Christine Feehan - Dark Possession

«Are you satisfied?»

«Yes. For now. Later I intend to inspect every inch of your skin.»

«Fine. I'm doing the same to you.»

He grinned at her. «Come, let me show you this place.» He waved casually toward the entrance, and the crack in the boulders groaned and creaked so that she gasped and nearly climbed up his shoulders.

«What the hell was that?» She literally crawled up his body. «I think this cave is coming down on top of us, Manolito.»

He tried not to laugh. She clawed for a purchase on his shoulders, her head swiveling left and right, her eyes enormous. He couldn't help it-the laughter spilled out to become a full-blown roar. «I am closing the door.»

«Oh no, you're not.» She had her arms around his head, practically blinding him. «And stop laughing. This isn't funny. I'm not getting trapped in a cave, not even for you. Gorgeous can only take you so far.»

The two sides of the boulder ground together with a horrendous jarring, eliciting a screech of fear from her. The torches flickered and danced as if they might go out. She buried both fists in his hair and yanked. «Get us out of here.»

Manolito wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back down so her feet were once again on solid ground. «We do not want light shining through the falls. The idea is to be safe here. We have air. I'll take care of bugs. Trust me, MaryAnn, this is better than a five-star hotel.»

She stared up into his face. A woman could drown in the absolute love in his eyes. She let out her breath and found calm. «Well I want room service then.»

«I intend to give you anything you want.»

The velvet caress in his voice sent a shiver running through her body. «I don't know how you managed to get around all my defenses, Manolito, but you have.»

His slow smile made her heart nearly stop.

«I cheated. I will probably go to hell if there is such a place, because I fear I do not have the necessary remorse in me for my actions. I stole you, MaryAnn, right out from under the noses of our best hunters.»

She laughed. «You sound like you're boasting.»

He kissed the corner of her mouth. «Maybe just a little. After all, you have to know your caveman can bring home the dinosaur.»

She looked around suspiciously. «You'd better be joking.»

He tucked her hand in his back pocket to lead her down the long, winding tunnel. Torches lined the way, burning brightly and showing her he was keeping his promise-there wasn't a single bug in sight.

«I've been thinking a lot about this Carpathian-wolf thing we have going,» she said, trying not to keep staring at his butt. He had a nice ass.

His laughter was soft. «I was just thinking the same thing about you.»

«What?» She tried to sound innocent.

«Ass. Butt. However you want to describe that particular portion of your anatomy. Yours is quite nice. I was just thinking how you looked in those red heels. You take my breath away, woman.» She did a whole lot more than that. His body hardened and thickened with every step he took. With her mind firmly merged with his, knowing she was thinking along the same lines as he was only heightened the ache.

He wanted to get her out of her clothes and inspect every single inch of her body to make certain she was all right. And he wasn't going to let her out of his sight again-at least not for a long, long time.

He swung around and pulled her to him, kissing her hard, his tongue sliding into her mouth to tangle and dance and reclaim her all over again.

MaryAnn recognized the hint of desperation wrapped in the hunger. She pulled back, smoothing his hair. «What is it?»

Her voice. The way she effortlessly slipped inside his head, surrounding him with warmth and comfort, enveloping him in love-he felt it now, where it hadn't been before. He didn't know what he'd done to earn it, but he was grateful.

He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes briefly, inhaling her scent. «They could not kill my physical body in the spirit world, so they tried to kill my soul.»

She felt the involuntary shudder that went through him. «How, Manolito? Tell me how.»

He knew she didn't have a clue that her tone held a hidden compulsion. She wanted to take the pain of those memories away. Her fingers stroked and caressed his hair, slid down to his shoulders and arms, and then

back up. Every touch was meant to share, to soothe. His MaryAnn. There was no one else like her. He caught her chin and bent his head to fasten his mouth to hers. She leaned into him, her soft body pliant, fitting him perfectly.

«Tell me,» she whispered.

He took a breath, fighting the images in his head. He couldn't go there again, couldn't let himself see her being brutalized. She gasped and he knew she saw, too.

«It's all right, Manolito. It didn't happen. Maxim tried to trick you.»

«He didn't know about the wolf,» Manolito said. «Your wolf.» He tugged at her curls. «Your wolf saved us all the way around.»

She smiled up at him. «Of course it did. My wolf is totally cool.»

«Your wolf is hot,» he corrected and turned her around.

The room was oval shaped and deep, wide and spacious. Thousands of colored crystals covered the walls. The lights from the torches picked up the many colors, scattering rainbow prisms dancing all around the room. The bed was enormous, a big four-poster of carved exotic wood, with wrought iron embellishing it. She stepped close to it, running her hands over one of the posts. The moment she touched it, she knew he had made it.

«This is real.»

He nodded. «I like working with my hands. My brothers call it my vice.» He led her around to the head of the bed, where she could examine the board there. Two small tables stood on either side, but it was the headboard that intrigued her. There were symbols, hieroglyphics, carved into the wood and several small iron rings embedded across it.

«What does this say?»

«It is in an ancient language.»

«And?» she prompted.

«To bring only pleasure to ainaak sivamet jutta.»

«You'll have to translate that as well.»

«Forever to my heart connected. My love. Wife. Lifemate. You!»

«You made this bed for me?»

«It was made for the other half of my soul. Yes. For you. I poured everything I felt for you into this. Every dream. Every fantasy. I tried to think of every way I could pleasure you and make certain I was ready for that. I studied every century's new ideas on sensual pleasure, every culture's ideas, and learned as much as I could.»

The idea was almost frightening. «I'm not exactly all that experienced, Manolito.»

«A mind merge is a wonderful thing,» he pointed out. «So are you happy with the accommodations? We have privacy, warmth, and I can assure you, the mattress is the top of the line.»

She had no doubt about that. Manolito didn't do anything halfway. «Okay, it's five-star all right. But where's the service?» she teased.

He smiled, his sinfully sexy smirk that seemed to burn slow and mean through her entire body. «I have plans to provide service all night. Did I mention I love your shirt?» His hands went to the leather straps circling her neck. The golden leather fell so that the soft jersey drape dipped even lower. It had skimmed the swell of her breasts, but now her nipples peeked out at him. «Oh, yeah, I like this top,» he reiterated and bent his head to flick each nipple with his tongue.

She shivered as his hair slid over her skin, a fall of midnight silk she couldn't help invading with her fingers. «Take your shirt off, Manolito.»

He stepped back, bringing her hands to the buttons. «You take it off for me.» His black eyes seemed to scorch her skin.

MaryAnn slid the buttons aside one at a time, and with each one, her lungs became a little more labored. She used her palms, fingers splayed wide on his chest, to push the shirt aside and up and over his broad shoulders. She tugged it off and let it fall. His skin glowed in the dancing firelight. God, he was beautiful. Built like a man should be built. If that made her shallow, then all right, she'd accept that. She ran her palms over the defined muscles of his chest and then down to his six-pack and narrow waist.