Gift of the Realm (10 page)

He
threw back his head on a bark of laughter, and dropping a kiss on her nose,
jackknifed to his back to shove off his shorts. When he rolled back to his
side, facing her, she forgot all about the blush. She pushed herself up on an
elbow for a better view.

Pure
male perfection met her gaze. Taut, tanned skin molded over a supremely
masculine frame. Her gaze flicked to his to find him watching her. He’d given
her permission to touch him wherever, however she wished. It was an opportunity
she didn’t intend to waste. She smiled and let her gaze slide down his body.
Feminine curiosity had her zeroing in on the one place he was most different.

There
was no hesitation in her touch when she reached out a hand to run her
fingertips over his impressive erection. The textures delighted her, smooth
heat here, silken-covered steel there. Her hand dropped to cup the
hair-roughened globes and his erect flesh danced at the caress.

“Have
you made your decision yet, darlin’?” The low timber of his voice had her gaze
flying back to his. “Because much more of that, and you’ll be having to wait a
bit more than ten seconds while I recover.”

She
laughed, enjoying the rush of feminine power. “I don’t know,” she teased,
drawing out the words. “There
is
a lot of you to consider. I wouldn’t
want to rush judgment.”

Silent
laughter made his eyes dance, even as they narrowed. He took control of the
situation, and she was happy to let him, considering the results. She was under
him in a heartbeat.

“You
can take your time considering later,
A Rún
.” He cupped her face in his
hands, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. His brogue was a soft croon. “But
for now, take me inside your body, Keely. Join me in the pleasure waiting to be
had.”

She
could do nothing but nod, and he rolled from her, reaching over the edge of the
bed to pull a foil packet from the pocket of his slacks. He ripped it open, and
she closed her hand over his.

“Do
you mind if I do that?” she asked, grasping the opportunity to touch him again
and watch the pleasure of it darken his eyes.

His
Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed and handed her the packet.
Without a word, he watched as she rolled the condom over him. His eyes were the
color of a storming sea when she met his gaze once more. Gone was the teasing
smile. In its place was a look of male purpose that thrilled her to her toes.

He
mounted her, his muscled thighs spreading her legs wide in preparation for his
entry. A swift thrust of his hips had him quickly buried inside her to the
hilt.

And
her world tilted on its axis.

The
sudden rush of panic had nothing to do with the mild pop she’d felt deep within
her. No, with her eyes squeezed shut, she staggered under the overwhelming
sense of transformation. Her mind struggled with the realization that for her
at least, this was no longer just a simple sex act.

This...this
was something so much more complicated and perilous. She should have been more
prepared. As if loving him weren’t enough, she knew with innate understanding,
that she had just become one with Colin Quinn—body, mind, and soul.

Of
all the stupid... What the hell was she going to do now?

Caught
up in her moment of epiphany, she was slow to notice he’d stilled above her.
When she did, she had to bite back a groan. Unsure of what she would see, she
squinted through nearly closed lashes.

Disbelief
filled his eyes.

She
figured that was better than horror, and hoped her smile was less sickly than
it felt.

“Um,”
she began, not sure what to say.

“Virgin?”
he interrupted, his voice strained.

She
nearly melted with relief. So, that was it. He wasn’t upset over the
life-altering shift that had just dealt her a lethal blow, probably because he
hadn’t experienced the phenomenon. It was his unexpected discovery of her
hymen, or she supposed, his obliteration of it, that had him looking like he’d
just been clobbered over the head with a mallet.

She
did her best to hide her dismay—not for the loss of her virginity. She couldn’t
care less about the loss of that useless membrane. It wasn’t as if she’d held
on to it out of some lofty sense of morality or anything. There simply hadn’t
been anyone she’d cared enough to lose it over—not with Colin filling her heart
and mind since before she’d been mature enough to do so. But she could see from
his reaction her sudden loss bothered him.

“Is
that a problem?” she asked.

“Not
a problem, exactly,” he offered. His brows puckered as though he was
reconsidering the statement, then he shook his head. “You might have mentioned
it, is all.”

