Losing It: A Collection of VCards (18 page)

“Easy,” he breathed a second before he kissed my neck again.

His other hand pressed flat on my stomach.  But it didn’t stay idle long.  With each melting brush of his lips against the curve of my neck, his fingers danced along the edge of my jeans, dipping in further and further.  He teased my sensitive skin.  The ache in my chest spread south, and I reached back to clutch his hips and hold onto him desperately.  He groaned but didn’t stop.  I made an unintelligible sound when his fingertips brushed the edge of my underwear.  Once.  Twice.

Please, just dip inside, I thought.

It barely registered that we stood just within the door.  My world had dissolved until only Emmitt and his life-sustaining touch remained.

Uncurling my fingers, I released my hold on him and boldly reached for my jeans.  When I undid the button, he nipped my neck.  The sensation robbed me of thought for a moment.  When I pulled down the zipper, his fingers on my stomach flexed.  Was he as desperate as I?  When I started to wiggle out of my pants, he began to shake, and the hand that had remained so steadfast on my upper breast slid down to cup me fully.  Heat burst inside me, waves of scalding desire burned away inhibition.

I kicked my jeans off and tried to turn.  His arms tightened around me, and he growled.  The sound made the heat growing inside me more intense.  I didn’t fear him or the control he was struggling to maintain.

“Emmitt,” I said softly.  “I want a kiss.”

He laved my neck.  I groaned wantonly.  “My lips, Emmitt.  I want you to—”

He spun me around and before I had time to focus on him, his lips crashed upon mine.  I opened my mouth to him and let him take what he needed.  His kiss branded me, demanding my love, and I gave it willingly.  His tongue conquered and showed no mercy while his arms wrapped around me.

Without breaking our kiss, he started to move us, walking me backward.  My legs bumped against the bed, and his mouth left mine.

I panted for air, and it took a moment to realize my eyes were closed.  When I opened them, I met his gaze.

His eyes had changed. The pupils had grown abnormally large, and the tips of his canines had protruded from his lips.  From him, I felt a wave of concern.  I smiled softly and reached up to cup his cheek.

“You sweet man, don’t stop.”

He groaned, kissed me quickly, then started to tug my shirt up.  I lifted my arms and let him take it from me.  Once I stood before him in my bra and underwear, his tremors grew worse.

“Shh,” I whispered, gently placing my hand over his beating heart as he’d done to me.

He held still, letting me run my hand over his chest, then down his stomach.  I found the bottom of his shirt and slid my hand underneath.  His panting breaths became irregular as I slowly started pushing his shirt upward.  He groaned and closed his eyes.  A second later, he grabbed his shirt and tore it off, not having the patience for slow.

The sight of his muscled chest and tight abs made my mouth dry.  I put both my hands on his bare skin, trailing my fingertips along his ribs.  Gently, I leaned forward and kissed the spot over his heart.  He quivered under me, and his thundering pulse matched my own.

His hands slid into my hair and fisted as I brushed my lips over his heart once more then blazed a path to the other side.  Before I reached his nipple, he pulled me back and kissed me once more.

His hands left my hair, touched down on my shoulders, and skimmed over my arms.  His light caress heightened the feeling of his ravenous lips.  It was only after he reached behind me that I realize he’d pushed the straps of my bra off my shoulders.

He broke away from our kiss and hooked his fingers into the elastic of my underwear.  He stared at me for a long moment as if waiting for permission.  I set my hands on his and eased them down.  When I wore nothing, he stepped back and looked at me.  The raw desire in his gaze and his frayed control kept me from feeling embarrassed.

He glanced down and tried to unbutton his own pants but his claws were making his job impossible.  He growled in frustration, and I reached out and brushed his hands aside.

“Michelle...I don’t think...”  His words were guttural.

“Then don’t.  Not now,” I said in a husky voice I barely recognized as I eased his jeans down over his thighs.

