Kalindra (GateKeepers) (11 page)

She wrapped her arms around him and gripped his shoulders, desperate to hang onto him. If this was all she’d have once he left, she’d take it and be grateful for his kindness.

When her tears had dried up, he lifted her gaze to his.

“Do you want to tell me what all that was about?”

Kalindra shook her head, but he wouldn’t let her look away.

“Nothing,” she said after a long moment. Oddly, she did feel better after her cry. If a little foolish. Talk about a major overreaction. So what if he left? She’d been fine before him and she’d be fine after him.

Even as she thought it, she knew she was kidding herself. She’d be devastated when he left.

“Don’t lie to me.” His voice caused shivers to race up her spine. Even upset, he affected her.

She opened her mouth, readying a lie, even though he’d warned her against it. Something to save her pride. He could leave, but he wouldn’t know how much it hurt her. At least she’d keep that. But then her gaze snagged on his, and she read the determination in his eyes. He wouldn’t stop until he knew the truth. Something told her he’d know if she lied. She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. Whatever. He’d be gone soon, so what did it matter what he knew or didn’t know?

“I just didn’t think you’d want to leave so soon.” She bit the inside of her lips and gazed at the ceiling. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. Your skills are far from pathetic. You are a warrior among humans.”

His silence made her nervous. Couldn’t he see she was pouring her heart out here? Gathering her courage, she met his gaze once again.

“What made you think I wanted to leave?” he asked, his tone curious, as if he really didn’t know what she was talking about.

“You said so.” Now she was confused. He did want to leave, right?

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes. You did.”

“Well, that would’ve been pretty stupid of me, since I don’t want to leave. God, you’re difficult.” But his smile took the bite out of his words.

“You…don’t want to leave?” Dare she hope?

“No.” And in his eyes she read the truth of his words. Jeez, what a mess she’d made. But still…

“But, then why ask about the gate?” That part didn’t make sense. If he didn’t want to leave, why talk about the lack of assaults on the gate?

“Conversation?” The upward inflection at the end gave him away.

“What happened to no lying?” Sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth, her tone was so sweet.

He coughed to cover obvious discomfort. She knew it. He did want to leave.

“I…worry about you. About when you’re not with me.” His discomfort was obvious in the tightening of the muscles around her.

Shocked, Kalindra could do nothing but stare. What was he saying? Could he feel a need to protect her? And what did that even mean? Was it just his protective nature, or something more?

“Oh.” What else could she say?

She’d like to believe it meant he cared for her. Enough to want to keep her safe. Maybe as more than just a friend. But her mind warned caution. Already she was lost for him. Best not to let her imagination run away from her. There were a lot of reasons he could worry about her. After all, who would protect him if she was gone? And no one could train him as well as Kali.

“You okay now?” he asked, drawing her away from her musings.

“More than okay.”

“Good.”

Still, neither moved. Kali was content to stay here in his arms for the rest of the day. Safe. Secure. Cared for. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and felt a brush of lips in her hair.

* * * *

When her breathing became slow and even, Cameron knew she’d fallen asleep. But he had no desire to move her. Her body was a comfortable weight in his arms. He felt needed. And it felt good.

Reaching up, he swept a hand over her hair, but froze when she shifted. He didn’t want to wake her. Clearly she needed more sleep. Or something else to help her relax.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe Kali would break down like that. Yell at him, sure. That he could picture. The passion raging between them brought out strong emotions. So he could understand the shouting. Hell, he’d half expected her to start throwing things–more than just the pillow.

Her anger annoyed him at the time, but hadn’t really bothered him.
Expected
was the wrong word…but none of it surprised him.

Until she started crying. The sound of her sob when he’d turned the corner had stopped him dead in his tracks. He’d thought she was angry, in a snit about something stupid. Maybe PMSing–did Harpies get PMS? But the desolation in that sob had just about stopped his heart.

Temper, he could walk away from. Had started to, in fact. But her sorrow. The pain he heard behind the sobs. That was another matter altogether. The sound of her tears tore him up inside. Gutted him.

And then when he’d gone back and seen her defeated body posture, the tears streaming down her face, he’d felt a need to fix whatever bothered her. Yet, at the same time, he felt completely and utterly helpless. He had no idea what the fight was really about or what was bothering her. Not twenty minutes ago they were both on their way to ecstasy. What had changed in so short a time?

So he’d done the only thing he could think of. He held her, offering her what little comfort he had while she sobbed into his shoulder. Soothing her with words when he could no longer take her tears. Then, when she finally told him the problem, to find out all the heartbreak because she thought he wanted to leave…

He didn’t want to leave. The very idea made his chest tight with anxiety. Which was odd. He
should
want to go. Should jump at the opportunity she’d just given him. This wasn’t his home. Would never be his home. No matter how much it might feel like it at the moment.

Eventually, he would leave, wouldn’t he? He had things to go back to, people he cared about and who cared about him in turn. But at the moment, he couldn’t think of anything he needed to do, or anyone who would truly miss him.

His people? Well, he only kind of liked them. They occupied a place in his life because they were there, and he was there. Not one of them would give him a second thought if he disappeared. And how sad was that? Didn’t he have one person he truly cared about who hadn’t died years ago?