“Well.
It’s a moot point now,” she pointed out, thinking that applied to more than her
recent virginal state. Whatever else she’d lost today, at least for now, she’d
been given his body and she planned to enjoy it while she could. “Since it’s
obvious I’ve never done this before, I don’t mind telling you, I’m really
curious about that pleasure you said awaited.”

He
was silent for a moment, his indecision obvious. To give him a little
incentive, she shifted her hips upward.

The
reminder of their intimate position cleared the remaining hesitation from his
expression.

“I
won’t hurt you, again,” he promised.

“I
know,” she said, knowing he would eventually. And then all thought of future
pain scattered when he began to move.

To
her surprise and pleasure, there was no part of either of them uninvolved in
their lovemaking. His darkly crooned sex words, whispered in her ear, seduced
them both. Her cool fingers reached and stroked as his hot mouth tasted. His
wide hands explored and fondled while her curved hips danced to the tune he
called from her. Her slim legs enfolded his waist and his strong body plunged
into hers in a frenzied race.

She
hadn’t realized, had never really understood, how the flawless perfection of
the human body was designed to be more than an organic vessel for the soul.
Joined with Colin, her body took her to places bursting with color and light—to
unspeakable ecstasy—to limitless, eternal places full of possibility and
promises—to places she knew she could never visit on her own. And when the
world exploded around them, they flew beyond the bounds of the flesh together.

Chapter
Twelve

Her
breathing had not yet returned to normal when he groaned, “The bed’s a bit
small.”

She
snickered, unable to argue his point. His large frame took up most of the
mattress. If it weren’t for the muscled arm bracing her to him, she’d tumble
off the side, and it wasn’t necessary she open her eyes to know his large feet
dangled several inches over the edge.

Not
that she
could
open her eyes, she thought. In fact, she may never be
capable of moving again.

“It
was Gran’s,” she said on a yawn.

A
second low groan reached her ears. “Did you have to mention that?”

She
smiled. “Do you think she’d mind you using it?”

“Using
it, no. Sharing it with her granddaughter? Aye, she might.”

It
turned out she could move after all. She rolled her head on his shoulder and
opened her eyes to look up at him. Eyes shut, his dark lashes fanned against
his passion-flushed cheeks. From the rate of his breathing, he hadn’t quite
recovered yet, either. The knowledge was gratifying.

“She
always liked you,” she said.

“I
know. I liked her, too. But I’m wondering how she would be feeling about what
was done here today.” His eyes opened, and he tucked his chin against his
chest, glancing down at her. “How is it, Keely, that a woman with your looks
has managed to remain untouched by a man?”

She
knew he’d have questions, but since she wasn’t sure how to answer them, she’d
hoped they wouldn’t come immediately. Sighing, she disentangled herself from
him and sat up. She reached for the quilt they’d shoved aside at some point and
drew it up over her bent knees. Glancing his way, she decided having this
conversation while staring at his naked body wasn’t going to work. She looked
away.

He
was having no part of that. He leaned up on an elbow beside her and with a palm
to her chin forced her to look at him. His brows rose in silent demand as he
waited for an answer.

“I
told you, Colin,” she said matter-of-factly. “I don’t have many friends. That
includes men. The dreams have always set me apart.”

A
disbelieving snort escaped him. “It’s not like you wear the dreams on your
face.” He released her chin to tap a finger to her nose before scooting up
until his back rested against the headboard. “And a fine face it is.”

She
eyed his naked body for a moment then flipped a corner of the quilt over his
lap.

He
chuckled. “We men are basic creatures, darlin’. One glance at a woman who looks
like you and...we want.”

“That’s
not what I meant. There have been men.”

“All
evidence to the contrary.”

She
rolled her eyes. “By that, I mean I’ve dated men. Not often, I admit. Because I
never saw the point of it. How could I throw myself into a relationship when I
never knew where the dreams would lead me?”

“Having
sex with someone doesn’t always constitute a relationship,” he reasoned.

