Passionate Investigations (16 page)

“Do you wish for your old job back?” Grant asked after he
cleared his throat. Rob glanced at the elder wizard, surprised.

“After all the slander, the trial and the fact my name will
still be mud in some sections of society, not to mention the Council itself,
after all that you’d still support my returning to work?” he voiced every word
Miles had thrown at them earlier. Grant studied Zahra’s pale face then looked
back at Rob. Grant nodded.

“She loves you,” he answered simply. “She is all I have
left, and despite what you and others might think I love her dearly. Her
happiness is far more important than our family name, my power or my position
on the Council. I would hate to lose any of those things, but they’re just
trappings of my life. Without her, I
have
no life, no matter what anyone
else believes.”

“I love her,” Rob said, groping for the right words that
would express the unending depth of his feelings for the sassy, petite little
witch.

“It’s obvious,” Grant replied.

“I don’t want to go back there,” Rob said after a moment’s
thought. “I’m with a smaller consultancy now, more Investigations and less
bullshit and politics. I’m happy there, though I needed to clear my name. That
was personal. I’ll discuss it with Zahra, tell her you’ve offered. But for now
I’d prefer to stay where I am. I hope you can understand.”

“I do,” Grant replied. Both wizards fell silent as Gerri
continued to work. Time lost all meaning as Rob stared at Zahra, willing with
all his might for her to open her eyes, to regain consciousness and look at
him. Everything that was within him urged her to come back, pleaded, swore and
craved for her.

Gerri sat back on her heels, but Rob stared at Zahra’s face.
She sniffed, shuffled her body as if searching for a comfortable spot. Finally,
after much flickering of her eyelids, those beautiful, warm blue eyes opened
and gazed unfocused at him.

Rob knelt beside her, took Zahra’s hand in his and held her
as if she were a fragile piece of porcelain. Zahra grunted as she tilted her
head toward him. It took her a moment for her gaze to sharpen, but when she did
the love in her stare warmed him as nothing else possibly could.

“Hey there, sunshine, it’s so good to see you.”

“Hi,” she replied thickly, her voice a harsh rasp.

“We’ll get a stretcher for you,” Gerri insisted as she stood
back. “I’ll go make a few calls. Bedrest for a week, you hear me, young lady?”

Zahra chuckled dryly.

Grant leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“I give the two of you my blessing,” he said huskily. “Zahra
baby, be happy. That’s all I want. Never do this again, but be happy.”

Tears filled Zahra’s eyes as Grant stepped away and followed
Gerri down the hallway. Rob brushed at the wild golden locks, pushing them out
of her face and loving the freedom to just stroke her hair, to feel the warmth
of her skin beneath him.

“You’re going to be just fine,” he promised her. “I’ll sleep
on your couch for a few nights, make sure that you follow the Healer’s orders
for bedrest.”

“If you’re really going to guard me and play dragon surely
you should be
in
bed with me? Making certain I don’t sleepwalk or
something,” she teased him with a weak laugh.

Rob kissed her lips tenderly. The kiss was chaste, but the
fire of their mutual passion burned barely leashed beneath the surface.

“I promise you, when you’re healed and given the all-clear,
I’ll play any game you want, love.”

“Now that sounds like a reason to heal fast,” she murmured.
Rob pressed a kiss to her cheek as she sighed, tiredness clearly overwhelming
her.

“Get some sleep, my love,” he whispered. “I’m here and not
going anywhere. I’ll protect you.”

With a small sigh Zahra closed her eyes. Rob stroked her
curls and watched over her, just as he had promised.

A few days later

Zahra tilted her head up, loving the feel of the sunshine
warm on her face. Drawing in a deep breath, she relished the myriad scents that
came to her. Lavender, rose, thyme and her favorite scent of all—freshly mown
grass. Walking through her father’s garden, her fingers twined around Rob’s,
she led him on a meandering stroll through all her childhood haunts.

“That’s the oak tree I fell out of when I was ten. I was
spying on Tanya and her first boyfriend. They were hidden around there, in that
small group of birches, kissing and I wanted to know what it looked like.”

“I’m sure she was thrilled when she worked that out,” Rob
laughed. Zahra snickered and they moved on. Near the large stone fence they
found a particularly gassy spot surrounded by a few blackberry brambles that
had overtaken their trellis and a huge arch with jasmine winding its way around
the metal. Zahra reached out her hand and snapped off a few of the jasmine blooms,
loving the sweet, heady scent.

“You must be getting cabin fever,” she said with a hungry
look to Rob as she threaded the stalks of the jasmine into her curls. “Stuck
inside with me, day after day.”

“I’m just glad you’re healing so fast.”

“I’m fine,” she chided him. “Gerri gave me a clean bill of
health. I plan to get back to light duties at work tomorrow.”

“We’ve talked about this. Gerry said you needed to take it
easy.”

“And I said light duties,” Zahra stifled a yawn. They sat
down on the grass side by side. Zahra gently pushed Rob down so he lay on his
back and she straddled him.

“Totally changing the topic, I am desperate to feel you
inside me. I don’t want to argue any further, we can do that tomorrow when I
climb into my car and drive off to work. Right now, in this beautiful place
with the sun about to set any minute now, I want to feel you again. I’ve ached
without you.”

For a moment she worried he might argue with her. His hand
traced the still-tender place on the front of her shoulder where the bullet had
exited. While the matching hole in her back was small, the wound to her
shoulder had been larger and taken longer to heal properly. A dark bruise still
marred her skin, but otherwise the worst of the damage was gone now.

