I will shelter in your arms, though you fuel the winds of this storm
Yes, I do know
Don't be bothered by the tears, they conceal our thoughts
Can you remember?
Listen carefully, is there a memory inside you, that still speaks truth?
Let the rain then come, like uncertainty, cascading down on me
- Lyrics written by Hailey Logan
Unfortunately for Hailey, they hadn't had their date yet and she wasn't in the best of moods. The day after her nice–who was she kidding, extremely hot!–encounter with James in the forest, she'd been delighted.
But now, five days later, she wandered through the Arrow facility and hadn't seen or heard from him in all that time.
Five days! she mentally ranted. Five! Doesn't the man know how to use a phone?! Uncertainty dominated her usually confident personality.
Maybe he backed out? Maybe he just wanted to try physical stuff with someone, and now he's off in the wide world doing God knows what?
Hailey mentally slapped herself.
No.
She would not become some desperate, angry woman blaming him for her own insecurities.
It isn't his fault.
No, it wasn't. Though, the fact that he was insanely handsome didn't help to calm her mind. A lot of people would probably be put off by his cold harshness, but there were always determined souls wh–
Stop it! she chastised herself. Yes, this definitely wasn't helping. Hailey considered asking Zaira if she was able to give some informa–
In her peripheral vision Hailey caught the ball flying through the air, registered that the object slammed against one of the windows of a nearby family unit, understood that it was the ball that caused the window to shatter to a hundred glittering fragments that fell to the ground in razor-sharp shards.
But it was the sound–bright, clinking, piercing,–that crashed into like an uppercut and made her memories lock around her.
Screams in her mind. Blood dripping from her hands on the dark ground.
Someone called her name but Hailey was frozen in place. She tried to shrug off the cold shiver the flashbacks gave her, tried to suck air deeper into her lungs so her chest didn't hurt so much.
"Hailey!"
Hailey spun around to see who was calling for her. The fast movement made her sway, the light-headed sensation amplified by her shallow breaths. Steadying herself by quickly widening her stance, she bit the inside of her cheek, willing the pain to snap her out of her fear.
Ivy waved and walked towards her, a small, fluffy white dog trotting alongside her. Ivy's expression turned worried, her strides faster as she closed the distance between them. "Hailey? What's wrong?"
Hailey shook her head and rolled her shoulders in an attempt to relieve the anxiety in her body.
Concentrate on something else. Anything. Focus on Ivy.
Ivy's dark corkscrew curls gleamed in the sunlight; a purple scarf wrapped around her head. She was wearing jeans, flats and a loose tangerine shirt, the color reminding Hailey of Valencia oranges.
Hailey had once read about the Spanish city, where in summertime ripe oranges grew on trees everywhere in the center. At the time, she'd marked the city on a map in an atlas as one of many destinations she'd like to visit someday.
The random piece of information redirected Hailey's thoughts enough for her to concentrate on Ivy's words, anchoring her to the present.
Hailey walked a few steps forward, her movements jerky. "Ivy, it's nice to see you," she managed to say as she looked down, avoiding eye contact with the empath.
Even though Ivy probably wasn't constantly using her empathic abilities, she wasn't blind. And right now, Hailey didn't feel like explaining her messed up psyche to anyone. "Who's this?"
"His name is Rabbit," Ivy said as Hailey went down on her haunches to let the small dog sniff her hand.
"Rabbit?" That made Hailey smile a little, and she scratched the small dog behind his ear, feeling a little more relaxed. "Quiet day?" she casually asked as she got up.
Ivy tipped her head to the side and observed her for a moment, her eyes still big and her mouth a flat line.
Yeah, she'd definitely picked up something.
Hailey shook her head. "Another time."
Ivy's nod was slow. "Deal." Then she rolled her eyes, answering Hailey's earlier question. "I've been doing a lot of work for the Empathic Collective lately and haven't had the chance to come over. I wanted to make an inventory list for the kitchen garden I'll be planting with some of the children. Do you want to come along?"
"I'd love to."
Hailey smiled as she listened to Ivy speak, the tension sliding off her. Ivy had a lot of knowledge of gardening, a skill she'd picked up working in the orchard of the compound where she lived. Ivy often invited Arrows to her and Vasic' home, and sometimes the Arrows brought smaller children along. Ivy's affection for the children was apparent in every word. But more enlightening was what the empath told Hailey about her marriage to her Arrow.
"It's really convenient that we can be together this much even though we both have busy schedules," Ivy said as they reached the garden area.
Hailey fought the twinge of envy she felt towards Ivy and felt the knots in her stomach grow. "I wish I could have that," she said softly, longing in her voice.
Ivy's smile was filled with understanding. "Having trouble with your Arrow?" She knelt to run her fingers over the earth. The area where they stood had already been plowed and was ready to be planted.
Hailey shrugged as she watched Rabbit run around on the grass behind them. "Can't make trouble with him if he isn't here."
A small crease appeared between Ivy's eyebrows when she tilted her head upwards to look at Hailey. "Why is he gone so much? I can't imagine him having that many missions. Vasic told me everything is relatively quiet at the moment."
"I don't know," Hailey said, and felt the knot in her stomach grow.
