The Wicked and the Wondrous Read online

  Matt kissed her mouth over and over because no amount of kissing Kate would ever be enough. He trailed kisses down her throat, in the valley between her breasts. Her fingers dug into his hips, urging a union, but he took his time. He rained kisses across her stomach, pausing to dip again into her fascinating belly button.

  “Matthew, really, I don’t think I’m going to live through this.” Her breath came in a series of ragged gasps.

  “I waited a long time, Kate. I’m not rushing things.” He ducked his head, his tongue sliding wickedly over her wet, hot sheath. She nearly jumped out of her skin. He grinned at her. “I may only have this one chance to prove my worth to you. I’m not about to blow my chances by charging the battlefield.” He bent his head and blew softly against her sensitive body. He caught her hips more firmly, dragged her closer to him, and bent his head to taste her.

  Kate screamed and nearly rose off the bed. He held her hips firmly, locking her to him while he feasted. She was hotter than he had ever imagined, a well of passion, and he had just begun to tap into it. He felt the first strong ripple of her muscles rushing to overtake her, and his body swelled even larger in response.

  “I think you’re ready for me, Kate.” He didn’t bother to hide the satisfaction in his voice. It was still a miracle to him that she chose to be with him. He pushed her thighs a little wider to accommodate his hips, pressing against her so that the sensitive tip of his penis slipped into her hot, welcoming body. The breath slammed out of his lungs. He pushed deeper so that she swallowed the tip, her tight muscles gripping with soft relentless pressure that sent violent waves of pleasure shooting through his body.

  Kate gasped and clutched at the bedsheets. Matt froze, understanding dawning. He bit back a string of swear words, took a deep breath, and let it out. “Relax, honey, just relax. I swear, we fit together perfectly.”

  She smiled at him. “I’m not afraid, you idiot, I’ve never felt this before, and it’s amazing. I want more, Matthew, all of you. Stop being so careful.” If he didn’t quit moving so slowly, she was going to spontaneously combust. She wanted to push her body over his. It was difficult to hold back when every instinct demanded she lift her body to receive his.

  “Dammit, Kate, you’re not experienced.” He was sweating now. It was impossible to hold back. She was squirming, her hips pushing hard into his, and he was inching his way deeper into the hot core of her. Pleasure was building at such a ferocious rate he was losing all control just when he needed it the most. She was so damned tight, squeezing and gripping him, the friction like a hot velvet fist pumping him dry. Matt thrust deeper because he had no other choice. It was that or risk death. He was certain of it. She took him in, gasping with pleasure, when he’d been so worried.

  Matt let go of his fears and took the ride, thrusting deep, tilting her body until she could take all of him. He moved the way he wanted, the way he needed, hard and fast and deep, joining them together in a rush of heat. The ocean pounded the shore just outside the glass door. Matt was unaware of it, unaware of anything but Kate and her body and the way she gave herself so completely to him. She came over and over, crying out, clutching his arms, lifting up to meet him as eagerly as he surged into her. The explosion started somewhere near his toes and blew through his entire body. His voice was hoarse, a roar of joy, as he emptied himself into her.

  He sank on top of her, completely spent, completely sated, his lungs burning for air and his heart pounding out of his chest. And it was a perfect moment in time. Her body was soft and welcoming beneath his. He turned his head to capture her breast in his mouth, to lie there in contentment, to have her with him. He had been in hell many times in his life. But he had never been in paradise until now. His arms tightened around her possessively. “Dammit, Katie, don’t ask me to give you up.” He said the words around her tantalizing breast.

  Kate combed her fingers through his hair, lying back with her eyes closed, savoring every aftershock while his mouth pulled strongly at her breast, and his tongue did delicious things to cause fiery sparks zinging in her deepest core. “Silly man,” she murmured, clearly amused by his reaction. “I’m right here. Did you think I was going to grab my clothes and go slinking off?” The smile faded from her mind. There was a small part of her that wanted to do just that, run while she still had the chance. Self-preservation was strong in her. Everything about Matthew appealed to her. His lovemaking dazzled her, but she wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t look ahead to the future and realize they couldn’t spend every moment in bed.