He made a strangled noise and between heartbeats, I found myself on the bed with Emmitt pressing down on me.  He ignored my swollen lips and kissed a trail between my breasts.  I quivered and fisted my hands in his hair.  He continued to blaze a path from my lower ribs to my stomach.  He kissed me there, tenderly, then lifted his head.

“I want to see my cub growing here someday.”  His rough words and the hope in his eyes burrowed into my heart.

“Someday, I want your cub there, too,” I whispered.

His lips went back to worshiping my skin.  I closed my eyes and let my head drop back.  When his breath teased my breast, my lungs stopped working.  The heat of his mouth robbed me of thought.  I arched against him.  His hands gripped my ribcage and held me still.  His attention didn’t waver for several long minutes.  I was panting erratically when he finished.

I was lost.  To him.  To the sensations he evoked.  He was mine and I was his.

He rose and claimed my lips once more.  His fingertips traced the contours of my face as he kissed me hungrily.  His knee nudged my legs apart.  His hand gripped my thigh so it moved further still.  Then his hips settled onto mine.  The heat of him pressed against me, and he hissed and groaned into my mouth.  He shifted over me, aligning us.

“Mine.  Forever,” he whispered in my ear as he pressed into me, completing our bond.

I didn’t answer.  I couldn’t.  But we both knew I was his.  Forever.

***

I woke wrapped in his arms.  The blankets and the sheets were mostly on the floor.  I didn’t need them though.  His skin, pressed against the length of me, kept me warm.  I smiled to myself and sighed contentedly.  Behind me, he stirred.  The direction of his waking thoughts pressed urgently against my backside.

His lips brushed my neck.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning.  Did you sleep well?”

He made an agreeing noise and kept kissing me.  I didn’t want him to stop, yet...

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said, reluctantly.

His lips stilled.

“I’ll give you a two minute head start on the shower.  Go,” he said with a playful swat on my butt.

I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.  There, I hesitated.  Standing up and walking unabashedly nude across the room was beyond me.  I peeked over my shoulder.  He was watching me closely, with heat in his gaze.  I blushed and reached out for the sheet at the end of the bed.  He grinned wickedly, and I looked away.  My face couldn’t stand much more heat.  I pulled the sheet close and wrapped it around me before I stood.

He groaned behind me.  I smiled and walked to the bathroom.

I took care of my immediate needs then started the shower.  I’d just stepped behind the curtain when the door opened.

“Two minutes are up,” he said, pulling the curtain back and stepping in to join me.

I was too busy eyeing the naked length of him to blush.  The sun had kissed his chest and tight stomach.  Just at his hips, tan met pale.  My gaze dipped lower, and I swallowed.

Mine, I thought.

Forever
, came the echoing reply.  My eyes widened, and my gaze flew to his.

He grinned at me.  “Turn around, and I’ll wash your hair.”

Willingly, I turned to face the hot spray.  He lathered the wet strands and massaged my scalp.  Then, he told me to turn and rinse.  With my eyes closed and head tilted back, his soapy hands wandered over my front, gently cupping or tweaking my skin until I panted and shook.

The shower didn’t last long before we were back in bed, still a bit wet.  This time, I didn’t need a slow conquest or a nudge to part for him.  Emmitt was my home, and I welcomed his hips over mine.

We merged with ease, and I sighed.  My hands smoothed over his strong shoulders and down his corded back as he moved within me.  I hooked my legs around his, trying to draw him closer.  With his steady, slow rhythm, he loved me completely.

An hour later, we’d
packed up and left our room.  Our stomachs wouldn’t stop growling, and Emmitt grinned each time mine answered his.  It was as if they were conversing.

Emmitt held my hand as we walked to the breakfast area.  Bethi and Luke were already there.

