Free Witch's Bounty by Ann Gimpel Page B

head. “Let me finish. You’re a lot like me. Stubborn, willful, determined. I’ve never been one to let anyone close enough to either help me or hurt me. You’re the same way. It’s why we’ll make a good pair. We understand one another.”
    She did a quick soul-search and recognized wisdom in his words. Colleen glanced up and was snared by his gaze. She tried to look away, and then realized she didn’t want to. Being lost in Duncan’s beautiful green eyes was exactly where she wanted to be.
    “You’re right that I’m torn,” she murmured. “Part of me wants to snap up your offer and another part is scared to death that once I do, I’ll be vulnerable and lose the edge I need to be effective against the Irichna.”
    “Maybe we’ll be stronger as a pair.” Something danced behind his eyes: a challenge.
    She rose to it instinctively. “I’m willing to find out.” Colleen clapped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
    He grinned. “I can.”
    •●•
    Duncan scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Colleen; she leaned into him. The feel of her firmly-muscled body was unbelievable. He buried his face in her rich auburn hair and inhaled the jasmine-rose scent of her. He held her for long moments, letting the rest of the world drop away. They’d have little enough in the way of time to explore one another until the demons were banished. She wrapped her arms around him and turned her full lips up for a kiss. Because he couldn’t resist, he closed his mouth over hers and explored her mouth with his tongue.
    His cock hardened, reminding him of his earlier fall from grace. He wanted Colleen with all his heart and soul, but he wanted their first lovemaking to be perfect, not a byproduct of having survived by the skin of their teeth. He chuckled. Nothing like a near brush with death to drive libido.
    She pulled away from his kiss. “What’s so funny?” Her mouth was soft, eyes dreamy with heat-lust. She reached between them and cradled the bulge of his erection in her hand. He groaned and pushed against her, wanting nothing more than to strip off her pants and bury himself deep inside her body.
    “I’m just happy.” He reached down and uncoiled her fingers from him.
    She quirked a mischievous brow. “I could make you happier. This time, I’d let nature run its course.”
    He swallowed hard. Her offer was damn near irresistible, but… With enormous difficulty, he moved a few inches away. “I want you. Never doubt that.”
    Her eyes clouded; the line of her mouth hardened. “There’s a but in there. But, what?” She drew back, pale blue eyes never leaving his face. He sensed a truth spell hovering between them.
    “Guess I can’t sugarcoat anything.”
    “That was the idea.” She curved two fingers and waggled them. “Out with it. I’m a big girl. I can deal with the truth—whatever it is.”
    He took a steadying breath, and then another one. “I want to court you, make you my mate—”
    Joy lit her face, followed by uncertainty. “But you hardly know me.”
    “I know you better than you think. More importantly, I know myself. I’m slightly over a thousand years old. If I haven’t come to a level of self-knowledge where I recognize my life’s mate when she finally shows up, then I should be ashamed of myself.”
    She cocked her head to one side. “There’s an, um, mutual attraction between us. A damn strong one. So we need to spend time together to figure out if it’s real and has the stuff to go the distance.”
    “There are those elements,” he agreed, “and a few more you’re not aware of.” The truth spell deepened; it pricked him. “Hey! I’ve told the truth.”
    “Not all of it,” she prodded.
    No, not all of it. He glanced down, and then shook his head and looked at her again. “Sidhe don’t tend to look on matings outside our blood favorably.” She gestured for him to go on. “I have to return to the Old Country for two reasons. To try to