No. Don't go there.
"We haven't had time to talk about it." She picked up the stick Rabbit put at her feet and threw it. Rabbit raced over the field and caught the stick.
"We haven't had time to talk about anything, really. All I know is I feel such a pull towards him, it's insane. We hardly know each other aside from training. I don't even know where he sleeps." She shrugged. "All I know he's a good kisser for someone who's never done it before."
Ivy's warm laugh filled the quiet. Rabbit ran towards her and tilted his head. She picked up the stick he'd brought along and threw it. After dusting off her hands on her jeans, leaving slight streaks on the blue fabric, Ivy got up and scrunched her nose. "If you got that far, I guess you can push him to go a little farther." A teasing smile, but her face turned solemn soon after. "Be patient, Hailey, be gentle. These men and women have had such a hard, cruel life." Copper eyes filled with sympathy. "They've gone through hardships we can't even begin to understand. Now that emotions come into play, it's confusing and difficult for them. Some will embrace the change with ease, but others…"
Hailey looked at the caring, gentle woman next to her and understood. "Others won't."
Hailey just hoped James wasn't one of the latter.
Drying off after a quick shower, James felt… something. A foreshadowing. An uneasy feeling. He quickly got dressed in black jeans and a black shirt. Walking towards Hailey's cabin–
No. Not the cabin.
He changed his course and walked into the forest, towards the stream where he'd found Hailey once before.
His muscles ached and his head throbbed, his recent mission bringing him close to a flame out. But choosing to go to sleep wasn't even an option in his mind. Every cell in his body craved contact with Hailey after wanting her for days. The greed clawed at him in the shadows of his soul, seething for being denied what was his.
James stepped over a fallen log as the riverbank came into view. There, between the wildflowers, Hailey was lying in the evening sun.
She was wearing a small sundress; the thin red fabric reached halfway down her thighs and the plaited top was low enough for him to glimpse the upper curve of her luscious breasts.
The darkness bucked inside him, ready to lunge at her, but he kept his cool as his eyes moved from her breasts to the tips of her bare feet, crossed over her slim ankles. His gaze skidded upwards, to her caramel colored thighs, the curve of her stomach, to her arms underneath her head and her long hair, fanned out around her.
He sucked in a deep breath. Watching her, he realized, might not be as satisfying as touching her… but it came very close. Just seeing her was already calming him, soothing the ragged edges of the darkness. Her eyes were closed, and she was listening to music–or so he assumed–with small earplugs. Summoning his Tk, he moved stealthily and swiftly towards her. When he stood over her, she still hadn't noticed him.
Content, James lifted her with his Tk. A small frown appeared between Hailey's dark eyebrows as she lifted her head and moved her arms down, but before she opened her eyes, he rolled her over–belly down–and gently placed her back on the grass.
A gasp and a startled laugh were the confirmation he needed. Even after his absence, she still welcomed him approaching her. Hailey crossed her arms and rested the left side of her face onto them as he lay down on his side next to her in the grass.
She lazily opened one eye. "Hello, Mister Addison."
He lifted her hair from her right shoulder, exposing the soft skin underneath the dark mass. Then he gently removed her earplug and placed it inside his own ear.
The corner of her mouth tugged up as she reached for her organizer. Braced on her elbows she switched to another song, the soft melodies humming in unison with the sounds of the stream and the forest. It was like the music was able to encase them in another layer of intimacy, and James understood a little better why Hailey was so passionate about it.
He moved closer and she turned onto her side towards him as he ran his lips from her neck to her shoulder. "Hello, Miss Logan," he murmured against her skin.
A shudder made her neck arch, and the movement revealed even more of her, made her even more vulnerable to him. Stunned once again by her trust, he pushed her onto her back, gently wrapping his fingers around her throat as he kissed the curve of her shoulder, the taste of her skin unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Salt. Sweet. Her.
When he lifted his head, their eyes locked, Hailey's golden irises molten with desire. He could feel her pulse racing underneath the delicate skin of her throat, the irregular rhythm matching his own.
She swallowed. "I've missed you." A whispered confession.
James had no idea how to react to her words. So honest and open.
He'd never been missed before. Not in the way he thought Hailey meant. And the truth was, he'd missed her too. He had been reluctant to leave the night after their kiss, wanting to be with her more than anything else. But his work for the Squad was too important and he'd made the decision to go along on the mission after all.
Yet, it hadn't felt the same. Being on a mission without knowing when he'd be able to return to her, without being able to reach her, had incited an uncharacteristic restlessness inside him. He'd contacted the Arrow who'd taken over his mentoring duties, had been assured Hailey was making progress and doing fine. Still, it wasn't the same as physically being with her, which made his current position–juggling his mentorship and doing work for the covert team–more complicated than he had anticipated.
Don't lie to yourself, the rational voice in his mind said, it has nothing to do with mentoring her and everything to do with your need for her.
"I can't tell you about my work," he said, though that wasn't entirely true. Yes, his missions were mostly secret but the reason why he wouldn't tell her was far simpler. He didn't want her to know, didn't want her to look at him with disgust or fear.
