Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (10 page)

He smiled against her lips before deepening the kiss once more. His tongue swept into her mouth, daring her to give as much as she got. His spicy male scent and unique minty flavor had her dragon pushing for more. It wanted its mate—now.

“I’m not going anywhere, but I have to get that damned T-shirt off.”
His left hand cupped her backside, pulling her against his hard length. The deep, velvety caress of his voice in her mind had moist heat pooling down low. When he pulled back again, she reluctantly allowed the separation. Sensual energy pulsed between them as he waited for her to make the next move.

Joined or not, he was hers, and she would not be ashamed of wanting him as she did. Taking two steps back, she drew a shaky breath before bringing her hands to the hem of the shirt and lifting it up over her head.

His gaze drifted down her body, lingering on every single curve, making her skin tingle. “Goddess above, you’re stunning.” When he looked at her again, his eyes were molten, the pupils so large the color almost disappeared. His breath came in short gasps, and a soft, possessive sound vibrated in his chest.

Warmth rose up her neck and into her cheeks. She had never allowed a man to look at her the way he was. The intensity in the depth of his eyes made her heart race so hard she thought he might hear its pounding. “Your turn,” she whispered as she looked at him through her lashes.

She wouldn’t turn away. It might be the only time she had with him, and she would take every sensation, every touch and every memory with her. The flexing muscles in his chest kept her mesmerised. If a man could be beautiful,
he
was. Each defined, rippling muscle called her attention, making her want to trace them all with her tongue.

She could not tell how long she’d been staring, but he waited for her eyes to come up to meet his again before bringing his hands to the fastening of his pants. He was large. The evidence had pressed against her moments before, but now, she wanted to see him.

If Brienne kept looking at him as if she was about to devour him, he would never last. Her small tongue darted out of her mouth to moisten her soft lips, and he had to fight to keep from taking her like a savage.

The pull between mates was strong, but this was bordering on insanity. If he didn’t have her soon, he wouldn’t be responsible for what happened. The quick glimpse he had had of her in the hot pool was nothing compared to seeing her standing before him, shy, yet unashamed. Her body shivered with awareness, a light pink hue tinted her skin, but she kept her arms at her sides, allowing him to see all of her without restriction, a gift from one mate to the other.

He memorised each curve, the swell of her breasts, the tight rosy nipples begging him to suckle to his heart’s content. Her long, shapely legs, perfect for wrapping around his waist while he drove into her, had his cock jerking hard.

It took a moment for him to realise she had spoken, and for the life of him he couldn’t remember what she had said. When she took her bottom lip between her teeth and looked at him expectantly, he could only smile. Whatever it was she had asked for, he was certain it required fewer clothes.

Her chest rose and fell with each quick breath she took, drawing his gaze to her breasts. When he reached for the fastening at his waistband, her gaze shot down as she waited for him to reveal her prize. She swallowed and moistened her lips again. This time, he could not stop the groan from slipping out. The things he wanted to do with those luscious lips.

He lowered the zipper then hooked his thumbs in the waistband on both sides before pulling them down. His cock sprung free, heavy and aching. She didn’t try to hide her interest or pretend she wasn’t looking. Standing tall, she took every inch of him in, mouth slightly parted before finally bringing her gaze back to his.

Evan closed the gap between them. Her eyes grew wide, but she didn’t back away.

“May I?” Her silky voice, now husky, washed over him, sending darts of pleasure through his entire body.

Her cool fingers trembled where they touched his waist. “Do with me as you will.”

Allowing her to take the lead was difficult, but he wouldn’t rush her. She leaned forward, nuzzling his neck, surprising him with the tentative touch. She hesitated at the base, growling softly before licking from collarbone to jaw. That, more than anything, had him struggling against the urge to take her like a beast on the cavern floor as the phoenix urged him to do. Scenting him and tasting him was more intimate than even kissing for the dragon, and he would bet that she wasn’t even aware she had done it. Evan held himself very still, his breath caught in his lungs. With what it wanted so close, it took everything in him to keep the phoenix leashed.

Her small teeth scraped back and forth, nipping here and there, as she brought her mouth back to his neck to rest over his pulse. Goddess help him, she was going to drive him insane, but he would be damned if he let her do it when he knew the claim was fuelled by passion and not the true desire to claim her mate. Wrong as it may be, he wanted it with every fiber of his being. Yearned for it, but she would regret it. She would end up resenting him, and he would be damned if he’d give her any more reason to dislike him.

With his hands at the nape of her neck, he urged her to look up at him. The flames burning in her eyes told him how close to the surface her dragon was. If he didn’t do something, she would mark him.

He crushed her mouth beneath his in a harsh, punishing kiss, making them both moan. Her delicate hands caressed every inch of his chest and waist, only hesitating when she would have gone lower.

“Touch me, Brienne.”
She brought her mouth down to his chest, feathering his skin with nips and kisses. It was all he could do to divert her attention when she came near his neck again. He wanted her bite so much it hurt, but he wasn’t that much of a bastard.

The first tentative touch of her fingers on his shaft had jolts of electricity flashing through him, nearly buckling his knees. The urge to take charge beat at him. Had she been sure of herself, more aggressive in the taking, he would have pushed harder, faster, but the softness of her touch had him holding back.

She didn’t grasp him, didn’t come closer, but simply slid her fingertips from the head of his cock to the base, making it throb and ache for more. Tipping her head lower, Brienne watched her own exploration. He had never seen anything so sexy. His moan had her eyes flitting to his and a deep scarlet staining her already flushed cheeks.

“Don’t you like that?” She hesitated for a moment, searching the depths of his eyes for some indication, and then finding what she had been looking for, she rubbed the tip with one finger before sliding down to the base again.

