Wanting to explore more of his talents, she peeled his jeans off his body so that she could feel every inch of that lush, masculine body against hers. His legs were dappled with dark hairs that tickled her skin. Her heart pounded. She'd been hurt so badly in the past that a part of her couldn't help but wonder if Hawk would hurt her as well. But how could he?
Maybe all of this really was just some bizarre dream. Maybe a bus had hit her after all and she was lying in a coma and this was her mind's way of holding on to life. Or maybe he was real and she could find some way to keep him.
It was that last thought that was most appealing to her. Sparhawk gently placed his body between her thighs. Closing his eyes, he savored the feel of her body beneath his. Of her crisp hairs teasing at his stomach.
She smiled up at him as she reached down between their bodies to find him. He held his breath as she closed her hand around him, then guided his cock, inch by slow inch, deep inside her. He moaned at the sleek, wet heat of her body. No woman had ever sheathed him better. Gathering her into his arms, he held her close to his chest as he started moving against her. Taryn moaned as pleasure tore through her as he started thrusting against her hips. Every stroke echoed through her body, filling and teasing her. It was the most incredible sensation she had ever known.
If she didn't know better, she'd swear he loved her. He held her like some precious object. His every stroke soothed and thrilled her. It reached that deep-seated ache that wanted only to have him fill her and ease it.
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Taryn arched her back as her body exploded into pleasure.
Sparhawk growled as she came beneath him. She cried out, clutching at him. The sound of her pleasure drove him over the edge as he, too, found his own paradise. He collapsed on top of her, letting the softness of her body soothe his. 'Twas the most miraculous feeling he'd ever known. He felt connected to her. A part of her. It didn't make sense.
She sighed contentedly as she ran her hands over his back. "That was incredible."
"Aye, it was."
She laughed and then kissed him. Sparhawk nuzzled her neck so that he could inhale the sweetness of her scent. It was enough to almost make him grow hard again. He licked her tender skin, marveling at the texture of it. "I don't ever want to leave this bed, my lady Taryn."
"Me either," she said before she gave a light laugh. "But if we don't, it could get ugly after a few days. We'd shrivel up from lack of water."
"I can think of no better way to go."
"That makes two of us."
Sparhawk rolled to his side, then pulled her against him. She lay herself over him like a blanket and traced circles on his chest.
"Thank you, Lady Taryn."
"For what?"
"For making me feel like this."
Taryn smiled at that. No man had ever given her thanks for making love to him, and she found that she liked it. A lot. "My pleasure, Hawk. Anytime you need to feel this way again, just give a whistle."
He grinned at that, then whistled low.
She laughed again. "You are evil."
"Nay, my lady. I am only in awe of you."
Taryn crawled even more on top of him so that she could feel the whole length of his body under hers. If she could have one wish, it would be to stay like this forever. But she knew in her heart that they couldn't.
Sooner or later they would have to leave this bed.
And sooner or later they would have to part company. No doubt forever. She winced at the thought, but in her heart she knew it was true. She didn't know what "magic" had brought him here; however, this couldn't last. He was a character from a book. He could never be hers to keep, and whatever had brought him here would most likely return him to his world.
Yet even the mere thought of it made her want to scream out in denial at the injustice. How weird. She barely knew him and already she wanted to keep him.
If only she could . . .
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THREE
The next four days were the best of Taryn's life. Hawk stayed at her house during the day while she worked, and every night when she came home, he was there with something special for her. One night he
'd raided her rosebushes out back and had the entire house covered in roses and candles lit for her. It looked like something out of a movie. Or better yet, a dream.
He'd even learned to work the stove, and though his cooking left much to be desired, it was so sweet of him to try that she didn't even mind eating burned bread. In fact, she was developing a taste for
"blackened" chicken and steak.
But more than that, she was developing a taste for whipped-cream-basted Hawk as they spent their nights naked and in her bed. There was nothing she loved more than lying in his arms while she explored every inch of him. He was funny and supportive, which for a man who had been a barbaric knight said something.
"Are all knights so gentle?" she'd asked him the night before.
"I know not, Taryn, since I don't make it my habit to lie abed with other knights."
She'd laughed at that while he stroked her hair.
"But to be honest, there is only so much battle a man can take. I think all of us crave a quieter life with a tender touch."
Taryn closed her eyes as he kissed her until her knees were weak from it. There was pure magic in his touch. Magic in his kiss. She pulled back to stare down at him while she straddled his hips. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was starting to fall in love with this man. How could that be? How could she be in love with a character from a book? And yet all she could think of was him. The sound of his voice, the curve of his jaw, the masculine beauty of his face. He haunted her day and night. Called to her every time she left him. All she could think about at work was getting home to spend time with him alone.
It was spooky just how much of herself she had already given him, and they had just met. He cupped her face in his hands. Taryn turned her face into his palm so that she could taste the salty-sweet flesh as she slowly lowered herself onto him.
