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  “Why did you go in there?”

  She grinned awkwardly. “I heard a noise that sounded like a kitten. I thought I could just open the door and the kitten would run out. When that didn’t happen, I thought I could quickly go in, get the kitten, and get out before—before I panicked.”

  He squeezed her hands. “You didn’t see or hear anything else?”

  “Not really, but the door slammed shut by itself. It’s never done that before. The door isn’t hung square on the frame, so if left alone it’ll slowly swing open, not shut.” She thought a moment. “And right before I started screaming, I heard a scuffling sound and felt something touch my arm.”

  “It sounds like someone was in the shed.” Myghal gave her hands another squeeze then he stood. “I’m going out there and look around.”

  “No, you don’t have to do that,” she protested.

  “If someone was in there to hurt you, you need to call your guardsmen.” He started toward the door.

  “Wait, Myghal. You’ll need a flashlight.” Testing her legs before she stood up because she felt as shaky as she had when he’d brought her to orgasm earlier in the day, she found she could stand and walk. With Myghal following, she went to the supply shelf over the sink and got the heavy-duty flashlight.

  He took it, but she had to show him how to turn it on and off.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he said and kissed her as naturally as if they’d known each other forever and were madly in love.

  She followed him to the door.

  “Be careful,” she called, locking the door behind him.

  Kerry watched him hurry along the path to the toolshed and go inside. He left the door open and it stayed open. An ice water chill raced along her spine. Someone had been in the shed with her. She hoped whoever it was had gone and Myghal would be safe.

  And what of Myghal? He was a stranger to her, yet she had allowed him to touch her intimately and was now depending upon his help. What if it was a scam? What if Myghal was working with someone else, the person who had been in the shed? To gain her confidence, Myghal was playing the gorgeous hunk protecting her from the bad man who was threatening her. But what could they possibly want? She had no money and had made that clear to Myghal…but he was still here.

  Kerry had a feeling it was much more complicated than a scam and that Myghal was more than a con man looking to score—the way he was dressed but with no interest in the contest, he’d said healer instead of doctor and guardsmen instead of police, and he didn’t know how to operate something as simple as a flashlight.

  Who was he and where was he from?

  * * * * *

  Against the better judgment of a tiny voice in the back of her mind warning her not to, Kerry took Myghal home with her. On the way there, she wondered a thousand times if she was doing the right thing. After all, a good-looking guy in a bad Leprechaun costume could easily be a serial killer. Weren’t most serial killers handsome and charming? After all, who would trust an ugly fiend who actually looked like a murderer?

  But what else could she do? She still owed the guy a hand-job.

  She’d asked him where his car was. He’d said he didn’t have one. She’d asked him where he lived, but he’d said he’d just arrived today and didn’t have a place to stay. She could have interrogated him further, but she was simply afraid of what he might say, afraid his story would be too fantastic to believe.

  Kerry went through the drive-through window of a fast food joint to get something for supper. He stared at the blinking lights and neon signs as if he’d never seen anything like them before. When she asked him what he wanted, he said he’d have the same thing she was having. He didn’t offer to pay.

  At home, while they ate at her small dining table, Kerry decided she might as well tell him the whole story. She had been pleased when he didn’t ask what caused her claustrophobia. He seemed to accept it as part of her. Everybody else always asked why, and that was when she clammed up and shrugged if off, saying she’d always been that way. But it wasn’t true.

  She swallowed a bite of burger and cleared her throat.

  “I dated this guy in high school. I was a freshman and he was a senior. He was the bad boy type, always getting into trouble, but I thought that made him more attractive. He had a temper, too. I didn’t really know how bad it was until one day he thought I was flirting with another guy.”

  Kerry sucked up a big mouthful of chocolate shake, letting the creaminess melt in her mouth. Myghal didn’t say anything, just watched her while he chewed on a french fry.

