Phantom Desires (5 page)

But Carly wasn’t immortal. Still, he could turn her, if she was the One, and if she agreed. He cared for her too much already to take such a decision from her.

“Dmitri!” She was nearing another peak, her breath coming hard as he pushed her higher with every stroke. He covered her completely, his body over hers, his head nestling near the crook of her neck, drawing ever closer to his goal. He licked the sensitive skin of her throat and she shivered.

“I’m going to take you now, Carly. I’m going to drink of you while I fuck you.”

“Do it. God! Just do it, Dmitri. I need…”

She clearly didn’t understand what she needed so desperately, but she soon would. That he vowed.

Dmitri groaned with satisfaction at her eagerness. It was time to find out one way or the other. He needed to taste her essence. With a growl of pure animal lust, he reached down with his sharp teeth and bit decisively into her pulse.

Sweet, hot warmth blossomed into his mouth, feeding him with the richest, most fulfilling taste he had ever known. A moment later, new sensations registered. Things he had never felt before. Her mind was open to him, as his was to her. He was feeling their lovemaking from her perspective and knew what she wanted as soon as she thought it.

Sucking deeply of her life essence, he moved one hand down to pinch her clit hard, forcing the orgasm that she wanted so desperately. He came with her, pulsing long, hot and hard into her depths, greedily drinking deep while filling her womb.

The question was answered. Amazingly, she was the One.

They were joined now in body…and in mind. Given time, they would be able to share their thoughts completely, but for now, the first sensations of two minds touching, blending into One, was the most sublime thing he had ever experienced. He felt her pleasure, her confusion, her fear as if it was his own, and he reveled in the fact that she seemed cautious but curious about the information now flooding her mind directly from his.

Immersing himself in the flow of energy, of memory, of life, he let it wash over him like the inevitable tide, cleansing his soul and renewing him in ways he could only imagine until this moment. This was the moment he had lived so very long for. This was the moment of unification with the perfect soul meant only for him. She brought her light to his darkness, and his vast knowledge would now be hers as well. They would carry on as One for as long as fate allowed.

Nearly drowning in the wild sensations, he became aware of her escalating fear, and it sent a ringing claxon through the connection they now shared. He backed off, even though it went against every dominant instinct in his body. He pulled back mentally though they were still joined physically, and she began to breathe easier, though her confusion remained.

“What was that?” She was out of breath, her eyes wide with an edge of fear that nearly broke his heart.

“It was the confirmation of my dearest wish. We are One, my dear. You are mine.” He couldn’t help himself, leaning down to place a sweet kiss on her lips.

“One? What does that mean?”

“Look into my mind, Carly. Our mind. They are no longer separate, a pathway has been opened between us, never to be closed again.”

For just a moment he eased his control of the place in their minds—the beautiful, wondrous place—where they were joined. He had enough experience and skill to be able to tighten the connection or let it loose, flowing wild, as it had been formed between them. But he didn’t think she would be able to handle the information flow at full throttle yet. She was new to this and didn’t have the skills necessary to be able to regulate what came into her mind and what went out. He could easily overwhelm her at this critical stage and that was the last thing he wanted to do. It was up to him, as the more experienced partner, to protect her.

She would learn rapidly from his memories, but first she had to grow accustomed to the lines of self being blurred, yet still distinct. They were two bodies, two brains, but when they chose, they would be able to share One mind. With time would come skill and the ability to judge when and how to use their unification to the best advantage.

But he had to get her used to the idea first. From the initial wave of information that had cascaded from her mind into his, he knew she had no background or experience with psychic abilities of her own. Still he had seen some information that intrigued him about one of her friends. One of her college friends had a touch of foresight, but that’s all he’d had time to learn before it became necessary to limit the connection.

He felt the tentative push of her mind in his, warming him from the inside out. It was a miracle. It was a wonder. It was the best thing that had happened to him in all his long years. A tear formed at the corner of his eye as their gazes met and held.

