Home in Your Arms (3 page)

“Ian, I’m going to come,” she moaned. “Fuck me harder.”

Ian lifted her legs over his shoulders. His balls slapped
against her ass as he thrust. It felt as though his cock was deep enough to
touch her womb. She squeezed her inner muscles with each thrust, savoring each
ripple of pleasure. This was different than any other sexual encounter she had
with anyone else. Each time they touched she felt a spark growing deep inside
her body that filled her with power.

Ian thrust shallower and faster. The pressure built and she
panted in excitement. He used his thumb to rake over her clit and it was enough
to make her explode. She screamed as she came. Ian threw back his head and
jetted his seed into her.

“Fuck yes.” he growled out. With a final thrust, he emptied
the rest of his juices.

Slowly, he pulled out. Her pussy clenched his cock as if it
were sorry that he left her body. He held onto her while they both caught their
breaths. She sighed in contentment and found Ian looking down at her. He was
breathtaking.

His body glistened with sweat. She reached up and ran her
hands through his damp hair. Ian lowered his head and caught her mouth with his
own. He kissed her roughly and then pulled away.

“I am not going to say I am sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry,” Lexi replied. “I wanted it
too.”

He looked away, “It can’t happen again. I am the head of the
Royal Guard. I don’t go around fucking people who cross into my dreams.”

“Ian, we’re both adults,” she began. She wanted him to feel
at ease about it. “And I am on birth control—”

He held up his hand. “Lexi, this cannot happen again. It won’t
happen again.”

Her mouth fell open. “Why are you being like this?”

“Because I’m an asshole. And because I need to focus on
protecting you while we travel to the palace. I won’t be able to let you
distract me.”

She stared at him as he got up and put his pants on. She had
just had the best sex of her life and now he told her he didn’t want to touch
her again. She shook her head in disbelief. Had she done something wrong? Was
that it?

“Don’t take it personally. You’re part of my job.” He stormed
out of the room, letting the door slam behind him.

Lexi stared. Part of his job?

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she said to the empty room.

She sighed and got up to shower. There would be no more
sleep for her this night thanks to one stupid man.

“Up and at ’em,” an annoyingly loud voice said.

Ian opened one eye and groaned. Andrew stood over the bed
with a cup of coffee in his hand. Ian sat up and took it.

“What time is it?” he asked in a scratchy morning voice.

“Four thirty a.m.,” Andrew replied. “I let you sleep in, old
man.”

He didn’t point out that they were the same age because it
was a moot point. In Sinoda, people stopped aging when they reached their life prime
point, which varied from person to person, though they could also take a potion
to stop growing older if they chose. He had stopped aging at thirty, as most
Royal Guard members did.

He rolled his eyes and stood. “Is Lexi up?”

“One of the guards said she is dressed and ready to go.
Heard she doesn’t look like she got much sleep, though. Know anything about
that?”

Andrew could always tell when he had slept with a woman. In
the past, they had even shared the women. There would be no point in lying. He
only worried what his friend’s reaction would be when he heard the
circumstances.

“She invaded my dreams and I was horny.”

That was most of the truth. He also found himself attracted
to Lexi—more so than any other woman in his life.

Andrew was silent and then whistled. “Wow, she must be
strong if she crossed into your dream. Only a Witch or the One could be that
strong.”

He turned, not wanting to admit the truth to Andrew’s words.
Either way it would not be good for Lexi. If she were a Witch then she would die
by his hand. If she were the One… Well, he didn’t want to think about it.

He grabbed his tan pants and white t-shirt from the chair
next to his bed.

“Make sure the bags are ready to go. I’ll be finished in ten
minutes. And make sure Lexi is ready too.”

“Yes sir.” Andrew said with a mock salute. Then in a more serious
tone, “I hope you weren’t an ass to her when you realized she had crossed into
your dreams. I know you, my friend, and you don’t like it when people surprise
you.”

* * * * *

After hearing a soft knock, Lexi opened the door. She found
another gorgeous man standing before her. He could pass for Ian’s brother but
instead of dark hair, this man had blond hair.

His electric green eyes danced with humor as he smiled down
at her. She could tell right away from the little lines by his eyes that this
man laughed often and she admired him for that.

“Someone sure got the mold right here.” she said with a
grin. “Every person I’ve seen has been gorgeous.”

The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Andrew, Ian’s second-in-command.”

She rolled her eyes at the mention of Ian and said, “It’s
nice to meet you, even if you are a friend of that jerk.”

Andrew laughed loud and unrestrained and it made her smile
in return. They would most definitely become friends. She knew it.

“I’m here to make sure you’re ready. Did you find the
clothing we left?”

