Read an Excerpt from In the Mage's Arms

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Heat broke through Lily's foggy slumber, flooding her with warmth. She inched closer, the remnants of the anxiety of her dreams finally fading. A soft moan near her ear tore through the veil of hazy illusions that left her restless.

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The warmth of a solid chest, strong, alive, seared into her awareness. Powerful arms folded around her. One large hand rested on her belly. Her eyes snapped open.

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Aidan.

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How easily she'd fallen asleep amidst his embrace worried her. Her last conscious thought was to resist his allure and remain vigilant, yet she'd let go of that determination in a heartbeat. One that involved a man who intrigued and frightened in more ways than she'd ever imagined.

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His face, buried against her neck, along with his warm breath ticklish against her skin, sent a shot of excitement slithering along her spine. She stared at the hand on her stomach, long, strong fingers splayed flat against her. The thought of them running over her body drew a shiver of excitement. She raised her hand, gently touching his large one, meandering over his fingers, sliding to the wrist. A light dusting of gold hair sprinkled his warm skin, soft under her touch. His lean forearm rested on her waist, burning her through her dress. Still, she continued her exploration, finding his upper arm muscled and solid under the black T-shirt. She shifted slightly and he gave a soft snore. She froze then cautiously turned her head to look at him. He still slept. She resumed tracing a vein on his arm with her fingertips and let out the breath she’d been holding.

 

It felt nice having him wrapped around her like this. Zut! A whole hell of a lot better than nice, if she were honest with herself. No pain assaulted her this morning, just his warmth, his presence surrounding her, both calming and invigorating her.

 

She wanted to laugh at the same time she wanted to cry. Last night, she’d sworn off men. And here she was with one in her bed. Granted, most women wouldn’t want to get a man in bed this way, and she knew he wouldn’t be here under any other circumstances, but the whole situation left her reeling, her life and her world abruptly turned upside down.

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Her hand drifted again, lingering on his bicep, tracing down past his elbow. She imagined him leaning above her and ... What was she doing? She needed to get him out of her bed. At that moment, the fingers on her stomach flexed, ever so slightly. She gasped, her nipples hardening when the fingers moved again, the caress growing more insistent. Her hand tightened on his arm.

 

She held her breath when he moved slowly, massaging with a light touch that unsettled her in more ways than she cared to admit. The power scorched through her, gathering in her core, making her pussy throb. What was happening between them?

 

"Aidan, wake up." She hoped he would stop, yet at the same time, hoped he wouldn’t.

 

"I am awake."

 

His sleep-roughened voice only sparked more fire in her veins. How could he unravel her determination so easily? It had simply been too long and her body needed the contact. Or so she tried to convince herself. She hesitated, taking the moment to gather her courage then turned to face him. His silvery blue eyes, wide open and aware, focused on her, and again, a hint of a smile played on his lips.

 

"Did you like what you saw?"

 

"How long have you been awake?" she asked.

 

"The whole time."

 

She closed her eyes and swallowed. Her heart threatened to explode, both from embarrassment and the knowledge she had, indeed, liked what she’d seen during her mini-exploration. There was no graceful exit from this humiliation.

 

If only she hadn’t felt his pain last night, heard his moans of agony. Then she wouldn't be bombarded with so many contradictory feelings. Her head hurt and this discomfort belonged solely to her.

 

She sighed and looked away, knowing she needed to get free of him even though she longed to stay wrapped in the cocoon of desire he slowly built. She inhaled sharply and his musky, masculine scent –a hint of bayou and ballrooms– filled her senses. Her awareness of him shot through her like lightning.

 

"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have …."

 

His seeking touch moved more insistently, sliding up toward her breast. Again, she held her breath, knowing she should stop him, yet wanting to feel his caress. She closed her eyes against a half-hearted denial, fighting the need to press even closer, to touch him as he touched her.

 

"Don't be."

 

He passed his lips along her ear, his words a vibrant whisper that left her gasping, her skin burning where his mouth touched her.

 

"I didn’t mean ... but it’s all too much. I can’t … I don’t …."

 

His fingers slid still higher and ignited her yearning, more intense than she’d ever known before.

 

"It is, isn’t it, Lily? Too much and not enough." His low voice was a caress of its own. "Even in pain, I recognized the attraction and had to have more. You felt it too."

 

"I ... no, I didn’t."

 

His chuckle roared like thunder in her ear.

 

"Don’t delude yourself, little Healer. Your touch did more to me than ease my pain."

 

With those words, he cupped her breast. Desperation drove her attempts to keep from arching into him. She shouldn't want this, had to remain aloof until he was gone from her life.

 

Her resolve weakened when his lips moved along her neck. She felt as if she'd caught on fire, aching and desperate for more of his touch. She bit her lip to silence the moan, but his hand squeezing and caressing her breast had her head swimming. With a flinch, she realized he lay under the blankets with her, pressed against her ass. Even clothed, she could feel his erection, hard and insistent. Another bolt of lightning sizzled along her skin, his lips now on the curve of her shoulder, easing the strap of her tank dress away.

 

She quickly gave up the effort to remain motionless and unfeeling. Now, she pushed into him, turning and allowing him the freedom to touch her, to bare her skin while he explored. He eased up on one arm and she soon found herself completely underneath him, his crotch pressed against hers. The moan escaped then, her pussy throbbing in sudden need. This shouldn’t be. He was still essentially a stranger, a pureblood Zyndevine Mage coming into his powers. She was a former run-of-the-mill Enchantress, who’d turned her back on magic and all of its trappings.

 

Those reasons alone should keep them far apart. Yet, here they were. In her bed. Logic faltered in the wake of desire that refused to be denied. Ignoring the ever-fainter last inner warning, she reached for him, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him near for a kiss.

 

She meant to keep it slow and gentle, but Aidan consumed her with his mouth, his lips and tongue both teasing and wreaking havoc. She let the last of her doubts go as she met his tongue with hers and clung tightly to him.

 

He pulled her dress the rest of the way down, baring her breasts. He leaned back, simply studying her, his silver–blue eyes glowing.

 

"You’re gorgeous," he said, his voice thick.