“Dmitri?”

“I’m here, my love.”

“Oh, God. I can hear you in my mind!”

“That is just one byproduct of the way we are joined.” He leaned down to kiss her, unable to stop the giddy feeling racing through his heart.

“You are a wonder to me, Carly.”

“I feel that.” Her voice was breathy and full of awe. “But I don’t understand how. I don’t understand any of this.”

“I know.” He made soothing sounds as he nuzzled her cheek, her neck, her tender flesh. “It’s all right. We’ll take this slow. For now, I can regulate the connection.”

He demonstrated by pulling farther back mentally. The information exchange slowed to a trickle as he constricted the connection between them. He would never close it completely. In fact, he didn’t think that was even possible, but he would never try. He never wanted to lose this feeling of belonging. It was something he hadn’t felt in far too long. Perhaps he had never felt this way. He could not remember a time when anything had ever felt this good or this right.

“Is that better, my love?”

She was breathing easier. “Yes. What did you do?”

“I have been immortal a long time. Over the years, I have learned how to control many things about my mind and the minds of others.”

“You’re controlling my mind?”

“No! Never that. I would not do that to you, Carly. What we have is special…sacred. We are One.”

“You keep saying that, but I still don’t understand!”

He rolled away, reaching to untie her. Scooping her into his arms, he soothed her with long strokes of his hands over her skin.

“I know you don’t and for that I’m sorry. I’m not handling this well. I just…” he searched for words, “…I just never truly expected I would find my One. And now here you are…” He looked deep into her eyes, mesmerized by the very idea of her.

“I feel what you’re feeling, Dmitri. You’re overwhelmed by awe and nearly shattered by the most profound joy I’ve ever experienced. This is so strange.”

He chuckled. “As I can feel your fear and confusion. I’m sorry for that, Carly. Perhaps I can find a way to explain without overwhelming you again with the sharing of our thoughts.”

“That would be good. That was a head-rush, you know? I was seeing things from…your memories? It was so weird!”

“I know. I saw things from your mind as well. In the future we’ll be able to share our thoughts completely, but I realize it’s something you’ll have to get used to. Luckily, you can learn a lot of the skills you’ll need directly from my mind. That will lessen the learning curve substantially, I should think.”

“Um…I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“I know. Don’t worry. We’ll take this one step at a time. In fact, it will be a delight to explore this new union slowly…” He lowered her to the bed once more, coming over her with intent. “And thoroughly.”

She smiled tentatively and made room for him between her legs.

They made love many times that night, only parting when the sun rose. He showed her the secret entrance from her pantry to his den and saw her off at the landing with a quick, hard fuck against the wall before she left for the house above to do her daily work.

The next night, Dmitri didn’t wait for Carly to come to him. The moment the sun set, he rose, touching her mind.

“Where are you, my love?”

He felt her shock and knew she’d jumped. He felt the fear and didn’t like the way her heart raced. She was afraid of him. No—not of him, but of sharing their minds. He sought her out in the house above his lair, finding her in the library, polishing the wooden shelving. There was a fire burning in the hearth, two old-fashioned leather wingchairs facing it at a welcoming angle.

“I did not mean to startle you, Carly. It is natural for mates to touch each other’s minds. I thought you understood. We are One now. Our bodies, our hearts, our minds.”

“All the time?”

Dmitri felt the fear that pervaded her mind. It wasn’t anything sinister. He doubted she was some kind of covert agent bent on mayhem, but she had a fear of intimacy. Not physical intimacy—he’d cured her of that at least—but emotional intimacy. He backed off, leaving only a thin trail between their minds.

“Is that better?”

She sagged in relief. “Yes, thank you. But—”

“What, my love? You can tell me anything.”

“That’s just it. I don’t want to hurt you, but I need a little space.” He drew away, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut by her rejection.

“Not physically,” she raced to reassure him, already pouring warmth down the small line in their minds that still connected them. He began to relax.