Her long hair, now clean and smelling of his shampoo, cascaded down her back in glorious loose curls. No longer able to resist the temptation, he buried his fingers in the silky softness, pulling her closer. “I do, very much.”

Her lips, swollen from his kisses, begged for more. Even his wildest dreams hadn’t prepared him for the sight before him. Her soft curves had him full and throbbing even though he had yet to really touch her. “You’re so beautiful.”

Her soft gasp sounded loud in the cave. She wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she dipped her head again to look at her now stilled fingers. Didn’t she know how exquisite she was? Everything about her was perfect. He wanted nothing more than to touch and explore every inch of her.

“You don’t have to say those things to me. I know this isn’t permanent.” Always so sure, so in control, the soft uncertainty in her voice was nearly his undoing.

Closing his eyes, Evan fought to reclaim his threadbare control. “Damn.” His whispered profanity had her shoulders tensing tight.

“No, really, it’s all right.” She hadn’t stepped back, but her hands dropped away before she lifted her gaze.

Hanging his head, he fought the urge to curse again. “No, it’s not.” He wanted more for her—for them—than a romp in a dirty cave, but he wouldn’t give her false hope. If it turned out she was the traitor, they would never be together. As much as it killed him, until he knew more about her mission, he had to keep his distance, and that meant leaving her body the hell alone.

He grabbed her clothes from the neat pile on the ground, and without saying a word, handed them back to her. There was no way he could watch her walk around the cave in nothing but his shirt and not see her removing it as she had. It was too dangerous. The only sane thing to do was to let her put her clothes back on and forget what had almost happened.

Head held high, she took the dirty garments and turned away, but not before he saw the bright sheen in her eyes. Yeah, he’d hurt her.
Damn it.
Maybe he was more of a bastard than he thought.

“What do you mean you’re not going back to Avalore?” Brienne clenched her fists. Leaning against a tree as though he hadn’t just told her he was sticking around, Evan gave her a blank stare. After what had happened between them the night before, she was anxious to part ways, more than anxious. She thought he was too.

The uncomfortable silence in the cave had gotten so unbearable she had braved the tunnels and retreated to the cold outside, not coming back in until the chill had numbed her to the bone. When she finally had returned, he had lain on the bedroll, his breaths long and deep, feigning sleep. No sooner had she stretched out next to him that heat had poured off his body, warming her. Stifling a groan, she had rolled onto her side and willed sleep to come. If he didn’t want to talk, then who was she to try to change his mind?

They had travelled most of the day to get to the dark border, and now after barely speaking in all that time, he dared to make his announcement? What was he thinking?

“I mean, I’m staying. We’re both trying to locate the scymin. Perhaps we will have better luck finding it if we work together. Besides, that way I can make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.” He didn’t have to add that he thought hers were the wrong hands. The cold, cutting glare said it all.

“And you couldn’t have said something earlier? Before we travelled all the way to the border?” She wanted to stomp her feet and throw something, preferably at his head, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “I can’t play babysitter in the Dark Lands.”

He straightened and came to stand before her. “You have no clue, little spitfire, just how powerful I am. If anyone is going to be babysitting anybody, it won’t be you.”

The coldness in his voice made her cringe. How could she have ever thought she could be intimate with such an insufferable man, much less join with and have to spend the rest of her days with him? She stared into the pre-dawn light illuminating the horizon. A couple more miles, and she could be on Avalorian soil again. She could almost feel the sun warming her face, and her spirit soaking in the energy. Sighing, she shook her head. She couldn’t go back, not now, and maybe not ever.

“Do what you will. I don’t have time to stand here and argue with you.” There was little she could do if he decided to follow her, and she wasn’t about to waste another second debating the issue when he no doubt would do as he pleased. Not bothering to look in Evan’s direction, she turned on her heels, and headed back toward the treeline.

Determined to ignore his presence, yet very aware of him behind her, she kept walking. Her feet hurt and her back was sore, but she wouldn’t complain, and she wouldn’t stop. The last thing she needed was to have him try to strike up another awkward conversation to break the silence.

Day, such as it was in the Dark Lands, had long gone. Night creatures scurried around them. Sometimes, whatever was out there kept pace with them, making her heart race and fear catch her in its wicked grip. Her lungs burned with the effort to regulate her breathing until the creature wandered off again. There was no way in hell she was stopping and waiting for something to attack. No, she would keep moving until they reached the camp.

Fighting the urge to swat at the insects swarming around her, guilt niggled at her. She really should warn Evan about the bugs. If you left them alone, chances were you would get few stings, if any. But agitate them and you were sure to get more than you bargained for.

As if on cue, she heard a smack of skin against skin, then a soft, muttered curse. Biting her lip to keep her snicker from emerging, she glanced over her shoulder at him. Okay, she was just being mean. Hundreds of flying insects circled around him.
“Don’t swat at them, you’ll be stung.”

“It can’t be any worse. They’re taking chunks and flying off with them. At least this way the ones I get won’t be back for more.”

Shaking her head, she turned toward him and put her hand out to stop him when he would have swatted at them again.
“Stop that. The stings aren’t lethal, and they may not feel like much now, but they’ll be horrendous come morning. Trust me.”
She grabbed his wrist mid-air when he would have slapped yet again.

“Tell me again why we can’t use our energies to get to the camp? Crossing the Dark Lands on foot is ludicrous, not to mention dangerous.”
He tapped against the stone she had insisted he wear around his neck.
“Suppressing our energies isn’t natural. What if we’re attacked?”

“We’re wearing the gridom stone so that we can go undetected. We can’t go to the base camp using our energies without drawing unwanted attention. It would be suicide for us and every one of my packmates.”
For such a smart man, he asked the same questions a lot.