Incest/Taboo Body of Water

Avan called me during the day on Friday, catching me between clients. I laughed when I answered the phone, joking that he must have ESP, knowing when to call me. He chuckled and I had to clamp my thighs together to keep the fluid my body generated from spilling out.

How is it possible for any man to make a woman react this way?

"Nerina?" When he said my name, I realized I hadn't answered him.

"I'm sorry. Someone came by and...said something to me. What did you say?"

"Are you busy tonight? I'd like to make you dinner."

"Make me dinner?" I laughed. "Sounds intriguing."

"Intriguing enough for you to say yes?"

"Hmm, it is Friday night and I don't have to work in the morning."

Again he chuckled and the sound reached through the phone, stroking my body from head to toe. I bit my lip to keep from moaning. Avan didn't need any more indications of my desire for him.

"Neither do I."

I chewed my lip as I considered. Did I really want to risk being alone with him in his house? Would I be able to resist if he performed an encore of the other night's activities?

"I promise to be a perfect gentleman, Nerina."

I laughed. Again he surprised me by knowing what was on my mind. "I believe you, Avan. All right. I'll come for dinner."

"Excellent!"

I was flattered that he sounded so excited. He gave me directions to his place and his home phone number in case I got lost. We agreed to meet at seven, leaving me plenty of time to get ready before the date.

The prospect of an actual date made me feel strange. I didn't know why the idea of going to Avan's house made me feel so nervous but I chalked it up to my lack of control the other night. If it hadn't been for that horrible accident in the parking lot, I would have gladly given myself to Avan. He must know that. I had an awful premonition that he was only inviting me over to get into my pants after the other night's disappointment but I shoved it away.

He told me he'd be a gentleman. I finished my lunch break and waited for my next clients to arrive. I believe him.

Whether or not I should was up for debate but I couldn't allow negative feelings to sway me now. It'd be rude to cancel at the last minute.

So I finished up my day and even managed to leave the office early. I considered going home first to change but decided not to tempt fate by making myself any more appealing. As that thought occurred to me, I gave myself a wry look in my car's rearview mirror and told myself to stop being absurd.

Avan's directions to his house were simple. He lived in a part of town that was close to Landbourne. It took me less time than I thought it would to get there so I drove past his street to a nearby strip mall. I hit a bank, wandered through a few stores and then made my way to his house.

I couldn't say for sure why I was dawdling. I told myself it was because I didn't want to seem too eager. He already knew I'd lay down for him at the slightest provocation. Perhaps this was my way of regaining some control over my own actions.

There were butterflies in my stomach as I parked across the street from his modest bungalow that evening. I scowled at my reflection in the rearview mirror for a moment before getting out of the car. The closer I got to his house, the more confused I felt.

There was no reason for me to feel so conflicted. There was nothing wrong with being attracted to him. So why all this tension inside me at the thought of getting closer to him?

That familiar close, cloying sensation stole over me as I stopped on his front step. I clawed at my shirt, yanking the top button of my blouse until it popped loose and then sucked in a deep breath.

Avan opened the door, greeting me with a wide smile that stirred my female parts like they had no business being stirred.

It's just a smile, for Pete's sake.

Steeling myself, I walked into his house and chastely turned my cheek when he bent to kiss me. He gave me a strange look but I reminded myself of my efforts to keep from begging him to take me. When he put his warm hand at the small of my back to guide me through the house, I wondered if I could keep it up all night.

"The kitchen is just through here." He led the way down the hall to his large, open kitchen.

"It's very nice." I paused and inhaled. "Mm, and something smells wonderful."

I turned in time to see him flash that devastating smile again and my stomach coiled with need. I swallowed and tried to force my eyes somewhere else, anywhere but at his face and eyes, dark with the same desire I was feeling.

He began to speak and I didn't know what he was saying. His deep, accented voice slid through me and increased the spike of lust I felt in my belly. He was saying something about dinner I think but it didn't matter. Just the sound of his voice and the vibration of his tenor in the air made me feel very aroused. That damp pressure returned a hundredfold and I rubbed my palm up the side of my throat, feeling lightheaded.

"Would you like a drink?"

I risked a glance in his direction and nodded. He smiled and moved away to pour some wine. I watched him and the knot inside me loosened. The pressure eased up and I drew in a deep breath.