Instead, he pulled her head down and kissed her hungrily.
Ravenous for him, Zahra returned the kiss. Her teeth nipped at his lower lip,
suckling him hungrily as they both moaned. She lowered herself so their bellies
pressed against each other, her breasts straining against the soft fabric of
her T-shirt and into his chest.

With swift movements they stripped each other bare, well
concealed from the house. The privacy of this small place had been its main
attraction for her when she’d suggested this little walk. In moments they were
naked, their hands brushing smoothly against soft skin.

“I need you,” she moaned. Her pussy was slick, her desire
rampant. It felt like years since she’d been intimate with him, even though she’d
been healing the last few days. Zahra never wanted to be apart from Rob again,
the separation unbearable for her.

Her fingers circled around the base of his shaft. He was so
thick she couldn’t close her hand, his width larger than she could
circumnavigate. Angling him just so, she lifted up and ran his bulbous tip
around her wet opening.

“Don’t tease,” he pleaded. She chuckled, a low, sensual
sounding laugh.

“You’ve been teasing me for days,” she replied. “Stroking my
hair, kissing my neck where you know I’m extra sensitive. Then last night you
spooned me and I could feel this beautiful beast, hard and hungry, and you
refused to penetrate me.”

Moving down his body, she licked and kissed a wet trail down
the centerline of his chest until she laved her tongue over his slick head.
Lapping at his pre-cum, she sucked his cock for a moment, but then released it
and continued to fondle his balls as she ran her lips hotly all over his hard
shaft.

“You hadn’t got the all-clear from Gerri,” he whimpered,
clearly struggling for control of himself. “Shot. So hurt. Worried for you.”

Loving the fact she could reduce him to barely coherent,
scattered words, Zahra continued to suckle him like her favorite Popsicle. Rob’s
hips jerked up, thrusting his cock deeper into her mouth. Teasing him and
drawing out the moment, she lightly scratched her blunt nails along the
ultra-sensitive skin of his scrotum.

Panting with her own need now, Zahra tried to keep herself
in check. Rob’s gaze caught hers and her pussy flooded with need. She couldn’t
possibly wait a moment later.

Lifting herself up, she straddled him once again.

“I won’t ever leave you,” she swore, lost in the electric-green
intensity of his eyes. He mouthed, “
I love you
,” the words still fresh
and new between them both. Desire shuddered through her and she thrust herself
down on his hard prick. Filled, pierced with his flesh, she lifted and dropped
on him, riding him hard.

Rob’s hands came up to cup her breasts. He toyed with her
nipples with wicked skill, heightening her arousal as they came together in a
hot, sweaty union that branded her as much as his sexy words. Over and over
they rocked together, the sounds of the birds, the rustle of the wind and the
scent of the flowers and grass surrounding them.

Everything felt absolutely perfect in her world. Nature
encompassed them both as they showed their love for one another in the most
elemental, passionate manner possible. Zahra threw her head back as her body
shuddered. Release washed over her and she screamed as the climax hit her hard.

Electricity shot through her body, her power rushing out of
her and into Rob. His cock jerked, seed shooting hotly out of him as he emptied
not only his cum into her body, but also as his magic ran into her as well.
They came in an avalanche of passion, each of them shouting as they clung
together, bodies warm and sweaty. Panting hard, Zahra strung little kisses down
Rob’s neck and across his collarbone.

They lay there together as the sky changed from a warm,
sunny blue to a richer twilight color. The sun ducked low beyond the horizon
and slowly tiny stars twinkled as the sky darkened. A cool breeze picked up and
Zahra shivered, reluctantly admitting she needed to move and put some of her
clothes back on.

“Do you believe me now?” she asked impishly. Rob looked
blankly at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I couldn’t have done that if I was as fragile as you
believed,” she said, feeling smugly proud of herself.

Rob kissed her hard. They broke apart and began to dress
themselves as he spoke.

“I came too close to losing you. I don’t ever want to feel
that way again, knowing you’re so close to leaving me. I’m allowed to be
protective until I know you’re fine.”

She smiled and stepped into her lacy panties, not needing to
say anything further. They’d discussed this a few times. Now, she hoped, they could
put it behind them. When they were dressed they held hands once again and
continued their walk through the gathering darkness, the garden taking on a
whole new look in the early twilight.

“I love you,” Rob said, his gaze hot as it met hers. Zahra’s
heart melted, full of love and secure in the knowledge they’d spend the rest of
their lives saying those words over and over to each other. She squeezed his
hand gently.

“I know,” she replied. “I love you, too. Always.”

“Always and forever,” he swore. With a happy sigh Zahra
continued to lead Rob around the expansive gardens, wanting to share it all
with him.

Rob walked beside her, each of their steps in time with the
other. She knew they would remain by each other’s side for the rest of their
lives.

Together.

Elizabeth Lapthorne has been writing professionally since
2002. She has been astonished by the success of her Rutledge Werewolf series,
and finds immense pleasure in hearing from her fans. To date she has more than
ten books out, a few of those even in paperback.

Elizabeth regularly goes to the gym to chew over her ideas;
many a book has begun or been worked through while cycling on the bikes. She
also loves to read, eat chocolate and talk for hours with her friends.
Elizabeth would love to hear from her fans, and checks her email religiously.

Liz welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website
and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Passionate Investigations

ISBN 9781419993497

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Passionate Investigations Copyright © 2015 Elizabeth Lapthorne

Edited by Rebecca Hill

Cover design by Allyse Leodra

Cover photography by Shutterstock

Electronic book publication July 2015

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