Spiritbound (8 page)

She shook her head. ‘It was a mistake. We were young, innocent. It won’t work now. We have too much armour, too much inbuilt protection.’

‘Try.’

‘No, I can’t.’

‘Please, Grace. I want this.’

Her gaze lifted to his. ‘Want what?’

In the next breath he was there, his hot lips on her neck making her gasp. ‘To be close to you, Grace. To share myself with you.’ She was caught between wanting to push him away and wanting to surrender. This was Declan, the person who she had been close to once, closer than she had been with anyone. They had touched each other’s essence.

He kissed along her jaw, moving to her lips, at first taking her lower lip and sucking gently on it and then moving to the top lip. Her mouth opened of its own accord and he was there, kissing deeply, his tongue caressing hers.

Grace moaned. Her blood sped around her body making parts of her throb. Declan held her round the back and his hands rose to cling to her shoulders, making her surrender further to his kisses. It was more than she’d imagined a date with him would be. All she’d had in the past was her imagination. His lips were so tender and the sensation they caused when they melded with hers made all restraint disappear. She kissed him back, licking along his lower lip, first smaller kisses and then lunging back in for a long drawn-out one that made her forget to breathe.

His fingers kneaded her scalp, chasing tension away. Her hands cupped his butt and those muscled mounds made her knees grow weak. He was all strength and hardness beneath his clothes.

Their kissing continued like a dance. They turned together in each other’s arms, kissing necks and the tips of noses and then diving back in for the lips, for the mouth, tongues caressing. Declan’s hands travelled down her sides and then reached around to cup her rear, pressing her body against his. That’s when it got real.

Grace had to disentangle herself. She had to stop it right away. He couldn’t know that she was untried. He was obviously experienced. She would not have him laugh at her. Being a virgin right now was very inconvenient.

‘Stop, please. I think we should leave it there. It’s a mistake, really. We should just go home,’

‘Why?’ he said drowsily, his eyes heavy with arousal. He opened the circle of his arms, but he did not let her go free.

‘We can’t do this. We forget the situation.’

He pursed his lips. ‘You like me, despite what you say. You can’t hide the language of your body, your kisses. We could be great. We could be so close, if only…’

Grace closed her eyes.
If only–the story of her life
.

‘There is no future for us, Declan Mallory. I ruined it ten years ago. Your parents would never accept me and I’m not interested in a one-night stand, a casual encounter.’ She saw his eyes widen. She knew he didn’t want a commitment. He’d told her so. She was on the right path now. She had to be firm.

‘It could be fun.’

Grace shook ahead. She’d won this one. ‘No. I’m afraid not.’

His arms dropped and he let her step away. She raced over to her shoes and slipped them on. ‘Is there a train I can catch? You don’t have to drive me home.’

‘No, you’re not catching a train.’

‘Of course, I am.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ She bristled. ‘Come on, Grace, there are two bedrooms, both made up. We can stay here. I won’t touch you, if you don’t want me to.’

Grace hesitated. Declan had backed off when she’d asked him to. He obviously wanted to stay in the cottage. It was lovely and she liked it too. ‘Okay. Separate beds?’

‘Only, if you insist.’

She narrowed her eyelids. ‘Now, Declan Mallory, I’m not in the mood for games. What are you playing at?’

‘Nothing, it’s just it would be nice to hold you, Grace, to feel you close, even platonically. I really need that right now.’

Grace scoffed. ‘What do you mean? You have so many girls after you.’

He waved a hand dismissively, and moved closer, speaking softly. ‘They just want the prize. Can’t you see how off-putting it is to be chased by all those witches? I’m lonely, Grace. I need to touch someone. I need you.’

Grace shook herself. ‘Why me?’

He shrugged. ‘I’m not entirely sure. We had a connection a long time ago. That draws me to you. Maybe it’s because you know me and aren’t chasing me. I can’t explain it clearly to you.’

Grace blinked rapidly, trying to sort through her emotions and decipher Declan’s reasoning. Grace couldn’t let go of her scepticism. ‘You want me but don’t know why. That’s not very flattering.’

‘Grace, you accept me.’

