Broken Pentacle Read online

  “Right.” With her temper rising, Sky shrugged on the robe she’d borrowed. “No great loss. The dark witch pretty much ruined sex for me, anyway. Can’t exactly enjoy an edge anymore, after what happened, and plain vanilla’s never been my flavor.”

  The pain in his eyes lanced through her, eliciting a sympathetic twinge of anguish deep in her gut. He got up and paced the length of the bedroom, then circled back and faced her.

  “I can’t give you your memories, can’t offer what you want most.” When he met her eyes, she tried to hide the bitter disappointment mirrored there, but when he winced and looked down at his hands, she knew he’d seen her pain. “But maybe I can do something for you. Wait here.”

  Without further explanation, he slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Exhausted, Sky sprawled back against the pillows and listened to his footsteps retreating down the hall.

  * * * * *

  “Alec, you all right?” Zach’s voice drifted in from the living room.

  Rummaging through the refrigerator, Alec scowled. Gods, he could only handle one piece of his past at a time! Zach had called several times while he was in Sweden, but Alec hadn’t been much for talking at that point. Not even to someone he’d known as long as Zach.

  With a noncommittal grunt, he continued to sort through a wealth of food, filled with new appreciation for Sorren’s plan to keep a series of safe houses stocked and ready to inhabit while they played cat and mouse with Jaimis. What Sorren didn’t know was that Alec planned to play the cat, rather than the mouse. But that could wait until later.

  Grabbing a container of whipped topping, he set it on the counter and followed it with a container of mango yogurt, a wedge of cantaloupe, some strawberries, and a bowl of blueberries. Piling everything on a platter, he added a banana and a peach from the bowl on the counter and then searched the cupboards until he found a jar of honey. Mumbling good night to Zach as he headed for the stairs, Alec hurried back to Sky.

  If he stopped to wonder what in the blessed world he was doing, he doubted he could come up with a suitable answer. But for the first time since Jaimis got his hands on them after the grand duel, his body screamed for release. And since neither he nor Sky were ready for what he wanted to do with her, her release would have to satisfy him for now.

  Chapter Two

  Alec knocked on the door before opening it, all too aware of the fact that her nerves had to be as jumpy as his. “Still awake?”

  He’d already scared her half out of her mind once tonight. As he navigated the door with the platter balanced on one hand, he wished he and Laura had taken the time to let Zach know they were coming earlier. But the wards were keyed to let them pass ‑‑ in case of just such an emergency ‑‑ and with Jaimis’s goons on their heels, they never thought twice about crashing into the cabin unannounced.

  “Hungry?” Sky eyed the platter, as if the fruit might jump up and bite her, and drew back further into her nest of pillows.

  “Starved.” He gave her a grin. “But that particular menu’s going to have to wait. This is all for you.” He went into the bathroom and set the platter on the marble counter between the two sinks.

  Kneeling, he turned on the tap and tested the water on his wrist before lowering the drain. As he’d hoped, Sky followed him into the small room, curiosity brimming through her mind like fluttering moths.

  “We already showered, in case you’ve forgotten.” She leaned back against the sink and popped a blueberry into her mouth.

  “This is about getting messy, not clean. Come on, strip down and hop into the tub.” Although he kept his tone light, she balked. He sighed, though not loud enough for her to notice. Go slow. “Look, I won’t make the mistake of asking you to trust me again, but I will promise not to touch you tonight ‑‑ no skin on skin.”

  A few minutes passed. Finally, she dropped her robe and stepped into the bathtub. His heart crawled into his throat, all but cutting off his air supply. For a moment, images of how he’d last seen her, bruised and bloodied and covered with bandages, threatened to spoil his chance to get her to relax around him. He forced the uncomfortable memories from his mind and focused instead on the graceful movements of her legs as she tested the water and then lowered herself into the tub.

  Sky let out a sigh of contentment. “Feels good. Nice and hot. And I remember you that way too, you know ‑‑ broken and bleeding ‑‑ when my guard slips. You don’t have to worry about ruining things if I pick up ugly tidbits of the past from you. But do keep in mind that I can’t seem to shake you out of my head. My psychic gifts are formidable to begin with, and there’s also a connection of sorts between us. In any case, you’re not going to get a lot of privacy around me.”

