Misfortune Cookie (20 page)

He walked us to his room. Even though it was a few doors down, I’d never been inside. It was the last barrier between us. I know it was my mansion, but I wouldn’t invade his privacy. Somehow seeing his room seemed so personal. I felt thrilled to be invited.

The light snapped on with an audible
click
. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the standard issue guest suite. There wasn’t a single personal item anywhere. Not on the bedside table, not on the bureau. He was either a super anal-retentive neatnik, a real possibility, or he wasn’t staying in the house.

I wandered over to the walk-in closet and peered inside. Nope, no clothes either. “Luca?”

“Hmm,” he said, unfastening his bow tie and loosening the top button. He took off his coat and laid it on the end of the bed.

“Do you live here?” I caved and kicked off my shoes. With an audible sigh, I scrunched my toes into the plush rug. So much better.

“Not exactly.” He raised my hand to his lips and kissed my palm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you today. Something unexpected came up.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation. I needed to do it on my own. Otherwise, the clan would have jumped all over me.” Other than Reg’s cheap grope, I think I handled them all really well. “I was able to raise a ton of money.” Old Bassy would have been proud. He may have been an asshole in many ways, but he did honestly support many local charities.

“That’s wonderful. I never doubted that you would have them all eating out of your lovely palms.” Luca breathed in the perfume I’d dabbed on my throat. “Heaven . . .”

His lips brushed the base of my neck. The smooth glide of his silken skin made my knees weak. I turned around, pulled his head down, and captured his lips.

When he moaned, I pressed my breasts against his chest.

“Not here . . .” He broke away, hair tussled from my fingers which had someone found their way to his head. When he spoke again, his voice was rough. “I have someplace I’d like to show you.”

“Can we be alone there?” I stroked his broad back, lightly raking my fingernails down his spine. “Can I change first? I’d love to get out of this dress.”

“No, I’m stripping that lovely frock off of you,” he said, voice husky and filled with promise. Dampness and heat shot between my legs. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. I have clothes for you where we’re going.”

Now, I was really intrigued. “Are you taking me to the bat cave?”

“No.” He spoke in his melodic language, the sound comforting against my ear. Closing my eyes, I relished the familiar flavor of his power.

“Open your eyes,
cariad
.”

We were still in the bedroom. What the deuce? “Uhhh, we didn’t go anywhere.”

“Look in the walk-in.”

“What?” I studied his face. He was serious. “Fine.” I marched over to the closet and stopped. “There’s an old door here. Where’d that come from?”

“I know, darling. I called it here.”

“Where does it go?” The wood was old oak, polished by time and many hands rubbing the same spot by the cast iron door handle.

“Let me show you. But first, I need the door to recognize you.” He placed my palm against the wood. A curious combination of warmth and coolness permeated my skin. He spoke again, this time in a lyrical and otherworldly language. Luca overturned my palm and pressed a glowing blue orb into the center. The brand ignited and eagerly absorbed it.

Blissful pleasure shot through my veins like I’d eaten the most magnificent bar of chocolate. “Whoa. Luca.” He steadied me before my knees folded. “What the hell was that?”

“My people call it angelfire. It’s the only way to open this door.”

“Oh.” I closed my eyes, relishing the last ripples coursing through me. “No portal?”

“The portal does not extend to my home.”

Holy shit. His
home
. “Luca, are you sure?”

“You are my chosen. There is no question that you belong in my world now.” He draped his tuxedo jacket over my shoulders. “The air is chilly this time of year.”

I poked my arms into the sleeves and nodded. Anticipation sped up my heart.

He put his hand on the doorknob.

“Wait! My shoes.”

“Forget them.” He lifted me into his arms, then turned the knob. “No need to close your eyes. Where we’re going, you won’t want to miss a thing.”

The door opened without a squeak onto a vast tableau. In the distance, rolling mountains thrust into the sky. The greenest, lushest grass I’d ever seen coated the undulating hills spreading before us. The sky to the west was a swirl of pale blue and deep purple. In the east, the sun was on the verge of rising, lending a pinkish cast to the horizon.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, breathing in a lungful of sweet, clean air, savoring the slight chill.

Luca walked through and just like that, we were not in California anymore.

“Welcome to my home,
Cymru
.” He spun me around gently, displaying perfect, unspoiled land for as far as the eye could see.

“Hey, Luca? Is that your castle? I think it’s seen better days.” I pointed to an ancient ruin, a short distance away.

The crumbled stone turrets and moss-covered sides spoke of the centuries it had seen. There were no windows or doors. No sign of habitation.

As cool as that castle was, I sure as hell hoped this wasn’t what he meant when he’d said we’d be alone. I wasn’t the rustic type. And my ball gown wasn’t exactly appropriate camping attire.

