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  “Agreed. Annika is stocked up on supplies and we are going to wait one more day to make sure Mary is out of the woods then we will head to Balvraine. I can’t imagine it would take us more than a few days to get inside the palace and retrieve it.”

  “Well, keep your head up bro and don’t do anything stupid to get yourself killed…or maimed…or hurt. I wouldn’t take kindly to that.”

  Kieran grinned at his brother. “I’ll take that under advisement. Now, I’m off to get a ride in before dinner time. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 14

  When Kieran came in from his ride, he had found that Annika had already made it back from her tour with Ava. She was in Mary’s room visiting her. Even better, Ava had arranged for the palace cooks to make their evening meal, and it was being laid out when he had walked in.

  Now in his bedroom, Kieran took a few moments to spell cleanse himself and change out of his riding gear. He put on a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt with a v-neck. Walking barefoot back into the kitchen, he saw Annika at the table, making up a tray for Mary.

  His heart thudded hard when he saw her. Ava had apparently brought her some clothes, since when they transferred from Myridian she was not able to bring her backpack. Annika was wearing a gown traditional of the Vyronasian style. While Kieran loved the fashion of The First Dimension, there was something about seeing Annika in that silky gown that made his mouth literally water.

  Women’s dress fashion in Vyronas varied from mildy alluring to downright erotic. The gown Annika was wearing was lavender, to match the color of her eyes. It didn’t bare a lot of skin, but it was still sexy as hell. The top was sleeveless, and seemed to be nothing more than a few layers of lavender and cream chiffon draped across her breasts. The layers were so thin he could see her dark pink nipples shining through. The bottom portion of the dress was, again, nothing but layers of cream and lavender chiffon that seemed to be haphazardly sewn together, to fall in varying lengths around her legs. As she moved, the material flowed and moved, showing tantalizing glimpses of her fair skin and he noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes but was also barefoot.

  The only thing that saved him from having a heart attack was that the lower portion of the dress clearly had more layers stacked on top of each other and were not see through. Still, he didn’t need to imagine what lay below. The fantasy image running through his head of those lovely dark curls between her legs wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  She had not realized he’d entered the kitchen so he cleared his throat. She spun around quickly but once she saw it was him, her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Ava sure knows how to lay out a meal, huh?

  “That she does. I assume you are making a tray to take to Mary?”

  Annika nodded. “Yes, I’ll bring this in to her and then be back. But don’t wait on me to eat. Go ahead and dig in.”

  Kieran watched as Annika picked up the tray and glided out of the room. Without thinking further about it, Kieran grabbed a bottle of honey wine and opened it. He walked outside to the balcony and set it on a wrought iron table that graced one side. Returning to the kitchen, he fixed two plates with various items of food that Ava’s cooks had provided. There was poached salmon swimming in a delicate butter sauce, broiled oysters and roasted peacock. A variety of roasted vegetables were provided and he put a few on each plate. Grabbing the eating utensils, he started walking toward the balcony with both plates.

  “Are we eating outside?”

  Kieran turned his head to see Annika walking into the kitchen. “If that’s okay with you. I’ve made you up a plate. How about grabbing those two wine glasses there on the counter.”

  Annika picked up the stemware. “Sounds good. Lead the way.”

  ***

  Annika watched Kieran walk out to the balcony and started following. He had caught her by surprise when he had come into the kitchen a bit ago. She was so lost in her thoughts she had not heard him walk in. She was worried about Mary, worried about recovering The Scepter and worried about the confusing array of emotions she was feeling. And then when she saw Kieran standing in the kitchen, all thoughts fled from her head. She smiled to herself when she thought of the one word that popped in her head. Yummy! How was it that a man wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a t-shirt could be about the sexiest thing there was.

  It’s not that Annika had a problem with thinking about Kieran in a sexual way. She had been replaying their night of passion over and over in her head. Then she had been fantasizing about new nights of passion with him. Then she would mentally slap herself in the face and tell herself to get a grip. Kieran wasn’t the focus of her problems right now. He would provide nothing more than a nice diversion from those problems.

