Page 28 of Pike

CHAPTER 8

Her ears were ringing. The scent of him trailed in her nose and wrapped around her heart, refusing to let go. Later she would wonder at the temporary paralysis in her lower body and the way her arms refused to lift. But for now, her foggy head kept her warm and happy.

Even in her teens, Lavinia hadn’t felt this kind of rush. Hadn’t fumbled in her attempt to drag his pants down to his ankles. She’d been nervous and anxiety-ridden her first time. The situation worsened when she got a vision of herself accidentally ramming her elbow into the boy’s nose and the resulting Niagara Falls of blood pouring down his shirt. Talk about ruining a mood. After that, she was hesitant to try again. Her hormones were going haywire, her gift worked two times out of ten, and it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain her sanity.

Okay, her romantic trysts hadn’t all ended poorly. Some of them even turned out to be nice people. But none of them made her feel as safe, as cherished, as Pike.

“Say something. I need to know you’re alive,” he murmured when she didn’t move.

“I’m alive.”

“Speak to me, love.”

Arms weak and trembling, she pushed herself up, smiling down at the look of bemused satisfaction on his face.

“That was…” She paused. Took a deep breath. “Wow.”

He pulled her against him, teeth scraping a line along her throat. “Mmm. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.”

“I’m not very, you know, experienced. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. I could lick every inch of your skin and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“You aren’t satisfied?” she asked fretfully.

“I never said such a thing.”

“Please don’t lick much more. I might be semi-clean because of your magic tissue, but I still don’t trust it enough. We are going to need a shower.”

Suddenly she was flattened underneath him. In the perfect position to wrap her legs around his hips and bring his collarbone into reach. She placed a kiss on him before lifting her head to grin.

“What?” he asked when she stared at him. “I can’t keep myself off of you.”

“I was just thinking about how this was worth the wait.” Her eyes continued to scan his face. “It was worth every moment I caught a glimpse of you and felt like I couldn’t have you. Even years before I met you in person.”

He groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows. “It wasn’t that you couldn’t have me. There are just certain things about me I wanted to spare you. I wanted to keep the status quo. This,” he ran his fingers in a circle in the space between them, “should not have happened.”

“Guess we kind of messed up, didn’t we?” She trailed her fingers along the planes of his back. Was it possible for such muscles to exist? Not only was she dealing with a damn six pack in the front, his back could crunch a can into oblivion.

And he wanted her. Her.

Never in her life had Lavinia felt special. Not even when she’d made the biggest mistake of her life and ended up a part-time psychic. It didn’t make any difference to her tentative self-esteem. Hooking up with him had been a mistake. Getting involved with him in the first place had been a mistake. Damn her visions. Sometimes the universe made mistakes, and when it did, they ended up being a doozy. That’s how she’d felt for years.

Then she got to know Pike. She wanted him. But she knew that it would take something radical and unexpected for the two of them to be together, especially when her gift showed her otherwise. Yet here he was, on top of her, formerly inside of her, and Lavinia felt like the luckiest person alive.

God, she loved that man. Loved him with everything she had inside of her despite knowing he would leave. It made no difference. Her mother had always called her a generous heart. Someone who gave of herself until there was nothing left. Lavinia didn’t care.

“Messed up? Yes, we definitely did. There’s not much we can do about it now, though, can we?” His chest pressed against her and his breath tickled her hair. “Fancy a second round?”

She hummed in contentment. “In a little bit, absolutely. I can think of several things I’d like to do to you. Even past my bedtime.”

“Thinking about you in bed turns me on.”

“Lucky for you, we have a bed at our disposal whenever we need. And I plan on staying here for a while.”

She’d take whatever she could before it ended. It definitely would end, she knew that. There was no way they could make it work. She’d seen the future and recognized the heartbreak in store. Her hand rose to massage the area between her breasts as though a physical ache had already manifested. Her visions weren’t always to be believed, but this one she knew was true. For whatever reason. The certainty of it settled heavy on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight.” Pike adjusted his frame to give her more room to breathe. “Second time today I nearly crushed you.”

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