I could do this. I could get through one night with him without clawing my clothes off.

"Here you go." He handed me a glass of fragrant red wine and clinked his glass against mine.

"What are we toasting?" I was surprised that I managed a complete sentence. My knees were still shaking and I was struggling not to think about the pool of moisture between my thighs.

Avan cocked his head to one side as he looked at me. "How about...destiny?"

"Destiny?" I would have laughed had he not looked so serious.

"Yes. It was destiny that brought us together and it is destiny that shall keep us moving forward."

"Together?" The word came out as a squeak.

His grin turned wicked and I stifled a moan as my blood pressure spiked. He moved closer to me and one strong arm went around my waist. The heavy pressure was back and I almost dropped the wine glass. When Avan spoke again, his lips were so close to my own that I felt them brush against my mouth.

"As one, Nerina. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

His voice was silky and I tilted my chin up to meet his dark gaze. He still had a grin on his face but it had altered somehow. Instead of looking sexy, he looked...menacing.

The thought sent a chill up my spine, cooling my overheated body in an instant. The tight pressure remained, making me feel claustrophobic even in this wide open kitchen.

As if sensing the change in my body, he let me go and stepped back. The expression on his face changed again and he looked almost disappointed. He took a large gulp of wine with his eyes on my face and then turned away.

"I must check dinner."

I nodded and moved around the kitchen island to sit on one of the stools. I felt heavy and disoriented, like I'd just woken from a long nap. I wiped a hand across my brow, not surprised to feel the damp sheen of sweat on my hand.

In another minute or two, the tension in the kitchen lifted and Avan began to talk to me. He asked about my day, inquired about the repairs to the building and asked what my plans for the weekend were. I thought it was his cute way of asking me out for the next night so I teased and said I might have plans.

"As long as you don't intend to go clubbing, I don't mind."

I raised my eyebrows at his response. My immediate instinct was to remind him, in no uncertain terms, that he had no claim over me. As the words rose in my throat, I felt something squeeze and I couldn't speak.

Avan turned from the stove and walked towards me, a dark look on his face. He circled around the island and came right up to my stool. His hands came down on my hips and he squeezed. That mossy smell swirled in my nostrils and I moaned as lust licked through my insides. Avan tilted his head and opened his mouth on my throat. The tight feeling returned and I felt like I was under a pile of damp earth.

"You don't want to go out, do you?"

I shook my head, unable to speak actual words.

Avan licked my skin and I arched, my breasts tingling and aching to be touched. I was gasping for air around the weight I felt pressing on me.

"You want to stay with me, don't you? You want to fill me up and you want me to make you mine."

His words sank through the fog of my brain and I wanted to protest. I didn't want to be owned or possessed by anyone. I was an independent woman who didn't need a man telling her what to do.

The pressure increased and then I was getting no air. I tried to inhale but there was no air filling my mouth, filtering into my lungs. My eyes flew open to see Avan's face hovering very close over mine.

His eyes were no longer warm or sensual. His mouth was a hard line and his nostrils flared as he stared down at my frightened face. I felt his hands move from my hips to push my knees apart. I knew what was coming next, as surely as I knew I'd die if I didn't get some air soon.

"You want me to touch you, Nerina." It wasn't a question.

I wanted him to let me go so I could breathe. But he wasn't even holding me; he wasn't squeezing my chest and keeping me from inhaling.

Who else could it be?

His hand slid up under my skirt and cupped my sex. I felt a brief flash of embarrassment as we both acknowledged how damp I was. His fingers pushed aside the crotch of my panties and slid deep inside.

The moment his thumb brushed over my clit, I arched and sucked in a deep gasping breath. He clamped his mouth down on my neck and sucked hard, as if he were a vampire aching to get at my blood. His fingers moved inside me as he sucked and I didn't care. I kept gasping, drawing in great lungfuls of air.

Then he pinched me and I came in a great, thundering wave. It did not feel good.

The weight holding me down kept me from drawing in enough air and Avan's hold was coarse and rough, not the gentle touch I recalled from the other night. He was forcing my climax and my next breath of air rushed out on a weak sob.

He lifted his head and his eyes glinted at me. The color flashed a brilliant green and gold before sliding back into rich brown.