When Hailey's eyes skated away, James knew he'd said the wrong words. She stirred underneath him and he released her. She removed her earplug and he removed his before gripping her chin, waiting until she'd look at him again.
"I don't know how to do this," he admitted, his muscles taut. "What I do know is that I want to touch you."
Hailey said nothing but pushed at his chest. He moved to sit up, one arm braced on his knee. Hailey sat down in a cross-legged position and looked down for an instant, taking a deep breath.
His need for her was an explosive thing, but again, Hailey feeling safe and acting out conscious volition trumped his own desires. Never again would she look at him with that anxious gaze. Never again would he taste her fear in the air, feel her panic graze over his skin.
She tipped up her head. "I know this is all new for you," she said, her heart in her eyes, "but you can't expect me to do this," she gestured in the air between them, "and not have you talk to me. If you want touch, there are other places you can go. If you want what I have to offer, I want to know things about you."
James grew angry at her insinuation, the greed coiling away in the shadows of his soul. He cupped her chin again, the hold rougher than he'd intended, yet Hailey didn't flinch at his fast movement or his hold. "Do you think I want to do this with anyone else?" He needed to know what she wanted from him, needed to see her.
Hailey's face fell and his heart clenched in response.
"I don't know, James. I barely know anything about you." Her eyes turned dark as she pushed away his hand. "Knowing where you are when you vanish for several days is just one part of it. For God's sake, I don't even know how old you are or what your interests are." She shook her head. "And to be honest, I'm scared. I'm falling so hard for you and I don't even know if you want to be with me for me or because you're curious abou–"
He kissed her.
It wasn't slow and coaxing like last time. He kissed her hard, the act coming from the hunger living inside of him, his need to claim her, have her, hold her.
One hand gripped her hair, the other moved to cup her jaw. "I'm thirty-two," he said in between kisses, and he kissed her again before she could respond. "I'm interested in you." Another kiss. "Stop overthinking," he sank his teeth in her luscious lower lip and sucked on the plump flesh, making her whimper softly.
When he released her, Hailey was breathless and flushed. Eyes big, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He pulled her onto his lap, the scent of peonies and cedar filling him with a sense of belonging, pushing away the shadows.
He felt her shaking and stiffened. "Don't cry."
James was aware it sounded like an order, but he didn't know what else to do.
Hailey leaned back as her shoulders shook. "You terrible man!"
Relief broke the tension in his body as he realized she was laughing at him. If he knew how to scowl, he would have done it. In the meantime, Hailey was still laughing. She pushed at his shoulder.
"Were you trying to comfort me by commanding me to stop crying?" She laughed out loud, a beautiful sound, awakening parts of him that had been slumbering for decades. Then she cupped his face and kissed him softly. "If you don't know what to do, just ask. I promise I'll tell you if you kiss me like that again."
Smiling, she slid her hands down his chest. A warm feeling uncurled inside him at the sweet caress.
"Or if you do other things to me," she said as she waggled her eyebrows. Then her face grew solemn. "I feel insecure because I have no idea how you feel about this, about me."
James wondered how she couldn't see what she was doing to him. The changes in him were so vast, it felt like he was overloading half of the time when he thought of her. Though, the images she'd accidentally sent him and the material in the manual also facilitated that part. They still made his body respond violently every time he'd dare to glimpse them after he'd stored them away in his secure mental vault.
He wanted it, wanted to touch her in the way she'd fantasized. And now he had the opportunity to have her, not just her physical affection, but more. James was as hungry for her smiles, her taunts and her sharp remarks as he was for her body. He wanted all of her and she'd given him the keys to the kingdom by explaining how to make his claim true. He decided to take her up on her advice.
"What do you want me to do?"
She smiled a little shyly and met his gaze as the jade and gold in her eyes glowed. "I need you to tell me." She drew a face. "That sounds really desperate and needy, but really, you don't give much away."
And for the first time in his life, that felt like a disadvantage. "You're beautiful. Especially when you're angry," he added, to see if she would react to his taunt.
Her eyebrow arched. "Well it's a good thing you know how to rile me up then." Her eyes turned big and dark once more, the jade and gold almost gone. "You called me fat."
And he wanted to strangle himself for having said that, for putting hurt in Hailey's eyes. "I said it to incite a reaction from you and I was wrong." He decided to elaborate as he slid one hand up her silky thigh. "At the time, I was unaware," he said as he kissed a small beauty mark on her jaw, "that I have an exclusive preference," another kiss, this one on her cheekbone, "for small and curvy women with jewel-colored eyes and sharp tongues."
She shivered and tunneled her fingers through his hair as he kept kissing down her throat. "And since I was also unaware it was important for me to like or dislike things," he continued as he slid his hand up over the soft curve of her stomach, "I believe you should allow me to rectify my error."
"Rectify away," she murmured, her hands tightening in his hair, holding him close to her. He lightly bit her shoulder and felt her jerk, the motion causing her breast to push against him. James decided he liked that and bit her again; this time he bit her earlobe. A small gasp emerged from Hailey's throat and she moved in his lap, the friction of her buttocks exquisitely abrasive against his constrained erection.