  “Anyway, we were out at the old gravel pit. That’s where we all hung out because the pit wasn’t being used anymore. There were a couple of old dilapidated sheds where we stashed beer and stuff. He accused me of making a fool of him with this other boy and smacked me around—”

  “He struck you?” Myghal’s eyes blazed in anger, and his hands clenched into fists.

  Kerry nodded. “Yeah, it was the first time—and the last. After he slapped me a few times, he shoved me in one of the sheds and left me there. The shock of him hitting me was almost enough to send me over the edge, but it was just after sundown and it was so dark. I screamed until my throat was raw and I couldn’t make another sound. Then I just curled up into a ball in the middle of the floor. I didn’t sleep, I just lay there all night with my eyes shut tight. It was mid-morning before anyone found me. Everyone was out looking for me, and a friend thought to check at the pit. My boyfriend said he’d only meant to leave me out there a couple of hours to teach me a lesson, but he’d gone off with his buddies, got drunk and forgot all about me.”

  Kerry crumpled up her wrappers and sucked the last of her shake.

  “I never saw the guy again. He left town and I heard later that he’d gone to prison for a few years. Didn’t surprise me. But ever since then I can’t be in dark, confined places without screaming or curling up in a corner. Sometimes this house isn’t big enough.”

  Myghal looked thoughtful. “Thank you for telling me, Kerry. I’m sorry you were treated so badly.”

  “Me, too. It only happened that once. I steer clear of bad boy types now. You never know what they’ll do.”

  Of course, Kerry thought as they cleared off the table together, Myghal looked like a medieval bad boy with that long blond hair laced with tiny braids, the boots, leggings, and tunic. He didn’t act tough, though. She squirted dishwashing liquid under the rush of water in the sink to wash up the few dishes she’d left from the night before. He was thoughtful and kind, and had seen to her pleasure before his own.

  That reminded her…she owed him one.

  Chapter Eight

  When Kerry had washed the dishes and Myghal had rinsed them and set them to air dry, she turned to face him. She licked her lips and noticed his warm gaze on the action. She had done it as a stalling tactic because she didn’t know what to say or how to begin.

  If she didn’t do something, the moment would be lost and she’d have to start all over later. She reached for his tunic and pulled the material up until the waistband of his leggings was exposed. The bulge was huge behind the criss-cross lacings, and Kerry felt guilty she’d waited so long to do this. He must have been uncomfortable all afternoon by the size of his hard-on. Slowly, she undid the tie and pulled the lace through the eyelets until the material parted and his cock was free.

  Kerry dipped her hands in the dishwater again. Fingers dripping hot sudsy water, she wrapped both hands around his rigid length. Myghal groaned at her hot, slippery caress, and he thrust his hips into her grip, his cock sliding back and forth with ease. His hands went to her shoulders to hold them both steady

  Remembering what he’d done to her at lunch and imagining what he must be feeling now stirred Kerry’s blood. As her clit thrummed and desire coiled in her womb, she wished she could lead him by the cock into her bed and let him drive that hard shaft into her. But she’d promised to return the favor of a hand-job.

  She put one hand into the water to
re-lubricate. She entwined her fingers and folded her hands over his cock, placing her thumbs on top. He thrust into her makeshift channel, and she moved closer until the tip bumped into her belly.

  While he pumped into her hands, Kerry’s hips matched his rhythm and her clit burned for attention. Later, she told herself. This was just the beginning of a long, passionate night ahead of them.

  His hands slid off her shoulders, tugged the T-shirt up until her bra was exposed. He dipped his fingers into the cups and scooped her breasts free. The touch of his warm flesh on her nipples sent currents of electricity shooting through her body. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations his touch intensified.

  Kerry wanted more, so much more. She wanted to drop all their clothing, roll naked across her bed, entwining their limbs until it would be difficult for anyone to tell where one left off and the other began. She wanted him between her legs, deeply inside her, first increasing the pleasurable ache that ravaged her, then relieving it in a burst of heat that would spread from her center to her extremities.

