Seduced in Shadow (6 page)

“Uh huh”.

He kept his gaze carefully off her.

Then he snapped the phone shut, grabbed something from another drawer in the chest and walked back toward her. He held out a pair of boxer shorts.

“Your brother will be here in about an hour. The shower’s down the hall on the right. You can put these on after. I don’t figure you want Justin to find you in here.”

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Seduced in Shadow

She took the boxers but grabbed his hand before he could move away. He didn’t meet her gaze. “Your ears…”

Antonin shook his head just once, his hair shifting back and forth, showing only glimpses of his earlobe but nothing else.

“We don’t have ti—”

“Oh yes, I think we do.” She wasn’t about to be put off, not now. “We have at least an hour.”

Still not meeting her eyes, he sighed and shook his head again, but this time she took it as defeat.

“The doe said you were an elf. What did she mean?” The words were out before she could stop herself. Now he would know that she talked to animals.

But he didn’t seem to notice, only lifted his eyes straight up the length of her body.

“Why don’t you take a shower and then we’ll talk downstairs.” His heated gaze remained fixed on her breasts.

Ellie opened her mouth to argue then realized she was still naked under his shirt and when she was naked around this man, she did uncharacteristic things—like jump him. She was going to need a chastity belt without a key if she kept this up. Or if he kept staring at her like he was now.

Jeez, he looked at her as if she was liquor and he was an alcoholic, as if he could see right through the shirt she wore.

She liked that look. It made her weak in the knees and wet between her legs. It also made her feel just a little bit more in control of the situation.

“Fine. I’ll take a shower. But,” she crooked her finger at him, “you come along so we can talk while I do.”

Ellie wanted answers and if she had to resort to dirty pool to get them, she would.

Walking across the bedroom to the door, she let her hips sway just the tiniest bit.

He’d follow.

43

Stephanie Julian

Heart pounding, Antonin watched Ellie walk out of the room, hips swaying in a seductive rhythm. The shirt was long enough to cover the curve of her ass but left bare those enticing legs, so recently wrapped around his waist.

He felt as if he’d just run a marathon—euphoric, lightheaded, winded and tingling from adrenaline overload.

Damn, he wanted her again.

But he shouldn’t have had her the first time. Her brother was going to tear him into little pieces and use him as the crunchy bits on his salad when he found out he’d had sex with Ellie. And her dad… Hell, he didn’t even want to think about that.

Only it hadn’t felt like just sex. They’d shared a connection. Something that had nothing to do with the
bassadone
spell in his genes. Something real.

Antonin wanted to keep her close, wrap her next to him in bed and just hold her.

He’d never felt that way about anyone before. And
that
was frightening.

He shut the door on those thoughts and decided to try his luck behind door number two.

Not surprisingly, Ellie had found the bathroom. The house only had three rooms on this floor—two large bedrooms and one decent-sized bathroom.

When he pushed open the bathroom door, he was greeted by the sight of her fiddling with the handles in the oversized shower stall. The shirt she wore had ridden up so he could see her naked beautiful ass.

His cock twitched and hardened. Ready and willing again.
Damn.

Straightening, Ellie looked over her shoulder at him, her gaze considering. Did she find him lacking in any way? Did she see only the bodyguard who’d saved her this morning? Or did she see the man who couldn’t get enough of her? The man who was pretty sure he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

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Seduced in Shadow

Shit.
He couldn’t have this affecting his judgment. Not now with the
Mal
up to their tricks again and Justin arriving soon.

Grabbing the bottom of the shirt, she lifted it over her head and flung it at him.

Caught off-guard, Antonin failed to catch it before it hit him in the face. Blessed Goddess, it already smelled like her.

The snap of the shower door brought him out of the daze. Ellie stepped into the enclosure made of nearly opaque glass.

Good. That was good.

Unfortunately he could still see her blurry form and that, combined with the sound of the water and the thought of it making her skin slick and warm, made his cock harden. That would only lead to trouble. He closed his eyes.