"I wonder if you're soft and succulent everywhere." He dipped his head and kissed the upper slope of her breast, the vicious need for her satisfied by his caresses and her responses. Hailey made a soft, feminine complaining noise when he stopped. He looked up to see her head bent backward.
"You already know I'm not skinny," she whispered as he laid her down on the grass so he could explore her better. Her hands slid from his shoulders to his arms and back, the contact branding him.
James thought about what to say, how to express what he saw when he looked at her. "I don't want you to be skinny," and he kissed the slopes of her breasts again, enjoying the way they quivered with every kiss. He automatically switched to telepathic communication as he continued tasting her delicious skin and discovered the pathway between them was wide open. The trust she gave him, the understanding of how she accepted him… it made his heart tighten. I want you to be exactly the way you are. I like all your bodily curves and verbal edges.
He felt his Tk slip slightly when she gasped and grabbed hold of his hair, the pulling sensation exquisite. James lifted his head as he clenched his teeth and tried to concentrate. A gust of wind lifted Hailey's hair.
Hailey pulled him down for a kiss, crushing her body against his. I like verbally and physically sparring with you… But I believe you'll enjoy this variety of physical sparring as well.
His erection grew even more tightly in his pants when she arched up and brushed her thigh against him. She slid her hands under his shirt, her warm fingers stroking his stomach. "Can you take this off?" she asked breathlessly as she pulled at his shirt. James didn't know how much control he still had in him but decided to honor her request. Stripping off the piece of clothing, he bent over her again. Her hands caressed his chest, his abdomen, his back. He shuddered at her gentle touches as he watched her, the jade and gold scorching in her eyes.
"I can't believe I'm actually touching you." She looked up at him and scrunched her nose. "The last time wasn't entirely deliberate, was it?"
James shook his head. He knew she was referring to the time when he pulled her out of the river. "No, but the next time will be."
That got him a deep blush and a startled laugh as she stroked and petted him. "You sound way too sure of yourself," she murmured, although the way she was staring at him in open appreciation took the sting out of her words.
"I'll put my shirt back on and leave, then," he said in an attempt to play with her.
Nails trailed down his back, a sensual reprimand from the small woman underneath him who'd always challenge him. "Don't you bloody dare," she snarled, "I've been waiting five days for you!" She pulled him down for a deep, wet kiss. He slid one hand to her lower curves, the soft material of her airy sundress the only impediment for skin-to-skin contact.
Brazen, Hailey placed her hand over his own, moving it until the soft flesh of her buttocks filled his palm, his fingertips digging into the lace fabric covering her. He squeezed, molded and shaped her, shuddering when she moaned and kissed him again.
Drawing back, Hailey panted, "Can you lie down?"
James rolled over on his back and pulled her along, so she was straddling him. When she purposefully moved over his erection with a wicked smile, he clenched his teeth and slammed another burst of Tk into the sky.
Sitting on top of this gorgeous, sexy man as the wind picked up again, Hailey decided she was allowed to discover what he liked a little more. It was as if he got so lost in exploring her, he'd forgotten himself… but she wanted to explore him as well.
"So now we're going to do an exercise," she grinned playfully, "where you have to tell me what you like."
James was lying quietly in the grass, his hands on her hips.
But his eyes… Oh my.
They seemed to be devouring her.
She bent forward and kissed him just below his earlobe. When she flicked her tongue over the same spot, his hands tightened on her curves.
"Yes?"
His chest rumbled as he answered, the vibration a small caress to the sensitive flesh of her swollen breasts. "Yes."
She slid further down to kiss his neck, his collarbones, his chest, nipping at some spots and tasting every inch of this beautiful man who was built like he was cut out of marble. Every now and then she'd ask if he liked what she was doing. The answer was the same each time.
Stroking her hands over his pectorals, his golden chest hair tickling her fingertips, she kissed down the ridged planes of his abdomen. "God, this is insane," she murmured as her hands slid down his side, her fingernails lightly scratching his skin. James jerked slightly while the wind roared in the sky above them.
"You're so toned, you even have a v-line." Her fingers traced the path where his abdominal muscles disappeared in his jeans, creating a vee towards his strained erection.
She slid her fingertips underneath his pants, stroking the skin along the inner side of the waistband. The tendons on James' neck stood out starkly against his skin as he processed her touch, his jaw tight.
Thunder boomed overhead.
Hailey bent down further and licked along that same line. She heard a soft groan as James' hand fisted in her hair and lightning lit his beautiful body. Her stomach clenched and she felt dampness pool between her legs at the sound of his enjoyment. She kissed his navel next, flicking her tongue along the outer curve.
"Hailey."
Hailey's every cell responded to the warning in his voice. She locked eyes with him while she licked and kissed a trail from his navel do–
In a split second she was lying underneath him, and he was kissing her, consuming her. His teeth grazed her lip, his hips flexing against the apex of her thighs.
Rain poured out of the stormy sky.
Heat rushed through her body, the visceral need for him hypnotizing, clouding everything else. Lifting her hips, Hailey met him, the friction of his erection exquisite as she felt herself grow wetter. James made something close to a growling sound and he pulled down the top half of her dress to reveal her lacy black bra. He tugged down the cup of her bra, releasing her plump breast.
He was on her in a heartbeat; licking, sucking and gently biting the nub of her sensitive nipple.
