Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Read online

  “Does it feel good to hold so much power over someone’s body?” she asked in his neck.

  Maybe he had physical power over her, but she had the upper hand. Katherine was the only woman he’d given power over his heart.

  “You forget, krasavitsa, that I’m the one on my knees.”

  He’d told her so more than once, and he’d keep on saying it as many times as she needed to hear it.

  Lowering her onto the bed, he lay down beside her and covered them with the goose-down before pulling her close. When she rested her head on his chest, his heart thrummed with the small step they were moving forward. He took it another step further by arranging her thigh over his leg. He was so hard it was painful, but this wasn’t about him. He wasn’t going to take her yet, not after the day she’d had, even if her heartbeat increased against his ribs and her hip rubbed up against his side.

  “Sleep,” he said, nuzzling her temple. “You need to rest.”

  She blew out a shaky breath. “I’m scared to close my eyes.”

  “You’re safe here.” He tightened his arms. “I won’t let anyone get to you.”

  Pushing away, she sat up. “I’m sorry, Lann.” She wiped the curls from her face. “I can’t do this.”

  He stared at her in confusion. “Do what?”

  “Have sex.”

  “We’re just going to get some much-needed sleep.” He hadn’t slept in more than twenty-four hours. She needed her rest too.

  “In our underwear in the same bed?”

  “I won’t do anything you don’t want. You know that.”

  She looked away. “It’s not about that.”

  Frustrated, he sat up too. “Then what the hell is this about?”

  “You offered me a thirty-day contract. That time is over. When I told you I was expecting your baby, you didn’t offer me more than assistance to terminate my pregnancy.”

  “What are you getting at, Katherine?” The exhaustion came through in his voice. Even his accent sounded heavier.

  “If I’d gone through with the abortion, you would’ve taken me home to Santiago, and left me again.”

  He would’ve left her to get on with her life, yes, to make something of it. He would’ve buried his selfish possessiveness deep in his soul and given her the gift of freedom. With him, she’d never have been safe, been a mother, had a family, or had a taste of normal life.

  “Answer me,” she said.

  “Yes,” he gritted out.

  “I see.” She bit her lip and studied him for a while. “Then you’re here out of duty.”

  He tugged a curl behind her ear. “I’m here because I want to be.” He knew what she needed to hear. It was too late to protect her from it. “I’m here because I love you.”

  “Stop.” She shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

  That hurt. Again, he couldn’t blame her. Fuck that. If he had months, years, to prove his love, he’d do it. The fact was they had less than eight months. It wasn’t nearly enough. The air lifted, and hissed past his ear. She was doing it again. Moving him. Driving him mad.

  He pushed her down and rolled over her, keeping his weight off her body.

  She uttered a startled cry. “What are you doing?”

  He’d convince her of his love. God knows, he needed hers. But for now, he’d take whatever he could get. “Will you accept another thirty-day contract?”

  Her tongue slipped out to lick her lower lip. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “You still want me?”

  “You know I do.”

  He understood this part of the beautiful woman in his arms. The physical part. He’d make sure he mastered the emotional part too by figuring out how to make her happy. For now, this was a step in some direction. And right now, he’d take any direction.

  “Fine,” she said. “In the bigger scheme of things, right?”

  “Right.” He cupped her throat, feeling her pulse under his palm. “Now what, Katherine?” The question was a challenge as much as a desperate need for direction. On emotional matters, he was out of his depth.

  “Kiss me,” she said.

  “Is that your answer?”

  She held his eyes bravely. “Yes.”

  “Then I aim to please.”

  Lowering his head, he took her lips in a slow, deep kiss. Exploring her mouth felt new every time. He took his time to enjoy her taste and run his tongue along the familiar curve of her lips until she moaned and wrapped her legs around him. He swallowed her sounds as he slid a hand down between their bodies to the center of her legs. For the next thirty days, this would always be his destination. She gasped when he traced her folds with the tip of his finger before slipping a digit inside. She was tight and hot. Wet.

