Fires Of Solstice Part 15

"This is the only room that had a bed already made. And I slept on the couch in the study. I have a crick in my neck to prove it. Just ask your cat."

Methuselah sneezed. She doesn't know, idiot.

"Oh yeah, like he could answer me. What kind of fool do you take me for?" Still brus.h.i.+ng her hair, Meredythe forced herself to stay calm, trying to act nonchalant, like being in a strange man's bedroom was an everyday occurrence. No way would she allow him to fl.u.s.ter her.

Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that he probably was telling the truth about where he slept. Dark stubble covered his chin and he still wore the sweater and jeans he' d been wearing last night. His long hair was loose on his shoulders and looked almost as tangled as hers. She closed her eyes. He was without a doubt the s.e.xiest man she'd ever seen.

When she opened her eyes again, he was smiling tenderly. "I've never considered you a fool, Meredythe."

She jerked the brush through her hair one last time. "How do you know who I am?"

Breaking eye contact, he stepped toward her. "James King told us."

She stepped back. "Us?"

She muttered under her breath as he walked toward her. But he pa.s.sed her and knelt before the fireplace. After jabbing the burning embers with the poker, he placed two more logs on the fire. Only after he rose and faced her did he answer. "Rhys and me."

The older man's face appeared in her memory. "Oh yeah, the old guy who was in James' office with you."

He nodded and took a step toward her. The dark whiskers softened his chin. And those eyes... Those smoky gray eyes.

She grasped the brush tighter. Get a hold of yourself, girl. "Why are you stalking me?"

He stiffened. She did not doubt the surprise that appeared on his face. "Stalking you? I'm not stalking you."

Meredythe s.h.i.+fted uneasily. n.o.body could pretend to be that amazed. Was she wrong about him? "You could have fooled me. You were the one who barged into my break room."

He ran his hand through his hair.

Meredythe crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

He sighed. "I apologized for that. I'll apologize again. I'm sorry. I wasn't myself that day. I certainly didn't intend to anger-or frighten-you."

Meredythe sniffed, but she did relax a little. "I wasn't frightened," she lied. "What about Columbia University?"

Placing his hands on his hips, he c.o.c.ked his head and stated, "I was scheduled to deliver a lecture. I had no idea you'd be there."

Everything he said sounded so reasonable. Then her eyes narrowed. "What about Jon?"

"Who?"

The confusion on his face appeared to be genuine, but her reporter's instincts leaped. Was that a slight stiffening she noticed? Was he tense? Uneasy? "The blond-haired man who was with me."

A bored expression appeared on his face and her eyes narrowed. He was definitely hiding something. "Oh, him. What about him?"

Her chin lifted. "You threatened him."

He crossed his arm over his chest. "I did not."

She stepped forward. "Yes, you did. I heard you."

He snorted. "I didn't say a word."

"You snarled at him."

"Snarled? I snarled?" A slight smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "I think you' re imagining things."

She took another step. "I did not imagine it. You snarled at him."

He uncrossed his arms and slid his hands into his back pockets. His sweater stretched tautly across his chest. "Why?"

Meredythe stared at how the soft wool clung and took another step forward. "Why what?"

He removed his hands from his pockets and pushed his sleeves up. His voice dropped, became huskier. "Why would I snarl at someone?"

Meredythe's eyes s.h.i.+fted to the black hairs on his forearms as he crossed them again. She remembered grasping his arms before and how soft those hairs were. Was the hair on the rest of his body as soft? His chest? His groin? A picture of a thick c.o.c.k rising from a nest of dark curls exploded into her mind and her mouth began to water. How would he taste?

He cleared his throat.

Mentally shaking her thoughts free of the new erotic path they sought, she shrugged. "I don't know." Her eyes rose to his. They looked as soft as morning mist. Again she conquered her rebellious thoughts. She jerked her gaze from his to the fire. "But I'm going to find out."

Reaching out, he lifted a curl from her breast and tucked it behind her ear. "You're free to discover any secrets I have."

Her eyes flew back to his. How had she gotten so close? She'd been standing half a room away and he had never moved! Those wonderful gray eyes. She licked her lips. My G.o.d, he's going to kiss me again.

Instead he stepped away. "And you're the one who showed up on my doorstep last night."

She blinked and tried to gather her scattered thoughts. "What?"

Bleddyn clasped his hands behind his back as her blue eyes darkened to sapphire. If she kept looking at him like that, he was going to kiss her breathless. And if he did that, they'd both end up writhing naked on the floor. He couldn't give in to the temptation, not now. The full moon was only a short time away. If he wanted to finally fulfill the prophecy that would drive the devil from his soul, he had to wait until then. He'd waited centuries for Meredythe. He could wait a few weeks more. He would wait. "You showed up on my doorstep last night. Are you sure you're not stalking me?"

She reacted as he expected. The innocent desire in her eyes instantly changed to anger.

"Me? Stalking you! Are you nuts?"

