Kiss Across Swords (Kiss Across Time Series) (31 page)

The tears blurred her vision and she blinked furiously. She remembered vaguely that pregnant women cried more. But it was a stray thought, gone in a nanosecond as she quickly wiped her eyes. Veris laid another blanket next to hers and stretched himself out so that his body touched as much of her as possible. His cock pushed up against her thigh.

Astonishingly, he felt warm to her.

Desert heat.

He rested over her, his lips almost touching hers. It was almost like he was afraid to take that last inch.

“I will be gentle,” he whispered.

“No, don’t be gentle. Just be careful,” she told him.

He groaned and took the promised kiss.

Taylor clung to him with her one good arm, trying hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer delight of being back in Veris’ arms again, of being kissed by Veris again. His tongue swept into her mouth. Touched her lips.

“You taste of…something delightful,” Veris breathed. “I have never met a woman who kisses like you. A man would be a fool to stop kissing you, ever.”

Veris never did want to stop.

Taylor licked his upper lip, just where his canines rested beneath. “I’m inspired by the man kissing me.”

Veris lifted his head to look at her properly. “You do not fear us. Vampires.”

“Not you or Brody, no. You are the only two of your kind I have ever met. Except for one other—and Davina. But only for those few short moments.”

Veris’ expression darkened. “No, we will not speak of her now,” he said softly. He kissed her again and thoughts faded. She was caught by the sensations of his lips and tongue and teeth on her mouth, her face, her throat, her ears and neck. For long moments, he did nothing but stroke and caress her with his mouth and fingers, discovering her face and neck, as his body lay heavily against hers.

But it was enough for her pulse to remain thready and fast and her clit to throb in anticipation.

When his lips moved carefully below her collarbone, skipping her wound and her aching left arm, on to the soft swell of her upper breast, her body tightened and soared in a spiral of excitement harder and higher than she thought it would. Veris’ lingering exploration of her face and neck was driving her arousal to unaccustomed peaks.

He was taking full advantage of the fact that she was more or less helpless on the blanket.

She slid her hand into his hair as he bent over her. Her body was arching, lifting beneath him. Her clit was throbbing painfully and her pussy was heavy with juices. She felt empty and anxious to have him inside her, but knew that if she asked or tried to guide him, he would extend the teasing just to drive her frustration levels even higher, while reveling in the effect he was having on her.

But she reached a point where she couldn’t hide her building need any longer. As his lips closed around her nipple, Taylor groaned and her hips thrust. Hard. “Veris. Please…”

She realized that she was trying to coax him between her legs when he lifted her hand from his head and looked at her with a slow, promised-filled smile. “Don’t hurry me.”

Taylor licked her dry lips. “It is for my sake I must hurry. I won’t last, Veris!”

“You will,” he said with complete assurance. He spoke with the same utter certainty as the Veris of her time. A man sure of himself and his ability to give pleasure.

A ripple passed through Taylor’s body. “Kiss me,” she told him.

Veris lowered his head and pressed his lips against her breast. His tongue slid over the nipple, making her gasp. He did the same to the other breast, only this time his teeth snagged the nipple and tugged it while his tongue rasped over the tip.

Taylor closed her eyes, trying to keep her wriggling to a minimum, for it hurt her shoulder when she bucked too hard. But the heat and moisture pouring from her unfulfilled pussy and the throbbing from her clit was driving her mad. There was a building, pulsing wave pushing at her. Her climax was starting to quicken. She gasped, her breath shortening.

“Look at me.” Veris’ voice was low, heavy with his own excitement.

Taylor forced her eyes open.

Veris touched her lips with the tips of his fingers. “You
are
too close,” he breathed. “Such responsiveness…” He lifted himself over her, holding himself above her with one stiff arm so that his upper body did not press against her at all.

A thrill chased through her, hot and hard. She began to tremble. Her thighs separated as his hips settled between them. His cock pushed up against her slippery cleft.

“Ah, God, the heat,” Veris said hoarsely. He deliberately lifted his gaze to her face, then thrust deep and hard inside her.

Taylor cried out at the welcome pressure of having Veris inside her once again. Her climax leapt closer. She reached her hand up toward him, but could only reach his out-thrust arm, the flexed muscles, iron-hard now with effort.

He used pure muscle to withdraw and slowly thrust into her again, while putting minimal weight on her body.

Taylor realized that she was almost clawing at him. “Faster,” she breathed.

“I won’t be of any service to you if I do.”

She realized then that his flexed muscles and tightly held body weren’t just for her benefit. Veris was controlling his own reactions with super-human discipline.

“Touch yourself,” he gasped. “You know how?”

She nodded.

“Quickly,” he added.

Taylor slipped her fingers inside her soaked cleft, up against her clit. The little organ throbbed at her touch, making her arch and moan. As soon as she massaged the bud, her climax spiraled closer, to the point where everything was crowded out of her consciousness but the need to come—the delicious striving for the peak, where the breath hitched and even time ceased to have meaning while she floated in a sea of pleasure.

Then the climax showered over her like an explosion of sparks and jolts of pleasure that rushed through her. It was made dozens of times better by Veris’ cock pistoning into her hard and fast. He thrust one last hard time and pulsed as he came in a breathless, deep groan and hung his head, his eyes closing. But still he didn’t lean upon her, despite his efforts.

Taylor caressed his cheek, which she could reach now.