While Emmitt and I waited for waffles, the remaining members of our group arrived.  I caught Charlene’s happy look at us and blushed at Jim’s knowing glance.  It would be hard for them not to know we’d completed our bond because Emmitt took every opportunity to brush against me.  His arm against mine.  A stretch to reach the milk that brought his mouth close to my ear.  All innocent moves on the surface, but each one sent tingles everywhere and made my pulse leap.  When I glanced at him, he gave me a wicked smile.  He knew what he did to me.

As soon as the waffle maker beeped, he gave me a quick kiss.  I heard Aiden’s giggle and Jim’s whispered, “Do you think she’d noticed if I stole her waffle?”

Emmitt pulled back and winked at my brothers.

I was contemplating how much time we had before we needed to leave when Bethi spoke, dissolving my love-hazed world.

“Any news?” she asked one of the other women in our group.

Reality crashed down on me, and my gaze drifted to my brothers.  Nothing had changed.  We were still running.  By Mating Emmitt, I’d protected him as best I could.  Now, I needed to protect Liam and Aden.  My heart shattered again as I realized, I’d need to send them away...because this fight with the Urbat was just beginning.  And, if I knew anything about Blake, no one was safe.

***

Thank you for reading this exclusive behind the curtain look at Emmitt and Michelle’s Mating.  There’s so much more in store for Michelle and Emmitt, and all the other couples in the Judgement Series.  I hope you’ll check out
Hope(less), book 1
, which is currently free.  Visit my
website
for details on where to download it.

About the Author

Melissa Haag writes young adult and new adult sweet paranormal romances...usually.  She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three children.  She is best known for
the Judgement of the Six Series
and
Touch
.  You can stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or her Website:

Of Fire

By

Alexia Purdy

An Extended Scene from
Ever Winter
(A Dark Faerie Tale #3)

The events in this scene occur during the course of the story in Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale #3), but can be read without reading the series, though it’s highly recommended.

Here, Shade and Dylan find themselves trapped in the Great Divide, the Ice Castle in the deep north ruled by the Unseelie Ice King Corb. With little to no memory of their past due to an enchantment placed upon them by Corb, they find themselves prisoners in the icy kingdom with plenty of time to truly discover their inner desires.

***

Shade’s hair was like obsidian against the creamy skin he always longed to touch. Pale with a tint of blue, the cold enchantment placed upon them made it so they couldn’t feel the chill, but it also made their skin into porcelain. The way she walked, the movements she made just to get across the room had Dylan’s heartbeat pounding even harder. Shade was the most beautiful woman or faery he’d ever met in the hundreds of years he’d been alive. Never once did he think he’d find someone like her; immune to the lethal fire and electrical currents that ran rampant under his skin and made it impossible to touch anyone. Anyone but Shade.

Without glamour to hide his true appearance, which could kill others with one touch of his blue fire and electricity, he could get close to no one. Not true about Shade though. She wasn’t vulnerable to his energy. It did nothing to her. This alone made her valuable to his race, the Teleen. They were dying, and fewer females were born to his clan with every passing year. For a male to find a mate was nearly impossible. Dylan thought he’d be one of the unfortunate ones, cursed to remain alone forever.

But then he met Shade, a half human, half faery hybrid that held more magic in her tiny fingers than most faeries held in their entire bodies.

Could Shade truly be his mate? He couldn’t remember much of their lives before becoming trapped here in the Ice Castle named The Great Divide, but he didn’t really care. Yes, the basics of his history, life as a child and other random stuff was there, but most things of recent occurrence were erased or he wasn’t capable of seeing them anymore. Same went for Shade. Still, it didn’t matter, for everything he wanted was here. His heart’s desire was Shade, and any place she was, he was fine with being there with her.

“What’s running through that head of yours?” Shade’s soft voice echoed about the icy chamber and woke him from his daydreaming.

“Just relishing your beauty.” Dylan admired her beauty, unafraid it would show blatantly on his face. He usually withheld his feelings, tucked them deeper into himself and hid them away from the world. Not tonight. He wanted to shout it out to the rooftops how much he loved Shade. Shoving aside a frozen lock of his own black hair, which carried a dusting of ice from the frozen temperature here in the Ice castle, he beamed her as she walked toward him.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked.