“But mentally, I need room, Dmitri. This is all so new and so…shocking. It’s hard to take in. Can you give me a little time to get used to the idea?”

“I am immortal, my love. The one thing I have to give is time.” He leaned down to kiss her. “I will keep our thoughts separate as much as I can, but in the heat of passion, there will be slipups. It is inevitable. But I don’t think you’ll mind. At such moments, I think we’ll both only be thinking about one thing and by sharing our thoughts, we can bring each other more pleasure than mere mortals can ever hope to share.”

“Okay,” her voice was breathy, and he knew she was seeing the images that leaked over from his mind to hers. Erotic images of them bound together in lust.

“For example…” He invaded her personal space, moving forward as she moved back, herding her in just the direction he wanted her to go. She stopped when the backs of her legs hit the front of one of the wing chairs. “Right now, I’m sensing our thoughts are running along the same lines.”

“Really?”

She let out a squeak that would have been humorous in other circumstances. But neither of them was laughing as Dmitri pushed her farther, stalking her in the small space. She flopped backward, landing in the chair. He didn’t give her any time to recover, boxing her in with his arms, imprisoning her as he leaned over, one hand braced on each arm of the chair.

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s what I’m thinking too.”

She gasped. “What’s that?”

“That you want me to fuck you in this chair.” He ran his hands over the leather arms of the chair. “I love these old chairs, you know. So many intriguing possibilities.”

The look he gave her almost melted her bones. Dmitri had to be the sexiest man she’d ever seen, hands down. All he had to do was look at her, and she got wet. She was hot and sticky now, ready for him, yearning for him.

“Take these off.” He pushed at the edges of her clothes, and she hurried to comply with his gruffly voiced command. She loved that tone of voice, that edge of dominance. It pushed her buttons and sent her to another level altogether.

She shimmied in the chair awkwardly, but he didn’t give ground. His arms boxed her in, her body touching his when she lifted away to wiggle out of her jeans and panties. The top went next, and he helped her with it, tugging it over her head. She was left in just her bra.

Her mouth went dry when he dropped to his knees between her spread legs, leaning forward and reaching around her back with his big, warm hands. He was inches from her, tempting, titillating. She wanted those strong hands on her body, but first he had to deal with the diabolical clasp of her bra.

He got it on the third try, making her want to laugh, but the situation was too heated, too significant. She felt him in her mind, a presence she’d never felt before that somehow seemed right and good, if a little scary. His hands shook as he skimmed the bra straps down over her bare arms, and the mental hold he maintained on the pathway between their minds grew shaky as well. She could feel him losing control and rather than fear, it instilled excitement in her very bones. She made this powerful man tremble. It was a heady sort of feeling.

Carly had never been much of a
femme fatale
. On the contrary, she’d been a bit of a geek and while she was reasonably pretty, she wasn’t the kind of woman to inspire the kind of feelings she was receiving from Dmitri. It was new in her experience and it was something she cherished, for she knew he wouldn’t give this part of himself to any other woman. Only her.

She felt the same way about him, but all the changes—coming so fast and furious—were overwhelming. She wanted to take things slow and give her mind a chance to catch up with her emotions, which already seemed to be fully committed to him.

She was a goner. She knew it, and she knew he knew it. But he’d given her the space she requested and that, more than anything, endeared him to her.

He drew back and tossed her last garment away. She could feel the flames from the fire flickering and heating her skin but it was Dmitri’s eyes that warmed her soul, and his touch that set fire to her body.

He leaned back, looking his fill at her bare body as he shrugged out of his shirt. His hard muscled body wasn’t what one would normally expect of a university professor, but then, Dmitri Belakov was no ordinary professor. He was all male animal in his prime, his body honed, his intellect sparking in his dark, dangerous, daring gaze.

He looked deep into her eyes as he lowered his trousers, baring himself. There was no need to wait. From the look of him, he was more than ready to take her and Carly knew she was more than ready to be taken. She wanted nothing more, but still he held back.