Found (Book One of the Castle Coven Series): A Witch and Warlock Romance Novel (6 page)

Kieran’s arms came around her from behind, stilling her thoughts. This close, his scent filled her nose. There was something spicy about it, sharp and masculine. She turned and buried her face in his chest. He was a big man, a giant compared to her diminutive height, but for once, she didn’t care at all. All she wanted was to be close to him.

“I want you, but…” His voice trailed off.

“There’s nothing that stands in our way,” Hailey said forcefully. “When we go down those stairs, we are back in the world. There are Templars to fight, orders to follow and tests to complete. Not now.”

He looked like he would argue, but after a moment, he nodded. There was no need for words.

Hailey’s hands went to her clothing, but with a gentle touch, he warded her away. Instead, he knelt on one knee like a supplicant, and his strong hands, swept over her body. At first, they only touched her gently. He ran his hands over her arms, down her legs, up her back and down her sides. She was fully clothed, but still she was learning his touch and feeling everything that he was offering. There was no sense of urgency, nothing dangerous about this. He was learning about her, and it was infinitely patient and kind.

His fingers eventually landed on the zipper of her hoodie, and the sound of it opening was loud in the quiet place. She stood in her camisole, and in a moment, he lifted that over her head as well. For a moment, Hailey wanted to cover her breasts. She was small on top, small enough that she hadn’t bothered with a bra that morning.

Now she stood exposed, and he could see her tender pink nipples crinkling in the slight chill.

“I…I’m…”

“You’re perfect, utterly perfect,” Kieran said firmly.

He leaned forward to set his mouth against the pebbled bud, and his lips were so tender that she sighed. Her nipples were almost achingly sensitive, but he made no move to pinch or nip. Instead, his mouth traveled languorously from one to the other, and then he leaned up to tangle his hand in her hair. He held her still, pulling her lower, and slowly ravished her mouth with his. She slid her tongue into his mouth, and he groaned as she teasingly slid it in and out.

She could feel the moment the tension changed. There was a shift in the atmosphere between them. He was kissing her with more ferocity, and she could feel the tug of excitement as he pulled her close to him. Even on his knee he was a powerful man.

Just as she was ready to give in to that energy entirely, he reined himself in, smiling up at her ruefully.

“That’s not how I want things to go.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me show you.”

He kissed a path from her chin, down her throat to her navel, and when he got to the waistband of her jeans, he started moving up again. His movements would have been maddening, but his hands were wrapped around her hips, holding her still.

Hailey gave in to the sensations, until she couldn’t resist any longer. She twined her fingers through his hair, and pulled him close, wanting more of him.

She started to get down on the ground with him, but he shook his head.

“This old room will give you splinters. Here, let me.”

Kieran’s strong hands made quick work of her jeans, her underwear, her socks and her shoes. Now she was naked in front of him, and he was still entirely dressed. Instead of making her feel nervous, it sent a spike of hot arousal through her. It made her think of good men of the church, tempted in their sleep by the women in their dreams. They woke hard and wanting, their supposedly pure minds defiled by a sly smile, a beckoning finger.

He sat down on an old pew, his long legs stretched in front of him. When she gave him her hand, he pulled her down so that she straddled his hips. Through his trousers, she could feel how hard he was. Without thinking about it, she rocked herself on the length of his cock, drawing a moan from his lips.

She liked the sound so much she did it again. He put his hands on her hips, grinding lightly up against her tender body. She could feel the strength in him and the power in his frame; she could also feel the restraint under which he held himself. Hailey wondered what it would take to break that restraint.

Kieran kissed her over and over again, holding her steady on his lap. She was helpless to move closer for more contact. In a matter of moments, she was crying out. She could tell how aroused he was, but he seemed immune to her wriggling, her soft moans for more.

“Please,” she said finally. “Please, I need you. I need more than this.”