He nodded and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him where he was sitting on the edge of the ridiculously oversized bed. At least the Ice King, Corb, had left them in absolute comfort in this odd exile. Memories were mostly gone of their past lives; all there was left was the here and now. They were bespelled but had each other. That was everything anyone could ever need.

“Did you, my Queen?” His eyelids hung dreamily halfway closed as he inhaled her sweet scent. Leaning forward, he buried his face into her belly as she ran her fingers through his locks.

“Yes. Oddly enough, I did. Even with the strange images in my head that I dream about a lot. I know they mean something to me, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Me too. It’s like my memories were chopped up into a thousand little pieces and I have a puzzle to put together, but it makes no sense to me.”

Her dark brown eyes lit up as he peered up to her. “Yes, just like that. So strange. It’s concerning, but it doesn’t bother me as much as I would think it should.”

“It’s this place. We’re cursed somehow.”

“Yet blessed…” Her smile made his gut knot up, and all he wanted to do was bring her lips to his again.

So he did, pulling her down toward him, and she slipped down to sit on his lap. Dylan’s hand reached to feel the infinite softness of her cheeks and caressed them before he wrapped his fingers around the back of her head and pressed her even closer to him. Her cherry lips meet his, hungry and aching with an equal desire.

How long he’d wanted to do this, over and over. Their mouths never ceased, and the kisses deepened with each hurried breath they took. His arms ached to get even closer still, for any space left between them would be far too much to be apart.

“Shade, I—I…”

“Shhh…I know, my love.” Shade placed a finger onto his lips, and it felt like fire sizzling.  Dylan’s fire was ablaze as he shed his glamour. It was the only way he could get closer, to do away with the magic that held his true self from the world. She remained in his lap and admired the coursing blue fire which crawled along his fit body. He looked the same, but the blue white fire with electricity sparking along his skin reflected against the ice around them, amplifying the brightness of the constant white blue surrounding the bed.

Shade jumped to her feet and reached up, tugging loose her long dark brown hair and letting the crystal pins fall to the floor, tinkering like tiny chimes. Afterwards, her hands made their way to the back of the ethereal gown she wore. It was also made of ice, but was as soft as silk. Dylan wondered what sort of magic held something so exquisite together. She managed to unbutton it so that it fell to the ground in a soft pile.

Dylan inhaled a sharp, quick breath. She was naked underneath her gown, her skin shining perfect and even. Pale, with a tint of blue, Shade nearly glowed with the residual color from belonging to this enchanted place, though it still complimented her features well. His own glamoured skin appeared the same; where it was once a golden rich tan it was now pale with a tint of blue. But the fire that burned along it still was even more so.

Her breasts were round and succulent, tipped by tiny pink nipples, perky and erect. She hugged herself, shivering not from the cold but from her nervous energy.  He wanted to reach out, to pull her back to him and suck on every bit of her exposed skin. There wasn’t a place on her body he didn’t want to kiss and inhale with every beat of his heart.

“I’ve never given myself to anyone,” she whispered. Still, she managed to walk confidently toward him as her eyes roamed his body. Dylan got to his feet and pulled off the loose pajama-like trousers he’d been given to wear here, along with the loose, white crystalized ice tunic. It was as soft as hers and joined the rest of their clothes on the frozen floor.

“You’re perfect,” he finally managed to reply, completely enthralled. She was pure, never touched. How any man could resist such beauty was beyond him. He couldn’t, and her proximity had him harder than steel with just a kiss. She did this to him without any magic, and he loved the feel of every enigmatic spark of sensation she gave him.

Shade’s body joined his, and the heat from both their bodies made it stiflingly warm. He wondered briefly if they’d melt the ice bed beneath them as he led her onto it. Her loose waves surrounded her body as she watched him kiss down her neck and onto her chest. He licked every part of her breasts, sending shivers down her body. It was heaven, and she relished his touch. She sighed in bliss, letting the sensations rush through her. Nothing had ever felt like this, and there was no one she’d rather give her body to than Dylan.

