Harlequin Nocturne March 2016 Box Set Read online

  A tug of the sheet, and she was exposed. Annie instinctively crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  “What’s wrong?” Tombi asked.

  “N-nothing,” she lied.

  Evan’s face filled her mind. She didn’t want to think of him, didn’t want to remember the feel of his rough hands and the quick thrust of his lovemaking. Or his jeer when it was over, complaining that she was frigid and should be grateful that he put up with her crazy ass.

  “Relax,” Tombi commanded. He reached across her and poured more oil into his palms.

  Right. Relax. She calmed her quick, shallow breathing and concentrated on the cozy candle flames flickering on the walls and ceiling and the uplifting scent of the herbal oil.

  Heated hands settled back on her breasts. “Am I supposed to say something special for healing?” he asked.

  “Not necessary,” she squeaked.

  One hand palmed the skin above her heart on her left breast. “I’ll pray to my own spirit guides,” he murmured.

  Peace engulfed Annie like a balm, soothing her skittish mind. Tombi’s hands roamed lower, cupping her and teasing her nipples. She moaned and arched into his touch.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Tombi breathed, his hot breath suddenly against her lips. “I love your body.”

  Surprise and relief bubbled inside. Annie kissed him, wanting to feel his lips, his mouth, his tongue. He kissed her back, settling his weight on top of her, pressing his erection against the apex of her thighs. More, deeper, quicker. Annie wiggled impatiently beneath him, inhibitions be damned.

  Tombi rolled to his side and cradled her body against his own. The sexual tension between them grew and he pulled off what remained of her clothes. His mouth suckled her breasts and one hand lowered until his fingers probed the opening of her womanhood, and he inserted a finger.

  Yes. She moved against it, delighting in the ripples of pleasure spreading all through her body, like a pebble dropped in smooth water.

  Tombi moaned. “So damn sexy.”

  “You really think so?” she asked, seeking reassurance.

  He took one of her hands and placed it on his erection. “There’s your answer.”

  Her fingers curled over his long length, and she stroked him up and down, luxuriating in the smooth flesh. She did this to him, turned him on.

  “I want you,” she whispered, emboldened by the evidence of his desire.

  His mouth lowered over a nipple. “There’s no rush.”

  His tongue flicked her sensitive bud and need shot through her like an electrical shock. Annie gasped. “I don’t want to wait.”

  Damn. Why did she say anything? Evan would have been annoyed; he’d taught her to shut up and go along with his tempo and desire.

  Tombi raised his head and stared at her. “If you’re sure that’s what you want?”

  His weight again pressed against her as he rolled on top. His eyes scorched her, the planes of his face were harsher and fiercer than she’d ever seen, even at that first encounter in the swamp. The candlelight behind him highlighted the golden undertone of his olive skin, and his long black hair hung loose about his broad shoulders.

  She’d never been so sure about anything in her life. “Yes. Now.” Hurry.

  He took his sweet time, teasing his length along the wet folds of her core. Annie arched her hips, and he entered in one deep plunge, filling and stretching her completely. Her breath caught.

  “You okay?”

  She moved against him in answer.

  Still, Tombi proceeded ever so slowly, deliberately, heightening the tension until Annie wanted to scream with passion. The ebb and flow of his advances were as powerful and deep as an ocean’s tide. It consumed her, became the epicenter of her world.

  “Please,” she whispered brokenly.

  He thrust deeper, quicker, and their bodies worked in harmony, a dance of desire as old as mankind. Annie was swept up in a thunder of need. Her muscles tightened, and release came, sending her free-falling back to reality. She sank into the mattress, exhausted and stunned. It had never been this way. Ever. She almost wanted to weep for the old Annie who had never climaxed, who’d always been told she was cold, who’d always been just a girlfriend of convenience.

  * * *

  What had he done?

  Tombi stood at the window and surveyed the waning moon. The next time the celestial orb revealed its peak would be at the appearance of the Full Corn Moon. A time that had been a critical one for his ancestors as they harvested their maze and other crops for the barren winter ahead.

  And he knew that in the weeks leading up to Full Corn Moon, he was preparing for a final battle. The bite from Nalusa, a betrayer revealing information that almost decimated the hunting band, and the gathering power and boundaries of Nalusa and the wisps convinced him that the scales had tipped in Nalusa’s favor.

  And the Old Shadow well knew it.

  Nalusa would strike against them once and for all; Tombi could feel it in every cell of his body. He had only one hope at turning the tide in his favor.

  He glanced back at the bed, where Annie lay sleeping. The white bedsheet was bunched up near the slight curve of her hip, leaving her shapely breasts exposed. Her hair fell against the linen in dark waves. She looked so womanly—yet still so young. A woman-child, a healer, a witch, a sound sorcerer—all wrapped up into one extraordinary person who didn’t realize how incredible she really was.

  Especially in bed.

  His blood heated as he remembered Annie’s shy but passionate response during their lovemaking. And he frowned as he recalled the drowsy happiness in her eyes afterward, the tender way she brushed his hair from his forehead and kissed his temples.

  He couldn’t allow himself to fall into her tender mercies, and he hoped she would be a sensible, modern woman about what had taken place between them tonight. He needed her gift of hearing, not her love. An unfamiliar, uncomfortable tug pulled at his conscience—had he used her tonight to further his own cause and get her cooperation in the fight against the shadows?

  Tombi hoped he wasn’t that kind of man.

  As if hearing his unsavory thoughts, Annie thrashed against the sheets and bolted upright. Her eyes were wide and wild, and she clutched the sheet up to her neck.

  “What’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”

  “I’m not sure.” Her brows knitted. “I heard a flapping noise. Like a large bird did a flyby near my head.”

  “Must be your animal spirit guide trying to get your attention.”

  “A bird?”

  He laughed at the disappointment in her voice. “Nothing wrong with that. Makes perfect sense, actually. Birds are messengers, just as you have been with Bo.”

  “I suppose. Secretly, I was hoping it would be a cat. A long, lean jaguar or panther.”

  “Cats that eat birds for breakfast, huh? Think of it this way—in our culture some of the most revered guides are eagles. They represent freedom, strength and victory.”

  “I could use some of that. Especially victory. How will I know for sure if the eagle is my guide? How do I communicate with it?”

  “Watch when you’re outside for a particular bird, or if feathers of a particular bird appear. If you keep looking, it will make itself known.”

  But he’d lost Annie’s attention. Her gaze kept drawing up and down his body. “You’re already dressed,” she noted, picking at the sheet bunched in her hands. “Don’t you want to...you know...come back to bed?”

  Did he ever. Yet, Tombi hesitated. If she stayed with him indefinitely here in his cabin, shared his bed, Annie might have...expectations. Best to establish boundaries now. He sat on the edge of the bed. “About last night—”

  The happiness in her face melted, the soft, vulnerable shine in her eyes hardened.