Hailey felt like she was dying and going to heaven. Whimpering as he bit and then kissed at her again, she dug her nails into the skin above his shoulder blades.
"Wait," she said as a thought shot through her mind while thunder and lightning cracked through the air.
James ignored her as he tugged down the other cup and kissed her neglected breast. Shuddering, Hailey nudged at his shoulders.
"James."
He bit the soft flesh and continued kissing down towards her nipple, the sensitive peak begging for his wicked mouth. Sobbing when he sucked hard on the furled bud, Hailey almost forgot what she wanted to ask, pleasure searing her system, but urgency spiked. Pushing with both hands at his shoulders–wide, wide shoulders–Hailey tried again. "James, wait!"
He froze and looked up, black eyes blazing, his cheeks slightly flushed. The air around him jolted, loaded with raw sexual tension, and Hailey understood how her laughter had affected him... as his desire was affecting her now. Her stomach tightened.
God, he's beautiful.
"Isn't this hurting you?"
He gave her a look she was somehow able to read despite the endless black of his eyes. "Who told you about the dissonance?"
She pulled him towards her, demanding a kiss for his arrogance at keeping her in the dark about this. "Play nice," she said as she scratched her nails over his back in reprimand.
Another flash of lightning.
James' head was arched upward, the tendons on his neck starkly standing out and his jaw adamantine. She licked a line from his chest to his chin, kissing, nipping and suckling towards his ear.
"Well?" she whispered as she bit his earlobe, continuing with nipping along the outer shell of his ear. He shuddered, his breath tickling her neck, making her lower body clench, her arousal soaking her panties. She loved the way he responded to her caresses.
"Well, what?"
Hailey smiled against his skin and bit his neck. Hard. He jerked and kissed her roughly, all hard mouth and demanding tongue, his hand holding onto her hair.
Finally, James decided he had taunted her enough, and said, "No, Aden removed the dissonance controls." After that, he continued kissing her.
Breathless she pushed at his chest. "All controls?"
James looked at her again, the faintest traces of a scowl on his handsome face. "Who have you been talking to?"
Hailey brushed his hair off his forehead again, enjoying the feeling of his wavy hair against her fingers. "I'll tell you if you let me have my way with you." Her hands itched to explore every inch of his perfect body, to discover what made his breath catch. "Well, only if it doesn't hurt you."
James grabbed hold of her wrist and kissed the tip of her index finger. Her heart swelled at the tenderness this dangerous man had in him.
Yes, she'd been right. He was rough and demanding and able to drive her completely insane by just a little making out, but there was so much need in him, so much desire for her, it worked like the most effective of aphrodisiacs.
Entirely under his spell, she lifted upward and coaxed him with small, sipping kisses. "What if I say pretty please?"
He bit at her lip, his hand clenching in the thick mass of her hair. "I'd be obliged to ask who you are and where you've left Hailey."
"James," Hailey chastised, laughter coloring her voice.
"You won't hurt me," he said. There was no way in hell he would decline her offer to do whatever she wanted to him, even though he could feel the pressure inside his head increasing in response to the dissonance. He was too distracted by planning on returning the favor. Multiple times.
He already took great pleasure in everything she was doing to him, was overwhelmed by her generous display of enjoyment of everything he tried on her. James found he couldn't get enough of her, the greed inside him suddenly not so much a separate entity anymore but intertwining deeper to his core.
Lust.
Possessive and demanding, wanting all of her.
When she smiled that beaming smile with light in her eyes, he kissed her again. "I concur with your suggestion, only if I can get something in return."
Hailey rolled her eyes. "Always a catch. What do you want?"
He cupped her face and sucked on her lower lip, and it made her whimper and move her body restlessly below him.
Yes, she's very responsive.
A shiver of satisfaction ran through his body as he kissed her again. "I want to surprise you."
Big eyes went dark. He knew she understood how difficult this was for him, how hard he was trying.
"I'd like that," she said. Then she smiled. "Now, lie down on your back," a nudge against his shoulders, "and let me ravish you."
Ravish seemed to be the proper word, but James had no problems of being on the receiving end of Hailey's sweet torture. With a quick motion she removed her bra, the material of her dress pooling at her waist. She didn't give him the time to run his eyes over her naked body but bent forward to kiss and lick him all over his neck, chest and stomach.
James was able to rein in his Tk a little more, though the word 'control' was debatable, as proven by another flash of lightning when she flicked her tongue over his abdominal muscles. His nerve endings could barely process the contact, but he was able to handle her caresses… until her fingers slid to the button of his jeans. He grabbed her wrists.
Hailey tipped up her head, her lips holding a playful smile. Then she shifted lower between his legs, licked her lips while maintaining eye contact and rubbed her bare breasts against his still-clad erection.
The sky seemed to crack open and a bolt of lightning crashed into the ground next to them.
James shielded them with his Tk as the dissonance lashed out in his head, but it was worth every stab of pain to witness such an erotic sight, to experience such explosive pleasure.
James was so distracted by the shockwaves surging through his body, he barely noticed Hailey had taken the opportunity to remove and throw away his boots and socks, settling herself between his legs again. It took every ounce of control from his Arrow training to hold his Tk steady.
