Lone Star Magic (27 page)

“Dust storm.”

“Too much magic. The earth’s off-balance.”
Alrick winced as the stinging sand peeled flecks of dried mud off
him.

The wind shrieked. The temperature increased,
blasting them like some demonic oven.

“Much more of this and there’ll be a
fire.”

“That’s all we need.”

As abruptly as the storm began, it ended. All
at once, the wind was gone, the air still full of dust.

“I have grit in my hair, grit in my teeth,”
Carly groused. “If this is over, I’m all for finding that stream.
It wasn’t too far from here, if I remember right.”

Alrick stood, great chunks of dried mud
peeling from him with every movement.

Eyeing him, she shook her head. “You look
terrible. Come on, let’s both go get cleaned up.”

Easily, they found the stream. The water
wasn’t deep, maybe three feet in the middle and debris from the
windstorm washed past them, though the water moved rapidly, keeping
it fairly clean.

Carly stuck in her foot, grinning up at him.
“This really is warm. Unbelievable. There must be a hot spring
nearby.”

Momentarily struck dumb by her smile, Alrick
looked down, concentrating on his own discomfort. “Warm, cold, I
don’t care. It’s water.” He waded in and sat down, rubbing
vigorously to help dislodge the mud.

To his surprise, Carly splashed over and
plopped down beside him to help.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said, feeling
foolish and surprisingly awkward.

She looked up at him, her long lashes coated
with dust, using her small hands to scrub his shoulders. “I
know.”

Goddess help him – she looked beautiful. Even
with her long red hair dusty in its artless braid, even with her
pale skin glowing red from the wind and the sun, even with her
freckles standing out all over her body, he found her
breathtakingly lovely. And sexy as hell.

“Wash yourself first.” His voice sounded like
he’d swallowed gravel. With a look of surprise, she nodded, then
dunked her head under the water. She emerged a moment later,
shaking her head like a dog, sending drops of water flying.

“Feels great.” Her grin was back. “Try
it.”

Staring at her, her words barely registered.
Her soaked shirt clung to her breasts, her faded jean shorts ended
high on her athletic thighs, and he could imagine how the warm
water caressed her.

Shades of Lothar! How could he want her now,
after all they’d just gone through? Yet, without her even trying
and despite his discomfort from the mud, he felt his body stir with
desire.

Resolutely, he told himself he could ignore
this. They had an agreement, an understanding. She was merely
trying to help him, not arouse him.

Yet oddly enough, he found this more
difficult to resist.

“Alrick?”

He blinked, focusing on her face.

“Try it.”

Maybe a good dunking would help. He pushed
his face under the water, rubbing his skin, came up for air, then
went back again. Several times he did this, scrubbing the mud from
his face and neck, dislodging dirt from his hair.

When finally he felt clean enough, he sat up
and shook himself all over, exactly as she had, finding himself
grinning too. “This feels good.”

“I know. Now sit up so I can get your
back.”

He obeyed blindly, busy cleaning his legs and
feet. His clothing was filthy and he’d have to remove it
eventually. So would she, come to think of it.

At the thought of getting naked in the water
with Carly, he hardened. Rock hard. Damn it.

“Your back looks pretty clean,” Carly said.
“I guess the wind got it. Turn around and I’ll help with your
front.”

Turn around? Suddenly, he knew if she put her
hands on him again, he’d lose control. The thought was unbearable.
And delightful. No. Impossible. Couldn’t happen.

“No.”

“What?” She resumed scrubbing his shoulder,
moving down his arm. “Don’t be silly. You’ve got to get clean.”

“Carly?” He cleared his throat. “Stop.”

She stared at him before flicking a huge
chunk of mud off his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you?”

Twisting his body in the shallow water, he
turned to face her. Over his shoulder, so she wouldn’t see the
proof of his desire. He kept his gaze trained on her face, telling
himself he wouldn’t look at the way her soaked t-shirt outlined her
breasts, nor the way they rose with each breath she took. “I er,
need you to leave.”

“Leave?” She wrinkled her nose and leaned
close to him. Close enough for him to count the freckles that
marched across her face. Too close. His breath caught in his throat
as she placed her hand on his forehead, his pulse jumping as though
her touch electrified him.

