Tethered 01 - Catalyst (20 page)

“Sure,” I said. I could use a drink. After all, someone was trying to get rid of me, and anything I could do to relax seemed needed because of it.

This was what I told myself, even though alcohol and Kace did not seem like a good situation for me to put myself in. I was practically setting myself up for a
hot fisherman fling
as Vera had called it.

No, I could behave…as long as Kace did.

True to his word, dinner came with a nice bottle of wine after Kace had mentioned who the order was for. I scoured the cabinets in my grandmother’s kitchen for two glasses we could drink from that weren’t plastic. Finally, I found her stash in the cabinets above the refrigerator.

“Geez, Grandma liked her drinks,” I said as I glanced at the loads of tumblers, shot glasses, and an assortment of wine and champagne glasses hidden away.

Kace came over and placed both of his hands on my hips. He lifted me up and slowly set me down in front of him so I wouldn’t have to shimmy my way off the counter on my own. The motion of brushing against him sent shivers across my skin and ignited images in my mind that I’d thought would only appear after a glass or two of wine.

Screw my one and done rule. Tonight I was in desperate need of fun and relaxation and maybe a little something else. Maybe…

“Here you go,” I said, holding up a glass between the two of us while at the same time holding my breath.

Kace smirked at me. “Thanks,” he said as he took it from my fingertips, being sure to brush his fingers against mine.

One thing I’d learned about him in the short time I’d known him was any time he could touch me, he would. Maybe the feel of contact with me was just as good for him. After a few glasses of wine, it would definitely be something I’d ask him.

Kace poured us each a glass of wine and then raised his for a toast. “To keeping you safe, even if it means I have to spend the night. Every night.” His eyes glittered as he said the words, and he tipped the glass to his lips, never removing them from mine.

I felt my heart skip a beat. He had no idea how good him spending the night sounded to me right about now.

“To the first part, yes. To the second part, not so much.” I tipped my glass back and drank. Vera would be proud; I was playing hard to get. At least I thought I was.

I spun and headed back into the gaudy red room that was the dining room, hurrying to get away from the sexier than sin look Kace was giving me. I set out the food he’d ordered for us, curious to see what it was. Removing the lid from a circular container, I smiled.

“Baked ziti?” I’d expected something more sophisticated and gourmet now that I knew all about Collette’s and their type of food.

Kace shrugged as he sat down at the table beside me. “What can I say? I’m a man who enjoys the simple things in life.”

“Is that so?” I questioned as I scooped some of the pasta onto my plate.

A boyish smirk twisted his lips, and I’d never wanted to kiss him more than I did right then. “It is.”

“Tell me about you,” I said as I sat down and took a long sip of the incredible wine he’d gotten us.

“Tell you about me? What do you want to know?”

“Nope, none of that deflector crap.”

He chuckled. “Well, you sort of put me on the spot. I mean, that’s a broad sort of question.”

I rolled my eyes and took another sip. “Fine, I’ll make it easy then. What’s your favorite color?”

He stopped scooping pasta and looked me directly in the eyes. “Green, like the color in your eyes.”

“Corny.” I chuckled.

He shook his head and smiled. “No, seriously. Green is my favorite color, and it just happens to be one of the colors swirled in your eyes.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” I dragged the words out, enjoying teasing him. “Favorite type of music?”

“Anything besides classical and country.”

“So that means you like opera, didn’t think you were the type.”

“Ha, funny,” he said, cocking his head to the side. “Your turn. If you could go to any place in the world right now, where would you go?”

“Ireland,” I said without hesitation. It had been at the top of my list of places to visit since I was like seven.

“Ireland, huh? I figured you’d be more of a beachy destination type of girl.”

“And why is that?”

He took a sip of his wine, staring at me over the rim of his glass before answering. “Because you seem like the type to enjoy being in a bathing suit.”

“Ha, I think you’d just like to
see
me in a bathing suit.”

He leaned across the table, a devilish smirk twisting his full lips. “Or, a little less.”

“That could be arranged,” I teased with a wicked grin of my own.

God, what was I saying? I blushed and tipped my wineglass back, finishing its contents. Kace poured me another before I could tell him no.

“No need to blush. We’re all adults here,” he said with a heated look, which only made my cheeks flame even more.

I tipped the glass he’d just refilled back and took a long swig. “I’m not blushing. It’s the alcohol,” I lied. Partly.

Kace didn’t say a word. He reached for my chair and jerked it closer to his with one deliberate motion. I watched as the muscles in his bicep bulged beneath his T-shirt. My eyes were still open when his lips came crashing down against mine. They slanted across them, soft and warm. His arm circled my waist as he drew me in closer toward him.

