The Ravaged Fairy (6 page)

They stumbled through that opening which
revealed the beauty that made Inis Mór so unique. The house sat on a large plot
of land with fields all around it. Rock walls littered the green landscape
along with a few horses. The beach was visible along with a vast amount of the Irish
Sea and the distant shore of Ireland. All of it was observed with Breena’s soft
hands on him. Thame inhaled so deeply, he coughed for several seconds. When he
caught his breath, she stared at him with her brows knit in concern. “I’m well.”
he ensured.

A long awning that kept the sun off his
entire body covered the swing beside the door. He landed with a soft thump on
the yellow cushions and shifted so his face was close to hers. Her hands still
touched him, one at his back and one at his chest. Their breaths mingled in the
fresh air. Her chest began to rise and fall quicker as their eyes locked. She
seemed to lose that fiery strike, replaced with a look of unfound passion and
innocence.

It was a moment in time he wanted to
freeze, to remember and replay every second for the rest of his life. He leaned
forward, his hand slowly stretching to her thigh but never landing. It hovered,
his hand and his lips just over hers. Her gray eyes had become even wider and
those pink lips parted. Thame wanted to devour her.

He shifted his aim and his lips pressed
softly against her cheek. She gasped slightly, swallowed hard and her eyes
shifted closed. He kissed the soft skin of her jaw and dragged his lips ever so
slowly to her neck. That neck was a fantasy in itself. The pale skin taunt as
she stretched her chin high to give him access. Did she even know what she was
inviting him to do? He swiped his tongue at her pulse. It thumped wildly
beneath the thin layer of skin and she jerked in surprise. Her eyes were once
against watching him.

“You taste like sunshine,” he whispered.

Breena cheeks colored, a grin lighting
her face. “How can someone taste like sunshine?”

 There was a slight roll of her eyes but
the grin turned to a full smile. She liked the compliment, well then; he
planned to flatter her even more. Anything to bring out that smile. “If your neck
tastes like sunshine I wonder what the rest of you tastes like...” his voice
dipped low and his lips found their way to her ear lobe. He sucked the bare
skin into his mouth and his hand landed on her thigh. When he pulled away, her
eyes were once against closed, like she was absorbing every feeling, every
movement with intensity.

 He shifted to relieve some of the
painful pressure and returned to her neck. He wanted to kiss her, but he wanted
to linger on her throat, on her delicate pulse and watching her face was worth
the wait. She fisted her hands against his skin and her breaths were deep,
uneven jerks. He watched her, memorized her until her lids opened. Thame moved
his lips above hers, parting them so their breaths were one and then his tongue
swiped across her lower lip. She looked startled with her eyes wide, her
breathing erratic and her rose cheeks. A slow fire began to burn in her eyes. Breena
boldly tried it on him.

Her tongue was a sweet treat, a promise
of things to come as she swiped it across his closed lips. She grinned
afterward, her cheeks a gorgeous pink. Thame leaned forward. He couldn’t wait
another moment to press his lips to hers.

“Iníon?”

Breena jerked from his grasp, she shot to
her feet. “Yeah, outside.” Her breath was erratic, and she grabbed a woven
basket just as Gran appeared in the doorway.

Thame was furious, he was so blasted
close to kissing Breena and she had interrupted. He sent her a scowl as she
glanced his way.

“You’re outside?”

Breena nodded and answered for him. “I
figured some sun would help.”

The older woman’s frown deepened. “Make
sure you pick the herbs. We need them for the market tomorrow.”

“I will,” she mumbled.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.” Then
Gran’s voice lowered, “Remember about the wandering.”

Breena ground her teeth. From his
position on the seat, he could see her fists clench and knuckles turn white. “Yes,
Gran. See you soon.” She didn’t say anything else, even when they were finally,
blissfully alone. She took the basket with her and went into the garden that
rested left of the house. She wouldn’t even make eye contact and that made his
frustration hike to new levels.

Thame settled back against the cushions,
winced and leaned forward. His ankle throbbed but at this position, his back
was not pressing against anything and he had a scrumptious view of Breena’s ass.
She bent to pick these green sprouts and his hands twitched. He’d never made
love in a garden before but now it was on his to-do list with Breena. In fact, he
had only been intimate with a few women over his lifetime and all were fellow
fairies that withered away into death as the years passed. He cared not to
think on how long it had been since his cock had felt the warmth of a woman’s touch.
Thame instead focused on the view.

****

Breena’s heart might explode from her
chest. She couldn’t get it to calm or her breath to settle or those damn little
tremors that racked her body to stop. He had made her blind with lust. She
nearly balled when Gran interrupted and the desire turned to shame.

It didn’t matter if she barely knew the
man. She wanted to kiss him with such delicious need. She couldn’t even hum as
she plopped herbs into her basket. The floral fragrance of lavender drifted
through the air, and she bit her lip before glancing back. Thame was still
sitting there, but his eyes were closed and his chin tilted upward toward the
sun.

He looked magnificent in the sunshine;
the rays glinted off his hair to give it a shimmering effect that made her body
squirm. That chest, dear Lord, when her bare hands touched him she’d had to
bite back a moan. His skin was so hard and packed tightly with muscle. During the
whole trip to her bedroom, she thought about what lay under those jeans and the
pants themselves were inhibition-melting. They slung low and he must have
removed his loincloth because she couldn’t see it, and she’d done a long check.

There was blonde hair that led from his
belly button to the top of those jeans and Breena nearly collapsed at the site.
Well, it was either collapse in a lust-crazed heap or jump the man. Neither
should appeal to any self-respecting woman, but damn the man could talk a demon
out of its powers with those lips. She hid the smile. He hadn’t even kissed her
and her mind was on a rampage about how skilled he’d be at that particular
adventure.