"You are mine, Nerina."

I shook my head, denying him as my body continued to convulse around his hand. He continued to stroke me, drawing out the terrible sensations until I slid off the stool into his arms. He held me up for a second before we sank down to the floor.

I didn't feel him tearing his own clothing away because I was too occupied with breathing. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. All the while, my body undulated with the continuing waves of the awful orgasm Avan was making me experience. I wanted to cry but that required too much air, air I wasn't getting enough of. I begged and pleaded in silence for the strength to get through this.

"You are mine!" Avan growled in my ear and that was when I felt his hot bare flesh pulsing against my thigh.

"No..."

He swallowed my strangled protest with a burning kiss. His tongue snaked into my mouth and swept under mine until I was forced to respond to the kiss.

This was horrible and I wanted out but I felt so weak with not enough air coming into my lungs. Avan put his hand at my crotch again and thrust two fingers inside with a rough motion. I bucked against him in a vain effort to get away. His malicious smile told me that he thought I was getting into it.

He shifted over me and his vicious fingers left my body. A moment later, I felt the thick head of his penis rubbing against me. I shook my head but his hand clamped down on my jaw, his tongue caressing my lips.

"You want me, you've always wanted me."

We just met! I wanted to scream but barely managed to suck in another breath. I tasted the damp earth now and the inside of my mouth felt like it was being coated with moss. I swallowed, aching for more air, desperate for the strength to make Avan stop.

He pushed his hips and his cock eased between my swollen lips. I bucked hard, trying with every ounce of my strength to throw him off of me. He growled - a frightening sound - and that weight on my body returned. All oxygen was cut off again and I opened my mouth on a silent cry.

I felt Avan push, his hard length sliding further into me. Stars burst behind my eyelids as I squeezed my eyes shut and I prayed for it to end.

In a flash, Avan pulled out of me and the damp, earthy pressure all around me disappeared. I felt sweat break out on my upper lip and between my breasts. Air swept back into my lungs and I coughed from the sudden rush. I rolled to my side and gasped, sucking in air until my heart rate began to calm.

A crashing noise and bellow of rage came from behind me. I struggled to my knees and turned around.

Avan was standing in the middle of his dining room struggling with another man.

Has someone broken in? I shook my head, trying to clear it of the strange fog.

Avan threw off the other man and he flew into the far wall with an agonizing crunch. Avan advanced with a snarl marring his handsome face, his hands clenched into fists. The house began to shake and I whimpered.

Not another earthquake! Impossible.

Another one?

I shook my head again. Where had that come from?

And still the house shook, as if the very ground beneath it were about to break apart. The air I dragged into my lungs over and over was dry and the heat in the house began to scorch my insides. I struggled to sit up and brushed hair off my sweaty face. My eyes went to Avan and the strange man.

The man across the room sprang to his feet as Avan approached and they locked arms again. They struggled, tossing each other this way and that, the room growing hotter and less stable with each passing second.

After a minute, I realized they were yelling at each other. Through the haze of my confusion, I heard what they were saying.

"You have no right to be here."

"I am trying to save her!"

Avan gave a harsh laugh and threw the other man to the floor. He leapt back to his feet and hurled his body at Avan's midsection.

"You are weak!" Avan cried with another laugh. "She wants me because I am strong. She already gave herself to me. You are too late!"

The man kept pushing Avan back until he slammed into the wall. Then he let go and took a step back. He turned to face me and a blast of heat washed over my body.

I arched with a moan, feeling an intense desire that even Avan hadn't stirred in me. I met the flashing orange eyes of the stranger and he looked familiar to me.

He turned back to Avan with a fierce scowl. "You lie."

Avan returned his look. "You can see for yourself that she has accepted me. She let go with my body inside of hers. She welcomed me."

The stranger sneered and took another step back. "It is not a true welcome if she doesn't will it."

Avan roared and lunged at him but the stranger disappeared.

No, it was like he turned to vapor. I saw his body as it was, solid and large and light compared to Avan. Then he twisted and expanded, becoming larger and yet insubstantial at the same time. I felt burning heat wash over me and I moaned again, welcoming that warmth like I hadn't ever welcomed a caress before in my life.

Then he was gone and I passed out.

There was no dream this time. I remained aware and realized for the first time that it was not a dream.