“So, Antonin, are you really an elf?” she asked in a sugar-sweet, innocent voice.

Whoa!
His eyes popped open and his head reared back as if she’d hit him. He was going to end up with whiplash at this rate. At least now his mind was back in the game.

Did she even know what she was asking? He could swear she hadn’t believed the doe back at the forest.

Antonin countered, “So can you really talk to animals?”

Something hit the shower floor with a bang a second before she popped out from behind the shower door, hiding her body behind the glass. Her gaze was dark and surprised but he saw a little fear there too.

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy? No one can talk to animals.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the closed bathroom door.

“You can and so can I.”

Ellie sucked in her bottom lip and sank her teeth into it, her eyes narrowed. “Why do you think
I
can?” He obviously hadn’t noticed that she’d told him so herself before.

“Because you were talking to the doe at the park. She told you to run. And after you fainted, she told me I’d better take care of you.”

45

Stephanie Julian

Her throat convulsed as she swallowed. Then she retreated back into the shower, not quite slamming the door behind her. Through the glass, he saw her bend to pick up whatever she’d dropped. Then the scent of his shampoo wafted out on the steam.

Damn, she was going to smell like him all day. In his mind, that made her his. He’d never been one to beat his chest and drag a woman back to his lair. Hell, they came to him too easily for that. But this woman brought out his caveman streak.

In his mind, he could see her working the gel through her hair. The blonde strands would be glossy and sleek. The water would make her skin glisten, the liquid beading on the surface. He wanted to lick away every drop.

The men in Ellie’s life were going to want to beat the shit out of him for touching her. But he’d take it.

Justin would eventually understand. The man had just fallen in love himself… Was that what was happening to him? Was he falling in love with Ellie? The answer came through loud and clear.
Hell yeah!

Once Selvans understood that he wasn’t just looking for a good time, that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with… Well, her dad would come around too.

Sooner rather than later, Antonin hoped.

His pants fell to his ankles and he had a condom from the box in the medicine cabinet in his hand before she spoke again.

“You’re avoiding my question,” she said from the stall. “What did the doe mean when she called you an elf?”

Grabbing the shower door, he pulled it open. Ellie’s head shot around to stare at him and her hands, frothy with soap, covered her breasts.

He didn’t answer her question, just let himself take in the sight of her.

The reality was better than anything he could have imagined.

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Seduced in Shadow

Her skin glowed from the heat, rosy and tempting. Water droplets clung like diamonds to her body. Though she had crossed her arms over her chest, it only served to press her breasts up into mounds, barely covering her nipples.

Ellie tried to glare at him but she couldn’t quite make it work. She was breathing just as hard as he was.

Desire, already simmering in his gut, came to a boil. Blood rushed to his cock, making him hard and ready.

She took a step back and then another until her body pressed against the back wall.

The water sprayed down between them, creating a hazy veil. Through it, he watched her eyes widen, though not in fear. His gaze slid to her lips, which parted as she took in a quick breath. Further down, her hands tightened over her breasts, plumping them even more.

His eyes rested there for a moment. Her chest rose and fell, faster and faster. His own breath followed suit.

Setting the condom on the shower shelf, Antonin reached for her through the hot water. The soft skin of her upper arms was warm and pliable as he ran his hands from her shoulders to her elbows. The scent of her arousal rose on the steam, making his gut twist. Needing to be closer, he stepped into the mist, drenching himself.

The water streamed into his hair and down his face. He swiped his hair out of his eyes and away from his face.

When she looked at him, her eyes widened to saucers. Her mouth parted and she lifted one hand away from her breasts to his left ear.

She traced one finger from the lobe up the side to the point that proclaimed his heritage, the only outward sign of who and what he was.

When her finger had circled the entire circumference, she ran it back to the pointy tip—and gave it a sharp tug.

“Hey, that’s attached.”

