BodyGuard (Butterscotch Martini Shots Book 2) Read online

  Nor did she need the distraction of her raging lust, but that wasn’t something she could just turn off. Kage did a good job of sidestepping it, though she suspected that was because he bore the burden of making sure she was up to speed on demon politics and warfare. She might be the slayer, but his job was infinitely more difficult since Taelyn couldn’t remember everything he needed her to in order to be as effective—and as lethal—as possible.

  They entered the campsites and met more people. Some taking up their own vigil, not confident about heading home for fear of what might await them there. And with their families all gathered in the woods here, they figured they were safest in the rural community while newscasts highlighted tragedies in urban areas. Many of the campers were armed and they’d designated themselves the responsible party for keeping an eye on the perimeter of the grounds.

  The sites were fairly isolated and appeared safe for the time being. Taelyn was relieved the men were willing to protect and serve, despite not knowing the true extent of the threat at hand. The reporters used the word “terrorists” to describe the attackers—not “demons.”

  Taelyn and Kage did not encounter the werewolves while on their patrol, so that when they returned to the cabin several hours later, she was restless and edgy.

  She unfastened the belt holding her sword and set the weapon on the dining table. Went straight for a glass of wine, saying, “Those shifters are out there. People have seen them. And I can…feel…them. I swear it. Deep in my bones. Like we’re being watched.”

  “We are.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Remember that they’re predators,” he said. “They strike when it’s optimal timing, not arbitrarily. Very few know what’s really going on behind the scenes—what Davian is plotting. We have to keep some semblance of peace and order and not freak out the masses. Which means eyes and ears open…and try to maintain a casual demeanor.”

  “Easier said than done.” She was incredibly tense.

  Admittedly, she didn’t want an outright confrontation with the wolves. She could live the rest of her lifetime never experiencing one of their attacks again—or seeing Kage rip their throats out.

  On the other hand, waiting for them to make a move… Christ. That was downright nerve-wracking.

  She sipped her Sangiovese as Kage stoked the fire. Then Taelyn boiled water over the flames, conserving the propane hooked up to the stove, and cleaned up. She changed into a long, cream-colored nightgown and matching robe. Returned to the kitchen for a refill and joined Kage once more in the living room. He was pacing and absently twirling the ring on his finger.

  “You’re as agitated as I am,” she said. “We both know something’s about to happen but don’t know when or where. So it’s impossible to be fully proactive right now, even though it’s what we’re dying to do.”

  “Yes.” He stopped the twirling of his ring and raked his hand through his thick, lush hair. Making it even more haphazardly tousled. Damn sexy.

  Hell, everything about the man was damn sexy.

  Taelyn set her glass on an end table and stepped into his pathway to keep him from pacing further.

  He stared down at her, a brow crooked.

  Taelyn pulled in a long breath. Let it out slowly.

  The adrenaline was still pumping from the preparation for the potential confrontation with the wolves mixed with the lack of release of that adrenaline because no battle had ensued. Additionally, the knowledge that the shifters were out there, doing their own patrol of the area and contemplating their best strategy for advancement on the humans had her brimming with the need for an outlet for her pent-up energy.

  Add to that the sexual tension that never diminished between her and Kage, and it was Taelyn who required some pacing.

  She said, “I’m walking a very fine line of being irritated the wolves didn’t make a move on us tonight and relieved we didn’t have to fight them.”

  “It’s only a matter of time, love. Their attack will coincide with the demon’s—the one Davian has sent for you.”

  “How will we know when?”

  “We won’t. That’s why you’re always to be prepared for anything. And why I stick close to you.” Kage placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’re worried for everyone else and that’s good. It’s characteristic of you. So, too, is your anxiety and impatience. You don’t like the waiting game.”

  “Makes me feel like a sitting duck.”

  “But you’re not. You’ll be ready when the time comes. Meanwhile…” His brow furrowed and his forehead crinkled as something occurred to him.

  “Please don’t ask me to train more this evening,” she implored. “I will invariably break everything in this cabin in a fit of rage and tension.”

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “I know that feeling well.”

  He continued gazing at her, his expression indiscernible as he mentally debated this or that. His body was rigid, his muscles flexed. He wore a tank top that outlined the grooves of his abs and the swell of his pecs. Showed off his bulging biceps.

  His hands on her shoulders were strong, yet he held her gently. Conveying power but also the distinct knowledge that she was delicate, even if she was a slayer. At the heart of the matter, she was still a woman. And he clearly saw through the tough-girl persona she projected when wielding a weapon to her more feminine side.

  And the way he looked at her… Desire rimmed his shimmering green irises and need etched his devilishly handsome face. Taelyn sensed the restraint he employed as it warred with his attraction to her. The former apparently not quite competing with their sexual chemistry, because his head lowered and his mouth hovered but a breath above hers as she tilted her chin upward.

  “It’s not only the sword I’ve wanted to reunite you with,” he told her in his intimate, soul-stirring tone.

  His hand shifted, his fingertips skimming along her throat, up to her jaw and across her cheek. He swept back plump curls at her temple, his fingers threading through her hair.