There was perhaps a hint of triumph in his laugh, but all he did was shift her backwards. He freed his cock, and almost immediately she reached for it, measuring the hot length in her hand. It was thick enough to make her swallow hard.

Hailey watched as he smoothed a condom down over his erection, and she looked up to meet his eyes.

“Yes?” he asked hoarsely, and she nodded.

She shifted up so that for a moment, his cock was pressed between their bodies, and that was a kind of heaven as well. The length of him was nudged up between her inner lips, parting them slightly, making them even wetter. He could feel her arousal now, and for a moment, he rested his forehead against her shoulder, pulling her close as if he couldn’t bear to be parted from her.

It was sudden, but she couldn’t wait any more. She reached down to take his cock in her hand, and holding him still, she pressed him against her, letting his shaft part her folds. There was a moment where it stung a little as she slid down on him, but at his inquisitive noise, she only shook her head and whimpered in pleasure.

The thought of fitting his entire length inside her body made her feel faint with pleasure. With his hands supporting her and holding her firmly by the hips, she slid down until their bodies were flush. The feeling of being joined was incredible, and Hailey opened her eyes to look at him.

Kieran’s lips were slightly parted, and his eyes were nearly black with desire. He could still stop if she told him to, she knew it, but it would be a close thing. The thought made her smile, and in response, he leaned up to press his mouth to hers.

As he did so, he started pushing up into her. Now she felt like she was riding him in earnest, and she pressed herself down even as he pushed himself up.

“Oh god,” she heard herself whimper. “Oh god, I want you…”

Somehow, he had his hand between their bodies, and he was stroking her clit. The combined sensation of his hard cock filling her and his skillful fingers on her clit made her buck wildly, but there was no where she could go to escape the sensations. They were driving through her with the force of lightning, and all she could do was hang on while the sensations played out.

She felt like she was being wound tighter and tighter. Hailey’s nails dug into Kieran’s shoulders, his clothed shoulders, and she remembered all over again how naked she was, and how clothed he was. Her errant thought before, of a wanton demoness seducing a pure man, returned in full force. The thought brought her an extra burst of pleasure.

Kieran was pushing up into her, she was holding him tight, and suddenly, she spilled over the edge. Her thighs went rigid, and she shook so hard, she had to squeeze her eyes shut. Her body was rocked with a maelstrom of sensations. She couldn’t help it if she tried. Her climax exploded, making her bury her face in Kieran’s shoulder so that she could stay quiet.

She was still shuddering when he thrust up into her one last time, and for a very long moment, all she could think was how perfect it was.

“Hailey?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you well?”

She smiled a little at the concern in his voice, and she leaned up to kiss him. They were still joined intimately. Now she could feel a certain soreness between her legs, but still she had no urge to move or to do much of anything beyond revel in the closeness they shared.

“Very well, Major,” she said softly. “And you?”

His laugh was slightly self-conscious.

“I think after something like that, there aren’t many questions on my count, but thank you for asking. Hailey…”

There was something in his voice that made her stiffen. She wondered if he was going to tell her that it didn’t mean anything. She wasn’t quite sure she could take it if she had to hear it. Instead, she gently pulled away, staggering to her feet.

Kieran made a noise of concern and reached to steady her, but she stepped aside neatly. She turned her back when she went to dress herself. After a moment, she heard him sigh and do the same.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think that anything has changed between us,” she said, trying to keep her voice low and easy. “This isn’t going to make me ask for favors or make me think that it gets me off the hook.”

“Hailey.”

“I’m not someone who’s going to go chasing after you, either. I know that as a Magus Corps agent, you need to be free to go wherever your duty takes you. Don’t worry.”

She was mostly dressed now, and she moved over to one of the openings that looked down over the sanctuary. She was faintly surprised to see by the light that it was likely only a little while past noon. Her morning sparring with Kieran felt distant now. She was tired, she realized.

“Hailey, stop.”

