The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (19 page)

Relief came out in a shaky sigh. “Me too.”

His fingers went through my hair, stripping my
ponytail of its holder. My long dark violet tresses tumbled over my
shoulders. Seeing my hair was like a jolt to my fear button. Since
we were being honest, I covered the hand he had tangled in my hair
and said, “I’m scared, and this is the reason.” I nodded to my
locks.

He eyes narrowed in confusion, then they grew wide,
the confusion clearing from them. “You think your purple hair is
the only reason I’m attracted to you?”

“Uhhh...” A shaky laugh curled out. “Kind of.” He
leaned back, his eyes searching mine. “I see how it could happen.
My therapist calls it transference. You took your feelings for her
and transferred them to me. With my hair like this I’m her
stand-in.”

Irritation flickered in his expression. “A little
purple dye, and I become an idiot?”

“Ryker.”

He sat back farther from me. “So... every girl with
blonde or brown hair is the same girl to me? Thank goodness you and
Elthia didn’t have the same color hair. I wouldn’t have been able
to tell you apart.”

“Ryker,” I tried again.

He propelled forward, getting only an inch from my
face. “Believe me, you are nothing like Amara. Nothing. And a
little hair dye isn’t going to suddenly make you so.”

My hands twisted in my lap. My hair fell around my
face, blanketing me from Ryker. His hand came through the curtain
and curled around my jaw, pulling my head up to look at him. “Shave
it, dye it black, it won’t make a difference.
You
have
gotten under my skin. The stubborn, bossy, tough-as-nails
human.”

We found each other this time. My mouth tingled as
his kiss deepened. His tongue and lips demanded more and mine
responded in kind. “You want to go?” he whispered in my ear.

“Oh hell yeah.” I was out of my stool before he could
even blink. He smiled and called out to Tulio. The entire bar was
focused on the screen; no one paid us a bit of attention. It
probably had less to do with my so-called glamour magic and more to
do with the soccer game. Tulio gave us a wave and turned back to
the TV. Ryker laced his fingers in mine and together we headed for
the door. The smile on my face almost hurt my cheeks, but it would
not relax.

Rain poured down from the night sky. The streets were
void of people who decided to stay out of the torrential downpour.
We had been caught in the rain several times together in Seattle.
Never in such sexy circumstances, with teeth-chattering and
bone-stabbing cold. This time was different. The cool water felt
refreshing against my hot skin, dripping down my head. My hair
absorbed the water and hung in heavy pieces down my back.

Ryker watched as water slipped down my nose to my top
lip. His eyes locked on my mouth. He sucked the water off my lips,
nipping at the bottom one. This boy knew every button to push. He
stepped closer, his mouth never leaving mine, and pressed our wet
bodies together. The rain slithered in trails down our skin,
igniting a fire instead of dampening it. His hands went under my
arms, lifting me. “Damn, you’re short.” I felt his lips turn into a
smile. He kissed me again and set me back on me feet. My hand
wrapped around his, and I began to walk backward, tugging him with
me.

“Actually, I’m pretty average for a girl. You’re the
Neanderthal.”

His eyes sparked and grabbed the back of my head. We
dove into another long toe-curling kiss. I became more anxious to
get home.

When we finally did, I was expecting to see Sprig
passed out with corn chips stuck to his eyelids. But he was staring
at the television like he was in a trance, a Spanish soap opera
playing.

“Sprig?”

Nothing. Not even a flinch of recognition.

“Sprig?” I said louder.

Again... nada.

“We could have sex right next to him, and he won’t
notice.” Ryker’s lips tickled my ear.

“Ugh.” I shuddered. Sprig was like my little brother,
a pet, and a son all rolled into one. He was also becoming my best
friend.

Wow. My world had changed.

Ryker’s warm mouth trailed down my neck, and I
grabbed a chair to steady myself. The accumulation of need we had
denied all day was starting to reach its breaking point.

