Christine Feehan - Dark Demon 16

«Where are we going to put the book?»

Vikirnoff took it from her and slipped it into her backpack. He didn't even glance at the book for which they'd risked so much. «This will do for now. We'll discuss a safer place to hide it later.»

«Sounds good to me.»

«I realized, there in that foul smelling bog, that revelations occur in the most unlikely places.»

Natalya's eyebrow shot up. «Really? What world-shattering revelation was imparted to you there in that foul-smelling bog?»

«Just that I never wanted Donna Reed or June Cleaver. It has always been Xena, warrior woman who had my heart.» His tone was casual, matter-of-fact, not at all as if he were handing over his heart to her.

«The revelation just came to you right there in the middle of the bog, did it?» Natalya slipped out of her double harness and removed several clips. «Somewhere between the water making nasty faces at me and the rather pathetic audio effects?»

He nodded. «Yes. It became very clear to me.»

«You're just a tiny bit slow on the uptake, there, Gomer.» She set her sword up against the cavern wall and laid several knives in a semicircle around it. «You should have figured it out in the forest when I saved your butt the first time we met.»

«Gomer?»

«Pyle. I'll explain later. Right now, I want to hear more about your revelation.» She placed her backpack in the center of the semicircle directly in front of the sword.

«The last time I tried to bring up Xena, you terminated the discussion,» he pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.

«Well, now you've had a revelation, haven't you? That changes things.»

«Would you like me to set the safeguards for that?» He indicated the backpack with his chin.

«You may as well. If I do it, my brother will be able to track us immediately.» She tilted her head, studying him as he glided over to the cavern wall. She loved watching him move. «You could take your shirt off while you're working. I wouldn't want you to get hot or anything.»

His eyes went dark with heat as he shrugged out of the shirt and tossed it aside. She watched the play of muscles across his back as he raised his arms to weave the safeguards.

«You're breathtaking, you know that? I guess I can forgive you for being an absolute dope sometimes.»

Vikirnoff laughed, the sound startling both of them. He rarely laughed and when he did it warmed his eyes and took the hard-edged expression from his face. Natalya found an answering grin on her own face.

«Your adoring compliments take my breath away.»

«Well, don't let them go to your head. I'm only feeling this way temporarily. You said something nice for a change.» Natalya held her breath as he sauntered toward her. He could look so powerful just walking. Just breathing. The effect he had on her was absolutely idiotic.

«I am reading your thoughts.»

«Really? Are you getting the part about what an incredible lover you are and how I might be able to put up with your bossy nonsense if you keep me happy in other ways?» She shrugged. «Just asking, in case, you know, you wanted to start keeping me happy.»

Vikirnoff was suddenly crowding her so that she took several steps backward. «Where do you think you are going?» His hand snaked out to wrap around the nape of her neck, abruptly stopping her.

«Nowhere. You just move so fast sometimes.»

«Are you saying I intimidate you?» There was a wealth of amusement in his voice.

«As if.» She moved into the shelter of his body, loving the way his skin heated her as if he absorbed her, or she just melted into him. «I am not easily intimidated.» She ran her fingertips over his chest, trying to press closer, inhaling him to take him into her lungs. Vikirnoff was like a rock, solid and steady. «Especially by you.»

«That is a good thing.» He bent his head to hers.

Natalya loved how slowly his mouth descended to capture hers. His breath was warm. His eyes changed right before his lips claimed hers, going dark with desire. There was the feel of his hand tightening on her neck, the pad of his thumb sliding over her skin. So many sensations, all before his mouth took possession of hers. He created intimacy between them

with so many small details, each one making her feel like she belonged to him. Like he belonged to her.

She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the wonder of his mouth. She allowed the heat to claim her, to sweep through her body so that she caught fire from him. She wanted to kiss him forever, to drown in the taste and scent of him. His arms closed around her, strong, reassuring, possessive even, dragging her closer, setting off a multitude of butterflies winging their way around her stomach.

Vikirnoff wanted to kiss her forever. He called her ainaak enyem, forever mine, and he had all along. His mind had known and his body had known, even his soul had known, but it had taken spending time with her before his heart had caught up. She was so much more than ainaak enyem, she was ainaak sivamet jutta, his 'forever to my heart connected', and she would be for all time. The crazy thing was, he didn't even know how it happened.

«I love what you're thinking.» Natalya framed his face with both hands. «I really do.» She punctuated it with small kisses and teasing nibbles on his lips. «But I want all of your attention on making love to me. The actual making love to me, not thinking about how much you love me.» She gave him a small sexy smile. «You can do the thinking about loving me so much afterward.»

Amusement crept into his eyes, stealing her breath. «You want the actual thing?»

She nodded.

«My entire attention?»

«Absolutely.»

«You are a demanding little thing.»

«High-maintenance. I told you.» She went up on her toes to kiss him. She loved kissing him, loved the silken heat of his mouth. She could stay there for eternity.

Vikirnoff drifted on a rising tide of lust and love. He let the feel of her skin, the brush of her hair and the fire of her mouth take him over. Electricity arced from Natalya to him. Flames raced over his body and poured like molten lava into his veins. His every nerve ending leapt to life, craving her. His fingers tangled in her hair, his mouth devouring hers, wanting more. Needing more.

«Vikirnoff.» She murmured his name, breathed it into the heat of his mouth. Her voice was soft and sensual, her lips swollen with his kisses and her vivid eyes dark with desire.

His body was as hard as a rock, painfully full. She could do that to him so easily. All of his centuries-old control seemed to vaporize when his mouth was on hers. He dispensed with her clothing in caveman style, jerking the material off her in strips, exposing the rise and fall of her breasts, the tight beckoning nipples, the globes of her buttocks and the

invitation glistening at the junction of her legs.

He blazed a path from her lips to her breast, his mouth clamping greedily, teeth scraping and teasing while his tongue laved and soothed. She cried out, stunned pleasure on her face. His hand caressed her belly, touched her small golden hoop, and moved lower. The moment his fingers brushed her wet mound, her entire body shuddered, a low moan escaping.

«You are so hot, Natalya.» His fingers plunged deep, felt the contraction of her tight muscles, hot and moist and so velvet soft. His erection, heavy and thick, pulsed with the need to be buried deep inside her, surrounded by her feminine sheath.

She bucked against him, a helpless thrusting of her hips, riding his hand with a small sob of pleasure. Vikirnoff couldn't stand it anymore and lowered her to the floor, hanging onto enough of his intellect to remember at the last moment to cushion her with something soft between her body and the cave floor. His mouth found hers again, feeding on her taste, the sweetness he could never quite get enough of.