Beginning the dance, I lifted away and returned, slow and steady. Paine cupped my breasts, thrumming my nipples, over and over again. I groaned and tossed my head back, taking more of him. He released my breasts, traced the scars along my abdomen briefly, and finally placed his large hands on each of my hips, his fingers rough as they pressed into my skin.
“You feel…it’s so good. So good.” He arched his back and plunged deeper into me, causing me to gasp at the sensation.
Although I knew he wanted me to reciprocate the sentiment, I couldn’t. Rather, I gave him exactly what he wanted, a closeness and trust that came from the ultimate act of intimacy. Faster I moved, silencing him before he could say more. I didn’t think it was possible, but my body soon quickened as the broadness stretching and engulfing me hit the spot that would send me shattering to the stars.
“Beautiful, Rhiannon.” Paine continued thrusting, causing me to gasp. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
Rolling my hips, I closed my eyes, embracing the tingles in my belly that continued to build, growing stronger and more prominent, until I was biting my lip in an effort not to call out the name that threatened to escape. As my orgasm rolled over me, Paine called out my name and started to move beneath me, lifting his hips, until I felt the thrumming jets of coolness that told me he’d also found the true release he’d waited centuries for but had been denied for so very long.
Sated, saddened and unable to look at the man beneath me, I rested across Paine’s chest, taking refuge in the arms that wrapped around me. Our soft breathing was the only sound in the room, but it didn’t drown out the noise that remained a constant reminder of tomorrow and what it might bring, the only thing powerful enough to send me into the bed of a man who needed reassurance and a sense of connection as much as I did.
The unavoidable ticking of the clock.
Chapter Twelve
“Rhiannon?” Goose’s voice broke me from the stupor I’d found myself in ever since I’d opened my eyes and greeted the new day in Paine’s arms. “Are you all right?”
“Just dandy.” I tried to create peppiness where none existed, but I knew Goose could, and did, see right through it. He didn’t press, which I was thankful for.
I wasn’t ready to go there.
Climbing from Paine’s bed—remaining silent as I dressed while he watched me with an expression of confusion and hurt—and leaving without saying goodbye was difficult enough. Especially since he kept the damned mark open between us, allowing me to feel his pain at my emotional and physical withdrawal. As a consequence, he was also able to detect my concern about ending my debt to an asshole demon before time ran out.
“I can’t go inside with you. The spirit will recognize my presence and we won’t be able to get beyond the foyer.” Goose stood in front of the door of the large building, obviously angry he couldn’t assist me as he would have so readily in the past. “As I told you before, we haven’t been able to scratch the surface with this one. We have no idea who the entity once was, how it was killed, or why it has chosen to inhabit this place.”
“I’ll be with her.” Jennifer moved closer to me, unwilling to leave my side. She’d sought me out after I’d left Paine’s room to shower and get my mental shit in order. When I told her to wait on me as I entered the bathroom, I found her in the exact same spot I’d left her.
She’d been on my ass ever since.
Goose glanced at her but didn’t say anything, his face a mask of mistrust. When he’d learned of what transpired at the club, he’d been livid, especially when he learned I’d acquired a new ally. I didn’t understand why he didn’t trust Jennifer, but all things considered, it wasn’t that important. I had other, more pressing shit to worry about.