  Myghal’s thumbs caressed her nipples, and he bent his head to suckle one, tonguing it until the peak was stiff and sensitized. His thumb took over, swirling in the wetness he’d left behind, as he placed his lips around the other, his tongue flicking and teasing.

  Kerry tossed back her head and moaned. At the sound of her throaty expression of pleasure, Myghal’s hip movements quickened into her hands. The soapy water had evaporated, but he provided enough natural lubrication for his cock to easily glide in and out of her hands.

  Kerry knew when he neared release. His cock reached a higher degree of rigidity, and his thrusts were frenzied and deep, as if he could reach her sex from this awkward angle and through her layers of clothing. When he shuddered and his lips clamped tightly around her nipple, Kerry felt the orgasm ripple through his body and an echoing wave shuttled through her, too.

  Gasping, Kerry put her arms around him, her hands slick with his semen, and held him close. She’d never had anything like that happen to her before. It hadn’t been a true orgasm because her clit still ached, but it had been a release of some kind for her. A sympathy orgasm? She didn’t know what else to call it, comparing it to the sympathy pains some men felt when their wives went into labor.

  Their bodies were so in tune with one another, she’d literally experienced his pleasure. She couldn’t imagine what would happen once they actually joined their bodies. They might explode. Or implode and take the universe with them, sucking creation into the black hole they’d left behind. She hoped not. She had a feeling she would want to fuck Myghal more than once.

  Myghal released her nipple with a soft plop and straightened up. Neither of them was steady on their feet. Kerry reached over to grab the edge of the counter. She looked into his gold-flecked eyes and felt like she was looking into the mirror of her soul. Myghal smiled and swept a hand across her neck and into her hair, his thumb resting on her cheek and rubbing lightly.

  She smiled back at him, unable to contain the sheer joy that bubbled up within her. “I hope that made you feel as good as you made me feel today at the nursery.”

  He nodded, as if he hadn’t yet regained control of his voice.

  “I don’t understand what this incredible connection is that we have. I just know that everything feels so right.”

  He nodded again. “I’m glad you feel it, too.”

  She breathed. It wasn’t her imagination. He felt the same force that drew them together like iron to a magnet. Physical lust didn’t begin to encompass it all. She’d been physically attracted to other men, but had never felt compelled to act on it within hours of their meeting.

  And none of the men she’d had in her life had ever admitted feeling anything like what was happening between her and Myghal. They had come into the relationship with the expectation that it would be temporary, drifting away after the newness wore off. She had, too, until now. This was different. This was more than a temporary fling with a stranger to keep the loneliness at bay.

  She felt all this and they had yet to properly have sex.

  Sex sounded like a good idea right then.

  “The kitchen can wait,” she murmured. “But the bedroom can’t.”

  “Neither can I.” He kissed her, a short kiss but as full of promise as a longer, deeper one. “Where is your bed chamber, Kerry O’Neill?”

  “Down the hall, second door to the right.”

  She laughed as he picked her up and cradled her against him. She pressed her lips to his, working her mouth against his. This wasn’t a quick kiss, but a lingering one that stirred a fire in their blood.

  He laid her down in the center of her bed, kneeling beside her. She looked up at him, wishing she knew everything there was to know about him. It would be fun to discover all the little things as well as the big things about him, but she couldn’t help wondering what it would have been like if they’d grown up together and been friends for years instead of only knowing each other for mere hours.

  Myghal was a stranger. She couldn’t lose sight of that fact, no matter how drawn to him she was.

  Kerry sat up straight. “Are you clean?”

  He frowned in puzzlement then looked down at himself. “You cleansed one part of me well, but I could use a bath.”

  She giggled. “No, I mean clean as in free of sexual diseases. As much as I want you and as close as I feel to you, we’ve only known each other today.”

  “Oh, I see. No, I have no diseases.”

  “Neither do I. And I’m on birth control, so we don’t have to worry about pregnancy.”