“Ah, my sweet. Have a little faith. This is only what the human world sees.” He strode forward, with me in his arms.

Nothing makes a woman feel better than when her man can carry her lengthy distances without breaking a sweat. I really wanted to offer to walk on my own. Two things stopped me. One, we were on a gravel path, in near darkness, and I had no shoes. And two, I knew that Luca would probably be miffed at the suggestion that he wasn’t strong enough to carry me for a quarter mile.

Even though Luca was a supernatural being, he had a penis (and from what I’d experienced so far it was a mighty fine one). But with a penis comes the male ego. Just saying.

Strong gusts of wind rolled across the wide-open plains, billowing the gown’s hem up around my legs. The only reason the skirt wasn’t up around my waist was that Luca had gathered it around most of my legs. Goosebumps surfaced all over my skin, and I burrowed as best I could into Luca’s warmth.

“We’re almost there.” He picked up the pace. The shadow of the castle plunged us into near-total darkness. Other than the occasional howl of the wind, the only sound was gravel crunching under his feet.

“Here goes,” he said. A slight shimmer, similar to the dividing line in the Hereafter, hung over the opening of the keep. As we crossed the threshold, a peaceful sensation rolled over me. Not the same, viscous feeling when passing into the spirit realm. This place seemed to
want
us there.

The entire courtyard came sharply into focus. All signs of decay, broken stones, and general neglect were simply gone, an elaborate illusion. The inner castle’s windowpanes, all containing glass, glowed yellow. The lights were on. The question was—who else was home?

The inner keep was well tended. Massive flowerpots, bursting with colorful blooms, stood by the castle’s main entrance. When Luca approached, the heavy wooden double doors swung open. Once inside, I couldn’t help but gape at the size and opulence of the great room. As expected, tapestries, shields, and other types of heraldry decorated the thick stone walls.

A roaring fire blazed inside a fireplace big enough to park a car. The heady fragrance of wood smoke and fresh herbs perfumed the room.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the thick Persian area rugs that covered the stone floor. Even in Ashworth Mansion, I’d never seen a carpet so intricately woven or so large. It must have taken years to create. And the twisting wrought iron chandeliers that hung overhead were easily several centuries old as well.

He set me down and stood to the side while I wandered the space.

“Luca, this is wonderful,” I said, dragging a finger along the length of the oversized couch, the leather buttery to the touch. Unable to resist, I circled around a dark wood table and sank my toes into the rug. It was like standing on a silken cloud.

“How do you feel?” he asked, voice soft and husky.

I stopped gaping. “Like I’m home.”

Chapter 13

Pleasure requires company.

Luca closed the distance between us. His lips sealed over mine. With his tongue, he teased my lips apart while his hands skated over my back. I hastily undid shirt buttons, desperate to stroke his skin. He found the zipper to my dress, but didn’t unzip me. With deliberate slowness, he slid the strap off my left shoulder, baring the creamy swell of my breast.

He did the same thing on the other side. He hadn’t even touched me yet and already my center was drenched, throbbing with need. I slowly exhaled when he hovered his lips over the tops of my breasts. Other than the warmth of his expelled breath, he didn’t touch me.

“Luca,” I groaned in anticipation.

“I want you so badly,
cariad
.” He looked into my eyes, searching my face. A feral vibe rolled off him. “Once I start…”

“You’d better not stop,” I growled, reaching for my zipper.

“No, this pleasure it all mine.” He unzipped my dress with a fierce yank. The fabric pooled around my ankles in a billowy puff.

Luca tackled me with lightning speed. In under a second, I was in his arms and across the room. He gently laid me on an oversized divan, the heat of the fire just near enough to warm my toes.

I reached toward him. “No fair. You have on too many clothes.”

He bent over me. “And you are talking too much.” He silenced me with a deep, breath-stealing kiss. I circled my arms around his neck and caged him with my bare legs. I pushed his shirt off his shoulders and ran my tongue down his pecs while he fumbled with the wrist buttons. I nipped his right nipple. Fabric ripped and buttons popped off.

Shirt gone, I rubbed against his skin. Sweet heaven. Erotic jolts sizzled when my flesh touched his. Like lightning in a bottle, he enhanced the effect by spanning his hands over my ribcage.

“God. You feel so damn good.” Igasped . And he wasn’t even inside me yet.

Luca lavished attention on each of my aching nipples with his fingertips and mouth. The sensation shot fire into my veins and I writhed underneath him. His pants irritated me. They blocked access to what I really wanted.

“Oh no, lover, not yet.” He drew my hands away from his zipper and extended them over my head, imprisoning them. The move arched my spine, jutting my breasts upward. He licked one pink bud with the tip of his tongue. His free hand went back to circling my other areola.

I squirmed and panted. What little thought I had left went toward marveling at his mastery of my body. “Luca, please,” I moaned. “Let me touch you.”