She stepped back to show him her outfit. She wore a black
silk corset with lace and ribbons and a long black skirt that flowed to her
ankles. A black velvet cape sat on her bed to finish the look. She would much
rather be wearing her old clothes but they had disappeared while she had been
showering.

“I’m not sure what ‘look’ I’m supposed to be going for with
this outfit but it’s cute.” She didn’t add that it was also comfortable, which surprised
her.

“It’s what most Sinodan women wear. Ian wanted to make sure
you blended in while you travel. You never know who might be looking for the
woman who fell from the sky.”

She shivered as a bad feeling swept across her body. Every
fiber was screaming for her to find a way back to Oklahoma but at the same time,
something deep inside was telling her to stay.

“Who would be looking for me, Andrew? I have no family and
very few friends. No one cares enough to look for me.”

His face grew thoughtful as if he searched for the right
words, which scared her.

“Lexi, the Realm of Sinoda is not safe right now. There
might be people looking for you as well as the Witches. But I’ll let Ian
explain it to you.”

“Witches?” she snorted. “Yeah, right.”

He became very still. “The Witches are very real, Lexi.
Don’t underestimate them. They could be the reason you are here.”

“I’m not sure why I’m here to be honest but it feels more
and more like I belong here.”

He looked into her eyes. “You may belong here, Lexi. That’s
why the king wants to meet you. He believes you may be the one who will save us
all.”

Lexi had overheard one of the medics saying the same thing.
What did it mean, though? She was just an ordinary woman from Oklahoma. How
could she help them?

She went to the window. Her reflection stared back at her
and she felt so alone for a moment.

“I’ve never belonged anywhere. It might be nice if I am the
One.”

Andrew came and stood next to her. “It also comes with a
high price. The Witches will come after you. They won’t stop until they have
you.”

Her heart skipped at the mention of the Witches. Each time
they were mentioned, she felt a nagging sensation in her stomach. There was
something she was supposed to remember, but what?

“Are they good witches or bad ones?”

Andrew replied solemnly, “There is only one kind of witch,
Lexi, a bad one. A very bad one. This is why you must trust Ian to protect you
until you get to the king.”

She took Andrew’s hand into her own. “Thank you for telling
me this. Ian hasn’t really filled me in on anything.” Then she asked, “Will you
be traveling with us, too?”

“No. I have to make sure things are taken care of here while
Ian is gone. I’ll meet you at the palace, hopefully not long after you arrive.”

He kissed his fingertips and then touched his heart, almost
in a blessing of sorts. She realized he was worried.

“Everything will work out fine, Andrew. You’ll see.”

He stared at her for a moment before pulling her into a hug.
It felt good to know she had made an ally. He squeezed her and then let go.

“Better hurry up. Ian will be waiting and we don’t want to
make him mad.”

She harrumphed at that and Andrew laughed. She picked up her
cape and put it on. After glancing in the mirror, she decided to put the hood
over her hair. It almost felt like wearing a witch’s costume but she didn’t
mention it.

“Are you sure there’s no other way for me to get back home?”
she asked.

She didn’t want to leave the safety of the compound. What if
something bad happened to her? Heck, she was already in another freaking realm.
Was traveling the smartest thing to do right now?

“The king is the only one who can help you get back home.
I’m sorry.”

Sighing, she nodded. “Lead the way.”

She took Andrew’s outstretched hand as they left the room
and tried to ignore the feeling of dread building in the pit of her stomach.

Ian waited outside the holding compound. The night sky still
hid the rising sun. A short amount of time remained before light would soon
take over the sky. And they needed to be on their way before then. Hell, they
should have left when the stars were still twinkling but he had been too busy
pounding his cock into Lexi’s tight pussy.

He heard the door open and turned to find Andrew leading
Lexi to him. His gut tightened with jealousy when he saw they held hands. A
shadow of annoyance flashed across his face as he met Andrew’s eyes.

Andrew winked and said, “Here you go, Ian. Lex is ready to
go.”

Lex? He watched as his no-good friend hugged Lexi and
whispered something to her, which made her laugh. He hated that his friend had
made her laugh when he hadn’t. Andrew waved his goodbye to Ian. His jaw
clenched as he refrained from flipping his friend off. He didn’t know what game
Andrew played but this was one woman he wouldn’t share.

“He’s nice,” Lexi finally said as she stood next to him.
Then she added in an unsure voice, “I’m ready if you are…”

He nodded curtly. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he strolled
away. Lexi silently followed him and he was glad for it. Pointless chatter
would only make their journey that much longer.

Though he had traveled this path many times before, the
danger seemed greater now. He needed to be aware of every whisper of the wind.
He most certainly could not let Lexi distract him. One kiss from her would set
him on fire and his guard would be down. Then anyone could attack them and that
he couldn’t let that happen. Again.