"You betrayed me, brother."

"No. You deceived yourself."

A long silence. I blinked and turned my head. I was lying on the ground, a thick-rooted tree cradling my body like human arms. Instead of feeling cold and damp, I felt warm. I could feel the heat radiating from a spot to my left. I looked in that direction and smiled when I saw two great figures standing side-by-side.

As if sensing my awareness, they both turned to face me and I sighed out a welcome.

"You cannot have us both." It was a defiant tone and petulant, like a small child.

I frowned as the other shook his wavering head with a sad smile.

"Then you will never understand, brother."

The heat disappeared and the tree squeezed me until I cried out.

My vision went dark again and then there was nothing.

I woke up slowly, coming back to myself in pieces. I recalled the dream that was not a dream and it brought with it all the memories of my other dreams.

It didn't make sense and I wanted to cry for the confusion I felt.

"Don't be upset, beautiful."

It was Avan's smooth, rich voice that spoke to me and I blinked my eyes open to find him sitting beside me. I was in a bed in an unfamiliar room and wondered how I got there. Vague memories of meeting Avan for dinner returned and the dreams that were not dreams faded in a rush.

I lifted a hand as if to grab them and keep them from retreating but Avan leaned over me and they were gone. I started to weep then, knowing I'd lost something vital, something that had been so close. I'd been right on the cusp of figuring it all out and I was sinking back into this reality of not knowing there was anything to figure out.

Avan lifted me up into his arms and held me close. His spicy scent surrounded me and I sniffed when the earthy smell joined the others. The pressure wrapped around my torso along with his arms and I drew in a deep breath, distant memories of being suffocated surfacing.

"Don't cry, Nerina. I've got you."

As he spoke, I felt a welling of lust swirl up from my core. I gasped as my nipples hardened and my thighs softened. Avan shifted beside me and I felt the rigid length of his erection against my thigh.

Wrong!

I jerked away from Avan. I sprang to my feet on the floor and rushed across the room. I reached for the door knob, whipping the door open so hard and fast that it banged against the wall.

"Nerina! Where are you going?"

I ignored Avan's imploring voice and ran through his house. It was daylight outside, bright and hot and my feet were singed by the concrete walkway when I hit it. I shrieked and jumped off onto the grass beside it and that was when I noticed the familiar figure at the end of the walkway.

"Hurry," was all he said and I didn't hesitate.

I rushed across the lawn and felt the grass reaching for me, which was ridiculous. But these thoughts and images in my head were confusing me and suddenly it didn't seem so ridiculous that the grass and the earth beneath it would be trying to contain me.

"Hurry." The man spoke again just as I hit the sidewalk beside him and he reached out a hand.

I slapped my palm against his and he pulled me with him. We ran down the road, my bare feet slapping on the fiery asphalt. His hand was hot and sweat gathered between our joined fingers. I didn't pull my hand away and was glad I didn't when the road lifted beneath us.

"Nerina!"

It was a cry of outrage and desperate longing and the road split in a jagged line between my feet as the word echoed in the street.

I looked around, hoping to find someone, anyone, nearby who could help us.

"We can't be outside!" I yelled, my mind torn between fleeing and finding safe cover from this freak earthquake.

"We can't go in." The man stopped and turned to me with a sober expression. "Do you trust me?"

I shouldn't. I didn't know this man. Sure, he had a familiar face and I could breathe easy around him but I didn't know him.

I nodded.

He gave me a gentle smile that loosened something inside me and brought memories surging forward in my mind. Then he stepped forward, his hot, hard arms going around my body. Sweat was pouring from everywhere on my body now. It all but liquefied my clothes but I didn't let go of this man.

I love you.

I didn't know if he said it or if I thought it, but the words were there as the ground lifted under our feet and I dissolved into nothing.

I think I was screaming but silken warmth and sharp tang of sulfur surrounded me and it was familiar enough that I began to relax.

"I told you that you could trust me."

I turned my head - I had a head and body again - and there he was. Broad and tall and emanating a heat that made my pulse pound. I was about to open my mouth to ask just who he was when it came to me.

"You're Aedan McKay."