‘I do?’

He grinned and ruffled his hair. ‘You don’t worship me, or have an overblown idea of who I am. You’re not interested in me as a catch, as a trophy. That’s what those other witches want. I need the space you allow me to be me.’

She sensed that he was being honest. He really needed her and she couldn’t walk away from that. There was more to this adult Declan than she’d first thought. He might seem as if he was revelling in all the attention, but in reality he wasn’t. She wanted to ask more but didn’t want to risk it. ‘All right then. But play fair.’

Goddess, had she just agreed to sleep in the same bed as all that man? He’d better live up to his part of the deal, and no naughty business.

He leered at her. ‘My honour as a warlock.’

***

Grace took her time in the shower as she contemplated what she had set herself up for. She was going to sleep in the same room as Declan, in the same bed. She’d only ever slept with Elena when they were young or snuggled with her mother when her mother was not otherwise occupied. She tried thinking back to when she was a girl; she’d never bunked up with Declan when they were kids. Their intimacy had been on a different level, mind-to-mind, and accidental, come to think of it. It had been so long since they had touched each other that way that is was less than a memory, more like the silk of a spider web touching her thoughts before dissolving completely.

The water ran cold and she hurriedly closed the taps, not realising that it wasn’t an instantaneous system like she had at home. Hopefully, it recovered quickly or Declan was likely to be peeved with her for hogging all the hot water. As she dried herself, she eyed a pile of clothes he’d provided for her—a white singlet top and a pair of his boxer shorts. She brushed out her hair and absently used her talent to clean her own clothes and arrange them in a pile.

Grace used a touch of magic to dry her hair and style it neatly around her face and over her shoulders. She looked down at herself, dressed in the singlet shorts, and shrugged. Conjuring items was not one of her talents so she had little choice but to wear his clothes to bed. A neck-to-toe nightgown would have provided more comfort, perhaps with a padlock at the base to seal her in it. Despite his reassurance, she did feel that she was running the gauntlet in sleeping in the same bed with him. She brushed her lips with her fingers, remembering the heat of his kisses. Definitely taking risks there, as she had been seriously turned on.

Declan was leaning against the hallway wall when she opened the bathroom door. ‘I’m sorry. I think I used all hot water.’

Declan laughed. ‘That’s fine. I’m quite set up for a cold shower.’ He stepped into the bathroom, and Grace didn’t know what to do with herself. Should she climb into bed and feign sleep or wait to be invited under the covers?

It had been a long day and she was rather done in.
Definitely in bed before him
, she thought.
And sound asleep
. That had to be her tactic.

There was a double bed in one room and a single in the other. She decided the double bed was the best option for sharing, particularly with such a large man. Her eyes rolled up
Goddess save me. I can’t actually be doing this
.

Nerves aside, Grace rolled back the bedcovers and slid inside the clean-smelling sheets. Her handbag had been placed next to the bed. Declan must have moved it from the lounge room where she’d left it. Fetching her mobile phone, she quickly sent a text to Elena to let her know that she was fine, but gave no other details. She didn’t want to be dealing with their questions and the potential for gossip. Elena returned a quick ‘okay’.

Grace tossed the phone into her bag and lay back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. Fatigue mixed with wine caught up with her, making her eyelids heavy. She slid easily into sleep.

Her awareness returned when a muscled arm encircled her waist and drew her within the warmth of a large, firm body. Declan nuzzled at the back of her neck, his nose ruffling her hair. A sigh escaped her and she drifted back off to sleep. A warlock’s honour? She’d never heard that they had any, but that thought drifted away.

Declan broadcast relaxing vibes as she nestled in the cradle of his arms. They tickled at her awareness, even in sleep. She wasn’t sure if he did this on purpose or whether it was natural for him to do so. She was comforted rather than alarmed at being held so close, and basking in his warmth. His vibes made her experience comfort to her soul, such that she’d never thought she would feel ever again. Then her awareness sunk into unconsciousness.

***

Declan clung to Grace, luxuriating in the feel of her tight bottom snug against his groin. Her soft breathing was like a balm to his soul. Her trust and friendship were important to him. He hadn’t realised until he returned to Sydney how much a part of him he’d left behind, and how much Grace filled up that empty space.