Kalindra cuddled deeper into his embrace, her body seeking his even in sleep. Kali was a different story. He liked her. Not because she was there and he was there, but because she was witty, and clever, and confident. Yes, she gave him shit for not being as good a fighter as her, or for not cooking–not that she let him anywhere near her stove–but it never bothered him. Truthfully, he kind of liked it when she gave him shit.

Yup, something was definitely wrong with him.

He smiled into her hair. Right now, there was nowhere he’d rather be. No one he’d rather be with.

As much as he hated her pain, the outburst had lightened his spirits. At least now, he knew his feelings for Kali were returned. That everything wasn’t one-sided. And it wasn’t just outstanding sex, either. Although there was plenty of that. Something deeper connected them.

She stirred in his arms, blinking her eyes until awareness entered them.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you,” he murmured.

Then she met his gaze, embarrassment staining her cheeks. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not usually such a mess.”

Tenderness welled inside him as he rubbed his thumb over her still-wet cheek. At first, he didn’t recognize the emotion tightening his chest. He’d certainly never felt it for a woman before. But Kali was something else. The strongest woman he knew, physically and emotionally.

This outburst had proven she was still fragile in her own way. And it gave him an overwhelming sense of pride to realize her emotion for him was one of her weaknesses.

But it also worried him. Weaknesses in her job were dangerous. He’d hold onto this moment, to remember that even a fighter like Kali had chinks in her armor. He needed to be careful, to guard that fragile part of her. Because he never wanted to see her upset again. His heart couldn’t take it.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against her, pulling back when she tried to deepen the kiss. Over the past two weeks, they’d had sex all over the castle and grounds. He’d taken her against walls, on tables, and in showers. Hell, even on the floor more than a few times. Furious, needy sex where their craving for each other drove them. But the tenderness inside him craved something else.

This time, he’d take things slow. Build her passion up until she forgot her embarrassment, and her worries. Until all she could think about was him. He wasn’t ready to tell her how much he cared about her. He hadn’t even figured that out for himself. But maybe he could show her she mattered to him. Was more than convenient, or something to do to pass the time.

Calling upon all the tenderness inside him, Cameron stroked a hand over her body. This was about her, showing her she mattered to him. He rained gentle kisses over her face, soft as a butterfly.

Her hands pulled at him, but he refused to speed up. She wouldn’t goad him away from his goal. She arched into his hands when they cupped her breasts, his thumbs sweeping over the distended tips.

“You’re beautiful, Kali,” he whispered against her lips.

She moaned, lifting her head for a kiss, so he obliged. Breaking contact only when she became frenzied. He trailed his lips down her neck, moving his hands over the expanse of her stomach. Kali wasn’t just beautiful. With her creamy skin, perky breasts tipped with dusky rose nipples, she was a miracle.

The perfect match to his personality, his humor, and his sexuality.
His perfect match
. He’d never bought into the notion of fate. His destiny was his own. But as his lips wrapped around one perfect nipple, he wondered if he’d been wrong.

He remembered her words from their first night. She’d called herself replaceable. Could he have been sent here to protect this one woman? To show her she mattered as more than just one of the chosen?

With his hands and lips he explored every inch of her. Reverence filled him as he caressed hips, down her thighs. He kissed down the outside of her left leg, ignoring the right. He paused at her ankle, sucking a trail around the curve, moving to the other only when he’d licked every inch. Then he slowly kissed his way up the inside of her other leg.

Kalindra moaned and opened her legs wider, allowing him to slide between them.

He paused at the soft expanse of her thigh, slowing his upward ascent. The spicy scent of her sex enticed him. He knew exactly how it would taste on his tongue, how her legs would quiver as he licked inside her, and how she would scream and thrust against his mouth when he closed his mouth over her clit and sucked.

She moaned as he hovered inches above her. Her sex glistened, wet with desire. He licked his lips, anticipation driving both of them wild. Tonight he’d show her what a goddess she was.

Unable to resist, he hooked his arms under her knees and opened her wider for him. She whimpered at the movement, but he had her truly trapped.

* * * *

Kali screamed as a wave of pleasure crashed into her, but Cameron’s mouth continued to assault her sensitive flesh.

Dear gods, the man knew how to use his mouth. His tongue slid inside her, and heat filled her once again. She fisted her hands in the sheets, needing something to hold onto. Something to keep her sane.

The scent of sex permeated the air. She arched up, another wave of pleasure building. Still he teased, playing her body like an instrument. She needed him inside her. More than she’d ever needed anything before. But there was no before. No after. Only now, and the things he made her feel.

She felt herself rising to the peak of another orgasm. Her body tightened, anticipating the brink. Then he pulled away, and she almost cried at the loss as the pleasure receded. So close.

But his lips were trailing back up her body, setting her nerves on fire everywhere he kissed. By the time he settled over her, pressing himself inside her, she was a live wire, ready to make them both go up in flames.

His hands slid over hers, untangling her grip on the sheet and threading his fingers through hers. She gripped them as he settled into a gentle pace.

Every thrust pushed her higher. Every withdrawal made her cry out at the loss until he filled her again.