She turned to look at him. Kieran was dressed now, but the act that they had shared had left his hair tousled and a faint blush on his fair skin. It made him look boyish, and she surprised herself with an unexpected longing for him.

“What?”

“This,” he gestured between the two of them. “This is not nothing. I don’t do this lightly, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you do it lightly either.”

“Maybe I do,” she said, lifting her chin up defiantly. “Maybe this is something I do with all of the men who decide that they want to beat me into the ground with sticks.”

Kieran blinked several times.

“I would be very surprised.”

“Well, I don’t, but you didn’t know that, did you?”

Kieran looked like he was going to contradict her, and she cut him off with a sharp gesture of her hand.

“What we did here, it doesn’t matter right now, okay? It doesn’t. It can’t. We barely know each other.” Kieran’s face set in a stubborn fashion that she was beginning to know. “Even if there is something between us, there’s a lot going on.”

Kieran arched an eyebrow. The man could look bloody sardonic when he wanted to.

“So what you’re saying is that there
might
be something between us?”

Hailey chewed her lip and nodded.

“What my heart is telling me and what my head is telling me are two very different things. You’re a member of the Magus Corps, and you were sent to investigate me for some top secret thing
.
You’re also an amazing lover who spoke to me as if I were a human being, who made me feel as if…”

She bit down on the words, but Kieran didn’t look inclined to let her get away so easily.

“As if what, Hailey?”

“As if I was yours.”

The words were nearly breathed, and Kieran covered the space between them in a matter of seconds. For such a big man, he could move very quickly. He went to put his arms around her, but she halted him with a single hand against his chest.

“But I’m not,” she whispered, though she didn’t push him away.

“But perhaps you’ll allow yourself to be courted?”

Hailey laughed a little at the antiquated word, but then she surprised herself by nodding.

“I’m not in a place to offer you anything right this minute. Let me think. Let me sit with the idea for a little.”

Kieran thought for a moment, and then he nodded.

He took her hand gently in his, and he brought it up to his lips. Hailey found that she was mesmerized by his mouth. It was finely shaped and soft from the kissing that they had been doing. She thought he was going to kiss the back of her hand, but then he turned it over and kissed the palm instead. The soft touch of his mouth to the tender skin there sent a shiver up her spine, and from the sly look on his face, she could see that he knew it.

“As you like. Think. Sit. Do what you need. I will be here when you are done.”

Hailey realized that she was staring, but then she shook herself.

“All right. Um. All right. Let’s get on with things. I mean, I can’t imagine there’s much you can do to test my abilities while we’re up in the choir loft.”

Kieran laughed.

“Well, there are things that I would like to do up here, but we should return to the courtyard, yes.”

Hailey groaned.

“Not more sticks?”

“No, I had something different in mind.”

AFTER MAKING SURE that she had some food and some water, Kieran took Hailey back to the courtyard. She marveled at how different things were now than just a little while ago. She listened to him, and she was ready to show him what she could do.

At least, she was until he started explaining what he needed her to do.

“From the reports that we had from your previous covens, no one has ever tested to see how far your powers could go.”

“Well, no. No one was lining up to have their powers drained away even temporarily so that I could practice, especially not after the rumor went around that people who I drained would never get it back.”

Kieran snorted.

“Pure foolishness, of course. We have records on witches like you, though there have never been many with your gifts. They have never drained someone to the point where their powers never came back. Usually all it takes is a meal and some sleep, and soon enough, things are right back where they should be.”

“You can tell people that all you like, but I had remarkably few volunteers. As far as I can tell though, there’s not much limit to what I can do if I have, um, someone willing to lend me their power. I’ve thrown fire, I’ve managed to read minds for a while, and I’ve gone invisible as well.”

“And you can throw ill-behaved Magus Corps majors back on their asses,” Kieran added with a grin. “We know that.” He paused and became serious. “Now what I want to do is to see how far your powers might go if you had the right volunteer. I’m fairly strong as far as these things are reckoned, so I’m going to give you the power you need.”