When Hailey unbuttoned his pants, James realized he'd released her the moment his Tk had snapped out of control, his hands in white-bracketed fists beside him. Before he could move she released his strained erection from his pants, and he saw stars. Fisting her hair in his hands, he hissed out a breath between his teeth when she gently wrapped her hand around his penis.
"Hailey." James wasn't even sure if he was asking her to stop or to keep on going. His jaw clenched while blasting another burst of Tk into the air, his voice husky and his heart slamming dangerously fast.
"No, you promised." A wicked smile on her lips as she met his eyes, jade dominant and her irises luminescent in the fading daylight. She moved her hand. And the pleasure was excruciating, her soft hand the sweetest of prisons as she stroked him.
"Don't worry so much," she said as she kissed his abdomen and moved her hand again. "Let go of your control for once." Another kiss, this time lower.
Then she covered him with her mouth and sucked, her plump lips enclosing his painfully hard erection. And nothing James had ever learned in training could have prepared him for the feeling of pure ecstasy crashing into him, as every muscle in his body went taut.
Hailey was lying half on top of James' chest, her head on his broad shoulder. His hand was wrapped possessively around her waist, the other behind his head. She inhaled his scent deeply, oak moss and sandalwood evident in the shirt she'd stolen from him after sliding out of her dress. James had buttoned up his pants again, his chest bare.
This intense man captivated her. He was so unique, so other from anyone she'd ever met. He was protective, strong and more altruistic than he gave himself credit for.
She thought about the moment when he'd climaxed. A hurricane had formed around them as her lips caressed the most intimate part of him, but he'd protected her from all the changes in the weather from the start with a telekinetic shield. His eyes had turned black the moment she'd straddled him, every muscle taut as he surrendered to her.
She loved the fact that he let her touch him, that he trusted her enough to be vulnerable. It seemed like an important step for him, considering that he was an elite soldier, always vigilant. But she didn't think it would take long for him to take over, since he was such a dominant man.
"I shouldn't arrange for a prostitute, then?" she asked while she ran her fingers over his jaw.
James bit her ring finger for that. "No," he said as Hailey laughed.
"Still so eloquent," she teased. She lifted a little, her head leaning on her hand while she drew small patterns on his chest. "The storm, it was you, wasn't it?"
James' hand reached towards a strand of her hair, answering while weaving the tendril between his fingers. "I directed my Tk into the air. The surge of power causes changes in the atmosphere. Does it bother you?"
"No," she answered truthfully. James had never hurt her–not intentionally. He'd always protect her. "Does it hurt?"
James closed his eyes. "No."
Hailey tugged at his chest hair. "You know I'm not referring to your telekinesis." She narrowed her eyes when he remained silent and tugged his chest hair again.
His eyes flicked open and gave her a hard look. "My threshold to physical interaction is still low. It'll get better in time."
Hailey's eyes widened. "Then I did hurt you just now!" A whisper of anger shuddered through her. "Why did you lie to me?"
He rolled over so she was the one lying in the grass and studied her, the azure blue back in his intense gaze. "You would have stopped," he said as he traced her lips with his thumb, "and I didn't want you to stop."
His words made her heart ache. For all his control and cold behavior, Hailey had learned James was actually very tactile. He was as touch hungry as she was, especially after a life where affectionate touch would have been out of the question for him. And now he was finally able to have what he longed for, only he'd get hurt by the dissonance controls in his mind.
"You can't lie to me about those things. Relationships are built on trust. How can I be sure you're telling the truth about other things when you're lying to me about the dissonance?" She lifted her hand to cup his cheek and smiled deeply when he leaned into her hold a little.
"It will get better," he reassured her as he turned to kiss her palm. "Will you do the same?" he asked, unspoken things hidden in his deep blue eyes, but she saw the vulnerability, saw the effort it cost him to expose himself.
Hailey arched up and kissed him, needed to be close to him, to cherish the man she saw under the layers of conditioning and hardships. "I've never been anything but honest with you, you know that," she said, but added, "Yes. I promise."
Waves of blond hair fell over his forehead when she drew back. It made him look younger, gave Hailey another glimpse of the man he was.
"Then I will promise to do the same," he said, and Hailey felt like she'd received a gift James rarely shared.
She smiled and sighed at the sight of him. "You're really beautiful, do you know that? I wonder how I'm supposed to keep other women from drooling over you." She weaved her fingers through his hair.
He kissed her, intense and rough, his brand of kisses deliciously familiar by now. "If they have the same response you had when we first met, you have nothing to worry about." He stroked her cheek with his knuckles.
Hailey choked in her laughter. "You're terrible!" she accused. "Did you do that on purpose?" She found she was curious about that, curious about every little thing this passionate and intense Arrow had to say.
Her Arrow. She smiled at that thought.
Yes. That applies to your question and your possessive thoughts.
Hailey let out a small cry, so caught off guard by his deep, dark voice in her mind that she had no time to be frightened of the intrusion. "You can't just invade my mind! That's really unethical! I thought Psy had rules about that stuff!"