  Bless it, interacting with Sky was a sequence of pleasant emotions intermingled with sucker punches hard enough to knock the wind out of him. “Right, thanks for the reminder. Not much privacy for you, either, I’m afraid. And, since you’re wondering, the fruit’s not exactly for eating.”

  As he folded a towel and tucked it behind her head, she settled deeper into the filling tub. Her breasts were clear of the water, and her nipples formed chilly little peaks, the flesh around them puckered in the relatively cool air. Her hair floated around her in the bubbling ripples, like little black fish swimming around her body. Her skin shone pale in contrast to the black porcelain tub, and she regarded him with eerily light blue eyes, waiting to see what came next. Watching intently, he shut off the tap before the water covered her belly and ribs. He jumped when she grabbed his wrist.

  “I’m so sorry, Alec ‑‑ for everything.”

  The depth of her regret arced across the touch and swamped him with feelings too dark to name. “The blame belongs to the dark witch, not to you.” Clenching his jaw against his own share of regrets, he forced himself to add, “And not to me.”

  For months, he’d second-guessed every move he’d made as he attempted to spirit Sky away from the circle after the grand duel. If only he’d chosen another path. If he’d been faster. If he’d hidden them better…

  “Bless it, you’re stewing in just as much guilt as I am. But it’s my choices that brought me to that circle. My shortcomings that dragged you into the whole mess.”

  Alec shook his head. “My loyalty to Sorren, and everything the elder witch stands for in his fight against rogues like Jaimis, dragged me into the whole mess. You can’t claim the blame for my choices, Sky. But no more of that tonight.” Alec moved the platter of fruit to the floor beside the tub and then settled on the scatter rug within reach of Sky. “Tonight’s flavor is tutti-frutti. Absolutely no vanilla. But no edge, either.”

  Sky’s eyes widened when he opened the yogurt container and dipped a strawberry into the creamy mix. She never looked away as he withdrew the coated berry and moved his hand to hold it just out of reach of her lips.

  “Remember, I won’t put my hands on you tonight. You’re safe here.” Dipping his hand, he brushed a dab of yogurt onto her lips, using the tip of the strawberry like a paintbrush.

  His balls crawled up under his skin as the tip of her tongue darted out to lick away the sweetness. Gods, they were linked so close, he tasted the yogurt through her, the fruity flavor mingling with the tart cream. If their connection ‑‑ no doubt formed either as they’d clung together in Jaimis’s basement dungeon or during the weeks they spent as Sorren’s guests before they were strong enough to travel ‑‑ held that strong, tonight might be a lot more interesting than he expected.

  “Mmm, interesting is a good word for it. In any case, you may have just tasted yogurt through me, but I got to feel your sac tighten until your balls pulled up against you. A new sensation for me, being a woman and all. Not quite painful, but very tight, very hot, and ‑‑”

  “Right, enough of that.” Lowering his hand, Alec let the tip of the strawberry brush one nipple, then the other, leaving little peaks of cream behind.

  She tensed, then relaxed into the sensation, tilting her head back f
arther against the folded towel supporting the nape of her neck. For a moment, her eyes even drifted shut, shrouded by thick, dark lashes. She looked up at him through half-slits, waiting for his next move.

  Choosing a chunk of cantaloupe, he traced a circle over her ribs ‑‑ around, but not touching, her breasts. “Okay?”

  As she settled back against the sloping porcelain at the far end of the tub, he felt her struggle with conflicting needs, her thoughts and emotions crackling across a link neither of them had tried to form.

  Her craving for safety. Her desire for him. And the one that surprised him most ‑‑ her urge to crawl out of the tub and curl into a tiny ball on his lap, her knees tucked close to her chest, as he stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

  “Not sure exactly where to go with this, but let’s try something.” He tossed the fruit back onto the platter and picked up the honey jar.