He silenced my pleas by trailing his lips around my navel. My breathing ratcheted in anticipation of where he was headed. To reach his destination, he had to free my arms, allowing me to run my fingers through his thick hair.

A low purr rumbled from Luca’s chest. “I can taste your need.” He ran his fingers under my panties and touched my hot core, then circled my swollen bud until I cried out, my thighs trembling. My release was so close I saw stars.

Luca slid a finger inside me. I gasped and rocked my hips. A second finger followed. I begged, “Don’t stop!”

Fabric ripped. My panties gone, his tongue rasped against my clit. “Luca!” My inner muscles clenched around his fingers. My hips ground against his lips and fingers.

For a moment, my heart beat so hard, I thought it might burst. “Oh God. Luca.”

He peered up at me from between my legs, a relaxed smile on his face. “That was the warmup.”

Oh Christ! I spread my legs wider and drew him up the length of my body. I tore at the front of his pants. “These are coming off.” With a hard yank, I popped the button and raked down the zipper, careful to avoid his erection. Unable to wait, I clasped his velvety shaft, rock hard, the tip weeping.

I licked my lips, eager for a taste. But my lover had another plan. He stood and stepped out of his pants, revealing his incredible body. I feasted on the sleek cut of his muscles, all lean and powerful. His skin had a soft luminosity, heightened by the glow of the fire.

“You are so beautiful, Luca.” I reached toward him.

He prowled alongside my body. “Ah,
cariad
, I am so glad that I please you.” His body spooned the length of mine, his magnificent penis pressed against my backside. He cupped my breast in one hand and left a trail of butterfly kisses down the side of my neck until he reached my shoulder.

I twisted around, my lips seeking his. “Kiss me.”

He rolled me onto my back, his lips capturing mine. I wrapped my legs around his hips, pressing my throbbing clit against his erection. He palmed my ass, angling my hips.

Breaking the kiss, he whispered fiercely against my throat, “I can’t wait any longer.”

“God! Yes!” I barked when he drove into me. Pleasure/pain wracked me for a moment while I adjusted to his size. At the first stroke, ecstasy built inside of me. I dug my fingernails into the hard globes of his butt, tugging him as deep as possible.

His lips locked onto mine for a bruising kiss before he slid out, then pumped back into me.

“More . . .” I groaned into his mouth, my words garbled. He kissed my throat, then slowly suckled each nipple in turn, while his hips rotated, increasing my pleasure. I trailed my hands down his chest and over the rigid muscles of his abdomen.

As my orgasm built, shockwaves rippled through me. I closed my eyes, the white-hot heat of our passion owning me.

“Radiance,” Luca murmured my name as if in prayer. When I opened my eyes, he gazed down at me through hooded eyes. He lifted my hips and tucked my legs around his shoulders, the angle ratcheting up the intensity. I shouted and moved my hips to match his rapid-fire strokes.

The orgasm came with mind-blowing force, robbing me of my sight for an amazing, blissful moment. The only thing that existed in my world was Luca and the joy he brought to my body. He roared my name and his shaft pulsed over and over again inside of me.

After, he covered my body with his and snuggled me, whispering in my ear. A string of melodic words, some Welsh and some other language. His heartbeat pounded against my breast. I melted inside his arms, warm and sated. I ran my hands along his back, drawing a light sheen of sweat under my fingertips.

A sharp sting burned my old gunshot wound. Through slitted eyes, I noticed a faint glow.

“Luca,” I said, worry in my voice.

His head jerked up. “What ails you?”

“My chest,” I whispered. The burning intensified, but didn’t hurt.

He leaned back, then moved down and kissed the brand now glowing visibly under my skin. “The bond. You have chosen me.”

“Oh.” I traced the edge of the mark. A mix of emotions flooded me. The most prominent, a sense of rightness as if the last piece of a complex puzzle had fallen into place. I think I finally understood Luca’s certainty about his feelings for me. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we were meant to be together.

He placed my hand against a matching symbol on his chest.

The same spot where the vortex had appeared.

“You aren’t going to suck me into the Hereafter, are you?”

He chuckled and kissed my palm. “No. Never into the Hereafter.” A mischievous smile danced on his lips. Lowering his head, Luca’s tongue teased my nipple into a tight bead. Heat bloomed all over me again. That velvet mouth drew on the hard bud, fingers headed between my legs. He said, “I never said I wouldn’t suck on
you
.”

Sunshine warmed my cheeks. I woke to the reassuring sound of Luca breathing next me, his face buried in my hair. Each muscle in my body burned with pleasant overuse.

We made love again and again. On the exotic Persian rug. On the stairs leading to the bedroom. On the massive four-poster bed. Each moment more exquisite than the last. The lust, that burning need for Luca, hadn’t diminished in the slightest. It had only grown deeper and more meaningful. I didn’t want to be with anyone but him.