“Alrick, are you all right?”

“No,” he managed, wishing he
could
lie. She leaned away from him and he found he could breathe again.
He opened his eyes. “I have to get out of these leggings and this
tunic. I don’t want you here when I’m naked.”

She reared back, her puzzlement giving way to
amusement. “I’m not gonna attack you. Remember? We have an
agreement. Seriously, Alrick. What’s up?”

If his arousal kept growing, she’d find out
for herself in a moment. He resisted the urge to cover his manhood
with his hand. Right now his upper body and still mud-encrusted
leggings safely hid him from her gaze.

He hoped.

Carly shook her head. “Quit being ridiculous.
Now let’s get this off you.” Noisily splashing in the shallow
current, she pushed water against him with her hands. “Take off
your shirt.”

He froze. Then, realizing the absurdity of
the situation, he undid the lacings and peeled the filthy tunic
from his body, still keeping his back to her and looking at her
over his shoulder. If she found this odd, she didn’t say.

“Let me have it.” She held out her hand, so
he tossed it to her. Dipping it into the water, she scrubbed it
with her hands, using the rocks to help her. Then, when she was
satisfied the thing was clean, she waded towards the bank to
stretch the material over a nearby bush.

Unfortunately, this presented him with the
fetching sight of her perfect, rounded bottom, barely covered by
her soaked shorts.

The insistent throbbing in his blood became a
roar.

“Take off your pants.”

He blinked. “What? What did you say?”

She dropped back on her haunches and peered
at him. “Earth to Alrick!” Snapping her fingers in front of his
face, she grinned. “Are you in there?”

He nearly groaned. She really had no idea how
she affected him. Part of him was grateful. The other part – the
hard, insistent part – demanded attention.

“I’m here. What did you say?” he
repeated.

“Take off your pants. I want to clean them.”
She plucked at his arm. “I’ll even turn away, if you want to be
modest.”

“Carly…”

“I promise not to look.” Her smile faded as
she read his expression.

Finally. She looked at him. Really looked at
him. Saw the naked longing in his face. Her expression changed,
matched his. He waited for her gaze to drop lower.

What the hell was he doing? Furious, heart
pounding, he forced himself to turned away, splashing in the water
like an angry bear. “Leave.”

“Alrick—.” He heard he expel her breath.
Breath she’d evidently been holding. She sent a spray of water at
his back. “Quit acting weird.”

“Just go.” Inhaling, he counted to ten.

She made no move to leave. Instead she
splashed water at him, harder and harder, as though she wanted to
provoke a confrontation.

Fine. Anger built inside him. Anger mingled
with long denied desire, fueling both until he pushed himself to
his feet in one unsteady motion. He undid the drawstring of his
leggings and, turning to face her, yanked down his braes.

“Holy sh…” Carly stared at his raging
erection. Her mouth fell open. “So that’s why you…”

He shook his head, unable to speak. He wanted
her so bad he was shaking. Literally quivering with need. That
hadn’t happened to him since he’d been … he tried to think, to
remember. That hadn’t happened to him
ever
.

He’d always been the one in charge, the one
in control.

Now this one human woman had him trembling
with the desire to bury himself inside her.

“Alrick, I…”

“I’m sorry.” Fumbling with the material, he
began to tug his leggings back up. “But I wanted you to see what
you do to me.” He forced the words out past his clenched teeth.
“This is why I asked you to leave. I want you, Carly. Again.
Always. No matter what I tell myself, there’s no logic to my
desire, no rhyme, no reason. I want you so badly I—,” he choked and
clenched his jaw.

She splashed over to him, kneeling in front
of him. He gasped when she closed her small hand around the long,
hard length of him.

“I want you too,” she whispered. And then she
lowered her mouth and took him inside.

“Shades of Lothar.” He felt his eyes roll
back in his head. He felt himself swell even harder as she tasted
him, caressed him, and stroked him with her tongue. And then, just
when he thought he couldn’t last another second, she withdrew. He
ducked his swollen manhood under the water, desperately seeking to
regain control. But the tepid stream wasn’t cool enough and his
flesh was so sensitive that he could scarcely bear his own
touch.