  “That’s good.” But his response didn’t sound relieved as most men’s did. The crease deepened across his forehead. “You do want children, don’t you, Kerry?”

  It was an odd question coming from a man she’d known less than a day. She couldn’t remember any of the men she’d seriously dated ever asking that question.

  “Sure, when the time is right and the man and I agree it’s what we want. What about you?”

  “Aye, I want enough children to fill a pala—a home.”

  He’d stumbled over a word. Had he been about to say palace? What an eccentric man Myghal was.

  “Now, I’d like to take a bath.”

  She sighed. “Probably a good idea. We both worked up a sweat this afternoon at the nursery. But a shower would be quicker.”

  “A shower?” His eyes narrowed in concentration. “Oh, like a waterfall.”

  “Something like that. I’ll throw your clothes in the washer, too.” She scooted off the bed. Reluctantly. As much as she wanted him right that second, he needed a little time to recover from the hand-job in the kitchen. And after grubbing around in potting soil and fertilizer all day, a shower sounded like a great idea.

  Chapter Nine

  After showers and washing and drying Myghal’s clothing, Kerry and Myghal returned to the bed. To Kerry, this was the culmination of all they’d been through together that day. They had satisfied each other’s physical needs, but now was the time to fulfill her longing to be in his arms, to be one with him.

  Kerry wished she understood where this driving passion came from because she’d never felt it with any other man. There had been men in her life that she’d merely wanted physically, some she’d felt close to, and a few she’d even thought she loved. Myghal had become an obsession, both physically and emotionally, and in less than twenty-four hours.

  She was beginning to wonder if her feelings were healthy when Myghal ran a hand over her slowly, from breast to mound, and kissed the center of her belly, near her navel. She knew then she didn’t care. Perhaps this one night and a hard, sweaty fuck would purge her of these unrealistic romantic notions.

  “Myghal.” She breathed his name as if it were her last.

  He slid over her leg, bending it to make room for him. “Yes, Kerry?”

  “I don’t know. I feel so many things for you. I’m feeling too much and it doesn’t make sense.”

&n
bsp; Myghal smiled and dipped below her line of vision. Kerry raised her head and watched him trail kisses from her belly button, across the slight round of her abdomen, to the dark red-gold patch. She squirmed in anticipation, waiting for the moment his tongue delved into the curls, and spread her legs.

  Myghal placed his arms beneath her thighs, his hands on her hips, and settled down. He licked the curls first, teasing her, the tip of his tongue barely touching her clit. But each tender flick sent waves of pure pleasure through her. She wiggled and pushed forward, trying to catch his tongue, but he darted and dodged. He went farther down, caressing each soft fold in turn.

  “Please, Myghal,” she begged, trying to push her pussy into his face.

  Myghal’s grip tightened on her hipbones, and he thrust his tongue deeply into her channel, stroking up until his lips surrounded her clit. Her pelvis undulated against his mouth and her hips rose higher. When the moment came, it caught her off guard, vibrating through her like the deep pounding of a bass drum.

  When the beats grew farther and farther apart, Kerry’s back relaxed against the mattress. Myghal still nibbled at her pussy, helping to bring her down easy. A soft sigh left her lips. Her body surprised her. Myghal’s continued caresses built up the thrumming tension again. She still wanted Myghal, wanted his cock inside of her, wanted to be even closer to him. Didn’t want to ever let him go.

  She writhed against him and he looked up at her. His hands slid around her as he gave her one last lick and moved up over her.

  “Your nectar tastes like the honey made from the sweetest flowers.”

  His words made her toes curl. She’d never heard such poetry from a man, especially a man in her bed.

  His chest glided across her stomach, but he stopped long enough to suckle one breast and then the other. She rubbed her pussy against him, not even sure which part of his body she touched. It didn’t matter. She was connecting with Myghal and that was what drove her.

  She ran her fingers through his long hair, drawing him up to her. He settled between her thighs, his hot cock cradled against her curls as she bent her legs and hugged his waist.