  Sleep. She needed to rest. No, his body wouldn’t let him. Too soon, his mind warned. No. They had too little time.

  When she arched her back and rubbed her breasts against his chest, she made up his mind for him. He’d love her. He’d love her now, and at every opportunity he could. With one hand planted next to her face, he supported his weight on his arm. He abandoned her mouth to kiss her neck and the hollow at the base. Moving lower, he gently kissed one nipple, nearly coming undone at how the hard, little button contracted in his mouth, and then the other.

  Shamelessly, like an inexperienced adolescent, he palmed her curves. Her breasts were bigger, and her skin warm to his touch. It drove him even wilder, but he ignored the building need and took his time to kiss a path to her navel. He stroked his palm over her stomach and cupped the inside of her thigh. Pushing her legs apart, he buried his head between them. This part was always the sweetest reward. He planned on savoring it. He tasted her folds first. At the sweep of his tongue, she whispered his name. Yes. Before this night was out, she was going to say it many times over. When he speared his tongue inside her, she threaded her fingers through his hair and held him to her.

  “Let me come,” she whispered.

  Not yet. Tonight, he needed to love her slowly. She clenched her thighs when he nipped at the pretty little pearl hidden beneath her folds, but he grabbed her knees and spread them wide.

  “Lann, please.”

  She drove him crazy when she told him how much she needed him. “Just a little longer, krasavitsa.”

  He wanted to take his time. The turmoil that tormented his soul calmed. As she lost her control in his arms, he found his. Her muscles tensed. She was close. Her release was always sweet to him, but never as sweet as now. When he pushed her over, she submitted herself to him freely. In that moment, she trusted him, if only with her body.

  Her cry was soft and pure. He wanted to make her come for him all over again, but he couldn’t wait. It had been too long. Grabbing the base of his cock, he positioned the head at her folds and entered her slowly, giving her enough time to adjust after each inch he worked himself deeper. She gave him the sounds he wanted, soft whispers of ecstasy that twisted his mind. Slowly, he pulled out before pushing back in. She tried to rush him by lifting her hips, but he grabbed her side and kept her still.

  “Not yet,” he said. “Wait for me.”

  Her inner muscles gripped him like a fist when he moved. She was silken hot, and so damn tight he couldn’t think straight.

  “Not hard enough,” she moaned.

  He wasn’t going to pound into her with the baby in her belly. He cupped her face and kissed her to the rhythm of his lovemaking—slowly, with tender strokes of his tongue. She dug her nails into his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his ass. He eased the kiss, trying to calm her, but his feisty Katherine wanted more. He was never one to deny her. Letting go, he filled her with everything he had. They were both moving fast. She met every thrust, until he had to pull back, worried he’d hurt her, but she locked her arms around his neck and held him to her. He gritted his teeth, but all for nothing.

  “Now. Come for me,” he said against her lips.

  She gave him what he wanted, triggering his own release.
It was so powerful he tilted back his head with a deep groan. He only allowed himself a second before he looked back at her. He loved watching her face when she climaxed for him. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her cheeks flushed red like Paradise apples. Her lips were swollen and the tangle of her hair said she’d been well-loved.

  Holding him to her, she kissed his temple. His breathing was ragged. An aftershock rippled through her body. Together, they caught their breaths. Her body still shuddered underneath him long after he’d emptied himself in her. He loved coming inside her. He wanted to prove to the world and himself that she was his.

  Forcing himself not to think of the future he’d fucked them into, he turned them on their sides. He didn’t want to break the contact. He kissed her lips and tasted her tongue. He wanted to see those blue eyes, how they darkened with passion, but she kept them closed, and soon her breathing turned even.

  He watched her face for a long time, and finally, he had to pull out, because he was becoming hard again, and there was a life growing inside her that needed her energy too.

  Kat was dreaming. She was back at the convent, in Lann’s bed, and he was waking her with a soft kiss. It would be early morning, and he’d take her before starting his day.