He kissed her again. "You're the one who's broadcasting. And I can, since you're mine," he said before he sucked on her lower lip. She moaned softly when he continued kissing her throat, gently biting the curve where her neck connected to her shoulder.
A rush of thoughts cascaded through Hailey's head at his words, her heart heavy. She cupped his face to pull him up. James came along, bracing his arms on either side of her head.
"You can't say stuff like that," she said while she traced the line of his jaw in order to avoid making eye contact.
Hailey found she was defenseless against him. It had been that way from the moment she'd pushed back and stood up against his brutish comments. She had no walls, nowhere to hide from her feelings for him. He could even come and go inside her head whenever he wanted. She had no power whatsoever, their relationship out of balance. And that felt like leaping into the abyss, because he gave so little away.
"Hailey," James snapped her to attention. She looked into those gorgeous eyes and felt naked. "You're overthinking again," he stated.
A spike of irritation uncurled inside her, her voice a sneer. "What if I am?"
"Stop." It was an order.
"No." She stuck out her chin and held his gaze.
His eyes gleamed and she saw the corner of his mouth tug a little. Surprise washed over her, her heart clenching at the sight of his minimal emotional display. "You're smiling," she whispered in awe. James kept looking at her when she traced his lips. "You're doing a really bad job at it, but you smiled!"
"You're changing the subject," James said as he brushed his knuckles past her cheek again. He was silent for a moment, then said, "You felt uncomfortable at my telepathic communication."
Hailey shook her head. "No, it's not that." She scrunched her nose. "Well, not only that. I hate the fact that you hold all the power in our relationship."
James' eyes hardened. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
Hailey shrugged. "Well, if I 'broadcast', it's like I'm open twenty-four hours to you. And I'm still insecure about your feelings towards me." She sighed. "There's a little voice in my head that keeps telling me your interest doesn't reach further than being physical for the sake of being physical." She shrugged again. "How can I be sure you want me if you've never had the opportunity to interact in such an open way with other people?"
Staring at the sky, Hailey watched stars gleaming in the darkness of the night. "That's why your comment set me off. You shouldn't say I'm yours until you're certain. Otherwise…" She cut herself off before she could get any more desperate. Blood rushing to her cheeks, she covered her face with her hands. "God, I'm so sorry. I just can't help feeling this way. I think you're right, feeling sucks. Maybe I should try being Silent."
James coughed. "I don't believe you'd survive the conditioning process."
Hailey peeked through her fingers at his expressionless face, but for his eyes, bright and glistening. "You're laughing at me!" She pushed at his chest.
He angled his body to the left, lying next to her on his side, his head braced on his hand. Then he took her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. "I wouldn't dare, Miss Logan." The dark hum of his voice addressing her in her formal title made her shiver. James placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. "You are aware I've been interacting with other people for most of the thirty-two years I've been alive?"
Hailey arched her eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"
"No one has ever tempted me to do this." He bent over and kissed her. "Or this," he murmured as he kissed her jaw while his hand stroked her hip, his hand curling around to squeeze the voluptuous curve of her butt.
"Oh." She felt her heart clench, warmth unfurling in her stomach. God, you're falling so hard for him.
Good to know. As for the telepathic contact, he said as his mind touched hers while continuing kissing her, tasting her skin, I don't fully understand how it is possible that we're connected. It's second nature to me to reach out. Hailey closed her eyes and arched up in his kisses, tunneling her hands in his hair and holding him close to her. "But if it distresses you, I won't do it," he murmured against her neck. He lifted his head. "Though I do believe it is imperative you improve your shielding."
Then he gripped her chin. "Look at me, Hailey." Hailey opened her eyes, his gaze intense as he brushed her lower lip with his thumb. "As for your last worry," his low-pitched voice holding every ounce of attention in Hailey's being, "you are mine. There can be no misunderstanding about that."
Hailey's heart swelled at the intensity of his proprietary words. "Okay." She kissed him, her lips brushing his softly. "Thank you."
As he observed her, she remembered something… and decided to play with him a little. "But you did call me fat. You still have a long road of redemption to walk before I forgive you for that."
"I was told women have an accurate memory of the things men say."
Hailey narrowed her eyes. That was so not true. "Who told you that?"
"Arrows take their secrets to their grave," he said coolly.
Laughter bubbled up inside her, her shoulders shaking. "How is it possible I ever thought you were made of stone?" She yawned, suddenly tired.
James pulled her close, her back against the warmth of his chest. "Sleep. We have to start training early tomorrow."
Hailey slept encased in the safe warmth of James' embrace and his telekinetic shield, and for the first time in months, the nightmares didn't haunt her.
The next morning was like waking up in a dream. Hailey felt amazing and refreshed after sleeping for a full night. James had kissed her awake at dawn, but they hadn't been able to leave it at one kiss. Breathless and flushed they'd broken it off before they renounced their duties, since both had classes to teach.
James told her he'd spoken with Aden and volunteered to shield her more extensively so she wouldn't be able to lash out without his knowledge, thus providing her with a safety net. Hailey was extremely happy to teach again and agreed with James' solution. She'd missed interacting with the children and was eager to continue her classes.
After discussing their schedule, they decided to shower before breakfast.