He backed away and turned to the door. "If you say so. I brought your overnight case along when I got your cat. I thought you'd like a change of clothing. It's sitting by the door. I'm going to go back to your car and see if I can get the rest of your luggage now that it's daylight."

She shook her head. "Thank you. But you don't have to bother with the rest of my things. I'll be leaving once the storm is over."

He smiled back over his shoulder when he reached the door. "Have you looked outside? It's still snowing and, according to the Weather Channel, it's not going to stop before tonight at the earliest. Even then it could take days for us to get out. The entire Northeast is having two to three or more feet of snow dumped on it."

Her mouth fell open and she hurried to the other side of the room, to the huge gla.s.s wall. "You're kidding, aren't you? I can't stay here. I have to-"

He turned to face her once more. "What? Get to your motel? Why? You were coming to Winterbourne for something. Why can't you do it here? Unlike most of the rest of town, thanks to my generator, I have electricity and the phone lines are still up."

She spun around, the clenching and unclenching of her hands betraying her uncertainty and panic. "But I can't stay here."

Bleddyn watched her, a trace of sadness brus.h.i.+ng his mind. Why was she afraid? He would never hurt her. "Why not? It's not like you have a choice."

Methuselah jumped off the bed and began to wind his way back and forth between her legs. Looking up, he meowed.

Meredythe bent down and gathered him into her arms. As she cuddled the cat against her chest, he could see her tense muscles relax. Methuselah's contented purr seemed to ease her frayed nerves. After a deep sigh, she said, "You're right, Dr. Glyndwr. I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful, but I'm used to controlling my own life. I didn't expect to be stranded by a snowstorm."

Bleddyn stared at Meredythe. The swirling snow on the other side of the huge window behind her emphasized the copper, auburn and burgundy strands in her hair. The blue-gray color of the cat in her arms accented the sapphire of her eyes. Her embarra.s.sed flush brought delicate color to her cheeks. When she began to gnaw on her bottom lip, his eyes dropped to her mouth. How would he be able to wait to take her to bed?

Tearing his eyes away from her mouth, he concentrated on the swirling snow behind her. "There are clean towels in the bathroom if you want to take a shower. It's going to take me a while to get to your car and dig it out. I'll take Keri with me. There's fresh coffee in the kitchen."

"Dr. Glyndwr," she said softly as he turned away and grasped the doork.n.o.b.

He glanced back over his shoulder.

She smiled tentatively. "Thank you for your hospitality. I do appreciate it-really."

"Call me Bleddyn," he said then walked out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

Meredythe dropped Methuselah from her arms and turned to look out into the storm. This room was at the back of the house, so she couldn't see her car. But then with the swirling snow she couldn't see anything but snow-covered mounds anyway. Sighing, she pivoted and walked across the room for her overnight case. A long, hot shower would feel great. Then a cup of coffee. And she had to call James and let him know she had arrived safely.

Once she was in the bathroom, she stripped off the thick socks and baggy sweatpants, then pulled off the sweats.h.i.+rt and dropped it to the floor. The she stiffened and stared wide-eyed into the mirror. She was completely naked. "I didn't change my clothes last night," she said to her reflection. "That means... "

Even though she was alone, her face, neck and the tops of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s flushed crimson. Bleddyn Glyndwr had stripped off her wet clothes-all of them. He'd seen her naked. He'd touched her.

That last thought brought the kiss they'd shared in the break room to mind. She stared into the mirror, mesmerized by the woman who stared back at her-a woman she didn't recognize. Her skin was flushed. Her lips were parted and her breath came in short gasps. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s felt and looked fuller, and her nipples had hardened into aching pebbles. A s.h.i.+ver raced up her spine as a soft ache spread outward from her groin. She moaned. If just the thought of his kiss did this to her, what would happen when he kissed her again?

She spun away from the mirror and turned on the water. As soon as she had the temperature adjusted, she stepped in and let the hot water sluice over her, her mind fixated on the fact that she knew it wasn't if Bleddyn would kiss her again but when.

And, heaven help her, she was looking forward to it.

She screamed with frustration. "d.a.m.n it, why do you have to be so s.e.xy! I'm here for a story, not a man."

Only the sound of rus.h.i.+ng water answered her.

Meredythe slammed her fist into the wall then winced at the pain engulfing her hand. d.a.m.n him.

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the shower stall. As she'd known it would, his smiling face appeared in her mind-his smiling face and naked body.

"Oh h.e.l.l." Dropping the washcloth, she sank to her knees and slipped her fingers between her legs. She'd never get her mind back on her story without some relief. A quick fantasy would take care of that.

A stab of heat raced straight to her nipples, and they tightened into hard buds. Leaning her head back, Meredythe slid her fingers between her lips and touched her swollen c.l.i.t. s.h.i.+vering as waves of pleasure raced through her body, she opened her eyes, her gaze focusing on the showerhead. Her fingers stopped moving when she realized it was removable.