  She stretched and rubbed against a hard, warm, muscled body. Opening her eyes, she looked at Lann. He lay on his side with his head resting in his hand, watching her with a smile.

  Everything came back in a flash—the clinic, the hotel, and the castle.

  Lann touched the tip of her nose. “Sleep well?”

  He’d told her he loved her last night, but what else could a man say to a woman pregnant with his baby, who was going to die?

  His expression darkened. “Don’t think sad things.”

  “Who said I was thinking sad things?”

  “I know you.” He kissed her. “I know that look on your face.”

  He cupped her breast, and her body responded to him instantly.

  “It’s still early,” he said, rolling her nipple between his fingers, “but Eve needs to start tests today. You can’t eat until after, and I need to feed you.” He frowned. “You’ve lost weight.”

  She gasped as he increased the pressure of his fingers, but he abandoned her nipple to drag his hand lower, down to where she was aching with need.

  When he traced her folds and discovered her wet for him, his eyes widened slightly. He teased her clit with the pad of a finger, but instead of giving her the pressure she craved, he eased up.

  She stared at him. She needed him. What was the point of fighting it? He was right. Suddenly facing a truth as harsh as death, a lot of things—such as her pride—seemed unimportant. She took his hand and moved it back to her sex.

  He brushed his lips over hers. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  “Why not?” She guided his finger inside her. “You’re not superstitious about having sex with a pregnant woman, thinking it’s bad for an unborn baby, are you?”

  “Nothing like that.” He clenched his jaw when she moved his finger. “It’s wearing you out I’m worried about.”

  That was the least of her worries. She thought she was going to die a horrible death last night when those lizards or whatever they were had found her, and then she thought about being chained up for the remainder of her pregnancy while some cruel gift lord waited to steal her baby. But she was alive now, and safe, and unless Eve performed a miracle, she was dead too. There were two ways to look at it. Either she could give in to her fear and depression and make the remaining eight, maybe seven, months of her life a living hell, or she could accept the decision. So, even if Lann didn’t love her, even if he was here out of duty, she still turned him on. The erection pressing against her hip was proof. He was growing thicker even as he lay there telling her all the reasons why they shouldn’t be doing this right now.

  She pulled his hand free and, holding his gaze, kissed his fingers. His eyes went from yellow to gold in an instant. She easily pushed him down. He didn’t resist. He watched her from hooded eyes as she straddled him and braced herself with her hands on his chest.

  “Katherine, you should save your strength.”

  Positioning herself, she took all of him in one movement.

  Air hissed through his teeth. His chest expanded with the breath he held. She rocked slowly, smiling inwardly with victory when Lann homed in on her breasts with a hungry expression. Then he wiped that invisible smile away by pushing up onto his elbows and changing the angle of his penetration. She barely swallowed a gasp. How did he always know what she needed? He lowered his head, kissing one nipple and then the other. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she tried to draw him deeper and to get closer. He cupped her waist and lifted her higher into his lap, at the same time leaning back. That was as much as he gave. He left the pace up to her.

  She moved slowly. He clenched his jaw.

  “It’s torture, isn’t it?” she asked with a cocky smile.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Are you doing this to punish me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He groaned. “What did I do wrong?”

  “You made me wait so long.”

  “Wasn’t it worth the wait?”

  She pretended to think. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” He gave her a mock-incredulous look. “That hurts my pride.” He slipped a hand between their bodies. “Let me remind you.”

  She gasped when he softly pinched her clit. He turned the tables on her easily. He rocked slowly, and soon it was she who begged again.

  “Please, Lann.”

  “Yes. Come for me.” To accentuate the order, he pulled almost all the way out before sliding deep again.

  It only took a few strokes before she clenched around him. He continued to thrust, prolonging the aftershocks of her climax until he, too, found his release. He held her in the safety of his arms as she came down, almost making her believe in happy endings. But even this ended too soon.