The corners of his golden brown eyes wrinkled and he smiled at me. It didn't occur to me to wonder where we were or how we'd ended up there because he was smiling at me. I felt something shift inside me and I slid closer to Aedan. His smile widened and the temperature increased as his arms came up around my body.

"How do I know you?"

His smile drooped at the corners and he let out a slow breath. He lowered his face until our foreheads touched and we held that pose for a long moment.

"He did it again, didn't he?"

I leaned back to look into his face. "Who did what again?"

He released me and took a step back. In a rush, our surroundings took shape - or was it just that I hadn't noticed them before?

I looked around and recognized the interior of the Firehall. It was still early in the evening and there were a few people moving around, getting ready for the night's business. I watched them for a minute before bringing my eyes back to Aedan. He was watching me with an unreadable expression and I stepped close to him.

"What is it?"

"How do you know my name?"

I blinked as I tried to recall. "My friend, Angela, she told me after we'd been here."

"When was that?"

"Last Saturday."

Had it only been a week ago? It felt much longer and I still felt like there was something missing, something that I wasn't getting.

Aedan blew out a breath and gave me a weak smile. He reached a hand out and I slid my fingers into his without hesitation. "Come with me."

The warmth of his hand and the deep tone of his voice made me shiver but it was pleasant. I nodded and followed as he led the way out of his club.

We walked down the street and I wasn't aware of what direction we went in. A few minutes later, we walked into the lobby of an apartment building. Aedan headed straight for the elevator and we rode up to the top floor.

I gaped at the penthouse apartment as we entered and glanced at Aedan. "Is this where you live?"

Aedan frowned and shrugged. He moved away from me, dropping my hand as he did. I felt the loss of his warm palm and wrapped my arms around my torso, wanting to hold the warmth close for as long as I could.

I didn't know why he was so upset with my questions, why he seemed disappointed that I didn't know him, even though every fiber of my being told me that I did.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

"OK. It's time you told me some things." I hoped my voice sounded more certain than I felt.

Aedan met my gaze from across the giant living room. He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his eyebrows. "What kind of things?"

"For starters, how did we get here?"

"We walked from the Firehall."

I narrowed my eyes and he mirrored the look. A lick of heat tickled the insides of my thighs and a gasp slipped out of my lips. "D-don't try to distract me."

He chuckled and the sound reached across the room to caress my face like he'd touched me. I drew in a fortifying breath and tried again.

"You know what I meant. How did we get to the Firehall? I remember being..." I trailed off as I tried to recall where I'd been.

It was Friday, right? I had been at work, then running errands, then...

"Why can't I remember?"

Aedan's expression saddened and he rubbed a hand over his face. "It's a power he has over you."

"What? Who?"

"You must know."

I threw my hands up in the air and shook my head. "I wouldn't be asking if I did. The last thing I remember is running down the street by Avan's house and-"

Aedan crossed the room in three long strides and caught me up in his arms. My words died on my lips and I moaned when his warm arms closed around my body. I felt his mouth open on my neck and the hot breath he exhaled warmed me throughout my entire body.

"You do remember."

I didn't remember my own name at the moment and I didn't care.

Aedan pulled back and cupped my face in his palms. "Nerina, love. Tell me you remember what happened?"

Under his intense golden gaze, I felt memories creep into my consciousness. "We were running down the road because I'd been at Avan's house. He was..." I paused and frowned as a cold feeling washed over me. "He was hurting me?" That didn't make any sense. Ever since meeting Avan, he'd been nothing but kind and considerate.

"No!" Aedan roared and a blast of heat from his body rocked me back on my heels.

"Why are you so mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you, Nerina." He dropped his hands and straightened with a deep breath. "You can't know how frustrating this is for me."

I laughed and clapped a hand over my mouth to stop it from turning hysterical. "For you? Please, I'm trying to figure things out too." I spun away from him and began to pace across his apartment, noticing that I had bare feet.

"Talk to me, love." Aedan watched me from where he stood. "We can figure it out together."

I threw him an arch look and he offered me a weak smile. "All right. No more distracting me with your body heat."

Aedan smiled then, a real smile and I had to look away before I melted into a puddle on the floor.

"I make no promises, Nerina."

I ignored the way my body reacted to his voice and the pulsing heat radiating from his section of the room. I cleared my throat and focused my attention on pacing; one foot in front of the other.

