Now his steady gaze focused on her mouth when she spoke. “Yes, but my eldest brother, Adapa, almost died because we were separated from him for so long.” He glanced at her and tilted his head. “Since the five of us were created together, we’re permanently linked. If we end up in different, ah, dimensions, we cannot survive apart for very long. My reckless action almost killed him.” The last sentence came out in an anguished whisper.
Well, shit. That confession just pissed her off.Didn’t his family recognize the heavy guilt he suffered from? Some freakin’ psychics they were. Letting Azazel endure such a heavy burden that only got deeper the longer he carried it.Once she got those idiots in a room, she’d give them a piece of her mind with both barrels.
“Okay, listen here.” She scooted close enough their knees touched. Grasping his hands in hers, she leaned in. “My mother stressed to me that if guilt means extending worry about what you’ve done, it doesn’t do any good nor does it help. The only thing you should do is strive to not do such a thing again. So, tell me, Mister It’s-all-my-fault, did you deliberately mean to kill your brother by separating from him for over seven thousand years?”
Azazel’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? No!”
“I said—” Toni hesitated, her heart tapping a nervous rhythm against her ribs. Then, before she could overthink it, she did the one thing she’d never done before. With a quickhmmmunder her breath, she took matters into her own hands and scooted onto his lap. She wrapped her legs around his trim waist to settle dangerously close to his groin. With bold intent, she linked her arms around his thick neck, clasping her opposite wrist. If it was the last thing she did, she’d make the stubborn ass pay attention to something other than his self-imposed guilt. “—was it your intention to kill Adapa by disappearing into the far future without him?”
Azazel’s lips thinned into a straight line. “That’s absurd. I’d never do that!” He jerked back and gazed at her with wild eyes. “How could you even suggest…”
Toni caressed his cheek. “I’m not the one suggesting such a thing. You are.”
His mouth dropped open.
She was glad she was sitting on his lap when slight tremors racked his body. It told her he at least considered the point she was trying to make.
“I…” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “You…” He closed his eyes.
She waited.
“You… are right.” He placed his forehead against hers and sighed.
His glorious chest rose and fell against hers. Her nipples tightened. Even though her skin was covered, her breasts were ultra-sensitive. His hold on her shoulders loosened, which gave her a chance to rest her head against him and snuggle.
“There’s something else I’d like you to consider.” She roamed her fingers over the firm hills of his solid pecs. “Maybe destiny intended you to be there, exactly when it was most critical. I don’t think you had a choice at all.” The last words came out in a soft whisper.
Azazel’s breathing evened out.
“And maybe…” She dared. “Just maybe, we’re both here because this is where we’re supposed to be. Together.” She put her finger under his scruffy chin and turned his head to face her. With measured slowness, she leaned in and covered his tempting lips with her own.
“Antonia.”
Azazel breathed her name. The sound tore something deep and raw inside him as she pulled away. Her precious kiss—gods, that kiss—wasn’t just lips meeting lips. It claimed a piece of him he didn’t even know he dared to share. A slice of previously denied peace. A flicker of hope instead of guilt.
Even though they were in a psychicDreamwalk, she was as real to him as the terrible dark loneliness he’d endured all his life. As it receded, the snarling beast he carried deep inside stayed tranquil and still for once. If he didn’t know better, that was a sure sign this woman was the missing half of his soul. One that even his inner demon craved.
“Azazel,” Toni whispered back. She grabbed the back of his head in a tight grip before seizing his mouth again with hers.
Flames of electricity shot through him, tiny licks that brought him alive. A trembling ache started low, creating a tension that cried out for her. The background faded away. His only reality was her soft hands roaming over his near-naked body, over the swimsuit he wore. Nothing in his life—no moment of triumph or pain—had prepared him for the wildfire she ignited in him. It wasn’t anything as simple as want… or lust. It was an all-consuming need that built with every caress.
Exploring her kiss with his eager lips and tongue, his unsteady hand traveled over the tempting plumpness of her breast, which was covered by the minuscule triangle of cloth of her bathing suit. He had no trouble pushing this aside to clasp her trembling mound. Drifting his mouth to the corner of hers, he moved to the flowing curve of her chin, down to the vulnerable line of her throat. Ancient words tumbled out of his mouth, words that were lost in the annals of time. In the back of his mind, a part of him urged caution, warning him he was moving too fast. But inflamed emotions took over, filling him with a clamoring need that made the practical thought disappear in a mere whisper.
Immersed in the unfamiliar sexual sensations bombarding him, he swept his tongue over the pulse in her neck. With a teasing nip, he scraped his teeth over the spot. He sucked in a breath as white-hot pleasure that bordered on pain consumed him. He cupped her swollen breast before teasing the puckered skin of her nipple with a brief pinch. For a split-second, he swore the feeling was a mix of the two of them merging into one. Their souls connecting on a level he’d never dreamed was possible.
Damn, even his inner beast rumbled with carnal anticipation, stalking inside him. If he wasn’t mistaken, the “other” demanded satisfaction with the female in his arms.
Azazel’s heartbeat pounded inside his head. And, since that inner beast was cooperating, he had the freedom to relish the sensations happening between him and Toni. He closed his eyes and surrendered. He moved his mouth up her throat to her chin and nibbled before conquering her lips again as he massaged her breast. The very air around him shifted until all outside sensations fell away. Except for her… for Toni. The dewy silk of her skin, the satin curtain of her dark hair draped over his hand as he cradled the base of her skull.
She clung to him as her need and hunger joined his.
Her dark, erotic images fueled his desire, building a fire in his blood.
“Wait.” Toni jerked her lips from his with a strangled moan.
Opening his eyes, he watched her troubled expression as she tilted her head and scooted away from him. Mentally as well as physically.
She drew in a slow breath and faltered. “I don’t... I mean, I do…but…” Her blue gaze was unfocused. “I’m just having a hard time with how fast things are happening here,” she confessed in a soft, but unconvincing, tone.
