent abilities.” He tapped the screen. “That’s it.”

The blinking line consisted of a mixture of the letters A, C, G, and T, which spelled out the unique code of instructions used inside every cell.
 

Petra placed one of her hands over his on her shoulder and squeezed. “I think you missed the other half of the big news on the screen. Look at the list of subjects positive for that sequence.”

Will glanced over to the right. Several of those with latent abilities, including himself, were listed. Then he spotted a specific name and frowned. “Your brother.”

“I wonder why he hasn’t displayed any sort of special power yet. Considering he’s around Kiarra and Yana often enough, the proximity to two Talents should bring it out.”

Will grunted. “It’s more likely he’s hiding it from us. I know he’s your brother, but there’s a reason Jaxton hasn’t let him out of the training sessions yet to help Millie gather information on the Collector—Dom hasn’t earned anyone’s trust yet.”

Petra sighed. “Can we discuss Dom and his issues later? After all, we just made a pretty damn big discovery, even if we haven’t managed to complete our research on the first-borns and their elemental magic.” She slid from the chair and moved to lean against Will’s chest. “But before we share the news and Neena makes us test every known member of DEFEND, I think you need to pay up.”

Will wrapped his arms around Petra’s waist. “I’m not so sure about that. After all, you only discovered part of what’s needed to win the bet. Not only do we still need to identify the exact sequence for first-borns, we also need to figure out what to do with the identified sequences. Waving around a piece of paper at the Collector’s coerced army isn’t going to stop them or suspend their abilities.”

“Give it some time. Neena has provided us with resources beyond our wildest dreams.”

“Only because she uses her foresight on the stock market,” Will grumbled.

She lightly slapped his chest. “Can you stop being grumpy and just humor me? We’ve earned the right to celebrate this discovery before being bogged down with even more work.”

He hugged Petra tighter against him. “I’m just being honest.”

Her gaze turned mischievous as she moved a hand to the back of his neck and lightly brushed his nape with her fingers. The light touch sent a rush of heat through his body, straight to his cock. It took everything he had not to clear the desk of the computer equipment with one swoop and take Petra right then and there.

Her warm breath tickled his chin as she murmured, “I love your honesty.” She kissed his jaw. “But right now, I still say I won the bet and want to collect.” She nibbled his earlobe. “What do you say?”

“We can debate whether you’ve won or not later.”

“Will, I won—”

“We can play out your fantasy later. Right now, I need you.”

Will lowered his head and kissed her.

~~~

Petra barely had time to open her mouth before Will claimed her lips. At his heady taste, she moaned and Will possessively gripped her ass cheeks. As he rocked her body against his erection, Petra pushed against his chest and gasped. “Take off your clothes. Now.”

He nipped her neck and licked the sting with his tongue. “Such a demanding creature.”

Not waiting for permission, she ripped open his shirt, the buttons flying every which way. At Will’s sound of protest, she said, “That’s why we have spares in the closet.”

Shrugging out of his shirt, Will moved his hands to his pants. “Unless you want me to rip your clothes off, because I will, then get undressed.”

Petra didn’t waste time tearing off her shirt and wiggling out of her skirt.
 

Stepping out of the skirt, she couldn’t help but smile. She had started wearing them most of the time because of easy access.

Will’s warm hands at her shoulders, slipping off her bra straps, brought her back to the present. After sliding them off, he reached around and unhooked her bra without trouble. The bra fell to the ground and Will waggled his eyebrows. Petra laughed. “You’re so proud of that skill.”

Cupping her breasts with his hands, he gently squeezed. “Because it gives me access to your beautiful breasts.”

He rubbed his palms against her nipples and a gentle warmth transferred from his skin to hers. The dull green glow told her the reason. “Again, Will.” The light flared and a jolt travelled through her body. Will’s primary power was healing, but he also had the ability to warm up a body. “I love your hands.”

Releasing one breast, he lowered his head and murmured, “Good. I plan to do it often.”

He took her taut nipple between his lips and sucked her deep. Fisting her hand in his hair, Petra arched her back.
 

God, her man had a talented tongue.

Releasing her nipple with a pop, Will stood up. Brushing his warm hands down her body and to her arse, he lifted. Petra wrapped her legs around his waist, his hard cock nestled between her thighs. She asked, “So if not the fantasy, then what?”

Will walked toward a raised table in the center of the room. Knocking the file folders on the floor, he sat her down. “I have yet to take you on this table.”

Smiling, Petra wiggled against Will’s hardness. He sucked in a breath and she did it again as she purred, “It’s a good thing we always lock the doors now because I’m not about to let you go until you give me an orgasm.”

Will cupped her face and gave a rough kiss. “I think you need more than one. After all, I need to reward you for your discovery.”

She opened her lips to reply, when Will ran his hand down her thighs and put pressure on them until she released her grip. Once he was free, he sunk down.
 

She half-expected him to lick between her legs, but he kissed down her leg until he reached the large, gnarled scar on the front of her shin; a stark reminder of the break that had left her with a limp.

Pressing his lips to the scar, he lingered for a few seconds before raising his head. He whispered, “You are beautiful just the way you are.”

Emotion choked her throat. “Will.”

“I’m just being honest.” Running his hands slowly up her thighs, he was soon eye level with her core.
 

One second passed and then another. All Will did was stare, which sent a rush of wetness between her legs.
 

Impatient, Petra was about to lower her hand to her clit when Will moved forward and licked her slit. Moving her hands behind her, Petra arched to the ministrations of his tongue. Each lap caused her skin to tighten and warm.