Eversong (The Kindred Book 1) Read online

  He then turned her left hand over and pointed to the Vegvisir on her forearm.

  “It’s a Norse stave that helps the bearer find their way.”

  Her eyes slid shut when his hand rested on her left thigh and he tapped a finger, indicating the tat on her calf.

  “Shield knot,” she whispered, trying not to think of his hand on her leg. “Distinct by the four corners to make a square within a circle. The Celts put them on battle shields to ward off evil.”

  “Fascinating,” he said. He ran his finger along her spine again. “And this one?”

  She shivered at his touch, craving more. Her nipples puckered, and her breasts swelled. “It’s my journey. The start at my neck and the end—”

  “Here,” he murmured as he skimmed the backs of his fingers over her bottom.

  Leoma nodded, unable to find her voice.

  “These?” he asked and once more traced the swirls that started at her spine and curved down over her side, one going all the way to her hip.

  It took her two tries before she could speak. “My training. Hunting. And my journey to try and stop the Coven.”

  “Why no swirls on the right side?”

  Her eyes opened to look out over the water. “That side is for family. And love.”

  When he didn’t reply, she wondered if she had been mistaken about the meaning of his interest in her body and her tattoos. Did she know so little of men that while her body had been burning with longing, he felt nothing?

  “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” Braith whispered.

  She was too afraid to move, even to speak. It might shatter whatever was happening.

  “I’ve lived a hard life, Leoma,” he said. “I know there are ways I should talk to you, actions I should take to make my interest known, but I know little of those things. Death has come for me many times, and so far, I’ve eluded him. But he could catch up tomorrow. So I will tell you that I desire you. Greatly,” he replied in a hoarse whisper. “I...hunger for a taste of you. If you don’t feel the same, then walk away now, and I will never speak of this again.”

  Leoma straightened, and she heard him sigh in disappointment. She faced him, gazing into his liquid, indigo gaze as the wind ruffled his dark locks. “And if I do feel the same?”

  His eyes blazed with desire as his arms came up to rest on her hips. “Then we’ll be talking, but with our bodies.”

  The idea of giving herself to him, of feeling him within her was exhilarating. Her heart thumped so loudly against her ribs, she thought it might burst from her body.

  Her gaze dropped to his chest. It didn’t bother her that she stood naked while he was still fully clothed. Her hands itched to remove every garment until she could see all of him, every muscle, every scar.

  While she knew what happened between a man and a woman, she had never experienced it herself.

  “Have you changed your mind?” Braith whispered.

  Leoma lifted her gaze to his face. “I’ve not.”

  “Your eyes say otherwise.”

  She should just tell him. The faster she got it out, the quicker they could get past it. “I.... That is to say, I’ve never lain with a man.”

  For a moment, Braith merely looked at her. Then his lips curled into a delighted smile. “Fortune smiles upon me then that you would choose me to give your maidenhead to.”

  “You’re...happy about it?”

  His fingers tightened on her hips. “Oh, aye. Very much. Why does that surprise you?”

  “I heard that men don’t like it when women aren’t experienced.”

  “If this is coming from Radnar or those at the abbey, I think I need to have words with them,” Braith stated, anger tingeing his words.

  She shook her head. “I’ve heard this a few times in pubs. Radnar and the other men would never speak such a way.”

  “Then let me dispel any fears you might have. You have a gift, and you get to choose who to give it to.”

  Without a doubt, she knew she wanted it to go to Braith. No other had ever made her feel so needy. No one had ever made her long for their touch before.

  “Then I give it to you,” she replied.

  He gently placed his hands on either side of her face, his blue eyes burning with undisguised hunger. “I’ve never been given anything so special before.”

  Whatever fears she had about being inexperienced fell away at his words. He gazed at her as if she were the most precious thing he had ever beheld.

  And through it all was the palpable longing, the profound yearning.

  The tangible desire.

  Breathing became difficult as a strange, astonishing feeling slid through her veins, heating her from the inside out before curling low in her belly.

  Braith’s ragged breaths comforted her. His pupils dilated, and his hands shook slightly. She needed to have him against her. It was a demand that roared louder with each second their bodies remained apart.

  His head lowered slowly. The closer his face got, the faster her heart pounded. Her lips parted in expectation. When he whispered her name in a voice laden with longing and delight, her eyes fell shut.

  The moment his mouth touched hers, her body became liquid. She sank against him. He had one hand tangled in her wet hair, and the other wrapped around her tightly while his lips moved over hers slowly, seductively, teasing and tempting her.

  Each kiss lasted longer, sending her already heated body to scorched heights.

  Then his tongue skimmed along her lips.

  Chapter 12

  Her taste was sweeter than any wine. And Braith knew that with one sip, he was lost forever.

  Leoma kissed as she did everything—wholeheartedly. She didn’t pull away when he licked her lips. Instead, she did the same to him.

  He had been unable to hold back the groan that rumbled through him the first time their tongues tangled together. The fire that was between them grew quickly and turned into an inferno, scorching everything around them.