I snuggled into his chest, breathing in his unique scent. I’d never experienced such an all-encompassing sense of peace and love. Yes. Love. I cared about him. I also knew that if he were to disappear, I’d be devastated.

A splinter of fear wedged into my chest. We led dangerous lives. He could die. I could die. All the more reason to end the shitty family bargain.

“
Annwyl
?” Luca murmured into my hair, his forearm hugging my chest.

“I’m okay, my love,” I said, squeezing him.

He went rigid behind me, then flipped me onto my back, his body over mine. Happiness brightened his entire face. “You called me your love.”

I stroked his stubbled cheek. “I love you, Luca. I know that now. I think I’ve known it for a long time. I’m sorry that I was too stubborn to admit it.”

“I’m glad to hear you say it. Finally.” He rained kisses on my forehead, my cheeks, and my lips. His ebullient affection made me smile.

“I get it now.”

“You do?” He gave me a lop-sided grin.

“Yes. That certainty that we belong together. But what does it mean?” I worried again. What if I did break the contract? Would I break our relationship, too?

His fingertips landed between my brows, rubbing my forehead. “Nothing can break our bond. Not even if you broke the contract.”

“How did you know I was thinking that?”

“The worry wrinkle on your forehead.”

“Oh, I have a special
worrying about the legacy
wrinkle?”

“Yes.” He laughed, then grew serious. “My first loyalty is to you and only you. To an
Alkhari
, his mate is everything.”

An even more awful thought crossed my mind. “I’m only human. I’ll grow old and die.”

“No. You are not human anymore.” His face gentled. “We will be together for a very long time.”

God, I only hoped that was true.

“I must not being doing my job right.” He dipped his fingers between my legs, stoking a new fire inside me, “You have too much time to think.”

I’m happy to say he made sure my attention was focused elsewhere.

Hours later, we made our way downstairs. As promised, Luca had clothes for me. Turns out, part of the reason I hadn’t seen him was he and Meadows were planning this excursion. I was thankful they packed comfortable clothes and remembered shoes.

In the afternoon light, the castle took on a new life. The modern touches, like plumbing, electricity, and weatherproofing, while much appreciated, paled in comparison to the detailed care taken to preserve the castle’s integrity.

“Did you oversee all these restorations?” I said, admiring the wood paneling lining the main staircase. The smooth grained oak warmed under my palm as I clung to the banister. The height and length of the staircase would provide anyone a good workout.

“I did. I completed them only last year.” He paused and stopped at one of the spots we’d made love. “I can smell your luscious scent here.”

My cheeks flamed like a tree lit up for Christmas.

He chuckled and kissed me softly on the mouth. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Hello?” A sweet melodic voice carried up the stairs. “Luca, are you home?”

Luca swore under his breath, then rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant for you to meet them quite yet.”

“There you are, darling,” said a sweet-faced lady, trudging up the stairs, hands outstretched. Her hair, black as midnight had a white streak in the front bang. And her figure was lithe like a ballerina.

For an eighth of a second I worried that this might be a girlfriend I didn’t know about.

“
Bore da
, Mother.” Luca clasped the offered hands and pecked her on the cheek.

She, in turn, bent him down for a big hug. “I haven’t seen you in months. The least you can do is hug your Mam.” She peered over his shoulder, then poked his back. “And who is this fair lady?”

“I’m Radiance Ashworth.” I stuck out my hand.

Luca’s mother bowled him out of the way and scooped me into a hug. “Welcome to the family. I’m Carys.” She grinned from ear-to-ear. “I’m glad he’s finally settled down and taken a mate.”

I swear I could see thoughts of grandchildren floating over her head. I shook the image away. No babies as long as I was in the service of the Hereafter.

“Mother, please. Give her some space. I suppose you came alone?” he asked with forced cheer.

“Ack, no! Your brothers and sisters came with me.”

Luca’s face paled. “Oh Lord.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh. Witnessing Luca rattled by the presence of his family was amusing, especially after his assurances to me about my own relatives.

His mother playfully swatted him. “Stop your fussing. We’ve all missed you. Come down. I’ve made you lunch since you slept through breakfast.” She padded down the stairs, leaving us both slack-jawed.

I shot Luca a panicked look. I sure as hell hoped the castle had good soundproofing. Judging by the pink flush of his cheeks, I was thinking not.

It turned out that Luca had a wonderful and loving family. Nothing like the backstabbing, step-over-your-granny bunch that I was related to.

They each introduced themselves and seemed genuinely pleased to meet me. While they all appeared human, I’d come to recognize the same cold beauty of the
Alkhari
. They moved and spoke with a fluid grace that humans didn’t possess.