  Lann pulled away and lifted her chin with a finger to catch her attention. “We better have a quick shower. Eve will be knocking on our door soon.” Setting her free, he got out of bed. “We’ll buy you some clothes after breakfast.”

  “Clothes?” she asked, staring at his beautifully sculpted body. She’d always enjoyed looking at him, and she loved that he wasn’t shy about her inspection.

  “Maternity clothes.” Bending over her, he cupped her stomach. “You’re going to need some soon.”

  “You don’t need to do that. I can buy my own clothes.”

  “I want to.” He kissed her forehead, took her hand, and pulled her to her feet. “What would you like for breakfast, krasavitsa?”

  “Tomato soup.” She burrowed her face against his chest when he opened his arms, pretending the glow of her body was nothing more than after-sex endorphins doing their magic.

  After Eve had taken more blood, urine, and saliva samples, Kat, Lann, and Eve went downstairs for breakfast. Lann held Kat’s hand in a possessive grasp when they entered the kitchen. Clelia sat at the table with a steaming bowl in front of her, while Joss leaned against the counter, a mug in his hand. With the fire burning in the hearth, it was warm and cozy in the room. A three-legged dog lay in front of the fireplace, while the four wolves sat around Clelia’s feet.

  “Morning.” Clelia patted the white canine next to her. “This is Snow. They’re wolf hybrids, all from the same litter.” She pointed at the other three. “Rainbow, Cloud, and Thunder. Let him sniff your hand like this.” She held her palm for Snow to lick.

  Kat extended her hand, letting the big dog sniff at it. She got a lick too, and then he went back to lying with his head on his paws.

  “Sleep well?” Joss asked.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Joss gave Lann an approving nod.

  Kat couldn’t help the heat that burned on her cheeks.

  Lann pulled out a chair at the table and seated her.

  “Do you like t
ea, Kat?” Clelia asked. “Knowing how much Lann loves tea, I got a selection.” She got up, walked to the pantry, and opened the door.

  “Actually, I prefer coffee,” Kat said, sniffing the rich aroma that filled the kitchen.

  Eve took a seat and shook her head. “Not good for the baby.”

  “Decaf?” Kat asked hopefully.

  “Nope,” Eve said. “Even decaf contains traces of caffeine. Caffeine, even a minute quantity, makes gifted babies too excited. Their heartbeats are already fast. You don’t want to speed it up more.”

  “I’ll make us some herbal tea,” Lann said.

  Joss considerately placed his mug on the counter.

  “You don’t have to abandon your coffee for me,” Kat teased.

  Lann bent over her, planting a kiss on her neck and resting a hand over her stomach. When he straightened to switch on the kettle, Joss pulled Clelia into the crook of his arm. Kat didn’t miss the look that passed between them or the sadness that flashed in Clelia’s eyes before Joss planted a tender peck on her lips.

  Joss addressed Lann. “Cain called. He’s flying in tomorrow.”

  “Who’s Cain?” Kat asked.

  “A business associate,” Lann said.

  Clelia frowned and Joss lifted an eyebrow.

  Lann placed a cup of herbal tea in front of Kat, and massaged her shoulders. “After I’ve heated up your soup, we’re going shopping.” His grip tightened when he asked, “Joss, how’s security?”

  “Fine. I checked it out this morning. Just don’t wander off too far.”

  “Vannes will do,” Lann said. “Katherine needs clothes.” He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. “Can I prepare you something to eat? Toast? Cereal? Eggs?”

  Her stomach churned at the mention of food. “Just the soup, thank you, but I can heat it. You don’t have to serve me.”

  Lann’s brow creased. “You can’t live on soup alone. You have to eat solids.”

  “Don’t worry,” Eve said, “her weight is fine. In time, her appetite will return.”

  Lann tilted Kat’s head back to kiss her nose. He’d always been generous with his physical caresses, and the truth was, she couldn’t get enough. Love or not, she needed his hands and his lips like she needed air.