Admiring his prowess as he made his way down her body, sparks fluttered in her belly. His lips and tongue were proficient and expertly sent heated shots of pleasure through every last corner of her like nothing she’d ever felt before. He treated her like precious gold, softly caressing every inch of her body.

“You taste perfect, sweet and exquisite.” Dylan’s gruff voice was intoxicated with desire. She loved it, reaching down to ensnare her fingers in his hair.

“Come here,” she urged. She wanted to touch him, to feel his hardness and admire it for as long as she could.

His face reached hers, and the sharp, steely look of wanting shining from his grey eyes made her smile even more.

“You’re amazing,” she said. Though it sounded ridiculous, she couldn’t think of anything better to say at this moment. He was chiseled and sexy, exactly how she’d pictured him naked. His cock was ever so ready to enter her, and she reached down to caress it with her fingers before curling her hand around his shaft and stroking softly.

His eyes closed as he let her do what she wanted to him, a low growl resonating in his throat. He was enjoying it, and the feel of control over him, even though she knew nothing of how it would feel to make love to him, gave her some reassurance that she could make him feel the way he made her melt. This moment, lost in each other’s bodies, was the one place she wanted to be. He was home to her, and there’d never be another to fill his place.

“Dylan…” She whispered his name, barely breathing through the desire that sparkled in her eyes, craving to have him inside her.

He took that as a sign that she was ready for him. He moved gently between her thighs and reached down to position himself at her entrance. She breathed in hard, trying to relax, and yet her excitement made it hard to do so. He teased her with his tip, touching her clit, making her gasp with pleasure and wanting.

“I’ll be gentle, I promise,” he whispered, giving her a gentle smile.

“Dylan…please…”

He kissed her nose and pushed in slowly, letting her entrance stretch to envelope his hard cock. It was amazing, and he wanted to go further, faster, but didn’t want to hurt her. She let her head fall back, feeling every inch of him as he continued. He couldn’t tell if her furrowed brows were from pleasure or pain, but he slowly pulled in and out, letting her slick juices surround him and beckon him on.

“You feel like heaven.” His voice was breathy while he closed his eyes from the intensity of it all. It was better than he could’ve ever imagined because this was happening with the one woman he never believed could be his.

A moan seeped from Shade’s lips as her legs tightened around his hips. With her hands on his shoulders, digging her fingers into his skin, his fire blazed around them and the room disappeared as he started to go faster now that she had relaxed even more. She was so wet…such perfection with each stroke as he moved faster. He bent down to bring one of her nipples into his mouth again, sucking softly before doing it harder. Her body arched in response, squirming beneath him as her moans grew with every passing second.

He didn’t want the moments to end as he pumped even harder before slowing down into elongated strokes. She took all of him without complaint. He loved it and wanted to do this all day long, every day. Her body was a fascination he could never get tired of, a feeling he could never get enough of. Electricity sparked off his skin onto hers, crawling along her body where theirs touched, and he pounded harder. He wanted to explode, show her what she did to him with just her body. He could never get tired of her soft, porcelain skin, lush pink lips, and her enticing scent that lurked in his senses like a constant drug, begging to ensnare him forever. He’d give her forever if she only asked him.

“Yes…Dylan…” Her lips said his name in a way that made him want to go even faster. He loved the way her thighs tensed, her legs hooking around his body and her pussy taking all of him. Her breasts bounced with the movement, and he reached out to pinch the perky nipples, ripe and erect from his kisses.

He was coming closer to bursting but didn’t want it to end. The slight grimace on Shade’s face made him slow some, not wanting her to be too sore. He watched her for clues as he changed the rhythm, slower, longer and softer to keep himself from climaxing, but he knew she was reaching the point where pleasure was beginning to morph away.