Hawk groaned as she took him in all the way to his hilt. Smiling up at her, he arched his back as she started to move against him.
"I love being inside you, Lady Taryn."
She had to admit she liked feeling him so deep inside her. There was something special about this connection to him. He lowered his hands to her breasts, where he gently cupped her as he lifted his hips to drive himself even deeper inside her.
Taryn rode him slow and easy, reveling in the sensation of his thick fullness. Sparhawk closed his eyes as he let her take complete control of their pleasure. He didn't know what it was about this woman, but she touched him in ways no one ever had before. In her arms he felt loved. Cared for. He lived only for the sight of her face, the touch of her hand. The thought of living without her .
. .
He would rather be dead than even contemplate it. How could such a thing be possible?
He ran his hand over her taut nipples, letting them caress his palm. She hissed in response to his touch. Wanting to please her even more, he trailed his hand slowly from her breast, down the curve of her stomach, down to the moist dark curls at the juncture of her thighs. His gaze locked with hers, he sank his thumb deep into the folds of her body to find her sensitive nub. She cried out in pleasure as he gently stroked her. Even better, she quickened her strokes against him, pulling him in deeper and deeper.
Taryn couldn't think with his hand on her. All she could do was feel him, his strokes, the depth of him inside her. She wanted satisfaction, and when she got it, she screamed in pleasure. Her heart pounding, she fell forward, over him.
Sparhawk rolled with her in his arms, their bodies still joined until he was on top of her. Her body continued to spasm around his. He drove himself in deep and quickened his strokes so that he could
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elongate her orgasm. She kissed him fiercely, her tongue spiking against his as she clawed at his back. Delighted with her reaction, he thrust himself into her over and over again until his own body found its release. He growled in pleasure. She wrapped her body around his and held him close as they lay in the sweaty aftermath of their play.
Taryn drew a ragged breath as she waited for her body to calm. This was her favorite part of the night. The time after they were both spent and all she could hear was the sound of his breathing. Skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. There was nothing else like it in the world. With the smell of her champion enchanting her, she let the sound of his heartbeat lull her into sleep. She woke in the morning, late for work. Sparhawk was still asleep. Unwilling to wake him, she took a minute to ogle the gorgeous backside that was completely bare. His dark tawny skin was a perfect contrast to her cream sheets. She smiled at the sight of his black hair tousled and the whiskers that darkened his cheeks.
"Do me, Sparhawk," she said under her breath with a short laugh. It took every ounce of her self-control not to fondle him awake and have a quickie before she left. But she was already late. Pouting, she forced herself into the bathroom to get ready. But the memory of him in her bed and the feel of his body against hers kept her company all day at work. And it had her rushing home to find him dressed in a dark blue shirt and jeans, waiting for her. Tonight, they were going out. She'd gotten the idea the day before from one of her coworkers whose daughter had just had a birthday. It was something she was sure Hawk would enjoy . . . dinner at Medieval Times.
She greeted him with a quick kiss, then herded him out to the car so that they would get there in plenty of time.
"I do not understand the rush," Hawk said as he paused outside the car. By the disappointed look on his face, she could tell what he was thinking. "We can't spend every second in the bedroom, babe."
"Why not?"
She laughed at him. "Are you sure you weren't in an erotic novel?"
He frowned at that. "What is that?"
"A book where they do nothing but have sex all the way through it."
His green eyes sparkled at that. "There is such a thing? Methinks I should have had another conversation with Esther and made my demands more clear. I feel I may have chosen poorly with our story."
Taryn rolled her eyes at him. "I keep telling you, this is not a story. You're a real man now."
"But I was real before."
Oh, he was never going to get it. To him the real world was every bit as real as his fictional one. And every time he insisted his world was real, she heard her mother's voice in her head. "Put down the book and join the real world. There's more to life than words on a page, and I'm sick of watching you waste your time on such asinine things."
As a girl, she'd been like Hawk and had believed that those places and people were as real as the ones around her. But her mother had finally worn her down, and over time Taryn had read less and less as she followed her mother's advice.
But the truth was, she enjoyed being with Hawk more than she had ever enjoyed anything else. If Hawk was right and this was a book, then she didn't want reality. She only wanted this man who was climbing into her Firebird.
Taryn got in and headed out of the driveway.
By the time they reached the "castle," she was practically giddy in expectation of Hawk's reaction to the restaurant. She'd always thought of the place as kind of cheesy, but after Rachel had talked about it and Taryn had seen the website, she knew she had to bring Hawk to it. She hoped he would feel at home here.
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"What is this place?" he asked.
"It's a restaurant modeled on your time. I think you'll like it."
He didn't say much as she took his hand to lead him inside, but she could tell by his face that he was completely baffled by it. As they waited for the arena to be opened for seating, she took him to the gift shop, where he gravitated toward the wooden swords and shields.
