Torment (Craving 2)

She eyed him before she nodded and said, “I see, right then, understood. No sense driving home now, might be a storm brewing. I’ll just go in and make us a fine dinner, that’s what I’ll do. But what of Jeff at the barn and our gatekeeper, will they be safe?”

“Call them, tell them to stay inside until daylight,” I said quietly.

“Aye then, I’ll do that right now,” she said, and went off towards the kitchen.

Devin had evidently approved of this. He grunted and said, “Och aye, that was well done of ye both. Now, take yerself upstairs, lass, and get into a hot shower.”

“What about me?” Jeremy teased him. “Do you want me to take a hot shower?”

“Aye, scalding hot, ye blithering idiot, letting a slip of a lass lead ye about by yer nose,” Devin said, but his eyes twinkled.

Jeremy eyed him and said, “Yeah, yeah.”

At that moment, all I wanted to do was dive into Devin’s arms. As wet and cold as I was, I just wanted to slice through our barrier and sink into him and forget the horrors of the day.

Jeremy cut into my thoughts and said, “I’ll meet you in the library, Bobbie, in thirty minutes, and we’ll put a call into my operatives and see what they have to tell us about Allora’s movements.”

“Yes, good,” I said, and thought about Aunt Elle. I had been avoiding calling her because I didn’t want her to hear anything in my voice that might give her cause for concern. However, I knew that soon, very soon I would have to call her or I would open the front door to find her standing there, and I couldn’t let her anywhere near this place.

I hurried upstairs, got out of my wet boots and clothes, dropping them onto the marbled floor of the bathroom, and turned on the water in the shower.

His voice—his groan, made me turn to see him standing there. His arms were folded into each other over his bare, hard muscled chest. Damn, he got all my juices flowing. I looked him over, as he did the same to me.

Involuntarily, my tongue swept my bottom lip. I wasn’t really annoyed that he had watched me undress, but I said, “Hey! You promised me privacy.”

“Did I? Well then, forgive me, I cannae give ye privacy anymore,” he said. “I need to keep m’eyes on ye at all times, just to make certain ye are safe, though right now, with ye there and me here, ye be killing me, lass.” His smile was soft and genuine.

Yeah, my body was naked, as were my raw emotions. I lingered a moment as I returned his gaze. I wished he was with me on this side of the barrier, stepping into the shower with me. I wanted to take his dick out of his jeans and stroke its length. I wanted him to kiss me long and wildly. I wanted him to make me forget all the reasons we shouldn’t be together.

His voice was ragged and his palms were on the invisible divider between us. “Bloody hell, woman! Do ye know what ye do to me, standing there like that, just out of m’reach?”

His words, his tone, his needs burned into me. His gaze ravaged me and I wanted nothing more than to open the portal, go to him, and sink into his arms. I wanted to feel his lips against mine…his fangs grazing over my skin, his…but this wasn’t the time.

If I went to him now, and I wanted to, with every fiber of my being I wanted to, but if I did, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave. One kiss would turn into another. He would take me and I would never want him to stop. I had to see this through on this side of the wall if I was ever going to find a way to free him.

“I want to be with you, Devin…in your reach, in your arms,” I told him, and heard the yearning huskiness in my own voice. “But if I am ever going to find a way to free you, I have to give my Shama free rein. I have to expand all my magic, all my powers to find the right spell, and I can’t do that on your side…in Trinity.”

He moved away from the wall and paced. When he returned, his hand swept through his gorgeous black hair and his voice was that of a tortured man. “Aye then, so it is. But do ye know what I suffered worrying about ye these past hours?”

“I’m sorry for that. It was a good idea, poorly thought out, poorly executed, but I have another…” I started.

“Nae more ideas!” he bellowed.

“No, no, not a dangerous one. This idea has to do with my grandmother.”

“And what would that be?” he demanded irritably.

“I’ll tell you later, after I have showered. Now off with you…go bother Jeremy,” I teased, and stepped into the wonderful hot water.

“Aye then, love, take yer shower, be comfortable. I’ll be waiting on ye with Jeremy in the library.”

* * * * *

Dinner was a somber time. Davis and Mrs. Tunny tried to keep up a semblance of normalcy, but we knew that they knew just why we had not allowed them to make the drive home.

“Tomorrow,” Jeremy said. “Mrs. Tunny…you and Davis have the day off, and from now on, you two will leave well before dusk sets in.”

“Aye,” Davis agreed.