  “This is the part I don’t understand.” Which sounded bizarre even to her own ears, because that meant she was acknowledging the paranormal elements of this insane new world she lived in, yet couldn’t figure out the underlying romantic aspect. “You and I—”

  “Have belonged to each other for a very long time.”

  Her body bent like a reed in the wind toward him at his seductive words. Her breasts nestled below his pectoral ledge as she melded to him. “Explain that to me.”

  “I’d rather show you. Let you feel it for yourself.”

  Excitement flashed through her. Kage’s headed dipped that last inch or so and his lips brushed over hers, then teasingly tangled and taunted. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she let him ignite her passion, command her desire.

  His other hand slid down to her waist, then around to her ass. He cupped a cheek and gave an insistent squeeze that sent a jolt of exhilaration through her. Her fingertips curled into his biceps to hold her steady as his tongue flirted with hers and he nipped lightly at the corners of her mouth.

  Until she was breathless and burning for more.

  He knew the precise moment when she was desperate for his dark, sizzling kiss. His tongue delved deep and his semi-embrace tightened so that she was pressed firmly to him, feeling every inch of his solid, rippled sinew.

  Kage kissed her in a way she’d never been kissed before. At least not that she was aware of… A hot, erotic, fervent kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. To the depths of her soul. She went up in flames, incinerating from the inside out. She literally clung to him as he unleashed his own pent-up passion and she absorbed every ounce of it. Got lost in his kiss and the scent and feel of him.

  The electricity that arced between them made her blood sing in her veins and her pussy throb with an incessant need for him.

  A moan lodged in her throat. Her legs trembled and her pulse echoed in her ears.

  His kiss went on and on. Taelyn vaguely wondered if there’d be
anything left of her when he was done.

  The man clearly wanted to make a point. In doing so, he possessed her, branded her…and had her so, so close to coming.

  As though he sensed she teetered on the precipice, he dragged his mouth away. She whimpered in protest, but then his warm lips and breath were on her neck, skating downward. She buried a hand in his silky strands while the other remained locked on his arm so she didn’t melt at his feet.

  His hand covered her breast, caressing with a hint of pressure that kept her heart thundering. He dropped feathery kisses along her collarbone. With his thumb, he whisked away the lacy cup of her bodice and his tongue flitted over her pebbled nipple.

  Taelyn gasped as a tremor shot through her. He teased her nipple tighter and then his lips closed around the taut peak and he sucked. Deep.

  “Oh, God…”

  As he continued to suckle the sensitive bud, his hand glided downward and he gathered the material of her nightgown at her hip, hitching it up. He wedged his hand between their bodies at the apex of her legs and stroked her through her lace thong.

  “You’re already wet for me,” he murmured against her breast.

  His fingers slipped behind the scant triangle covering her and a small cry fell from her parted lips at the skin-on-skin contact. He massaged her slick folds, making her even wetter.

  His hands and mouth on her had need and anticipation mounting. God, how she wanted him. But couldn’t get the words out. She was too enrapt by the searing sensations coursing through her and the way he oh so slowly ratcheted the tension. The pads of two fingers rubbed her clit. The fingertips of his other hand grazed her cleft, stroking back and forth. He kissed his way up to her neck and nipped at a particularly delicate spot below her earlobe just as two fingers penetrated her pussy from behind.

  “Kage,” she said on a choppy breath.

  He stroked her inner walls and the swollen knot of nerves. Bit lightly at that erogenous zone on her throat.

  Taelyn held fast to the overwhelming emotions, letting them consume her until the climax tore through her and she called out his name.

  The blaze swept through her body. Made her tremble in his arms. Intensified her need for him.

  He withdrew from her and sank to his knees. His hands glided up her bare legs to her hips. He hooked his fingers in the lacy strands of her thong and dragged her panties down her thighs, letting them drop to the hardwood floor. Then his warm lips skimmed over her tingling skin, languidly moving upward. He nipped at her inner thigh and she gasped.

  He raised his head and his tongue lightly whisked over her dewy folds, sending a shockwave down her spine.

  A small whimper escaped her as he repeated the gesture several times. Her fingers threaded through his hair once more, as her other hand gripped his shoulder to brace herself.

  He spread her quivering flesh and homed in on her clit with an insistent fluttering of his tongue that turned her whimpers into throaty moans.

  When he suckled the sensitive pearl, she cried out.

  A sharp breath hissed between his teeth, the puff of air sending more wicked zings against her clit.

  Kage eased two fingers inside her and massaged with an intimate, knowing touch as he continued licking and suckling. Tauntingly and yet with a sense of urgency and the underlying need he had to make her come again.

  Tiny vibrations worked up her legs. Her head fell back on her shoulders. Heat from the roaring fire and the sizzling sensations he sparked within her would have Taelyn once again cresting that beautiful pinnacle in no time flat. He masterfully teased and pleasured her, until the firestorm consumed her and erupted.

  “Kage!” The orgasm stole her breath and little golden orbs of light flashed behind her closed eyelids. Magma rushed through her veins and she flushed from head to toe.

  The exhilaration incited a carnal craving she was desperate to sate.