“Carly, please.” Though what he asked for, he
could no longer say. He wanted her to leave, to run fast and far
away from him, and he wanted her to stay. Oh, Goddess how he wanted
her to stay.

She backed away, never taking her eyes off
him.

“I need…” Shaking her head and sending water
droplets flying, Carly yanked off her t-shirt and shimmied out of
her shorts.

Alrick couldn’t look away. He held himself,
the warm water running through his fingers, and thought he might
shame himself like some green boy.

Ahhh, sweet green hills of Rigat! Think of
something else. Think of something else.

Still on her knees, Carly crawled towards
him. Unconsciously seductive, she kept her gaze fixed on his face.
He was grateful for that, for if she’d touched him
there
with even her eyes, he’d have no hope of regaining control.

She grabbed his shoulders. Smiled sweetly.
Then, her movement so smooth he didn’t see it coming, lifted
herself up and settled back down on top of him, sheathing him deep
inside her.

He moaned.

Water all around them, her liquid heat, his
turgid flesh, nothing but sensation.

She began to move. For one startled instant
he forgot to breathe, his heart forgot to beat. Then, all at once,
his blood came rushing back.

“Ah, Carly. Sweet, sweet Carly.”

“Shhhh.” Covering his mouth with hers, she
kissed him.

He opened his mouth for her and then, with
her tongue inside him and with him deep inside of her, he lost the
last shred of his control.

As his seed filled her, she cried out and he
felt her body shudder and clench around him. For one awful instant,
he wondered what they had done. Then, as he held her close to his
heart, Alrick decided he didn’t really care.

They’d have to let the chips fall where they
may.

She tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let her.
Instead, he tightened his arms around her, all the while wondered
what the hell they were going to do now. The Mage would be furious.
His father too. And Cenrick… Cenrick would probably say he’d found
true love.

He tightened his arms around her. Sniffling,
her shoulders shook. She was crying. With shaking fingers he lifted
her chin and made her look at him.

“Don’t weep. Please.” Were he more like his
brother, he’d find the right words to tell her how he felt. But he
had always been more warrior than poet. All he could do was
silently hold her, hoping she’d come to realize what they’d shared
was more than ordinary.

Now, finally, he understood what all the
ballads and songs were about.

“We’re different now.” She raised her ravaged
face to his. In her eyes he saw a dark sorrow that pierced his
heart.

“Nothing’s changed.” Low-voiced, he uttered
words that were the closest thing to a lie he’d ever spoken.
“Nothing.”

Shaking her head, she wiped at her eyes and
gave him a tremulous smile. Despite the tears, despite her swollen
eyes and reddened nose he still thought her the most beautiful
woman he’d ever seen. Bar none.

His chest tightened.

“You’re wrong, Alrick of Rune,” she said
softly. “Everything’s changed. We can’t go back to what we were
before.”

Though in his heart he knew she was right, he
made himself lean forward and kiss the tip of her nose. “If there’s
been a change, we can only hope it’s for the better.”

Later that day, when they’d found a place to
stop for the night, Carly approached Alrick. She hated the wary
look that came over him whenever she looked at him. Yet she
couldn’t really blame him. What had happened between them had been…
explosive. The lovemaking they’d shared made her want things she
hadn’t wanted from a man since Liam. She wanted to sit by Alrick’s
side and rest her head on his shoulder. To stroke his hair, kiss
the side of his neck, trail her fingers down his chest. She wanted
the right to touch him whenever she wanted, wherever she wanted.
God help her, if Alrick were to give her that right, she didn’t
think she’d ever stop touching him.

Destiny
. For the first time she
allowed herself to wonder if Alrick were her destiny. Her hand
strayed to her abdomen, forming a protective cradle. As if… This
very day, they might have created a baby.

Alrick could very well be the father of the
child who’d save Rune’s future.

Looking at him, she forced herself to see
beyond the handsome man she’d come to know and care for. He was
Fae; more than that, royalty. His own destiny lay shining before
him and she could not, would not, take that from him.