"You don't like Avan." It wasn't a question and Aedan didn't answer. His response was a low growl that I took as acknowledgment. "How do you even know each other?"

Aedan stiffened. "We are brothers."

I froze and turned to face him. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying." The look on his face was pure innocence but I didn't believe him. How could I?

"You're white. Avan's obviously not."

"Doesn't make it less true."

"So what, are you...blood brothers or something? Like, you swore to each other or something?" It sounded ridiculous and I was drawing on memories of cheesy war movies and the like where men made blood oaths and became brothers in spite of differences in race, background or age.

Aedan laughed but there was no humor in it. "I suppose brothers might be the wrong term but by today's standards, it's what we are."

"Today's standards?" I shook my head and gave a dismissive wave. "Whatever. Fine. You know him. And you don't like him, brothers or not?"

"He took something that didn't belong to him."

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what but the look in Aedan's eyes told me before I could voice the question.

"I am not a belonging."

"I never said you were."

"Then why would you say he took me when I didn't belong to him?"

"It's true, isn't it?" Aedan began to pace now. "You didn't belong to him and you still don't."

"Is that what this is about? You want me and so does he?"

Aedan didn't even look at me as he nodded.

"Well, I have news for you: I belong to no one!"

"I know that. I never wanted you for a possession." Aedan stopped to face me and I saw how close his pacing had come to where I stood. I could feel the waves of heat emanating from him with every heartbeat.

Whoa. Heartbeat? Is that what that is?

"We've always been connected, Nerina, in a way that you and Avan could never be. It's always made him angry and jealous."

I shook my head, confused by his nearness, by his body heat and by the very conversation. It felt unreal and familiar all at the same time.

"I'm so confused."

Aedan came towards me with slow steps until he was close enough to touch. He didn't touch me, even as my knees began to tremble from the sensations jangling everywhere in my body.

"I know, love. I wish I could make it easier for you."

I looked up at him through a sheen of tears. "You can. Just tell me what's going on."

"I can't."

"Why not?" I hated that I sounded so whiny, that I was all but begging him to talk to me, to tell me what was going on. I hadn't felt sure of myself in a long time and here I was, with someone who seemed to know everything about what was happening to me.

And he wouldn't tell me anything.

When I met Aedan's gaze again, he looked tortured, as if my being upset caused him physical pain. With a choked sob, I reached for him. His arms came around my waist to hold me against his body and I clung to him. I buried my nose in his neck and cried, mindless of my tears soaking his skin. He held me close, his hot hands sliding up and down my back.

"I'm s-so confused," I bawled.

"I know." His voice sounded choked, as if he were holding back tears. "I'm so sorry, love."

I cried into his neck and on his shoulder for a long time. I didn't notice him moving to sit down on his couch until my tears began to recede. I sniffled and caught the scent that Aedan was giving off. It was achingly familiar and stung my nostrils even as it affected me on a much more primal level.

Aedan's arms tensed where he held me and I realized I was sitting in his lap, all his hard, hot muscles surrounding me, protecting me. I turned my head and pressed my lips to the salty wetness I'd left on his skin from my tears. Then I opened my mouth and licked the spot I'd been crying on and smiled when I felt his entire body shudder at the contact.

"My love, please."

"Please what?" My tone was innocent but I didn't stop licking him.

Along with the tang of my tears, there was his flavor. It was acidic and tangy and I couldn't get enough. It was like sipping my favorite drink or lapping up my favorite ice cream before it melted and ran down my chin. I made a sound like a cat purring and Aedan responded with a deep groan that vibrated through my body.

"Nerina, you test my strength."

"Me? But you are so much bigger and stronger than me." The words, so cliched, would normally have made me cringe to hear, never mind say. Somehow they seemed right and Aedan's body heat cranked up several degrees until I felt sweat break out between my shoulder blades.

"I have little strength to resist you."

I pulled back and looked into his eyes. He still looked upset and torn. I smiled as I lifted a hand to his chin. "Why are you resisting me?"

He opened his mouth to reply then stopped, as if the words he'd been about to use weren't right.

"Don't you want me?" I coupled this question with a feminine batting of the eyelashes and was gratified to feel the pulse of his burgeoning member beneath my thigh. I bit my lip and shifted a little so he could feel the warmth he generated between my thighs.