He picked up his pace. Maybe if they hurried they could get
to the palace in a couple of days.

* * * * *

Lexi panted as she tried to keep up with Ian. The skirt and
boots she wore hindered her efforts though. If she had on jeans or even shorts,
this process would be much easier but less Sinodaian. As if sensing her
struggle, his pace increased. Jerk.

She found it hard to believe that she went from begging Ian
to fuck her to wanting to throw a rock at his back. Or his head.
Yeah, that
would work too
. She grinned at the thought. Okay, even though she was
pissed at him, he still looked sexy. She was mature enough to admit it. And his
butt in those trousers…yum.

Occupied by her perverted thoughts, she didn’t see the large
tree root in front of her and stumbled, barely catching herself before she
fell. Ian glanced over his shoulder. He glowered at her and turned away. She
rolled her eyes. He wasn’t even speaking to her. She sighed and jogged to catch
up to him.

“Can you slow down?”

He stopped and she ran right into his hard, sweaty back. She
resisted the urge to rub her face against him. God, what was wrong with her?

“Jeez, you could have warned me,” she muttered.

His mouth seemed perpetually set in annoyance. “Do you want
me to carry you? I will if you can’t keep up.”

An image of her slung over his shoulder flashed across her
mind and made her blush. It also turned her. A lot. Oh how very caveman of him.

She glared up at him and replied, “No, I just want you to
slow down. Why are you in such a hurry? Want to get rid of me that much?”

Anger seemed like the rational choice to go with. That way
he wouldn’t know how he was affecting her.

“I am in such a hurry because I want to reach the forest
before the sun rises. The trees will cloak us and make it easier to slip past
the lunatic who lives near the woods.”

“Lunatic?” she echoed.

“Yes. The Witches warped his mind. Now he lives in his
cornfields obsessed with killing birds and the occasional person who crosses
his path.”

She closed her mouth and wondered just how long it would
take to turn around and get back to the compound where it was safe. What the
hell had she gotten herself into?

Ian tried not to feel bad for snapping at Lexi. He knew he
shouldn’t blame her for what had happened the previous night. Hell, he wasn’t
mad about it, he’d enjoyed it. He still wanted to throw her down and fuck her
some more even if it meant putting them in danger. And her ragged breaths did
not help his already hard cock.

He slowed his pace so she could catch up.

“Andrew said I might be the One. Do you think it might be
true?”

He hadn’t expected her to hear that rumor. His men were
going to get a lecture about gossiping when he returned to the holding
compound.

“No one will know but the king.”

“Do I look like him? The king, I mean,” she asked. At his
surprised glance she went on, “I overheard one of the medics saying how uncanny
it was that I looked like the king.”

He glanced down. True, she had the same golden eyes and red
hair as the king. Her creamy white skin also favored the former queen. Her full
lips and high cheekbones were characteristics of the queen as well but that
meant nothing. People needed to keep their damn thoughts to themselves.

Her luscious breasts…well, they were a gift of their own. At
the thought of her breasts, he groaned silently. He would love nothing better
than to suck them again while he pounded his cock into her. This time he would
do it better. He would take his time and worship her body. He would watch as orgasms
shook her body over and over. He would—

“Ian?”

He shifted and coughed to cover up his train of thoughts. “You
favor the king and former queen but don’t look too much into it. A lot of
people have favored the king and they were not the One.”

There was a long list of people who had died thinking they
were the One. He didn’t want that fate for Lexi but it wasn’t his place to make
the decision. It all depended on King Loren.

“What happened to the queen?”

He frowned. The memory that would always be burned fresh in
his mind, as real as the day it had happened. No matter how much he tried, he
couldn’t escape the nightmarish event.

“The Witches caught and killed her. Brutally. There was
nothing I could do to stop it, either.”

He saw her shiver in fear and at the same time, he could see
the queen reaching out for him, screaming his name as the Witches dragged her
away. He had done everything in his power to save her but in the end, his age
and inexperience had cost the queen her life.

He rubbed his right shoulder where one of their magic-laced
spears had gone through his skin. Years went by and still the wound caused him
pain. It also served as a reminder of what was lost that day. He could never
forget even if he wanted to.

He didn’t mean to frighten Lexi but she needed to be aware
of the risks.

“Lexi, this journey is going to be dangerous. The Witches
will
come after you. It’s not if, but when. That is a fact. It’s my job to make sure
you get to the palace before that happens.”

Her breath hitched in her throat letting him know she was
scared. “How is getting to the palace going to protect me? And why do they want
to hurt me so badly?”