Moonlight filtered through the blinds, brightening the room and filling it with restless energy. Declan was not ready for sleep. He kissed Grace’s shoulder, his mind filling with thoughts of her.

She demanded nothing from him and he liked that. The thought that it wasn’t enough snuck up on him. He’d been avoiding entanglements, running from witches who were willing to give him anything he wanted. Except for Grace. She wanted nothing from him.

Begrudgingly, she’d offered friendship.

He realised if he wanted more from her, he was going to have to demand it. She was too wounded to freely give to him. It wasn’t just the betrayal that day when they were kids. There had been years of suffering at the hands of others. It didn’t take him long to get the full story of how she’d been treated during his time away. The slights he’d witnessed recently were only mild in comparison to her school years. Her family had supported her, and that was all. Her family was her centre, and he understood that. But was it enough? Was it a full life?

There was too much angst and stormy waters churning through broken bridges for her to be open with him. She’d said as much when he’d asked her to touch his mind like she had when she was a child. He could mind speak her, but he couldn’t reach out and touch like she had the power to do.

He did not share with her his own family’s animosity towards the Denholm clan, and he couldn’t think of a way to shift it. Not right then. They didn’t know he was with Grace now, in this house. He made sure to keep the boundaries of his life tight, and as much as he loved his family, he wasn’t about to tell them every single thing that he did or reveal who he was intimate with. There was time enough to deal with that when he’d decided to settle down.

He’d learned a lot about Grace; enough to know that she had an amazing courage that stood against what the members of the coven had thrown at her. She was a bit of a prodigy with her talent, able to touch people’s essences, their souls. That was why she’d been able to summon the spirit of her cat all those years ago. At that time, she hadn’t understood the boundaries between life and death. Now, she was so controlled she wasn’t using her talent at all. That was a damn shame. Yes, necromancy was strongly associated with dark magic, forbidden magic, but there had to be ways to use her ability for good.

The subsequent tutoring from the elders had not only enhanced her skills, but taught her to navigate between life and death so that she couldn’t commit that awful sin of bringing back the dead again. Yet her talent gave her many advantages, such as being able to understand people, find hidden spells and dark motivations. He grinned, thinking of their match that afternoon. She was strong in mental agility too. She easily matched his own. She’d make a strong warrior if she chose. He considered her spirit, so light and airy after a lifetime of shame and ostracism. It had taken her a lot of inner strength to turn out as well she did, given the circumstances. He could only admire her.

Holding her close tested his vow not to make love to her. He sensed that she was dreaming and he was sorely tempted to take a peek inside. He’d could only skim the surface, not touch her essence. He remembered when she had reached out to him, and in their innocence they had shared parts of themselves. Was that a fluke? Could they do such a thing again? It was so long ago.

Grace changed positions but Declan wasn’t ready to turn away from her, so he manoeuvred her so that she lay along his body, her face on his shoulder, her arm across his middle. Her knee rested on his. He lay there with Grace in his arms, staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about his arousal.

Grace’s consciousness rose up from her dream. She was in that in-between space where being not quite aware, she would answer questions if asked.

‘Grace?’

‘Mmm.’

‘You’re a virgin, aren’t you?’ he whispered in her ear. She mumbled something incomprehensible but he knew that was it. What else could she be? Unless she’d taken up with humans, she was bound to be untouched. There weren’t that many warlocks in the coven and she had been shunned. No one would date her for fear of her necromancy.

The kisses they had shared that night were more than special, knowing that he was probably the only one. Yet it also worried him because Grace had passion inside of her. She did a good job of keeping it banked to a low ember. The desire to unleash it solidified.

He wasn’t about to break his word, but he was going to mine heavily along the edges.

Reaching across her body with his free hand, he stroked along her jaw. He passed his thumb over her bottom lip, smiling when she tried to dislodge it as though he were a fly buzzing around her head. Gently, he eased her face upwards and pressed his lips against hers. He sent a mental thrust of encouragement.
Come on, Grace. Kiss me
.