Aedan almost hated to wake Ericka, but the need to be near her was so great he couldn’t stay away.
He wished away his tunic with his magic, then stepped through the veil.
CHAPTER 4
WALKING THROUGH THE VEIL WAS LIKE STEPPING inside gel, a sticky, gooey sensation. Aedan’s feet met the bedroom’s carpet and he was free of the veil. It was always behind him, but was not something a human could see.
When he reached Ericka, he watched her sleep. What did she have to do with Belisma’s baffling message about his soul? His body tightened with frustration. Then he forced himself to relax, to push thoughts of Belisma away, and concentrate on Ericka.
She took deep, even breaths but her forehead was crinkled as if concerned. As always, her red hair fell in a mass about her face, down to her slim shoulders.
The almost-sheer blue nightgown allowed him glimpses of her nipples and areolas. Seeing her nipples along with the hint of the patch of hair on her mound caused his cock to harden even more than it had while he watched her through the veil.
Aedan settled beside her on the bed, trying to ease down slowly enough that the springs didn’t whine. With the back of his hand, he brushed a curl from her cheek and she made a soft sound and turned her face toward his touch.
He slipped his fingers from her cheek into her hair as he lowered his mouth to hers. He heard her soft breathing and even the pounding of her heart.
Gods and goddesses, when his lips touched hers, fire raced through his body and straight toward his erection. She sighed and he slipped his tongue into her mouth and tasted her sweet womanly flavor along with the hint of the wine she’d been drinking.
Ericka moaned and returned his kiss. He didn’t know if she was awake yet, but her body responded to him. The scent of her musk grew stronger the deeper their kiss became.
Aedan placed his palm over one of her breasts, feeling the hard nipple poking through the fabric. He squeezed and she moaned louder then slipped her arms around his neck and nibbled at his bottom lip.
It was his turn to groan. He drew away to see her beautiful blue eyes open. Her lips were parted and moist, and she ran her tongue along her bottom lip.
“I knew you’d come.” Her voice was husky, yet had a slight edge to it. “But I didn’t know if I wanted you to.”
“Why not?” He began rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and she groaned.
Ericka looked into his eyes. Something flickered in her gaze, but she said nothing. He tried not to frown at not being able to read her expression.
Instead, he let it pass, slid onto the bed, and she scooted over to let him recline beside her. She moved so that they were both lying down, facing one another. He traced the line of her body with his fingers, from her shoulder, to her waist, to her hip. Her warm vanilla scent and her woman’s musk filled his senses.
As an Incubus, he didn’t need light to see in darkness. But the candlelight touching her features made her seem softer and more vulnerable.
An Incubus. Why couldn’t he be a man? At this moment, more than anything he wished he could stay with her forever. To wake with her when the first rays of sunlight peeked through the windows, and to walk with her in the sunshine. By the gods and goddesses, if he did have a spirit-essence, he would offer it to her.
His gut twisted and ached as he thought about his vision of Annwn and the beach that would be his home, as long as he took Ericka’s soul.
The alternative—the constant feeling of being burned alive in the Realm of the Dead. If he didn’t take her soul that would be his future.
If he did take her soul, the Realm of the Dead would be Ericka’s fate.
Ericka didn’t pull away when Aedan touched her face with his hand. How could he make her feel this way, make her want him even more, when she knew exactly what he was?
This very moment she should push him away, tell him to not come back. Giving away her soul was not an option.
God, he was good. Playing the part so well that she could almost believe he cared. Becky, Betty, whoever she was, hadn’t mentioned that. Just the incredible sex, and then his vanishing act when she gave him what he wanted.
Her soul.
Ericka shivered as Aedan trailed his thumb over her lips and across her cheek. A thrill stirred in her belly and between her thighs, and her nipples pressed against the sheer nightgown. His eyes darkened to a deeper gold and his jaw tightened as he slipped his fingers into her hair and started to draw her to him at the same time he moved his lips toward hers.
What was wrong with playing along and getting what she wanted from him?
And wouldn’t this go over well in one of my books? My own experiences with an Incubus?