  So, now that she thought about it…what was wrong with having a diversion? Annika had no qualms with casual sex. It was in following with the mores of her people. She knew for a fact that Kieran didn’t have a problem with that. Ava had given Annika an earful about Kieran’s conquests as she was showing her around Clairmont.

  And why was that? Was Ava trying to make Annika jealous? Was she trying to warn her off from Kieran? If either of those were on her agenda, she was wasting her time. She didn’t get jealous and there was nothing to be scared of when it came to Kieran. Again, nice diversion but that’s all he would ever be. Annika didn’t open up to her lovers and she didn’t keep them around long term.

  Annika was brought out of those thoughts by Kieran holding out a chair for her. She gracefully sat down and waited for Kieran to take his seat.

  “It’s a lovely night,” Kieran mentioned. “I love the Vyronas moon.”

  Annika looked up at it. It was swollen and hung low in the sky. Unlike the moon in The First Dimension, the Vyronasian moon was pale pink like their sun and was probably twice as big. It cast off so much incandescent light that you could see fairly well on a cloudless night. The moon bathed the balcony in a shimmery glow, and had there been two romantic people sitting at that table, it would have been the perfect, enchanting evening. Instead, Annika and Kieran probably only appreciated the beauty of their setting for the fact that they could see the food on their plate.

  Opening up the wine, Kieran held the bottle up to Annika to see if she wanted a glass. She nodded and reached for it after he poured. Taking a sip, she let the flavor set on her tongue briefly before swallowing in grateful appreciation. It had been a long time since she had tasted the honey wine of Vyronas but it was heavenly and she let out a small moan.

  Looking up at Kieran, she saw he was watching her with what looked like carnal hunger in his eyes. “Try not to make sexy little moans like that, Annika. There is only so much a man can handle.”

  Annika tucked her head down over her plate, trying to cover the little smile on her face. So, Kieran was not immune to her. It was good to know because since the kiss they shared on this very balcony this afternoon, she was trying to figure out the depth of his attraction for her. The kiss told a lot, but yet told little. It was smoking hot, but all too short. He was the one that pulled away. What did that mean?

  Well, it didn’t really matter. If Annika decided she wanted Kieran for a nice diversion on this mission, she would have him. And she was 99.9% sure that she did want him. For now, she decided to enjoy the meal and see where the evening headed.

  Digging into her food, Annika decided to discuss plans. “Mary seems to be doing much better. Would you like to go ahead to Balvraine tomorrow?”

  Kieran shook his head. “Let’s take an extra day so you can make sure Mary is okay. I want both of us to go to Balvraine leaving our worries here behind. Besides, Ava assured me an extra day will not make a difference. It doesn’t appear The Scepter’s loyalty is wavering.”

  Annika’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Then I plan to enjoy this meal and not worry about anything else right now.”

  To prove her point, she speared a morsel of salmon and placed it in her mouth. It was moist and delicious. Closing her eyes, sh
e let out another involuntary moan. Snapping her eyes open after remembering Kieran’s last warning, she saw him again looking at her with dark intensity. Annika swallowed hard and then whispered. “Kieran? Do you really think we should go there?”

  His voice was low, with a hint of a growl to it. “You tell me Annika. I’ll go where you want me to.”

  “It can never be anything more than sex.”

  Annika knew that was normally Kieran’s modus operandi but the look on his face said he didn’t like hearing that. “Agreed.”

  A sigh escaped her mouth. “Then I’m done eating.”

  “You hardly took more than two bites,” Kieran pointed out.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m hungry from something else.” Her words were laced with promise of torturous pleasure. It shot a jolt of lust straight through him like lightening. Throwing his napkin on his plate, he stood up from his chair and walked over to Annika. She looked up at him but made no move to stand.