Hearing
him say it hurt, which was stupid. She’d known all along how he felt about
getting involved with a woman, any woman. Love ’em and leave ’em was his motto.
It wasn’t his fault she’d fallen in love with him at seventeen, and never
recovered.

“It
does for me,” she said truthfully.

It
was barely noticeable, but he stiffened. His eyes took on that now familiar
shuttered look.

“There,”
she said, and her smile was sad. “Now I’ve scared you.” She patted his knee
before climbing from the bed to swipe up her robe from a chair and slip into
it.

His
gaze, following her, was like a physical touch as she padded to the door.
Donovan darted through the moment she opened it, bounding onto the bed and
wriggling in delight. She followed him, and sat on the edge facing Colin.
Donovan attempted to climb into her lap and had to settle for a head on her
thigh. She scrubbed at his ears.

“There’s
no need to be, you know... Scared, I mean. My feelings are my own, and I’ll deal
with them. The thing is, I’ve shared my dreams with you for a decade. I know
it’s weird, but they’re real to me, Colin. As real as anything else in my life.
Until they end or go away, I can’t get beyond them.”

He
reached out to take her hand in his, toying with her fingers. “I don’t want to
hurt you, Keely. I’m afraid I might.”

“I’m
afraid you might, too.” And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
She squeezed his hand and managed a smile. “So, why don’t you do your best to
give me as much pleasure as possible in the meantime?”

“I’d
planned to.”

Her
smile widened, and he looked relieved.

“And
help me solve the riddle of the dreams. Then it will be done, and we can both
get on with our lives.”

****

“I
looked through several of your mother’s books,” she said as they climbed the
trail leading to the Door. “One of them is a chronicle of local legends. And
get this. There are two different accounts where locals claim a powerful fairie
ruler visited them, demanding they assist him in the breaking of a curse. Your
mother’s book didn’t give the fairie’s name, but the tone reminded me of the
dreams I’ve had of Prince Rory from
Into the Mists
. I think Owein and
Prince Rory could be one in the same.”

“
Prince
Owein,” Colin snorted behind her, murmuring, “I doubt he’d be pleased to learn
his crown is that of a mere prince, instead of king.”

She
waved a hand in dismissal. “Prince or king, it hardly matters.”

“It’s
clear you’ve little experience with royal egos.”

“His
ego isn’t my concern. If he
is
the one in the tale, he could be the key
to solving the dreams. I just don’t know where to start. I need to discover how
the tale ties in with the Door.”

“Yes,
the Door. We’ll begin there, but first I’ll be hearing an apology.”

She
stumbled to a stop to spin around and face him.

“What’s
that supposed to mean?”

He
leaned close until they were nose to nose. “I’ve a powerful desire for you,
darlin’, as you’ve discovered for yourself. But I won’t have that desire used
against me as it was last night.”

Last
night
?

Her
jaw dropped open. “You know about that?”

He
ignored her question. “I’ve agreed to help you, Keely, but I won’t be
manipulated. If that’s what you’re about, best you tell me so now.”

His
accusation was insulting enough to have her bristling. How dare he accuse her
of manipulation? Okay, so she
had
kissed him in the dream with the
thought of getting him into the ring without an argument, but that hadn’t been
manipulation, really. That had been simple efficiency, and she had to admit, a
pleasure.

And
he hadn’t liked it, no matter what rationalization she applied to it.

“I’m
sorry,” she began automatically, but stopped mid-apology when she realized the
implication of his comments. “Wait a minute.” She propped her hands on her
hips. “Are you telling me you
remember
what happened last night? In
my
dream?”

“Our
dream, darlin’.” He gripped her elbow, turning her and urging her up the path.

“It
was my dream, Quinn. You were only in it because I imagined you there,” she
frowned before adding, “or something.” She no longer had any idea whether he
showed up in her dreams due to her imagination or if some other force put him
there. “You didn’t even know about the dreams until two days ago. Now,
suddenly, you’re aware of what happened in one?”