The sky streaked with light and a boom rushed behind
it. The lights and TV flickered and then went out, plunging the
room into darkness.

“What? Nooooooo! She was going to find out whose baby
it is.” Sprig’s wail broke through the shadows. I burst out
laughing, which caused him to chirp. “When the hell did you two get
back?”

“Time to go, Sprig.” Ryker’s voice was gravelly. His
hand skirted up my back, pushing my hair to the side. His breath
hot on my neck.

“Yup. Time to go,” I responded.

“Go? Go where? Are we finally going to dinner?”

“No. You are going to your
room
.” Ryker
stepped away from me, and I felt his absence like a cold wind.

“Room?” Sprig responded. “Oh, you mean the bathroom.
Oh, no way. I am not listening to you two go at it again.”

“Then I suggest you find somewhere else to go
tonight.” I could hear Ryker rummaging in the corner. A flick of a
match and the room glowed with a single candle.

“Where did you get that?”

“I think power outages happen quite a bit; they have
a few stocked in the drawer. And in the storage closet across the
way.”

“It’s like being back in Seattle again.”

“Yeah,
exactly
.” He moved behind me and
slipped a hand down the front of my pants.

“Sprig. Out!” I yelled.

In the glow, I saw Sprig cross his arms and huff. He
didn’t move.

“Sprig?”

“Not. Talking. To. You.”

“Could you not talk to me in the other room?”

“No. I don’t want Pam to be subject to this either.
We will go find some dinner. I am sure some restaurant will take
pity on us.”

“Oh, jeez. Fine. You can stay.” I threw up my arms.
“We won’t do anything.”

“Nah, I was only kidding. You two go at it like
rabbits. I’ll be back later.” He jumped on the TV and then out the
window into the rain.

“Don’t pass out face down in the mud or you’ll
drown,” I called after him.

“Not sure that’s a phrase many mothers have used
before.” Ryker laughed.

I spun around to face him. “I am not acting like a
mother.”

A grin played on his mouth as he reached out for my
hips and twisted me back around, facing the table. “Stay
still.”

He unhurriedly drew my pants down, his lips gliding
over the back of my legs, making his way back up, electrifying
every nerve ending with his tongue. Candlelight flickered shadows
against the wall as my underwear skimmed down my legs.

“Remember what the river fairy said about me?” He
stood, pulling my top over my head.

“You were a fine specimen?”

He chuckled. “That I liked kinky games?”

I sucked in air with excitement. “Yeah.”

“Not completely true. I don’t like games. But I’m all
for the rest.” His deep voice skated up my neck. The sound of his
zipper and pants dropping to the floor doubled my heartbeat. His
hands spread my legs, and he pushed me onto the table. His fingers
trailed down my arms till his hands covered mine, then he gripped
my fingers over the edge of the table. “Do you want to have a safe
word?”

“No,” I whispered hoarsely. “Don’t hold anything
back. I want you completely.”

Grabbing my hips, he slipped into me. I bit down on
my lip as unbelievable pleasure rocked me. He was not as gentle as
he thrust into me again.

“Same.”

“Wakey, wakey.” Fingers patted my face.

I blinked, taking in the brown primate sitting on my
shoulder. Ryker’s naked form was curved against mine, his face
snuggled into the back of my neck.
Déjà vu
flooded over
me—to a time before when Sprig found us in bed together, waking us
up. Except then we had jumped apart, pretending it never
happened.

Ryker stirred behind me, grumbling. “Isn’t there an
off switch for him? Snooze button?”

“Come on, guys. It’s breakfast time.” He chirped and
jumped up and down on my arm.

“Afraid not.” I sighed and pressed my head back into
the pillow. My body ached and was tender everywhere—but in an
amazing way.

Ryker kissed the curve of my neck and rolled over,
stretching.

“There is liftoff.” Sprig squeaked and darted off the
bed. Looking over my shoulder I saw what he was talking about.
“That thing could club baby seals.”