  Kieran reached out with his hand and wrapped it around the side of her throat, resting his thumb under her chin. With a little pressure, he lifted upwards and she stood from her chair. Kicking it out of the way with his foot, Kieran used the grip on her throat to walk her backwards to the wall just off to the side of the double doors. He didn’t touch her anywhere else but she would never have known. The intensity of his gaze held her captivated and she was his willing puppet.

  With her back against the wall, Kieran walked in close to her so their bodies were touching. Little sizzles of electricity seemed to pop from everywhere they made contact. Leaning in, Kieran smoothed his thumb from under her chin to her jaw. He leaned in to her mouth but did nothing more than lightly touch his lips to hers, whispering into her mouth, “I’m still hungry.”

  Annika wasn’t sure what that meant but then he left her with no doubt. Kieran dropped to his knees in front of her, placing both hands on her hips. He leaned in and kissed her stomach through the material of her dress. Reaching down to her ankles, he smoothed his hands up her legs, nudging them apart as be moved upwards. The draping of the chiffon moved apart easily to make way for his touch. Annika let out an anticipatory sigh and her eyelids fluttered.

  ***

  Kieran half expected that Annika would not be wearing any underwear, particularly after their first night together. He found, however, a lovely pair of lacy white panties that looked like they would unravel if you stared at them hard. He could see her ebony curls underneath the material just begging for his touch.

  Looking up, he saw that Annika was watching him with smoky intensity, her brows knitted close together. He gave her a rakish smile and leaned back in. Rubbing his nose back and forth against her mound, he slipped one finger into her underwear and gently stroked her. Annika bucked her hips so hard, she pushed Kieran slightly back.

  “No, no bad girl. No doing that or I’ll tie you down.” He said that while leaning back in to rub his face over her underwear again. Looping his finger back in her underwear, he gave a sharp pull and the lace disintegrated. He threw the scraps to the ground.

  Taking his hands and spreading her open, Kieran was reverent when he said, “You’re so beautiful, Annika. I’m hungry for you. Let’s see if you taste as good as I think you do.”

  Kieran leaned forward and gently ran his tongue up, then circled around her sensitive flesh. Annika cried out and her knees actually buckled. Kieran chuckled with his mouth against her, the vibration causing her to cry out again. Kieran reached under her right leg and pulled it up over his shoulder.

  “That should keep you standing. I might be at this a while.”

  Annika groaned and moved her hands to Kieran’s hair. She pulled him forward, as if begging him to start feasting. And feast he did. It actually didn’t take Kieran long at all to shatter Annika. His skillful tongue and fingers worked her mercilessly until she was begging for release, her hips pumping in rhythm with his tongue. Answering her cries, Kieran latched onto her clit and sucked at it hard, sending her spiraling then shattering into a million pieces. Kieran felt the tiny aftershocks of her pleasure coursing through her and continued to lave her with his tongue until she had absorbed every last one.

  Looking up at Annika, her eyes were closed and her mouth was slack. Great, I killed her. But then she opened her eyes and looked down at him. He expected to see her blissfully sated but those purple irises flashed with lust. Kieran eased her leg off his shoulder and stood up, placing a sizzling kiss on her mouth. Annika moaned and latched onto the back of his head. Her tongue was wild in his mouth, and their kissing was so brutal at times, her tongue piercing knocked against his teeth.

  Groaning, Kieran scooped Annika up in his arms and walked into the apartment. He made quick work of getting her into his bedroom. Setting her down on her feet, he wasn’t prepared for her to lunge for his pants, falling to her knees. It was clear she intended to give a him blow job but he had other plans.

  Grabbing Annika by the shoulders, he lifted her up. “Not tonight, sweetheart. You were in control last time. Tonight’s my party.”

  Indecision flickered in Annika’s eyes and for a moment, he thought she may back away from him. But then a steely resolve entered those lilac depths and she inclined her head at him, silently giving him permission to do his worst--or best--to her.

  Kieran looked her up and down and then walked over to one of the chairs that sat near the end of the bed. He turned it to face Ava and sat down in it. Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

  “Take your dress off for me, Annika. And do it slowly…please.”