  Matt shifted position enough to take most of his weight off of her smaller body, but his arms held her in place and he turned her so he could keep access to the temptation of her breasts. His tongue flicked her nipple. “I want you forever, Kate. I want to grow old and have you here in my arms. I want children. I’ve wanted you for so long. I don’t think that’s about to change.” He noticed that when he drew her breast into his mouth her hips moved restlessly. It was a wonderful find and one he intended to spend time exploring. He stroked her stomach and moved his hand between her thighs to cup her heat. She jumped but pushed against his hand. His thumb caressed her, his finger pushed deep to find the one spot that could give her another release.

  Kate was Kate. She didn’t try to pull away or pretend she wasn’t ready for another orgasm, she rode his hand, gasping with pleasure, her fingers digging into his shoulder with one hand and the other curled in his hair directing his mouth. He wanted this every damn day of his life. Not just a Christmas present. He wanted to go to sleep with her breast in his mouth. He wanted to wake up with his body buried deep in hers. He wanted to be the man to bring her pleasure in every way possible.

  “Marry me, Kate. Stay with me.”

  She heard him through a haze of piercing fulfillment, so sated with contentment, with the throbbing fire spreading through her like a storm, she could only lay there dazed by the gift he was holding out to her. The temptation.

  Matt lifted his head to look at her, his fingers still buried deep inside of her. “Kate. I’m serious. Marry me. I’ll make you happy.”

  “I am happy, Matthew,” she said. “I lead a relatively quiet life. I work hard, meet my deadlines, and I’m looking forward to renovating the old mill.”

  Sensing her withdrawal, he turned to lie over the top of her, his head resting on her stomach. He pressed a series of kisses along her sensitive skin and flicked her enticing navel with his tongue. “We can renovate the old mill together, Katie.”

  “You’re moving a little too fast for me, Matthew.”

  His Kate was becoming cautious again. He should have known she would. He nibbled his way down her body to her thigh. “We don’t have to move fast. We don’t have to go for the wedding and children and the entire package if that’s too much for you right now.” His teeth nipped as his fingers moved deep inside of her. He wasn’t above a little persuasion. “We can keep it to great sex. Incredible sex.”

  She heard the note of pain in his voice, and it upset her. “Matthew, I’m not normal. I’ll never be normal. You think you know me, but you don’t. You can’t. My sisters and I inherited a legacy that we have no choice but to use. It comes with a price. Sarah has phenomenal athletic abilities, and she can sense things before they happen. Abigail can demand the truth. I can bring peace to people in need. Libby heals people. Joley has incredible powers, and so does Hannah. Both command the wind and the sea. And our Elle.” Kate shook her head. “Elle’s legacy is tremendous and important and very frightening. She has it all, along with the responsibility to bring the next generation into the world. We each have gifts, but when we’re together, we are very powerful. We try to lead our own lives, but we keep the cliff house so we always can be together.”

  He lifted his head, his silver eyes darkening to smoldering charcoal. “You think I can’t understand honor and commitment? You live by a code the same as I do. I understand codes. You have a way of life that’s important to you. Why would you think it would b
e any less important to me? I don’t mind sharing you with your sisters, Kate.”

  She sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Matthew. I just want you to know what we do isn’t going to go away, even if we wanted it to. And it isn’t only sharing me with my sisters, but with a lot of other people as well.” But it was more than that. She wasn’t like her sisters, embracing life in the way they did. In the way he did.

  “I know a lot of ways to be happy with you,” he promised, dipping his head to her breasts, not wanting her to see his face. “We’ll take it slow if that’s what you need, Katie. Just don’t shut me out because you’re afraid.”

  She tried not to react to his words. Of course she was afraid. She was afraid of everything, and that was exactly why she couldn’t agree to marry him.