"I want you so much, love."

My breath left my lungs in a relieved sigh and I nuzzled his neck again. "Then take me."

"I can't."

"Why?"

He drew in a deep, shuddering breath and I felt his fingers flex against my lower back. "You must take me into yourself willingly."

I could have laughed if his tone hadn't been so serious. Instead I eased myself off his lap and began to undress before him. He watched me with that same tortured expression as I peeled my shirt and bra off before sliding my skirt and panties down my legs. Even as I blushed and struggled to control the wild thumping of my heart, I didn't feel that I was doing anything wrong. Everything felt very right.

Before I settled back onto his lap, I undid the snap of his jeans and pushed the zipper down. As I straddled his thighs, I shivered at the heat rising from his body. He didn't hold me but his eyes didn't move from my face and I settled myself against his body.

"I'm very willing, Aedan." I leaned close and licked the side of his neck, now dry from my tears. "And so are you, I think."

I slid my hand into his pants and stifled a moan when I found him, sans underwear. He was hot, burning my palm but I closed my fingers around his hard length and squeezed. His head rolled back onto the couch and he let out a long, low groan.

"Don't make me beg, Aedan."

His hands came up and I grinned, ready to be taken by him, to be swallowed by his intense heat. But he didn't take me. He was hot and I was sweating everywhere but he didn't take me.

He grasped me by the waist and rolled me onto the couch beside him. Then he leapt to his feet and strode across the room away from me so fast I thought I imagined it.

"Aedan?"

"I can't!" His cry was anguished and he thrust his hands through his hair. I heard a sound like the crackling of a fire but there was no fireplace in his apartment.

"I don't understand."

"That's just it, don't you see?"

"No!" I was beyond frustrated now. I leapt to my feet and fumbled as I tried to gather my clothing together. My face burned from his heat and from the humiliation now swamping me. "I don't understand. I don't see why you don't want me."

"I do want you, more than anything. It's why I'm here."

I faced him and hugged my stomach, my clothes dangling from my hands. I could feel tears clogging my throat but I didn't want to cry in front of him again.

"You know that something isn't right, don't you? You remember Avan but not what he did to you, or why we ran from his house?"

I nodded and rubbed my arms. Why did we run from Avan's house? Did we run all the way downtown from his suburb?

"We didn't run. You know we didn't."

I scowled. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"It's part of our bond."

"What bond? I just met you last week!"

"Only in this lifetime."

"Stop speaking in circles!" I started to walk towards him but he gave off a blast of heat that stopped me in the middle of the room. "I want answers."

"You remember meeting me?" He sounded amazed and hopeful.

"Of course I remember meeting you. It's not every day I meet an interesting, eligible, handsome man."

"Do you remember seeing me after that?"

I started to nod but stopped myself. "No. We only met the one time. Until tonight, I mean." Even as I said it, it felt wrong. There was something else there, just tickling the edge of my mind. I tried to latch onto it but it slithered away and I made a frustrated noise. "None of this makes any sense."

"It will, Nerina. Please, you have to try to understand."

"I am trying," I snapped and whirled away from him. I went and sat down on the couch, still holding myself. Being inside this small space with Aedan made it hard to concentrate. His unique scent was all around me, coating my body. The temperature jacked up for a moment and a physical yearning coiled deep in my belly.

"God, Aedan. I want you. I just want you to make love to me." I didn't care anymore about begging or sounding needy. I wanted him. No, it was more than that. I needed him. Everything about him called out to me, made me forget the independent woman I was.

He crossed the room and knelt at my feet before I could draw another breath. His hands closed over mine and pulled them away from my torso. My clothes fell forgotten to the floor from my numb fingers. Aedan drew me down and cradled me against his body. I inhaled and his warm scent filtered into my body as his body heat soothed me.

"I want to make love to you, Nerina, so much that this hurts me to be this close and not do it. I know you don't understand why we can't but you are so close to remembering."

"Remembering what?"

"Who you are. Who I am. What we are to each other."

"I'm Nerina. You're Aedan. What else is there?"

Aedan's eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "So much more, my lovely."

His words, and that endearment, cracked something inside of me. It felt it like a bubble popping under a pointed finger. I sagged against Aedan's body as my vision went dark.​