  After dipping his fingers into the translucent amber substance, he drizzled a shaky circle over where her belly and hips cleared the shallow water. She moaned softly under her breath, and something inside him came unhinged. Shaking so hard he almost dropped the jar, he dipped his fingers again, painting lines and crazy loops across her breasts.

  Her skin glistened under the sticky trails, and with everything in him, he wanted to dip his head and lick the sweetness from her nipples. His cock twitched as he lifted the container of blueberries and placed several around her breasts, using the honey to hold the tiny blue gems in place.

  While he decorated her body, her hauntingly light blue eyes remained watchful. He felt her fever rise along with his own. Sensed her desire to feel his mouth on her breasts, to feel his hands on the gently rounded slopes of her ass. Her hunger to know the heat of his chest pressed close to hers, squishing the warm fruit between their bodies.

  Awed, he let her thoughts settle somewhere close to his heart. Sure, they felt protective toward each other after what happened, and no doubt during the six weeks they’d spent together they’d become friends. But from the easy way Sky slid into his thoughts, her passion mirroring his own, he recognized the mystical link between witches he’d never expected to experience firsthand. Pure chemistry mixed with magic.

  Pushing his hair away from his face with the back of his hand, Alec paused a moment before scattering the rest of the blueberries in a wild riot of color across her chest and belly. When he opened the plastic container of whipped cream, she laughed. But she swallowed back her mirth as he lathered white peaks across each breast using a wedge of cantaloupe as his paintbrush.

  “Arch your hips up out of the water for me, I need to ‑‑”

  Swallowing hard, he watched as she arched out of the water, holding steady so he could coat her triangle of dark curls with the frothy cream. Before he had a chance to lose his nerve, he lifted a strawberry and, careful not to let his fingers brush her skin, nestled it between the lips of her pussy.

  “Wow.” Skyler sank back into the water. The cream floated up in a foamy cloud, obscuring his view of her pink folds hugging the red, ripe strawberry.

  Coating another berry with cream, he held the tip to her lips. He’d expected her to suck off the cream, but she gobbled it down instead. Red juice stained her chin, and her eyes closed.

  “More?”

  “Mmm.”

  A dollop of cream smeared across her cheek as he fed her another strawberry. She rocked her hips back and forth. Through the link they shared, he felt the pull of the warm berry at her sex, experienced her craving for deeper penetration.

  “You’re killing me here, witch.” The ache in his balls had long since taken on a special little zing ‑‑ a fiery sensation that rose up to envelop the base of his cock and stretched back to slice along his spine. “Do you see yourself through me? Can you see how beautiful you are?”

  “Yes ‑‑ I mean, your thoughts are flooding mine. I feel you looking at me. See my breasts through your eyes, with the purple berry juice staining my skin.” She paused, then shifted to face him. “What you were thinking a few moments ago ‑‑ chemistry and magic. I want you to know this is okay, what we’re doing together. I feel…safe with you. Like part of me’s waking up. And I appreciate you playing it this way tonight. Giving me control ‑‑ the kink I’m hungry for, but without an edge.”

  “Will you do something for me, then? Only if you feel comfortable with it, of course.” Handing her the last strawberry, he wondered if she’d be willing to go further. “Will you touch this to your clit, pleasure yourself while I watch.”

  Although she made a soft, uneasy sound ‑‑ almost a protest, but not quite ‑‑ she lowered the berry he handed her between her legs and arched up out of the water to offer him a better view. With smooth, even strokes, she brushed the tip of the strawberry over her swollen clit. At first, she darted little glances over at him to gauge his reaction, but soon she lost herself in a series of desperate movements.

  Canting her hips, she rose to meet the thrusts of the fruit against her sex, rubbing hard enough to leave a slick red trail across her flushed skin. The moan she let loose made him shift restlessly where he knelt on the soft rug beside her. She crushed the berry against her clit and rubbed until nothing remained of the fruit except a messy pulp.

  “More. Sweet goddess, I need more.”

  How he could give her what she needed without touching her escaped him. Every instinct insisted he stick to his vow not to bring his skin against hers tonight. Too soon. Too dangerous. Gods, we’re both too vulnerable.