  Braith flattened his hand on her back, taking in her soft skin beneath his palm. He had looked over her breathtaking body when she stood from the water and had been awed by her.

  The story of her tattoos gave him a deeper understanding of her. He found the marks beautiful and alluring, just as she was.

  Lust burned through his veins, but he held himself in check. Leoma’s first time would be full of pleasure. He would spend however long it took until she was a shivering mess, crying out from her climax. Only then would he allow himself to see to his own gratification.

  He jerked back at the unexpected touch of Leoma’s hand beneath his tunic. He stared down at her and saw the passion blaze in her dark eyes. It made his knees weak. While he didn’t know why she wanted him, he wasn’t going to question it.

  Never had he disrobed so quickly in his life. As soon as the last garment was tossed aside, he yanked her against him as the water lapped at their feet.

  He wanted to keep kissing her, but she had other thoughts. Her hands flattened on his chest and leisurely roamed over his shoulders, arms, and abdomen. She paused when she came to each of his scars.

  Then she walked around to stand behind him.

  Beautiful. That’s what kept running through Leoma’s head as she gazed in wonderment at Braith’s magnificent body. His muscles were honed to utter perfection. Her favorite part had to be his back with the corded muscles that shifted each time he breathed.

  “I could stare at you all day,” she said as she let her fingers run over his tight behind.

  He whirled around to face her, his face tense with some unnamed emotion that seemed to make his eyes glow brighter. That’s when she realized it was her touch that brought him to such a point.

  She let her hand run down his side to his trim hips and the slight indent from his muscles there. His arousal, thick and long, jutted between them.

  It called to her, urging her to touch it. She kept her gaze on Braith’s face as she wrapped her fingers around him. He relea
sed a low moan as his eyes closed. Veins protruded from his neck and temples when she slowly ran her hand up and down his hard length.

  While she had seen a man’s rod before, she had never held one. She looked down at his cock. The hardness was in direct contrast to the soft skin.

  Suddenly, Braith’s hand locked around her wrist, halting her. Her eyes snapped to his face, his expression tight as if he were in pain.

  “You have to stop,” he stated in a harsh voice. “It feels too good.”

  She reluctantly released him only to have him grab her about the waist and lift her. Leoma smiled down at him as he held her against him and walked into the water. The deeper he went, the more his arms loosened so she slid down his body.

  The need that pounded through him was a dangerous thing. Yet Braith didn’t stop—because he couldn’t. Witches could come upon them right now, and he’d never know it. Because he was lost in Leoma.

  But he had lived on the knife’s edge of death for many years. He was all too aware of how suddenly and quickly life could be taken. When one courted death as he did, they learned to take what pleasures they could whenever they came upon them.

  “Stop thinking about the witches,” Leoma said and pulled his head down for a kiss.

  He smiled as he kept his mouth just out of reach. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “It’s the same thing I’m thinking about, but I don’t want to consider them. I want to concentrate on us, right now, in this moment.”

  “The danger be damned?”

  Her arms wound around his neck as the water moved around them sensuously. “Aye.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice.

  Braith took her mouth in a fiery kiss. Her fingers slipped into his hair as he deepened the embrace. With her arms holding her in place, he had both hands free to run over her amazing body.

  While she had the curves of a woman, there were firm muscles instead of the usual softness—and he found it most pleasing.

  He loved that she could hold her own, that she was strong enough to stand against even him. She wasn’t a woman who needed a man. She was a woman who wanted a man, and the difference was startling.

  And intoxicating.

  Once more, he lifted her so that her lovely, pert breasts were even with his face. He glanced up at her to see her biting her lip as she waited to see what he would do. When he looked at a dusky nipple, he saw a drop of water beading on it.

  Braith leaned in and wrapped his lips around the turgid peak and flicked his tongue over it. Then he suckled the nub, softly at first before tugging harder.

  Leoma’s fingers tightened in his hair, half pulling him away, and half holding him to her. All the while, her hips were slowly rocking against him. Her deep-throated moan made his cock jump.

  He was ready to spill his seed right then. How in the world was he going to last? Braith steeled himself and moved to her other breast.

  But it wasn’t enough. He wanted more, he needed more of her.

  When he lowered her back into the water, her face was flushed with desire. He moved them closer to shore until her feet could touch, then he turned her so that her back was to him. Her hands immediately reached around and grabbed him.

  He bent and nipped at her earlobe. “Hold on to me,” he whispered.

  Her breath hitched when he cupped her breasts and fondled her nipples for several long moments. Then he moved his hands gradually down her front and over her flat belly before he reached the juncture of her thighs and the curls that hid her most precious part from him.

  Without touching her sex, he held his fingers at the edge of her curls as his feet widened her legs. Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving with expectation.

  “Can you feel the water move over your sex?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  He smiled and shifted his hand so that he cupped her.

  “Braith,” she said in a hoarse whisper.