"You could come with me," Hailey said as warmth crept up her cheeks. The leaves on the forest floor made crackling sounds underneath her colorful beaded sandals. She'd kicked them off yesterday evening before lying down in the grass and had found them again this morning. They were a little damp because they hadn't been encased in James' shield during the storm, but Hailey didn't mind. She'd choose wet shoes over dry ones any time if it meant she could experience the sensation of James' body under her hands and see the man behind the ice.
She was still wearing his shirt, the hem skimming her thighs and her legs bare, while carrying her bra, dress, earplugs and organizer in one hand, relishing in the seductive scent of him. The fingers of her other hand were intertwined with James', his hold gentle but possessive nonetheless, just as she'd imagined he would be.
A shudder ran though her frame when she thought back to the intimacies they'd shared. Hailey was delighted being this close to him, joy bursting out of her skin. He made her feel… whole.
James looked at her. "I'm not sure I'd survive having you naked in the same building," he said in response to her earlier invitation, his tone factual. "I'm not sure the valley would survive."
Hailey grinned. "Maybe we should finally go on that date, then."
In a flash, James had her caged between a tree and his big body. His lips pressed roughly on hers, his hunger evident. She moaned when he squeezed her butt, his fingers brushing her black lace panties. Hailey dropped her stuff to the ground–using a touch of her Tk to let them land gently–and ran her nails softly over James' back as he kissed her neck.
"At this rate, we're never going to shower," she mock-complained.
She let out a small cry when he lifted her and trapped her between his body and the tree again, her legs wrapped around his hips. James' hand shifted a fraction lower, his fingers slightly pressing against the entrance of her body but for the piece of lace covering her. Hailey knew full well it did nothing to hide her dampness, her panties soaked with arousal from their earlier make-out session.
She whimpered when he drew little circles with his fingers on the piece of fabric, her body moving restlessly. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned her head back and shivered at the most exquisite torment of his fingers.
She looked at him from hooded eyes. "How do you even know what to do?" she asked, her voice husky and breath choppy.
Then his fingers skidded below the fabric, his fingertips on the plump wetness of her delicate folds. He softly stroked her, and she moaned. "James." A sensual plea, an unhidden request for more.
"There are certain manuals," he said, his breath caressing her ear as he kissed her neck. "They are most useful, but nothing comes close to watching you."
His fingers slid through the desire-swollen slickness and the wind picked up around them, the rustling of leaves filling the air. "I've read about a certain part," his deep voice sounding a little rough, "that is supposed to give you extreme pleasure."
Hailey wanted to laugh but couldn't, not with his hand caressing her so exquisitely. "Men often have problems finding tha– Ah!" A startled cry escaped her throat when he flicked his finger over the sensitive nub of her clitoris. He started circling it and she felt wetness slithering down her thighs.
James' eyes were darkening, black spreading throughout the whites of his eyes. She was barely aware of the wind swiping against her face when he slightly pressed his finger against the entrance of her body. Tipping her head back and gripping his hair, she gasped for air when he slid in his finger. He carefully moved inside her.
"Oh, God, you're torturing me," she accused.
He added a second finger as she moaned and clenched her internal muscles on him.
"Do you 'like' that?" James' teasing, dark voice made her womb clench and her internal muscles spasm as she whimpered and moved on his fingers.
I will take that as a 'yes', his voice in her mind. The sopping sound of his fingers pumping faster inside her made her blush, but oh, God, it added to the erotic rush in burning through her body.
"I'm going to kill you," she managed to get out. She kissed him, licked out at his tongue. Drunk on his taste, he was her ultimate high.
Hailey didn't quite know how, but he had opened the buttons of his shirt and was kissing her breasts while still moving his fingers inside her and holding her up. She felt her body coiling tightly when he grazed his teeth over her nipple, and flicked a finger–how was he doing that?!–over her clitoris again. Hailey cried out.
James looked up at her. She met the blackness of his eyes and right at that moment all the exquisite sensations stroked her in unison. A pinching on her nipples, circles brushing over her clitoris, his fingers still moving inside her in a punishing rhythm and the heat in the blackness of his gaze.
The sky above them boomed, thunder crashed through the air and rain fell down in the forest around them.
But Hailey was too distracted to notice, James' voice resonating in her mind. I want to watch your orgasm, Hailey. Come for me.
Hailey sobbed, the intensity of the sensations overloading her system and releasing in a wave of agonizing ecstasy as she came, screaming out his name.
James held Hailey as she came down from her climax. He gently removed his fingers from her before he readjusted the lace piece of fabric covering her.
She was breathing heavily, causing a tickling sensation against his skin. Her arms were wrapped around him, her forehead leaning against his shoulder and her legs hanging limp.
When she looked up her eyes were pure gold, no adornments needed for this unique woman that carried gemstones in her eyes and who herself was the most beautiful jewel of them all.
"That," she sighed, "was the most incredible orgasm of my life." She brushed her lips over his. "Thank you."
She cuddled up against him, and he held her until she released her legs from his hips as she murmured they had to get going. James lowered her onto the ground but kept his arms locked around her a little longer–just because he could–as he felt something inside his body expand at the feeling of her, finally in his arms.
Finally his.