  Lifting the peach he’d stolen from the kitchen, he held it over her arching pelvis and crushed it in his fist, letting the cool juice drip across her ruby red clit and labia. As her hips thrust, mimicking the motions of sex, the berry at the mouth of her pussy came loose and floated free in the water.

  “Please? I need…something.”

  His heart broke at that, the tentative plea for a release she couldn’t put into words. Glancing down at the platter on the floor beside him, he realized he was about out of tricks. The only thing left was a…

  “Right. I think I’ve got something that might help.” All but shivering in anticipation, he picked up the banana ‑‑ more green than yellow still, no good for eating, but more than firm enough for the purpose he had in mind ‑‑ and peeled away the stiff skin.

  Skyler opened her eyes. “No way,” she said, looking at the banana he held. “This is too kinky even for me. There is just no way I’m going to fuck myself with that while you watch.”

  “Really?” Reaching out to brush her thoughts, he flashed an image of her head thrown back, her hips rising to accept the fruit, her hand guiding it in a circular motion guaranteed to hit her sweet spot on every stroke.

  She made a soft sound and shifted restlessly in the water, as if the caress of ripples might be enough to grant her the release she sought. When he pressed the firm, curved length of fruit into her palm, her fingers closed around it.

  His heart pounded against his ribs as he waited to see what she’d do next. His balls ached like fury, and he suspected droplets were beading at the tip of his cock. Finally, she brought her hand down to her pubic mound, letting the pale tip of the fruit nudge against her labia. Shifting her legs, he raised her feet to rest on the sides of the tub, leaving the back of her head partly submerged in the water and her sex spread wide.

  Alec reached down to raise the drain, letting some water out so Sky could rest her head on the floor of the tub comfortably. She watched him as he lowered the drain in place again. He ached to touch her.

  Instead, he settled back beside the tub with his hands wrapped tight around his knees, his cock straining against the silky cloth of his shorts. When she eased the first inch of the pale fruit inside her pussy, the last of his sanity came unglued, and he mumbled something strangled and breathless.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Sky gave him a sexy grin as she plunged the unripe banana deep inside her, then pulled it out and rubbed the firm curve over her clit.

  When he did
n’t respond, she let her eyelids droop shut and began working the length in and out of her slick, swollen pussy in rapid strokes while humming under her breath. Her thoughts bombarded him. Images of a plump woman, and then a man with kind eyes, who she’d been with during the months she spent in Mexico, followed by disjointed flashes of wild encounters she’d partaken in years ago.

  The erotic vignettes from her past came fast and furious. Emotional snapshots of her bound ‑‑ a man tied spread-eagle to her bed. And sensations, too ‑‑ what it felt like when she wore nipple clamps, hot and wild, hurting just enough to feel oh, so good. The cool metal of handcuffs against her wrists. Her voice muffled by a ball gag, her tongue curving against the hard rubber surface. The erotic charge of dragging her nails along a man’s back. Sinking her teeth into his shoulder… Tying him to a four-poster bed…

  And yet, he felt her fear build with each successive image, thrashing through her like a bird caught in a net.

  “No,” he urged her, “you don’t need the edge. Look at me.”

  With a hiss of frustration, she turned her head and fixed him with a steely glare. “I almost had it.”

  “And you will again. Feel the water around you. Borrow some of my heat. Feel it rising in me like thunder and wind and rain. Think of your hands on your body, and the slick feel of the fruit against your sweet spot. No edgy memories. No fear. No pain. Just you, here, in a bathtub, safe.”

  Wrapping himself in her thoughts until little sparks of blue flashed at the back of his eyes every time she pleasured the hungry spot just beneath her pelvic bone, he reached out to her, sharing the explosive bliss-bordering-on-misery of his aching balls and twitching cock. And when she came, throwing her knees open wider to let him watch as her rich fluid dribbled out of her pussy and her skin twitched in a series of lightning-quick spasms, he held his breath, fighting the inevitable. Desperate to rein in his runaway passion, he pulled back from their connection and wrapped his defenses tightly around himself as he came in his shorts.