  Annika flushed—he hoped with what was desire—and complied. The dress was easily removed but she dragged it up her body slowly, uncovering her lovely, pale skin an inch at a time. Kieran was leaning forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees, watching with avid attention.

  When the dress slithered to the floor from her fingertips, he commanded, “Now get on the bed, Annika. And show me how you want me to touch you.”

  Annika crawled onto the bed. He thought she would lie on her back, but she lay on her side instead, facing him. Propping her head up with her elbow and hand, she leisurely drew the other hand up the outside of her thigh. Kieran’s eyes were pinned to her hand as it made the slow journey. When it reached her hip, she smoothed her hand over her stomach for a few seconds, round and round. Kieran was mesmerized but when she made no further move, he looked into her eyes. She was staring at him with a lazy grin on her face.

  “Why are you smiling at me like that, Annika?”

  “Because you look like you are about ready to pounce on me. I like making you hunger for me.”

  Fuck, those words were sexy. He should pounce. But just as he thought to move to the bed, her hand moved away from her stomach. She brought her hand up to her mouth and lightly sucked on the tip of her index finger. When she pulled it out, it was glistening wet. Kieran’s breath caught as he watch her move it down to her breast, and lightly circle her nipple with the wet tip. Round and round she circled, and the tip pebbled hard. Bringing her finger back to her mouth to wet it again, she then gave the same attention to her other breast.

  “These are just some of the things I want you to do to me, Kieran. But I really want you to touch me here…again…”

  Kieran followed Annika’s hand south as she smoothed it back over her flat stomach, circling her stomach piercing for a moment, and then pushing her fingers through her curls. She parted her legs to give him a better view then stroked herself slowly. Kieran let out a groan. Annika never took her eyes off of him as she lazily moved her fingers back and forth. Damn, he was going to go up in flames without even touching her.

  “Kieran?”

  “Yes?” he rasped.

  “Take your clothes off. I want to see you touch yourself.”

  Kieran groaned again, louder this time, and whipped his t-shirt over his head. He watched as Annika ran her eyes over his torso, licking her lips in anticipation. Standing up, he peeled his jeans off and sat back down on
the chair.

  “Go on, Kieran. Touch yourself. Imagine it’s me touching you.”

  Kieran hesitated just a second as he watched Annika touching herself. He thought it was the most erotic sight he’d ever seen. His hand involuntarily clasped around his cock and he started moving it up and down. He soon matched Annika’s rhythm and they were slowly working their own pleasure as they watched each other.

  Kieran finally halted his movements because all be damned if he wanted to spill into his hand. He avidly watched Annika who was now in the throes of outrageous passion. She had now flipped onto her back and her eyes were closed. She held her bottom lip in between her teeth and her hand was working between her legs.

  Kieran couldn’t stand it. He leapt up from his chair and crawled between her legs, grabbing her hands away from her body. Annika’s eyes flew open in surprise, and she almost pushed him away. Before she had the chance, Kieran used his hands to open Annika wide and brought his mouth back down on her. Spearing his tongue inside her a few times, he wrapped his lips back around her clit and alternated a pattern of sucking and licking that had Annika quickly screaming out in orgasm.

  Before she could even come down off of her high, Kieran crawled up Annika’s body and placed a hard kiss on her mouth. He felt her groin pressing upwards into his, and he had the insatiable need to plummet into her.

  “Hold on a second, baby. Let me grab a condom.”

  Annika leaned her head forward, running her tongue along his jawbone. “I’m on the pill so I can’t get pregnant. And I’m clean. I’ve never had sex before without one.”

  A guttural sound rumbled at the base of Kieran’s throath at the thought of being inside of her without a condom. Skin on skin. Divine.

  “I’m clean too, Annika. I’ve always worn one. I swear it.” He hoped his words didn’t sound shallow to her. He was telling the truth. He’d always worn a condom and had never once thought about having sex without one. But now, at this moment, he couldn’t think about anything except the way his cock would feel against her skin.