And then, with a thrust he could not control, he shoved himself into her. She sucked in a hard breath, as if she had been hurt and he immediately cringed and went to pull back, but she grabbed hold of his shoulders and dug in her nails.

“No,” she said, groaning tightly. “Don’t move yet. I just want to enjoy this for a moment. Enjoy the first time you’re inside of me.”

“Oh, lass. My Kat lass,” he said with a relieved wash of breath escaping him. “Doona take too long because I doona want tae spend myself wi’out so much as a thrust. And as it is I’m a hairsbreadth from it. God, oh God you feel like … like … like I’ve never known anything could feel. Can I move now? Please,” he begged her.

“Yes. Please do,” she said with a laugh. “You do beg so well.”

“Oh aye. And soon you’ll be doing the same,” he said with a grin.

“Promises, promises,” she sing-songed.

“You’ve got that right. And I’m a man who keeps his word.”

And he kept it with a long, deep thrust that took her breath away. And then another. And another. A volley of them so stunning and so arousing, each to the highest degree. She knew within seconds that she was going to come again. There was nothing she could do to prepare herself, no hope of even stopping it … if she might ever want to stop anything like it.

She didn’t.

Ahnvil felt her contract around him just as a cry of pleasure exploded out of her. Again, she worked her hips against him, using him however she could to derive the most out of her pleasure. It was absolutely maddening for him. He lunged into her then, the feeling like ripping free of chains and launching into freedom.

He was now thrusting into her in earnest. He needed it, couldn’t stop it, rode into her like a madman. He forgot all about being gentle with her, forgot how small she was, forgot everything but the pleasure her body was giving to his. His hands gripped at the bedding on either side of her, just as indulgence was gripping at the very heart of him. He needed to indulge himself in her. Every last part of her, both physical and the ethereal. And as he pushed her into her third orgasm that was exactly how she looked. Heart-stoppingly, grippingly ethereal. And that was, in the end, what gave him the deepest pleasure. He lunged into her and started to come, thrust after thrust sending more and more of his seed deep inside of her. She had done it. She had taken everything that he was and had done it spectacularly.

And as he slowed to a stop, as he tried to catch his breath, he prayed he had not pushed her into something she would regret doing. When they had come up here she had said she didn’t want to take this big of a leap, and he had threatened to push her to the limit of what she would allow. Would she regret this now? Would she try to backpedal away?

These were the worries that filled his thoughts as he moved free of her slight body and rolled onto his back, drawing hard for breath. He had given her pleasure, and that would have to comfort him for now.

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Oh my God. I can’t wait to do that again!”

Startled he looked at her, his disbelief obvious because she laughed at him. “I know. I’ll let you catch your breath first!”

“You sound as if … You doona regret what we’ve done then?”

“Regret it?” she was incredulous. “I’m lying here replete and asking for seconds and you’re afraid I am feeling regret?” She laughed at him again.

“But a li’le while ago you said you dinna want tae do this. You dinna want tae … not all the way, in any event.”

“I’m a woman. I changed my mind.” She smiled beatifically at him. “And a damn good thing, too!”

“Aye,” he agreed. “A bloody damn good thing.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Ahnvil trailed a finger down along the braided chain of the Amulet, until he reached the shining pendant itself. He carefully lifted it from between her bare breasts and examined it. He didn’t want to give the impression he was trying to take it off her. He didn’t want it to jerk her away like last time, possibly hurting her.

“Come,” he said after a moment, “Let us see a man about this bloody thing. The sooner we get it off you the better it will be.”

She hesitated before agreeing with him. She sat up and retrieved the shirt she’d been wearing from where it had landed on the corner of the bed.

“What is it?” he wanted to know as he reached for his jeans, studying her face all the while.

“Nothing,” she said. Which was a lie. She was worried suddenly. If they removed the pendant, then there would no longer be any reason for her to stay. She suspected she knew exactly what Ahnvil’s first reaction would be. To protect her … even if it meant sending her away. And if anything was obvious, it was that this was a dangerous place for a mortal woman to be.

But she was in danger every damn time the sun came out. Life wasn’t about avoiding dangers. She had spent her entire existence avoiding dangers, but never could it have been considered living a life. She’d just been making her way through, carefully, cautiously. She didn’t want to live like that anymore. At least when she’d had her job in the ER she’d been doing something exciting and useful with her life. But then she had let the opinions of others chase her back into the darkness where she had thought she belonged. For the first time she was feeling as though she were out in the sun.

“Now, I can see that’s no’ true,” he said seriously. “Are you hurt? Did I say something—?”

“No. Stop,” she soothed him with a hand on his chest. “You’ve done nothing wrong.” She looked down at her knees. “I’m just worried.”

“Doona worry. We’ll get it off somehow.”

“No. No I mean … I’m worried that … you’ll send me away after it comes off.”

He frowned. “Well, of course I’ll send you away. This is no place for a mortal girl.”

“Max is mortal,” she pointed out angrily.

“I doona decide what Max does wi’ his life.”

“Oh. You’ll just decide what I do with mine?” she bit out.

“That’s no’ what I mean.”

“Then what did you mean?” she wanted to know.