47

Stephanie Julian

“I don’t… I can’t…” Ellie’s mouth hung open and he could almost see all her brain functions come to a complete stop.

Hell, his ears weren’t that strange. Hadn’t she seen
The Lord of the Rings
trilogy? The films had gotten the shape right but not the angle. With his long hair, most people failed to realize what it hid.

“Did you have them surgically altered?” She took his jaw in one hand and turned his head so she could trace his right ear.

“No, I didn’t.” Her touch sent shivers through his body and a flash of heat straight to his balls.

“You were
born
like this?”

A smile quirked at his lips at her incredulous tone. “And what’s wrong with my ears?”

Her eyes flew to his. He could tell by her stricken expression that she didn’t want to offend him. “Nothing! I mean, they’re just…different. I think—”

Sweet Goddess, she was beautiful. “
I
think,” he moved closer and let his cock brush against the softness of her stomach, “you shouldn’t think anymore.”

He sealed his mouth over hers and kissed her, putting his hands on her hips to lift her off her feet. Her immediate moan was answer enough to let him know she wanted the same thing he did. When she wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her pelvis toward him, he shifted just enough to put the head of his cock between her wet lower lips.

Ellie sucked on his tongue, her fingers twined in his hair as he worked himself into her, inch by excruciating inch. Goddess, she was tight and hot and if he didn’t move soon, he’d come just by being inside her.

“Ellie, condom.” Antonin slowly pulled out of her again.

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Seduced in Shadow

It took a few seconds for her to open her eyes but finally she did. She reached for the little silver package on the shelf and ripped it open with her small white teeth before reaching down for him.

Every second it took for her to roll the condom into place felt like an eternity. One he would gladly spend with her if only—

Ellie moved her hips and his sheathed cock slid into her tight channel, just a few centimeters. Then she moved again and he slid in fully.

The angle of penetration dragged her clit against the base of his cock. Kissing her wildly, he knew she was enjoying it just as much as he was, because she shuddered in his arms, her internal muscles clamping around his shaft, sucking him in. Ellie demanded and Antonin responded, letting her dictate the pace.

The hot water beat across his back as her hands slid over his shoulders, stroking and smoothing. Her hips kept up a steady rhythm, helped along by his hands at her waist. Releasing her mouth, he drew back and looked down between them. Antonin watched his cock emerge from her body then disappear back into her. He was mesmerized by the sight, by the beauty of it, by his possession of her.

He wanted to make her cry out with need for him. He wanted her to beg, to plead, to be completely overwhelmed by him.

Without warning, he pulled out of her body and set her on her feet. Her anguished sob made his blood boil but still it wasn’t enough. He wanted to completely conquer her.

“Turn around, hands on the wall.”

To his profound relief, she didn’t hesitate one second. She turned, her hands slapping against the tile, and he wasted no time stepping between her legs and slipping his cock back into her body with one strong thrust.

Ellie moaned and pushed back against him, the soft skin of her ass like silk against his thighs. Hands on her hips, he controlled her movements as he slowly eased in and 49

Stephanie Julian

out. She tried to make him go faster, to grind herself against him and clench her inner muscles to hold him in, but he wouldn’t let her.

Antonin held her hips still as he drew his cock out and slid it back in, dragging it along her inner walls. Sweat dripped from his forehead to his nose. Dropping his head back on his next thrust, he let the steamy water wash over him then shook his head.

Droplets flew around the enclosure, sprinkling over her back. Ellie moaned as if he’d just spanked her.

The need to fuck her harder and faster, to make her stand here all day and take him nearly made him growl. He wanted to make her come until she couldn’t stand it anymore then he wanted to lay her on the bed and fuck her some more.

He’d never felt like this before.

“Please, please,” she whispered. Her words felt like fingernails teasing down his back. His balls tightened and he slid one hand from her hip to the front of her body, using his middle finger to rub her clit in time with his thrusts.