Forged in Dreams and Magick (Highland Legends #1)(35)
I felt cherished. Treasured. Loved completely from the inside out.
Heaven indeed.
Long moments of heavy breathing followed as we stayed connected, our bodies calming. There no longer existed a beginning and an end—we’d become one, eternal.
Iain pulled up onto his elbows and gazed into my eyes. I saw so much reflected there: appreciation, reverence, and love.
He bent down, bringing his lips to mine, giving me a tender kiss tasting of salt and my own flavor, something I’d never tasted before. The musky smell of our sex permeated the crisp night air which cooled my dampened body. I gripped him with my arms and legs, running my lips up his neck, inhaling the scent of pure male.
“Iain, that was . . . you were . . . amazing. So amazing.” My mind struggled to process everything my sated body relished.
He tugged at my earlobe with his teeth. “Every night will be filled with your cries. You’ve fiery passion in you. I intend to make good use of it.”
I grinned at the thought of him making good use of my body. Self-pleasuring only scratched the surface of the ecstasy I’d just experienced. The unexpected loss of control and vulnerability under his dominance aroused me like I’d not thought possible. I laughed softly, trying to imagine enjoying other delightful things . . . in other erotic positions . . . as we explored this newly discovered side of me.
He laughed. “What’s happenin’ in that head of yours?”
I almost answered when he twitched inside of me, hardening. I groaned. He eased his hips back, sliding out, then advanced, filling me again. He knelt upright, gripping my ass, angling my hips. I rested my feet on the tops of his thighs, gazing up at his incredible form.
“Ready for a second round?” he asked.
I had no chance to respond. Iain slowly rocked his hips, caressing parts of me deep inside I hadn’t known existed. Strong hands ran up my thighs in long, soothing strokes. His dark, possessive gaze penetrated my soul, and I surrendered. To this life. To this man.
In that moment, under his command, in the new world I’d been ensconced in, I realized I’d been dropped exactly where I was supposed to be.
Home.
CHAPTER Eleven
The endless night sky swirled above, millions of stars glittering in a lazy circle as we floated. Weightless, an incredible euphoria drifted through me. Iain’s strong arms dragged slowly through the water, rotating us. The warmth of his body helped my thin SoCal blood handle the numbing water. I’d begged for a dip, but we’d extended the swim, indulging in the time we had in our special place.
I rested my head against his shoulder, wondering if each pinhole dot in the black velvet sky represented another possible world. Life on other planets, space travel, and the space–time continuum were subjects I’d only seen in movies and on The Science Channel. But after being tossed through a bend in the laws of the Universe, I’d been given fresh perspective; even the most far-fetched of notions had become possible.
Iain’s fluid movement interrupted my philosophical reverie. He dropped his lower body deeper under the water, towing us back to shore.
We picked our way over moss-covered rocks so our feet wouldn’t sink into the mud. My teeth chattered uncontrollably until, seconds later, a fire-heated blanket cocooned me in warmth. Iain draped another plaid around his waist and sat on a nearby stump, tugging me onto his lap. We sat in companionable silence, watching the fire’s dry wood snap glowing cinders into the air. The breeze extinguished the faux fireflies into wisps of ash, floating them away.
“What’re you thinkin’, Isa?”
“Hmmm . . .” My mind had drifted a thousand places, bouncing from one tiny fragment to another. I tilted my head up, resting it in the crook of his shoulder, gazing at the vast heavens. The illuminated inky canvas reminded me of the pinpoints of light on his study wall. Uncertain how to phrase a lingering question, or whether he’d answer, I broached the topic as a statement. “The other day, I wandered into a map-filled room. One of the walls resembled tonight’s sky.”
Iain merely listened. Or, perhaps in his silence, he reflected on matters he didn’t want to share. I turned, finding a solemn expression on his face. He searched my eyes, and I saw that truth and secrets were buried deep behind his dark expanded pupils. We waited long enough for the unasked question to drift up in the smoke. I didn’t want things left unsaid, nor did I want anything hidden, but I was confident there would be a time and place for everything.
“Iain, it’s okay. We’re building trust between us. You can tell me when you’re ready, but I do need to understand. I’ve a right to know, since whatever power that box holds brought me here.” I paused. “The wall . . . it reacted to me, Iain.”
His brows arched over widened eyes. Well, at least he didn’t hide his surprise about that revelation.
Iain relaxed his face and tightened his hold around my blanket-wrapped body, resting his forehead on mine. On a contented sigh, I closed my eyes. The peace of his solid protection provided comfort in the middle of an uncomfortable subject.
“Isa, the box and the wall . . . both have power. The two are connected in ways I doona fully understand. It’s always been this way. I’m a guardian. Responsibility to protect it—and the people under its shelter—has fallen to me, passed from my father, passed from his father.”