It took nearly an hour for her basket to
fill and the lines of crop to finally end. Breena turned toward Thame. He was
still there. His eyes roamed the shore and the swing gently rocked. She glanced
over her shoulder as she stood and the dark clouds caught her attention.

There was a big gathering of gray that
headed right for them. She made her way back to him. His eyes followed her entire
trail. She knew because her stomach began to flutter and her feet stumbled
along rocks that she failed to notice on the way there. Her tongue swiped at
her parched lips before she stood before him. “The rain’s coming.” As she said
the words, the distant rumbled of thunder echoed through the quiet field.

He nodded. “I still don’t want to go in.”

Neither did she. Breena set the basket
inside the door and sat next to him, careful not to jar his body. He seemed to
have found a comfortable spot on an angle so he somewhat faced her. She glanced
at the private beach that she rarely had time to enjoy. The waves slammed
against the brown sand, washing away layers with each pull. “What do you do
over in Ireland?” She didn’t know nearly enough about him and she really wanted
to.

He hesitated and glanced at the waves
before speaking. “Something like a body guard.”

So, that’s why he could pass for Hercules’
twin. “Who did that to your back?” She had to ask. Not knowing the answer to
such a major question drove her mad.

He took a deep breath just as thunder lit
up the sky. “Those who intended to hurt the ones I’m trying to protect. When
does the next ship come?”

“The ferry?”

He nodded, and she felt a ping of panic.
Would he be leaving that soon? He was out of bed, obvious feeling better. “Four
days, I think.”

“I do have to go back. I must protect
them...but...I would like to return and possibly see you again.”

Was it pathetic that her heart swelled
and her stomach fluttered? “Oh.” She smiled. “I would like that.” Their eyes
locked once more and only the loud roar of thunder broke the connection. A slow
patter of rain began to fall. It was a mist, covering the fields and distant
shore in a foggy film then the gentle taps of water sounded on the awning above
their heads. “Have you always wanted to be a bodyguard?” Inwardly she cringed. Who
wanted to be a bodyguard?

He seemed to think on the question. His
brows furrowed and his lips pressed together. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever
been good at.” His eyes drifted to the waves then back to her. “Have you ever
thought of leaving here?”

Was that an invitation? Breena swallowed
hard and tried not to read too much into the question. “Gran’s here, I’ve lived
here me whole life.” There was a slight pause and then she added, “I’d love to travel,
see the world, but I can’t leave Gran here alone. I wouldn’t want to; she’s my
only family. Still, one day I want to touch the pyramids, explore America and
walk every road in Ireland.”

 He appeared to relax at her words. “You
sound passionate about it, Breena.”

What a word choice. She looked away, back
at the rain that fell just a little harder and the waves that reached just a
little further inland.

“Why were you named that?” Thame asked.

She hated answering that with the crazy
truth. His hand stretched over and their palms pressed together, their fingers
twining. The move was seductive. “My parents were...” Would insane sound that
bad aloud? “They believed in all that folk lore stuff just like Gran. You know
trolls, mermaids, boogeymen and such.”

 His eyebrow rose. “and you do not?”

She rolled her eyes the moment he said it.
“They’re just fairytales. Mostly.” She added. “My mom disappeared for a while.
No one knew where she was, but when she returned, she was pregnant with me.
Gran was furious. She was young and had her whole life ahead of her, but now she
had to take care of a child.” She lifted her chin and tried to push away each
pitiful sound. She always sounded like a lost child when she told the sad short
history with her mother.

Breena shook her head; Gran had told her
the story so many times, she knew every word. “Me mother said she was in some
fairy palace. She spent the last week hiding in an underground kingdom with
sunflowers so big you could sit on them and men with delicate wings on their
backs. She described everything so perfectly and when I was born, she named me
Breena that means fairy palace in Irish, which you already knew.” She frowned.
“My mother took off as soon as she was strong enough to stand and Gran took
care of me. We always knew she made it up and really ran off with whatever man
she ‘loved’ that week.” Her pity turned to anger as the story progressed. “I
hated her for so long and then a few years ago, she showed up.” His hand
squeezed her tighter. “More talk about fairies and love and evil creatures
trying to kill them, but she took off a few days later. She was shaking and
paranoid, probably drugs but no ancient evil creature from some damn story ever
appeared. It was rubbish.” Thame was quiet and she glanced over to see him
completely focused on her. “There’s no chance I’d believe in those crazy
stories.”

“What’s your mother’s name?”

Did it matter? “Grace.” She reluctantly
shared the name. “I tried to find her once, and it was a waste of a year.”

Thame rolled the word around in his head.
He lost eye contact and drifted to the waves that now beat into the sandy shore.
“I don’t know anyone with that name.”

“Why would you? Ireland is a big place.” Well
that was a depressing tale. “Tell me something about you. I need a mood changer.”
She needed a stiff drink and her vibrator.

Breena sat back and listened as Thame
spoke. He mentioned his big family, mainly men, and he painted a wonderful
picture of his house back home. Grudgingly and from her insistence, he added a
few funny stories from his childhood.

Memories of her mother were replaced by
her laughter as he shook his head at his boyhood antics. He had been as clumsy
as she but foolishly tried to always prove his worth. Breena found herself
laughing with the hard clatter of rainfall and her cheeks were beginning to
hurt.. He snorted and glanced out at the landscape. Why didn’t he smile? Her
mirth died as the thought surfaced. She couldn’t remember a single smile, and
she wanted to see those lips lift. Would his features light up? Would he have
one of those devilish grins?

“Thame?”

“Yes?” Thunder sounded above them, the
rain began to fall in fat drops.

“Why don’t you ever smile?”

His head tilted slightly as if the
question startled him. “I smile.”

“You haven’t since I met you.” He leaned
closer. It irked her.