"Bring back fond memories?" she asked. One of the things she'd learned about him was that his
"memories" from the book were as real to him as her own past was to her. There really was no difference between fantasy and reality to Hawk.
He nodded. "We practiced with such when I was a squire." But it was the toy trebuchets that held his interest most.
"Would you like one?"
He shook his head. "Nay. I have seen more than my share of them."
She could see by the sadness in his eyes that it brought back unhappy memories. "You've spent much of your time at war, haven't you?"
"Aye. Too much. When I was younger, I never thought there could be anything better than the glory of battle."
"And now?"
His gaze met hers and the heat in those beautiful green eyes set her on fire. "Now I would much rather coax a smile from your face."
She laid her hand against his cheek before she gave him a quick kiss to tide them both over until later. Wrapping her arm around his, she led him toward the arena and made sure to get them a seat right up front so that he could see the show in all its glory.
"What is this?" he asked as he looked around the staged medieval tournament field.
"While we eat, they're going to reenact knights fighting and practicing."
When their server came up in wench's garb, Hawk did a double take.
"This is all very strange," he said to her once they were alone again. "Familiar and yet not."
Taryn smiled and waited until the knights appeared. Hawk sat forward, his eyes alight with bemused interest.
She was actually thrilled to watch him. It reminded her of a child experiencing his first trip to the circus.
"So what do you think?"
He gave her a smug look. "They are most skilled, but I could defeat them."
She laughed at his arrogance, not doubting his abilities in the least. Taryn was enjoying the show immensely until something went terribly wrong during one of their fight scenes. One of the special effects was a blast of fire that shot too close to one of the horses. The red knight's horse threw its rider and began to run wildly about, shrieking and spooking the other horses. As the red knight stood up, the horse charged him, then dodged before it made contact to run at the barrier wall. The crowd started screaming, which only added to the chaos as the horse reared too close to the wall. Its hooves came dangerously close to the metal barrier.
The red knight tried to catch his horse, only to have it rush at him and trample him. Taryn cringed. "I think he's hurt. Bad."
Before she realized what was happening, Hawk vaulted over the side of the arena and ran toward the panicking horse. Taryn came to her feet, terrified of what he was about to do. The horse pawed at him while the staff shouted for him to get back into the stands. Hawk didn't listen. He dodged the horse's flailing hooves and in a move that was poetic and beautiful, he whirled himself into the saddle.
Taryn watched in awe as he took the reins and then carefully brought the animal back under control while the other knights ran to the red knight to make sure he was okay. Hawk slid from the back of the horse and patted it gently while talking to it in a slow and calm voice. A man in a black T-shirt and jeans, who must have been the horse's trainer, came out to take the horse away. He said something to Hawk before Hawk inclined his head.
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"Truly, he is a marvel. We thank thee, gracious knight."
Hawk turned toward the king and placed his right fist to his left shoulder be
fore he bowed regally. "'
Tis an honor to be of service, Your Majesty," he said in a tone that sounded as if he enjoyed playing along with them. Then he ran at the wall and did a flip over it to land just before Taryn.
"Wow," she said, amazed by his ability. "Most impressive."
He shrugged. "Thank you, but it's more impressive in a full suit of armor." He winked at her. Taryn laughed while the staff cleared the arena and then picked up the show where it had left off. A few minutes later the man in black came up to them. "Hey," he said, taking the vacant seat next to Taryn. "I just wanted to say thanks for what you did. This was Goliath's first show, and I hate that he got spooked."
"I am just glad that I was able to help," Hawk said.
"You're English?"
"Aye."
The man smiled as he extended his hand to Hawk. "I'm Danny Fairfield."
He shook his hand. "Hawk."
Danny laughed. "So do you do reenactments?"
"All the time," Taryn said. "He can joust with the best of them."
"Really?" Danny looked extremely interested in that tidbit.
"I've trained many a man and squire for battle."
"Well, hey, anytime you want to audition for a position here, just give me a call. We're always on the lookout for new talent."
"Thank you," Hawk said.
Danny got up and paused between them. "By the way, dinner's on us tonight."
"Cool," Taryn said. "We appreciate it."
Danny inclined his head and left them alone. But as he walked away, Taryn's mind whirled. Hawk could get a job. . . .
"Is something wrong, Taryn?"
She shook her head at Hawk. "No. I was just thinking that we might have found something you are more than qualified to do."
"Is this a good thing?"
"Oh, yeah," she said excitedly. "It means if you were to stay here that you would have a job."
"Do you want me to stay?" he asked with a note of hope in his tone. Taryn stared at him for a full heartbeat. How could she not want this man to become a permanent part of her world?
"Yeah, I think I do."
Sparhawk's heart pounded at that. It was the first time Taryn had said anything about him staying longer than his seven days. It was a good sign. A very good one. But she still said nothing about love, and there were only three more days before he returned to Alinor. It was the last thing he wanted. These last few days with Taryn had been wonderful. Magical. What would he do without her?