Veris lifted his head and looked at her. He raised a brow. “Is that tear for me?”

Taylor wiped her eye. “I suppose so. Yes.”

He carefully eased himself from her body. His cock was still erect and glistening with her fluids. Veris lay down beside her again and Taylor hid her smile. He wanted her still. He wanted more. He would talk and seduce her again. As many times as she could withstand until either the sun came up or he was drawn away by other demands, or she was.

It wasn’t just kissing that Veris couldn’t get enough of. Her body and her mind were his playthings, as well as his private joy.

Veris leaned over her and studied the wound on her shoulder. She didn’t worry about it being dark. He would be able to see more in this low light than she could see in full sunlight.

He pulled back, frowning. “That is remarkable,” he said. He looked at it again. “It is healing rapidly and extremely well.” He looked at her. “How do you feel?”

Taylor considered the matter. “Great,” she confessed.

He frowned again, puzzled over the word.

“I mean…wonderful. I feel very good. Much better than I should, under the circumstances. Shouldn’t you put Alexander’s herbal compress back on, by the way?” Suddenly, she yawned. It caught her by surprise and she tried to suppress it because the last thing she wanted to do was drive Veris away by petty human concerns like tiredness.

Veris’ eyes narrowed. “You need sleep,” he accused. “You should have told me.”

“I didn’t realize until just now,” she said and smothered another yawn as it pushed through her. She reached for him. “I don’t want you to go away,” she added.

“I have no intention of going anywhere,” Veris said flatly. “But you
are
wounded. If your body says sleep, then sleep you must.”

“I don’t
want
to sleep. Not now you are here, like this.” She tried to sit up, but Veris held her down easily.

“What fear makes you resist what is best for you right now?” he asked.

She sighed. “You won’t come back to me again.”

“Ah.” He was sitting with one knee bent. Now he linked his hands around his knee. “You would like me to come back.” He did not smile as he said it, which made Taylor’s heart squeeze hard and start to pound. “Despite not wanting to be a wedge between Brody and I.”

“Yes… No.” She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She was moving onto quicksand here. With Veris, she always dealt with the truth because with his mind and reasoning abilities, it wasn’t worth using any other currency. But now, she couldn’t use the truth. This Veris wasn’t ready for it and the truth would jeopardize his own future.

His lips touched hers. “Be at peace,” he murmured. “My teasing is cruel, but I learned from a cruel woman and haven’t adjusted my habits yet.”

She looked at Veris to ensure he wasn’t laughing at her. He didn’t appear to be. “Then…” She couldn’t voice her hope. She didn’t want it dashed again. “Never mind.”

Veris settled back down alongside her. “You cannot tell me about my future, but you can tell me about my past, can you not?”

Taylor considered this. “You already know your own past.”

“I do not know about the time you were my wife. The time my sister says I was so happy, that day I returned to the village.”

She jumped a little, inside. “You spoke to Marit? I thought the village ran you off?”

“They did, eventually. But Marit managed to speak to me once before they had their way.”

Taylor rolled over onto her side to face him. She realized that Veris was right. Her shoulder throbbed far less that it had a while ago. It was as if all sign of infection and hurt had backed off by a matter of days—as if modern medicine had intervened. But there was still a dull ache from abused muscles and tendons. Not even modern medicine could compensate for that.

Veris arranged her left hand up between her breasts. It was a comfortable position, that way. He dropped his tunic over the top of her. It covered her from shoulder to ankle.

Taylor considered his request as he added more wood to the fire, moving around naked without any apparent concern. His sword and knife, she noted, were both standing point down in the sand by her head—within easy reach if he needed them.

She could tell Veris about the day and night she had spent in ancient Norway, from his personal past, as long as she kept out any references to his future. If she made it about what had happened in his past, so that he could fill in the missing blank in his memory, it might help him in some small way with how the village had reacted to her disappearance and how they had treated him.

When Veris settled back down on the blanket beside her, he rested his head on his hand, watching her.

So many times he had settled down next to her like this, to talk or listen, or argue, or discuss, or… Taylor drew in a breath, fighting against the hard knot of tears. She leapt for the change of subject. And she spoke old Norse, because it would make the telling easier. “We waited in the forest that day, because you were uncertain of your welcome—”

“Dear God,” Veris breathed. “I’ve not heard the language of home for centuries. It is a lost language now, do you know?”

She nodded. “I know,” she said softly.

“Dead,” he repeated softly, staring at nothing. He blew out a breath. “It is little things like this that make me envy humans.” He grimaced. “But you are not like most humans, are you, Taylor Yates? You appear in my past, my future, my present. You speak my birth language. You know things about me no mortal should. Yet despite that, you are so vulnerable the mere idea that I may not return on the morrow moves you to panic.”

“I am just a woman,” she told him. “Don’t over-think it, Veris.”

He considered her for a moment. “You are much more than just a woman. You would not be here, otherwise.”

She tried to figure out what he meant. Veris never handed out a simple compliment.

He touched her lips. “Tell me about the village,” he coaxed, in Norse. “We were in the forest…”

Taylor picked up the story from there and carefully described the rest of the day as she knew it. There were parts of Veris’ day she did not know, because she hadn’t been with him for all of it, but he had told her what he had been doing in spare moments, and she gave those details now. They may have been trivial at the time, but they were part of the blank moments that Veris need now. She handed them all over. Every scrap. Every intimate detail, except those that came from the future.