  He stood, deftly divested her of the nightgown and pulled her into his steady embrace. Her arms encircled his neck and her face was buried in the crook of his shoulder as she fought for a full breath, with no luck. She was brimming with desire, her insides lit and thrumming radiantly.

  Kage held her as she savored every second of the sensational release. Then he unraveled one of her arms and his hand covered hers as he led it downward, under the hem of his tank top.

  “Touch me,” he murmured as he guided her palm over the grooves of his abs. The quiet command was tinged with a dark and edgy tone. Raw and haunting.

  Taelyn’s fingers glided over his flexed muscles, his hot flesh. He released her hand and reached up to the nape of his neck where he grabbed a fistful of material and hauled his shirt over his head. He tossed it aside.

  She gazed at his magnificent body, her pulse spiking. She leaned into him and left feathery kisses over his pecs. Lightly tongued a small nipple, making his hips jerk. She felt his erection against her belly and her fingers skated along his abs, down to the waistband of his pants. She pulled the tie and slipped her hand behind the loose material. There were no boxer-briefs to encumber him and she stroked his thick shaft as she continued to kiss his chest.

  Her other hand eased around to his back, those muscles also pulling taut.

  He gripped her shoulders as she pumped his cock. His head lowered and he kissed her passionately, with that raw intensity that seemed to permeate every inch of him.

  Excitement built within her. When he pulled slightly away, she stared up at him and said, “I need to feel you inside me.”

  Kage let out a low, primal growl. His arms wound around her again and he lifted her off her feet. He walked them over to the sofa and sank onto the cushion. She straddled his lap and ran her hands over his torso as he kissed her again.

  He shifted, settling in the corner of the couch, sprawling out with her on top of him. Taelyn worked his pants downward and he kicked them off. He palmed her ass cheeks as the tip of his cock nudged her opening.

  She propped her forearms on his wide chest and dropped kisses along his clenched jaw. Murmured, “You have to be the most tormented man on the planet.”

  His mesmerizing peridot irises deepened in color. “You have no idea how much I want you. How much I always want you.”

  Her heart constricted. “Kage.” She kissed him. Then said, “I might not remember you, but from the moment I saw you… I wanted you, too. And right now…” She sighed. “I could literally shrivel up and die if you don’t make love to me. Please,” she pleaded. “Make love to me.”

  His hips lifted at the very instant his hands coaxed her pelvis downward. He filled her completely in one long, forceful thrust that made her gasp. He led her into a slow, sensual rhythm, not breaking the eye contact.

  Taelyn could barely breathe, he felt so incredible. And the desire and need etched on his chiseled face only heightened her arousal. He was as enrapt as she was.

  One of his hands slid up to her breast. He cupped the mound and caressed it with just the right amount of pressure. Whisked the pad of his thumb over her puckered nipple.

  Her hips undulated with his, matching his tempo as she rode him. Her hair fell over one shoulder, fanning against his neck and collarbone.

  His strokes along her inner walls were full and measured, pushing deeper and deeper.

  “Kage,” she whispered. “Yes…”

  His tip hit that perfect spot inside her, rubbing methodically, sending her soaring.

  Taelyn couldn’t remember ever being so lost in someone’s eyes, so caught up in the sensations enveloping her. It was as though this man—his body—had been crafted specifically for her.

  He pumped heartier and Taelyn felt all the emotions that were wrapped around Kage and the cravings for him converge. And explode.

  “Yes!” she cried as she came hard and fast.

  “Fuck,” he ground out. “Christ, you squeeze me so damn tight.”

  She was still drowning in erotic bliss as he sat up and increased the cadence, thrusting into her as she milked his cock
.

  His arm around her waist held her firmly to him. He palmed her breast and massaged with an insistency that matched his confident strokes.

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered. “Kage.” She was going to come again.

  Her forehead pressed to his. Their erratic breaths became one, filling the quiet room. They moved together in perfect sync and she felt that precise moment when he was about to lose it, right along with her.

  Her inner muscles clutched and released him, making him groan.

  “Like that,” he said in a strained tone. “Jesus, sweetheart. Just like that.”

  He plunged deep. Taelyn shattered.

  “Kage!”

  His cock surged inside her and his body convulsed. He called her name—and came with her, filling her with his hot seed, prolonging her orgasm and giving her pleasure unlike anything she’d ever known before.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Kage collapsed against the mound of pillows in the corner of the sofa with Taelyn sprawled on top of him. She could stay there forever and he’d be a happy man.

  From the second their lips had touched tonight, he’d savored the taste of her, the feel of her, the very essence of her. This was the woman he’d loved for centuries. The one he could never get enough of. The one he cherished, worshipped, protected.

  The one who continually left him.

  But not tonight.

  She was in his arms, her breasts pressed to his chest, her warm breath blowing against his neck, her legs entwined with his.

  She sighed contentedly and it made his heart soar.

  “I don’t think two people could be more in-tuned with each other on such a provocative level,” she mused. “Like we’ve been this intimate together a hundred times before—and it’s still so new and exciting.”

  “We have been this intimate a hundred times before. More, I’m sure. And yes…every single time is this exciting.”