  He kissed her ribs, her belly button. The phone rang, startling them both. He ignored it, dropping kisses over her stomach. The shrill ringing of the telephone persisted. Matthew sighed heavily and reached lazily across her small body, deliberately brushing across her bare breasts. “Hello.” It was the middle of the night. He didn’t have to be polite. He didn’t want to waste a single moment of his time with Kate, especially when she needed persuasion to stay with him.

  “This is Elle Drake. I need to speak with Kate.” It was Kate’s youngest sister, reputed to be traveling home for Christmas. There was anxiety in her voice. Without a word, Matt passed the phone to Kate.

  She sat up, dragging the sheet over her breasts. “Elle? What’s wrong, hon?”

  “Something’s there, Kate. Something’s where you are. Below you. It’s dangerous, and it’s below you.”

  “Are you certain?” Kate leaned over the bed to examine the floor. Matt could clearly hear the terrified voice on the other end of the phone. “Calm down, Elle, I’m fine. We’re both fine.”

  “Kate, I’m really afraid for you. What’s going on? I saw you clearly. You were kissing Matthew Granite. There was mistletoe very close to you, but not directly over your head. And then something bright burst out from under you, a flash and flames and it was truly frightening. What is it?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”

  Matt was already out of the bed, pulling on his jeans, his eyes searching every inch of the floor. Moonlight pouring through the sliding glass door provided enough light for him to search every corner of the room. With his training ingrained in him, Matt chose not to turn on the light and give their position away to the enemy. He might have dismissed the phone call as hysteria or a nightmare, but he had been around the Drake sisters long enough now to see the strange things Jonas sometimes spoke of and to know to take them seriously.

  “I’ll call you later, Elle,” Kate said, her eyes mirroring her fright. “Thank you for the warning.” She placed the receiver in its cradle and looked up at Matt. “She’s never wrong, Matthew. Do you have a basement? Maybe whatever it is has found a way to get in through the basement.”

  He shook his head. “There is no actual basement. I did take the space beneath the deck and create storage rooms and a lab to develop photographs.” Their eyes met in sudden silence.

  Kate slid out of bed and caught up his shirt, the nearest article of clothing she could wrap herself in. “Do you have mistletoe in the house, Matthew?”

  “No, but it grows in several of the trees outside near the deck. I’ve stood on my deck to knock it out of the branches a few times.”

  Quickly buttoning the shirt, she followed him on bare feet. He didn’t like her exposed to danger, but at least he could keep an eye on her if she were with him. He reached back to take her hand. She looked small and vulnerable in his too-large shirt with her hair tousled from their lovemaking. He bent his head and kissed her, a brief hard kiss of reassurance. Kate’s public image was always neat and elegant. He liked that Kate very much. He loved the one with him now. His sexy, passionate, private Kate, with her hair mussed and her delicate skin red from his five o’clock shadow. Nothing was going to harm her. Nothing.

  Kate felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She tightened her fingers around Matt’s hand. Matt slid open the glass door leading outside. The wind rushed in, bringing a cold chill and the scent of the salty air. The roar of the ocean was loud, whereas before the walls of the house had muffled it. She glanced nervously out toward the open sea, afraid of seeing the gray fog, but the ocean’s surface was clear.

  “Kate.” Matt said her name as a warning.

  Kate froze and dropped her gaze to the sand below them. It was wet from the continual pounding of the waves, rolling up onto the beach and receding according to the tide. There was a clear trail of boot prints, coming out of the ocean, and marks alongside them that indicated something heavy had been dragged. Kelp lay in tangles along the path toward the stairs leading up to Matthew’s home. There was a heavy dark stain, much like oil in several spots in the sand. Kate wanted a closer look and stepped out onto the deck.

  Matt pulled her back and thrust her behind him. “It doesn’t feel right to me.” He had long ago learned to rely on his survival instincts when something wasn’t right. “Stay in the house, Kate.”

  “The fog isn’t out there anymore,” she pointed out, but she stayed behind him, holding tight to his hand. “Should we call Jonas?”

