The Cunning Man || ONC 2021

5: Wanting

Needless to say, I did not have fun explaining that Nora.

"-- But you said that you were taking a week off!" She stood in front of the front door, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest.

"Sweetheart," I ran a hand through my already tousled hair and glared down at her. "You married a county sheriff. You better get used to the reality that outlaw gangs, stagecoach robbers, and cattle rustlers don't give a damn what promises I've made to you."

I could have been a little more diplomatic with that delivery, but after an hour of arguing, I was ready to put more distance between us than what had been previously afforded by a bed. We'd made it down the stairs, but now she'd got it in her head that she could block the door.

"You said it was just some routine business," her silver-shaded eyes narrowed. "Now you're talking about outlaws and rustlers. Which is it, Cade?"

I growled at her, but damn if that didn't make her dig her heels in even further.

"Let me go with you."

"For the fourth damn time, no."

"What are you trying to hide?"

"Nothing," I snarled and reached around her for the door knob.

"You're lying!" she hissed back and grabbed my bare wrist.

The touch of her skin against mine lit my goddamn blood on fire. Before she could even squeak in protest, I grabbed her around her waist and spun her away from the door. I meant to put her down as soon as I had moved her out of my way, but of course she struggled and somehow her feet got tangled up in mine. I stumbled only for a step or two, but the end result was that I pushed her up against the wall and stopped myself just short of squashing her by slamming my hand against the floral wallpaper next to her head.

We both froze, which in retrospect only added fuel to the flame. I should have pushed myself off of her the second we stopped moving, but common sense deserted me when I felt her chest press against mine as she took a breath.

"At least," she whispered in the sliver of space between our noses. "Kiss me before you go."

As she spoke, she slid one hand beneath the open collar of my shirt and curled her palm around my neck. That, in combination with her bold request, had all the effect of an exploding cannonball.

Magic gains its power off of emotions, and the two of us were angry. Magic also reacts to particularly primal emotions, and both of us had been ignoring our attraction to one another for days. I hadn't missed the curious, covert glances she threw my way every time I undressed, and I'd have to be dead not to be affected by the fact that nothing more than a few layers of fabric separated me from a willing woman every night.

I didn't think. I simply did.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I screamed at myself to be gentle. But I could feel our magics wrap around each other, in addition to her left leg around my upper thigh. I could feel her willingness, in the way her body grew soft beneath mine, and I could feel her neediness in the grip of her hands around my shoulders. I felt alive, in a way I hadn't in ten whole years. I'd kept my magic clamped down inside of me, and I had controlled my emotions in much the same way. Nora was tempest in my arms and a storm in my blood, and any memory of control sank into the depths of my subconscious the moment I tangled my hands in her thick hair and yanked her head back.

I started with her neck, and the sounds that vibrated beneath my tongue and against my teeth were inspirational. I followed her jugular up to where her throat and jaw met; once there, I bit and sucked until she was bruised and desperate. I pulled back to see how well I'd marked her and the sight of her already-purpling skin filled me with a sense of pride that my more rational brain would have known I had no business entertaining.

"Just think what might have happened if I'd kissed you at the altar," I brushed the curve of her cheek with my lips and chuckled, dark and wicked, against the shell of her ear. "I'd have probably taken you on the altar."

"I think I'd like to know what happens when you kiss me now," Nora's wit still rose to the occasion, even with my knee pressed flush against her core and the shape of my teeth imprinted on her skin.

I rewarded her nerve with a nip at her lips and a slide of my tongue into her mouth. The latter seemed to surprise her and she responded with a soft gasp. The sound of it urged me to draw more out of her, so I lifted my hand from against the wall and cupped the side of her jaw. Our kiss deepened as she tried to take control of it, and her hands curled so tight around my neck and shoulder that I felt the sting of her nails as they scraped against my skin. I started to draw back, intending to grab her wrists in one hand and pull them up over her head, but before our kiss broke completely, Nora snagged my bottom lip between her teeth. In her inexperience, she bit a little too hard and for some damn reason, the sudden pain brought me to my senses.

I nearly dropped her in my haste to pull away. Hurt and confusion crumpled her expression and I forced myself to ignore the sharp stab of guilt urging me to reassure her. Now that the spell had been broken, I was overcome with a jarring rush of emotions, like shame, anger, panic, and fear.

"And this," I gasped for air as if I'd just run a mile. "Is why we need a few days away from each other."

I snatched my cattleman's hat from a peg by the door and slammed it down on top of my head. "Neither of us have any damn control."

"Cade, I didn't mean to --"

"Don't," I snapped and cut my hand through the air between us. "Just, don't."

I grabbed my pack from where I'd dropped it on the foyer rug and wrenched open the front door. I squinted into the cloudless afternoon light.

"I'll be back in a few days. Harlan'll come by to check on you when he can. If you need anything, let him know."

I didn't dare look at her over my shoulder as I stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind me.