I closed my eyes once I felt his tongue flick against my bottom lip. Opening my mouth, I allowed him the access to the deepest parts he seemed to want. My hands gripped his biceps, and I felt his muscles grow ridged and taut from my touch. Warmth swam though me, clouding my mind more than the alcohol. The two made for a dizzying haze. His lips left mine in favor of the sensitive skin along my neck. I thought of what we were doing and how we should probably stop, but then Kace’s lips found mine once again and I was drowning in that haze once more. The words I had planned on saying were forgotten.

A sigh escaped from me as his warm hand slipped beneath my tank top and along my ribs. Kace moaned in delight at the sound. He scooped me up, cupping my rear, and pulled me into his lap faster than I thought possible. I ran my hands up over the cotton of his T-shirt, focusing on the feel of his solidness beneath, and then back down, stopping just above the waistband of his shorts. Pulling at the edges of his shirt, I slipped it up and over his head, then tossed it on the floor.

I probably should have been embarrassed for the aggressive role I was taking in this moment, but I wasn’t. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was due to the pent-up sexual tension that had been between us from the start, or maybe it was the magick that bubbled beneath my skin from the feel of his touch urging me for more, I couldn’t be sure. One thing I did know though, I didn’t want to stop what we were doing.

Kace trailed kisses along my jawline again, this time nibbling and sucking as he went. He stopped to tease the curve of my neck, and I tipped my head back while lacing my fingers in his thick hair. Another whimper escaped me as his lips traveled closer to the tops of my breasts. He lifted his head to look at me, his icy eyes flashing with satisfaction at the sounds he was luring from within me. He eased my tank top up over my chest, and I lifted my arms so he could pull it off with ease.

His lips slid up my throat, and I tilted my head back again to allow him more access. They trailed up over my jaw and back to my lips where they hovered, barely touching mine, not quite kissing me. The sensation of his warm breath across them was nearly overwhelming. I intertwined my fingers in his hair again and pressed my lips to his, hard. I could feel him smile as I heard him groan in pleasure from my sudden dominance.

“Up,” he demanded, slapping my butt with enough force to startle me.

I stood, my legs feeling like Jell-O beneath me. Kace gripped my hand and pulled me into the living room where he thrust me down on the couch and leaned over me, forcing me to lie back as he covered my body with his. His lips found their way to mine again as his hands slid across my bare stomach.

“As much as I’m enjoying this,” he said between kisses, “if at any time you want me to stop, just say so.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, forcing his lips against mine again. “Yeah, I don’t think that will be happening.”

Kace was in my bed, wrapped around me when I woke the next morning. His arm lay draped over my side, his bare chest snuggled tightly against my back, and our legs were intertwined with each other’s. I smiled and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of waking up in someone’s arms. The few times I’d spent the night with Ryan, I’d come to realize he wasn’t much of a cuddler, at least not when it came to me. He sure could cuddle the shit out of a body pillow at night though.

Last night had been amazing. I’d forgotten how nice being with someone that way could make a person feel. How it numbed your mind to everything except pleasure. The blissful, overworked sensation that tired out your muscles. The intense emotional connection that tethered you to the other person. Sex with Kace had been incredible, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, and I wasn’t giving all the credit to the magick flowing beneath our skin from contact.

I snuggled against him a little more and drifted back to sleep, feeling that warmth of my magick reaching out to brush against his.

When I woke again, it was to the sensation of someone staring at me. I opened my eyes slowly. Kace lay with his head propped up by his hand, grinning wickedly at me.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said in a low, husky voice.

“Morning,” I replied as I stretched my sore limbs out.

“I learned something about you last night.”

“Really, and what’s that?” I grinned a little lopsidedly, expecting some smartass comment regarding what we’d been doing last night that would no doubt make me blush.

“You snore.”

“What!” I sat up in bed some. “I do not.”

Kace laughed loudly, the rich rumble vibrated through my chest. “I’m teasing. Well, not really…you are sort of a mouth breather.”

Laughing, I slapped him on the chest, harder than I’d intended, and crawled out of bed. The desire to cover myself up with a sheet or something before walking to my dresser for some clothes gnawed at my insides, but I suppressed it and straightened my back as I crossed the room. Kace’s eyes were on me, I could feel them, and I prayed my face didn’t betray me with a tinge of color when I turned back around. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen last night, but still. There was something embarrassing about it. I’d never been one who oozed confidence in her body, especially not while naked.

“And where are you going?” he asked.

“To take a shower,” I said as I riffled through my underwear drawer, searching for something a little sexier than the granny panties that rested on top.

“Can I join you?”

I bit my bottom lip to suppress a smile. “I guess.”