Chapter Thirty-Three
Tony watched in silence as Naura fed Arcanum. She would want children of her own someday, and Tony would never be able to give them to her.
His mind drifted back to the day his own son had entered the world, and he found it difficult to recall what he’d looked like.
Panic set in as Tony laid down his fork and tried to conjure up an image of his son’s laughing face.
Why could he not remember him? he wondered, frantically trying to grab hold of the smallest detail.
Even his Joanne’s voice had faded to the point where he couldn’t recall her laughter.
“Tony?”
“Yes?” Tony glanced up to find the table’s occupants watching him with as if he’d grown an extra head.
Naura studied his face. “Are you all right? You look as if you are about to be ill.”
“I’m not feeling so well. I think I’ll go to my room and lie down for a bit.”
“I’ll come with you.” Naura pushed her plate back and picked up a small hand towel to wipe her mouth.
Tony shook his head and stood. “No. You stay and finish your dinner. I’ll be fine after I rest.” He bent and kissed the top of her head. “See you soon.”
Abbie jumped to her feet and followed him to the door. “Don’t do this to yourself, Uncle Tony. Life is too short.”
“No one knows that better than me, Abbie. No one.” He turned and strode off down the hall.
Tony entered his room a couple minutes later, stripped out of his clothes, and fell across his bed.
He lay there for long moments, frantically searching through his cache of memories but found only one. The dream visit he’d had from Joanne.
She’d insisted that he go on with his life, forgive himself, and start over. But how was he supposed to do that? He knew how his story ended. Someone close to him would die. They always did.
Tony thought of all the lives he’d taken over the years and all those that had been taken from him.
Loving people meant opening yourself up for heartache, for devastation and endless nightmares. It tormented… It killed the soul.
He hadn’t let himself get close to anyone since the loss of his family all those years ago. It was safer that way, he told himself, staring up at the rock-formed ceiling.
And then he’d met Naura.
Tony been attracted to the beautiful Bracadyte since the first day he’d laid eyes on her. He’d known better than to allow himself to get too close, but what had he done? He’d taken her virginity, her honor, and her heart.
Cursing himself for every kind of asshole he could think of, Tony closed his eyes in defeat. He couldn’t continue to pretend that everything was all right or that life would be a bed of roses from here on out. Someone somewhere would take Naura from him…whether intentionally or not.
“Tony?” Naura’s soft voice drifted from the doorway. “May I come in?”
“Now is not a good time,” he growled, squeezing his eyes shut in panic. “Come back later.”
Naura, of course, ignored the order and marched in without another word.
She stopped next to the bed and began removing her clothes. “I will not allow you to shut me out this way.”
“Damn it, Naura. Stop undressing and get out of here before I change my mind and do something I’ll regret.”
“Do what you want with me,” she whispered, continuing to disrobe. “I am your mate. My body belongs to you the same as it belongs to me.”
Tony could feel his shaft lengthening, throbbing with heat as it rapidly filled with blood.
She stepped out of her sharkskin pants and slowly straightened.
Tony’s throat went dry. “Naura. Please…”
“Put your mouth on me, Tony. Like you did before.”
Tony didn’t think his erection could get any harder. He was wrong.
He rolled to his knees, wrapped his hands around her hips, jerked her forward, and opened his mouth over the juncture of her thighs.
The sexy sound of her gasp only made him want her more.
Tony pulled her closer, slipping his tongue through every crease she had, tasting her, bathing in her, and losing himself in her.
Her hands flew to his hair, gripping him tightly as she ground herself against his face.
Tony lost control. He suddenly jerked her off her feet, spun her around, and tossed her facedown on his bed before gripping her hips and pulling her to her knees in front of him.
The sight of her ass in the air, the curve of her waist, and her long dark hair flowing down her back drove Tony over the edge.
Guiding himself to her opening, he thrust, slamming himself into her in one powerful movement.
Naura cried out, but didn’t pull away.
“Are you okay?”
At her nod, he thrust again, wrapping his fist in her hair and pulling her head back with his next downward stroke.
Tony could feel himself tightening, building up to that crescendo of release that would shatter his self-control.
He let go of her hair and came down over the top of her. “Spread your knees, Naura. Open for me.”
Naura quickly obeyed, glancing over her shoulder to pierce him with a hooded gaze. “Like that?”
“Just like that,” he growled, wrapping an arm around her waist and gently pinching her sensitive bundle of nerves.
Naura moaned, nearly bucking him off before he could tenderly squeeze her again.
“You like that, beautiful?”
She impatiently moved against him. “Yes, Tony. I like it very much.”
Tony pumped into her, moving his fingers in time with his hips.
Naura’s breathing grew choppy. She dropped her shoulders to the bed, turned her face to the side, and cried out as she began contracting around him.
Tony could hold back no longer. With one last powerful thrust, he exploded inside her.
Spots danced before his eyes, and his lungs felt as if they would burst at any second. His arms and legs shook with the energy that passed from Naura’s body into his, prolonging his orgasm and chipping away at his useless defenses. He didn’t seem to have a defense when it came to her.
Unsure of how much time had passed, Tony gently pulled from Naura’s warm heat and lay on his side, taking her trembling form with him.
“Naura?”
“Hmmm?” She pressed her back more firmly against his chest.
Tony pulled the cover up over them both. “I know what it is that you want. Trust me when I say that I would want the same thing if I were in a different position.”
She rolled over in his arms and kissed his lips. “Do you love me?”
Tony’s heart began to pound. From fear or dread, he wasn’t sure. “I care for you, Naura. A lot.” And he did, he silently admitted, watching as tears gathered in her amazing eyes. He would kill for her and had on more than one occasion.
“That is what I needed to know.” She threw back the covers and slid from the bed.
“Where are you going?” Tony sat up and reached for her, only to have her sidestep his advances.
She ran around the bed and snatched up her clothes. “I am finished with being a fool. It is not your fault, Anthony Vaughn. I alone am to blame. You have made your position clear from the beginning.”
“Naura, don’t go.”
“I must.” She threw her vest on and dragged her pants up her legs, backing from the room before she finished lacing them up. “Goodbye, Tony.”