Laughing, I rolled over to face Ryker. “Now there’s
an image that will haunt me.”

He pulled me to him and kissed me deeply. I was close
to telling Sprig to get lost again when he pulled away. “We better
get going.”

I nodded and sat up, taking the sheet with me to
cover myself. It was possible everything could change today, or at
least it could lead us somewhere. There was also a great likelihood
Regnus would not be able to help us, and we would be back to zero.
My nerves tightened in my belly. I was scared. Ryker’s powers
needed to return to him before it was too late, but as soon as they
did he wouldn’t need me anymore.

If you weren’t useful in the world where I grew up,
you were dead weight and disposed of. I didn’t
think
he
would leave me once he got them back, but it didn’t stop the fear
from curling around inside me, cinching the air in my lungs.

The storm had blown over, and the morning sun was
beginning to dry the earth. The humidity from the damp soil clashed
with the heat, bringing it to a suffocating level. I grabbed a thin
tank top, pulled it over my head, and slipped on a new pair of
underwear. At least I was dressed enough so Sprig didn’t have to
hide. Actually, it was me who had the issue. Fae didn’t seem
embarrassed or concerned about the naked form. Ryker proved the
point as he stood up, stretched, and strolled to the bathroom in
the buff. Sprig ignored him as he went through the fridge searching
for anything to sustain him till we got an actual meal.

Ryker didn’t close the door and the sound of the
shower emanated from the room.
Did he want me to join
him?

I still felt shy around Ryker in the morning light.
Normally, I was not bashful, but usually I wasn’t with my sexual
conquest/partner come morning. Sex was something I did and then
departed quickly after. Until now, Daniel had been the only one I
wanted to be with. Now, I could no longer escape what I felt about
Ryker. Surprisingly, I didn’t want to.

This was way out of my realm. I didn’t even know how
to have a normal conversation with him without images of what we
did the night before flashing through my head. To pretend my mouth
or his lips hadn’t been everywhere.

We got ready and grabbed churros and water along the
way, which pleased Sprig. Croygen was meeting us out of town at the
base of the Huayna Picchu trail. He told Ryker “after daybreak,”
which could mean any time. Fae didn’t seem to have a precise
measurement of time.

The trail took a steep incline and my lungs ached at
the thinning air, my boots swirling the dirt up off the path. Trees
disappeared the higher we climbed, replaced by ancient stone steps
left from the Inca, and thick brush wound tightly around the
mountain. Green moss and shrubs coated the area, freeing the view
to Machu Picchu in the distance. I stared longingly at the ancient
ruins, wanting to spread my arms and let the wind fly me over. I
still had yet to see them in person.

“We’ll get there.” Ryker nudged me forward.

“We’ve been this close and haven’t yet.”

“I will make sure you see them,” he said into my ear,
tapping his hand on my ass to prod me to move. We hiked for the
next ten minutes, the trail growing so steep I needed to use my
hands and feet to crawl up.

Suddenly Ryker stopped. “Here.”

“Here?” I asked, peering around. The bit of trail
Ryker halted us at mimicked most of the terrain we had trekked.

“Are you going to finish this?” A white sack
containing the rest of my breakfast came out of my bag. Sprig
opened it up, motioning to the churro.

“This is where Croygen said he’d meet us. If the
asshole decides to show up,” Ryker responded.

“
Bhean
.” Sprig tapped on my hand.

“At this nonspecific spot?”

Ryker tilted his head and nodded.

“
Bheannnnn
.”

“Okay. Now what?” I continued to observe the
location. It seemed like an insignificant place, but maybe that was
the point.

“
Bhhhheeeannn
, gimme, gimmmeeeee.”

I sighed and handed the rest of my pastry to Sprig.
He snatched it from my fingers and shoved it in his mouth, mumbling
happily.

“We wait,” Ryker replied.