Rising, she pulled the showerhead from its mount and directed the pulsating bursts of water from one nipple to the other. Both tightened as spikes of heat radiated outward and downward through her stomach and into her groin. Cupping her left breast, she kneaded and squeezed. Her nipples tightened even more.

Moaning, Meredythe sank to the floor, slid onto her behind and leaned back against the wall. Bending her knees, she braced her feet on the floor and opened her legs wide. When she reached down to brace her left hand on the floor, her hand b.u.mped the bottle of body wash. Grabbing it, she turned it upside down and squeezed it all over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, stomach and pubic hair. Its spicy scent-his scent-permeated the hot, humid air of the shower. Slowly, she began to rub the foam into her body. Then, with a picture of Bleddyn's silvery gaze foremost in her mind, she directed the pulsating water directly against her swollen c.l.i.t. Oh yes!

"Ahh!"

As her c.l.i.t vibrated, her back arched and she had to brace her free hand against the floor to keep her balance. What started as a whimper evolved into a full-bodied moan as she held the showerhead closer to her throbbing c.l.i.t. Her hips jerked forward and she slid to her back. Switching the showerhead to her left hand, she slid the fingers of her right between her legs and began to rub.

"Bleddyn! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!"

The showerhead thunked to the floor as the o.r.g.a.s.m ripped through Meredythe. Warm water ricocheted off the wall onto her shuddering body as waves of pleasure rolled outward from her groin. Palms braced flat against the floor, she clenched her internal muscles and experienced a second, milder o.r.g.a.s.m.

Slowly, her shuddering decreased until she finally lay still. Panting, she pushed herself first into a sitting position, then to her feet. She leaned against the wall to steady herself. Eventually her breathing steadied. Using both hands, she replaced the showerhead, hanging on to the fixture until her legs could support her, and let the warm water sluice down her body.

Raising her head, she closed her eyes against the pulsating water. In her mind, a naked Bleddyn smiled at her, his c.o.c.k thrusting straight out from his body, his wolfish grin all-knowing. Once again Meredythe slapped her hand against the shower wall. d.a.m.n him, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. The mind-blowing o.r.g.a.s.m she'd just experienced hadn't done a bit of good. She still wanted him.

Chapter Eight.

When Bleddyn finally nudged the back door open with his hip, rock and roll was blaring from the radio. As the aroma of frying bacon surrounded him, his gaze leaped to Meredythe. Standing with her back to him, she was whisking eggs in a large bowl. Her fiery hair was pulled back into a braid that reached to her waist. A baggy blue sweater covered her torso to the top of her thighs. However, when she raised her hand and opened a cupboard door, the soft wool rose high enough for him to admire her tight jeans as her a.s.s dipped and s.h.i.+mmied while she sang along with the music.

A picture of her bent over the back of a sofa, her legs spread and her naked a.s.s thrust into the air leaped to his mind. His fingers itched to stroke and fondle. His c.o.c.k stirred.

He concentrated on the scent of the bacon. "It smells wonderful," he shouted over the music as he dropped the two suitcases on the floor and set her briefcase next to them. "I'm not much of a cook myself."

Bowl and whisk in hand, she whirled.

Bleddyn hung his parka over the back of a chair, sat down and began to pull off his boots. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." With a smile, he nodded toward the suitcases. "How long were you planning on visiting me? You have enough clothing for two months."

Setting the bowl back on the counter, she reached over to the radio and turned the volume down. Then she dropped a gob of b.u.t.ter in a frying pan and set it on a hot burner. "I believe in being prepared. Sometimes fieldwork takes longer than I antic.i.p.ate."

Bleddyn grunted then dropped his second boot on the floor. "And just what was the 'fieldwork' that brought you to me?"

Eyes wary, she glanced over her shoulder and watched him place his boots in the mudroom and grab a mop. "How do you know I was coming to see you?"

He grinned at the surprise that appeared on her face when he mopped up the melted snow he'd brought into the kitchen, sure she hadn't expected to see him clean up his own mess. "You mentioned it last night. Something about wis.h.i.+ng you were stranded on Dr. Glyndwr's doorstep."

Exasperation replaced her surprise. Bleddyn turned and put the mop back outside the door, opening it wider for Keri to come in. Obviously Meredythe didn't like surprises.

After dumping the eggs into the now-hot frying pan, she turned back to him. "You' re an expert on wolves. I have questions I want to have answered."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back against the refrigerator, his expression completely open. "Sure. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Her smile brightened the room. "Great," she began. "What would happen-"

Smoke began to rise behind her.

Bleddyn s.h.i.+fted his feet. "Meredythe?"

Her frown betrayed her annoyance at his interruption. "What?"

He grinned as the odor of burning bacon reached her. "The bacon. It's burning."

"d.a.m.n!" Spinning, she grabbed the skillet and dropped it just as quickly. The handle was too hot. Chuckling, Bleddyn pushed away from the refrigerator and joined her at the stove.