  Even in the water, he could feel her wetness. He had to get control of himself before he proceeded, lest he take her as savagely as he yearned to do.

  “Aye?” he asked. “Do you like this?”

  In reply, she ground herself against his hand.

  He shut his eyes and clenched his teeth together. Damn, but she was pushing him closer and closer to losing control.

  “Please, touch me,” she begged. “I need more.”

  He kissed the side of her neck. “Then let me give it to you.”

  The moment he slipped a finger inside her, she sucked in a breath, her body stiffening. Undaunted, he moved his finger in and out of her, feeling her relaxing with each thrust. Then he circled his thumb over her clit.

  Her breath left her in a loud moan as her head fell back against him and her nails dug into his legs. He continued to tease her, plunging his finger deeper and deeper before he added a second.

  His other hand returned to her breast to roll a nipple between his fingers while he brought her closer and closer to her orgasm.

  All the while, he rocked against her, doing all he could to stave off his own needs.

  Though he had only taken a couple of virgins, he had learned during his many travels how to minimize their pain—and he intended to do just that with Leoma. If only he could get control of himself.

  Nothing had ever felt so good. Pleasure engulfed Leoma, moving over her as erotically as the water. And she never wanted it to end.

  The feeling of his fingers inside her made her want to take him deeper, to feel his body sliding against hers as he thrust inside her.

  It was the onslaught of the water, his hand at her breast, his fingers inside her and teasing her clit that had her body trembling with something she couldn’t explain. She felt as if she were moving toward something, but she didn’t know what it was—only that she had to get there.

  “Give in to the pleasure. It’ll take you,” Braith murmured against her neck.

  His hand quickened in tempo, causing his fingers to go deeper. Then he lightly bit her neck.

  Her eyes flew open as pure ecstasy poured hotly through her. She was powerless to do anything but experience the incredible sensations as her body convulsed with the force of her climax.

  It took her a while to realize that Braith halted all movement. His rough breaths caught her attention. She lifted her head from his shoulder, intending to ask him if he was all right.

  “Don’t. Move,” he ground out.

  Her gaze scanned the area, thinking there were enemies approaching. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to be inside you. If you move, the last of my control will shatter. I want to take you gently, and that’s not what this will be.”

  As he spoke, his words sent chills of excitement through her. “I want you inside me.”

  “I...need time,” he stated gruffly. “So I don’t hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me.”

  “Le—” he began as she shoved his hands from her and turned to him.

  The sight of his face lined with strain concerned her. Until she saw the hunger blazing in his eyes. But she wasn’t scared when his hands pulled her against him, or even when he wrapped her legs around his waist.

  She wound her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. The one thing that couldn’t be stopped was the pain of pushing through a maidenhead, and Leoma wasn’t afraid of that. She was more terrified of not feeling any passion.

  His large hands rested beneath her bum and lifted her slightly. The scrape of her breasts on his chest made the walls of her sex clench.

  Then she felt the blunt head of his arousal against her. As he slowly lowered her down upon his length, she could feel her body stretching. His thrusts were shallow, but her desire grew anyway.

  When he stopped, she frowned in question.

  “Your barrier,” he said through clenched teeth.

  She didn’t look away from him. “Don’t hold back.”

  No sooner had she spoke the words than he pulled out of her, hesitating
but a moment before he plunged back in, breaking through her maidenhead.

  Chapter 13

  Heaven. Being inside Leoma was heaven, and now that Braith had found it, he was never leaving.

  He was conscious of the slight stiffening of her body when he broke through her hymen. Instantly, he stopped moving. He opened his eyes and saw that her head was dropped back as she gripped his shoulders and leaned away before rocking her hips.

  The erotic sight of her pushed aside all his fears. He braced his hands on her back and bent forward to tease her nipples once more.

  Leoma sat up, her lips parted and her eyes heavy-lidded. He drove inside her, building in force as she moved with him, pushing him onward. Each time he tried to rein in his passions, she would easily break through his control.

  He walked them to the edge of the water and dropped to his knees. Setting her on her back, Braith gave in to the hunger that rode him, the longing that demanded he claim Leoma as his own.

  Her soft moans turned to cries of pleasure that only spurred him onward. He pounded into her body, taking everything she offered.

  When the orgasm came, it barreled through him. His hands sank into the wet earth as he gave a final thrust, and his seed poured into her body. The intensity of the climax left him shaking and gasping for breath.

  Then he looked down at her. She was smiling up at him with such adoration and delight that his heart skipped a beat. Always he’d had to hold back with other women. This was the first time he had ever given in, and it was the first time he truly felt complete after lovemaking.

  He stared at her in wonder. Now that he’d found her, Braith didn’t think he could ever let Leoma go. She was a treasure in all ways. And he would fight to the death for her.

  She raised a hand, touching his face. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  A quick frown furrowed her brow. “Nay. Why did you think you needed to hold back?”

  “For fear of injuring you. I’ve been told I can get rough.”