Theo’s mouth fell open and he let out a low serrated groan. He rocked into her hand and took her mouth again, feeling the slide of her tongue against his. Her thumb circled the sensitive head feeling the moisture gathered there and any semblance of control he had snapped.
Reaching for her jeans he fumbled the zipper open and plunged his hand into her panties and slid his fingers into the damp heat of her. She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed the desperate sound.
They rocked against each other consumed with need. When they couldn’t take it any longer, Theo pulled back and they stripped off their remaining clothes. It was pure bliss having Olivia naked beneath him, warm skin and generous curves.
He slipped between her thighs and sank into her, gasping at the sensation of being surrounded by her. Neither of them had any patience left, and they set a fast frantic pace. Grasping hands, rolling hips. He drove deeper into her, harder as she wrapped her long legs around his hips and pulled him in tight, urging him for more.
“Theo.” The cry tore from her lips as her fingers dug into his hot skin.
The tension between them wound so tight. Olivia shattered in his arms, and he had no choice but to follow. His release tore through him, and his vision dimmed as he plunged deep, marking her as his in the most primal way.
For several long, stunned moments, they lay entwined, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling with the intensity of what they had just experienced. Eventually, Theo rolled away from her and pulled the soft chenille throw from the sofa, then tucked her into his arms and covered her shivering body. Neither of them spoke, perhaps because neither of them knew what to say.
Olivia lay in his arms, her ear pressed to his chest, listening to his slowing heartbeat. She stared into the flames of the fire as his breathing evened out into a slower rhythm and he drifted into sleep. But rest came harder for her, and as the sheer enormity of what she had just experienced came crashing in on her like a wave, her pulse picked up pace, this time in fear.
She was falling so hard and so fast that she was afraid this time...there would be nothing to break her fall.
18
Olivia cracked one eye open slowly. The pale morning light filtered through the window, and it took a moment to register what had woken her, but her ring tone blared out again, jarring and obtrusive in the still morning. Fumbling across the rug for her jeans, she accidentally elbowed Theo in the stomach, who woke with a grumble as she connected the call.
“Lo,” she mumbled, listening to the reply. “Kay.” She ended the call and dropped the phone. Holding the thin blanket against her bare breasts she stared up at the cracked paint of the library ceiling. She could feel the heat of Theo’s body next to her. She could almost feel the weight of his gaze on her as the silence stretched out between them, heavy and uncomfortable in the cold, pale rays of dawn. For a moment, she closed her eyes and dragged in a breath, not wanting to speak to him, not wanting to deal with the consequences of what they’d done the night before.
“Who was that?” Theo finally spoke, breaking the stillness of the room with his deliciously graveled tone.
“Jake,” she replied quietly, unable to suppress a shiver. “He’s on his way over.”
When her response was met with silence, she glanced over and found Theo watching her thoughtfully.
“You’re cold,” he spoke after a moment. “I’ll light the fire.”
He stood, fully naked and with his back to her as he reached for his jeans and pulled them on. She sat up, her mouth dry as she tried to swallow.
“Don’t bother,” she murmured. Her gaze flicked to the cold fireplace, and once again it burst into flame.
Theo stared at the fire as it crackled. It still gave him a jolt to see her use her magic, but it was more than that. He could feel her magic; it filled the air with warmth and lapped at his skin, making the tiny hairs on his arms rise.
It should’ve bothered him, but for some reason, it didn’t. He tried to puzzle out why he could accept something that was blatantly against everything he had been taught, but he couldn’t, he just felt it down in his gut.
Maybe because he’d never really been one of them, the Witchfinders. He’d paid lip service when needed, but he’d never really shared their beliefs. Perhaps that was why he’d lost his brother so completely; because at their very core they were too different.
His brother’s life had been nothing but service and duty to God and their community, whereas Theo had done his best to segregate himself and their sister from the rest of the village for fear of them discovering their gift of foresight.
“We should get dressed.” Olivia stood slowly, keeping the blanket wrapped around her naked body.
His gaze raked over her, from her tousled hair to her pale pink cheeks and her smooth, slightly golden skin, and damn it, he wanted her underneath him again. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken her as his lover, but he found himself unrepentant. He refused to believe what was between them had been wrong. He closed his eyes as his mind flashed back to the night before and images of them wrapped in each other, the heat of their skin and the sound of their sighs and moans.
No, he refused to believe it was wrong.
However, he wasn’t so sure how she felt. From the moment he met her, she’d seemed so confident, so in control, but now...
“Olivia,” he began.
“Don’t.” She shook her head, cutting him off. “Look, we both got a little carried away last night. Let’s just forget it happened.”
“Is that what you want?” His head tilted as he studied her. “Do you regret making love?”
“It wasn’t love,” she replied, her belly clenching. “It was sex.”
