Lainie laughed, imagining Donell as a tour guide. “You know that’s not a bad idea.”
Donell stopped in the middle of the path, his brows furrowed a bit, and his lips pursed as if he were pondering something.
“What is it?” She couldn’t make out what he was feeling from his expression.
“Come, I want to show ye somethin’.” He winked, a devilish grin covering his face.
Enticed by those wicked green eyes, she would always be willing to do as he asked. Anything he wanted to show her, she was more than happy to see.
She laughed and followed him—unaware that the next time she stepped through those woods, everything would change.
Donell clasped her hand in his. His grip was strong, sure, and utterly devastating. She imagined where his hands had been only an hour before… He led her into the woods, and they walked briskly until they arrived in a clearing. He looked around for a moment as if trying to remember where he was and then continued on.
The smile on his face broadened as they approached an entrance to a cave.
“This, my beautiful vixen, is what I wanted to show ye.” His eyes twinkled with delight, and he exuded enthusiasm. Lainie couldn’t help but be excited with him.
“A cave? You’ve been here before?” How remarkable… Nearly four hundred years later, he could still locate it. She supposed the Earth didn’t shift much, but the grounds must have changed quite a bit.
“Not only have I been here, but I also know all the tunnels. I am sure nobody has found my secret place in all these years. Come now.”
Lainie followed him into the dark cavern. The light from outside barely made a dent in the gloom. The scent of the cave was musty and wet, and the temperature inside was remarkably warmer than outside. Looking around, she noticed the light inside grow brighter.
“Almost there,” he reassured her, seeming to sense her hesitancy.
She didn’t know why she trusted this stranger so much. Although after last night and this morning, he wasn’t really a stranger anymore… What hold did he have on her? She was utterly intoxicated by him. Was it because he originated from a time that held so much fancy for her? In reality, life was more brutal in his time than romantic, but he was so different she couldn’t fathom it any other way.
“Here.” He stopped, his hand squeezing hers gently.
Sun beat down on them now from an opening in the roof. Steam spiraled up from a pool of clear water in the center of the cave.
The sparkling liquid was truly a magical sight, setting an air of enchantment.
“A spring,” she breathed. The cave and waters didn’t look like they’d been touched for hundreds of years, just as he’d predicted.
“Aye, ‘tis my spring. Nobody but I knows of it. I would come here to think.” He looked away from her. “Perhaps coming to a place so important to me will help me return to my people.”
“Yes.” Lainie hid the disappointment from her voice. She was in such a romantic spot with the sexiest man she’d ever known. She wasn’t going to ruin the moment with ruminations on him leaving.
Donell sauntered up behind her, placing his strong hands on her shoulders, kneading the knotted muscles. He placed a tender kiss on the side of her neck.
“Should I return, I want to have a place I can go to remember ye.”
“Mmm…” She couldn’t speak. His hands traversed from her shoulders to caress her breasts, tweaking her nipples.
“I want to see ye when I come here.” His voice was soft, full of desire.
Donell turned her towards him. His thumbs caressed her cheekbones, her lips. Lainie opened her mouth and tasted the tip of his finger. He closed his eyes and sucked in his breath. She sucked his finger into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the tip.
“I want to relive my time with ye, every moment.” His voice was husky, the sound vibrating her body. “Starting now.”
He slid his finger from her mouth, replacing it with his lips. He kissed her deeply, their heads dipping from side to side as they consumed each other. The clean scent of him was everywhere. She breathed him in. Her hands ran through his hair, over his back, as her mouth tasted the raw essence that made up Donell. Just from knowing him for less than twenty-four hours, she wondered why she’d kept such a solitary life.
“I want to see you, all of you,” Lainie whispered, stepping away. She undid the top button of his jeans as Donell tugged the sweater from his chest.
“I want to show ye,” he breathed back.
He unzipped his jeans, and Lainie shook her head. “Let me.”