  Matt sighed. “I imagine Elle called him. Don’t all your sisters call him when something supernatural happens? I don’t think the poor man’s had a night’s sleep since Sarah came home.”

  “Supernatural? I never thought of it like that. We’ve always had certain gifts. We were born with them, and using them seems as natural as breathing. Some people call us witches, and others just think we’re able to use magic, but it’s different. More. And less. I wish I could explain it.” Kate frowned up at him. “It’s natural to us.”

  Matt pushed her hair from her face, his fingers lingering in the silky strands. He tucked her hair behind her ear, the gesture tender. “You don’t have to explain it. I’m a believer, Kate.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “Something’s wrong. We’re not going out on the deck. Come through the house with me.” Matt silently slid the glass door closed, lifting his gaze to the night sky, where patches of dark, ominous clouds floated lazily.

  Deliberately he didn’t turn on any lights as he led her through the house. He paused long enough to slip a leather sheath around his calf. Kate’s eyes widened as he shoved a long knife down into it. “Do you think that’s necessary?”

  “I believe in being safe. You’re with me, Kate. Nothing’s going to take you away from me. I don’t care if it’s a monster in the fog or something crawling out of the ocean.” He pushed open the door to his house and stepped outside. His eyes searched the terrain restlessly, never stopping. “Do you smell something burning?”

  The breeze shifted again, but Kate caught the peculiar pungent odor. “Oily rags?”

  Matt hurried over the stepping-stones leading around to the back of the house. He had a good ocean view on three sides, but the bedroom was to the back. The dark stains led from the beach to the stairs and straight to the small photography laboratory he had built. The door was closed and appeared locked, but there were oily smudges all over the door, the same oily smudges they’d seen on the beach.

  Kate’s heart began to pound. She felt the danger swamping her. Glancing up, she could see the branches of the tree spread over the top of the deck, reaching over the bedroom where she and Matt had been kissing. In the branches were nests of mistletoe and the base of the tree was covered in the oily substance. “Matthew, let’s wait for Jonas.”

  “I have photo-developing chemicals in there, Kate. I’m not losing my house to this thing.” He set her away from him. “You stay back. I mean it, Kate. If I have to run, I’ll need the way clear. Drag the hose over here for me, but don’t get too close.”

  Matt felt the door. It wasn’t hot to the touch. He opened it cautiously. The stench was overpowering, smelling of the sea, dead fish, and heavy oil. Black smoke seeped from
a pile of photo paper and rags piled with smashed glass and a mixture of what he knew was lethal chemicals. He dragged some of the papers from the pile, trying to stop the inevitable. Tiny flames licked up the sides of the pile. There was a flash of white and a popping sound.

  Kate thrust the hose into his hands. The water was running full out. He turned it on the greedy flames. “Get out of here, Kate,” he ordered.

  Kate stifled a scream when Jonas emerged out of nowhere and pulled her back, away from the deck. “Call the fire department,” he snapped. “Use my car radio and stay out of the house.” He pointed to the driveway, where he’d pulled in and left the door on the driver’s side open. “I have a jacket it in the car, put it on, you aren’t wearing very much.”

  Kate heard the wail of a siren and saw the deputy’s car tear up the driveway. She ran to Jackson as he stepped out of his car. “Jonas says to call the fire department.”

  He made the call from his radio, pointing silently to the car, as if that was enough to make her stay, then he quickly joined Jonas and Matt. Kate dragged on Jonas’s jacket, nearly sagging with relief. There was something utterly reassuring about the three men being together. They exuded complete confidence and worked as a team, almost as if each knew what the others were thinking. They had the fire out before the fire trucks even arrived. It took longer to go through the mess in the photo lab, searching for evidence. She was grateful to be able to return to the house where it was warm. Kate curled up in a chair and waited for Matt to return to her.

  chapter

  8

  And the blood runs red on the pristine white snow…

  While around all the houses the Christmas lights glow.