I Thought It Was You: Grimm's Circle, Book 2.5 Read online

  Her naked breasts pressed against his chest and he could have whimpered, could have begged. Almost did.

  But instead, he eased away, forced a few more inches between them. But the door behind him wouldn’t let him back away any more.

  “Then what the hell is this? We had the one night, a fantasy, remember? One night,” he said, the words coming faster and faster now. What the hell… “If this happens, then it’s not one night. It’s two. Do the math, poppet. One, two.”

  Elle smiled. “I’m well aware of the math. The one night was a fantasy…for me. This…is for both of us. And instead of a fantasy, it’s a goodbye.”

  She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, but Ren averted his head and since the fucking door was still in the way—what was with that anyway—he slipped off to the side. Shooting Michael a dark look, he snarled, “Help me out here. You don’t want this. Talk some sense into her.”

  “I want her happy. I want her to have what she needs,” Michael said. He shrugged. “And for some reason, she needs this.”

  Then he gave Ren a sharp-edged smile and added, “Come on, Thomas. We can give you some closure.”

  “Kiss ass.” Ren sneered at Michael. He glanced at Elle and then wished he hadn’t. She still stood there, all tumbled golden hair and pale, pale skin, curves and perfect, sweet curves. One pink nipple played peek-a-boo with her hair and he groaned, covered his eyes with his hands.

  Blast it. Even the insanity might be preferable to this.

  Through the leather band on his wrist, he felt a scalding hot heat and he swore. It faded as quick as it had come, and he lowered his hands, stared at the band.

  And abruptly, he realized just what he had been thinking. Realized just where he had been the past few months. Too close. Too close to that darkness that had overwhelmed him in the past.

  The darkness that had pulled at him was not better than the pain of heartbreak. The pain of loneliness. The darkness had been edging back in on him for some time, a darkness relieved by Elle’s presence.

  Perhaps that was one of the reasons why her leaving had hit him so hard. That and the fact even though he had known she hadn’t really loved him, part of him had still hoped.

  Another lesson. Fuck. In the end, this hadn’t been anything but another lesson. Will was such a bastard.

  Swallowing, he looked up, stared at Elle, into her eyes, although it took a monumental effort not to stare…everywhere.

  “We’re not doing this,” he said, his voice harsh. “I want you like hell, but no…I don’t need this to…whatever…”

  He could, and would, get his fucked-up head back on straight without some erotic version of kiss and make it better.

  But if he thought Elle was going to let it go so easily—well, Disney never really did get that particular fairy tale right.

  The Cinderella fairy tales were so far from the real Elle, it was almost pathetic.

  She smiled at him, but the curve of her lips was a sad, bittersweet one. “And what if I need it as well, Ren? What then?

  “We both have demons, Ren. You know that? Neither of us have shared all of ours very well.” She closed her eyes and reached up, touched the medallion that hung between her breasts.

  The round silver disk was exactly like the one Ren wore around his wrist, like the one Michael wore around his neck.

  Their mark. The mark of the Grimm.

  “I never told you, but you know. You were there when the nightmares came, more than once. You know what happened to me.”

  A harsh sigh, too close to a sob, escaped her. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him.

  “You know, close enough, what happened to me. You know what they did, what they took…how close they came to destroying me. So what if I need this? What if I need to find that part of me again?”

  Ren swore. Shifted his focus to Michael. Fuck.

  The look in the other man’s gaze was unchanged.

  “Are you just going to stand there?” he demanded. Help me out, damn it.

  “I have what I need, so if she needs this, especially if she needs it to heal, why can’t I let her have it?” Michael came to stand behind her and embraced her. There was a grim, dark look in his green eyes. “You held her through most of the nightmares. You were there as she healed. But I don’t doubt that she still feels like something is missing…like some part of her is missing. If we can let her find that again, then I’m willing to do whatever the hell it takes.” Then his mouth twisted in a grimace and tightened his arms around Elle. “Well, to a point… I won’t let any other man touch my woman. And after this, it’s done.” He cupped Elle’s chin, dipped his head and nipped her lower lip. “I hope we’re clear on that, darling girl. After this, if you haven’t found whatever you need to find, I’ll buy you a puppy or something.”

  Elle grinned. And then she looked at Ren.

  And he knew he was lost.

  Chapter Four

  “Have you ever been able to say no to her, mate?” Ren muttered as Elle backed him into the living room.

  Michael laughed. “Have you?”

  Perhaps if she hadn’t chosen that particular moment to reach for the button of his jeans, her fingers brushing against his belly, he might have been able to think.

  But then again, maybe not. Her lips brushed against his chest and he groaned. Reaching up, he closed his hands around her waist, wondering just what new form of insanity this was.

  Her tongue brushed across his nipple. He felt something against the back of his legs—Elle pushed him back. He ended up sprawled on his back on a plush, overstuffed couch, and she didn’t waste even a second before she knelt beside him and went to work on his jeans.

  Catching her hands, he went to sit up. “What’s the hurry, poppet?” he murmured.

  She shot him a look, and he caught a hint of the turbulence in those dark, dark blue eyes. It hit him square in the heart. Fuck.

  “Princess…” Catching her face, he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. “We don’t need to do this.”

  “Yes, we do,” she said, her voice shaking. “I do.”

  Michael came up behind her and knelt down. “Then maybe you should stop treating it like a mission.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “And relax.”

  Ren nuzzled her mouth and the ache in his heart somehow managed to both ease and tighten. Perhaps she did need this. Perhaps she did need him, one last time. “Let me kiss you, princess. I didn’t think I’d get that again.”

  A sigh hitched out of her and her mouth opened under his.

  He took his time with it, teasing her, tasting her, treating her like it was the first time, even though it was the last. “I remember the first time I saw you,” he whispered against her mouth. “Do you? Will brought you to that soddin’ hell hole in Dublin where he had Perci and Luc working with me.”

  As he spoke, he kissed his way down her chin, along her neck. “You wore white, all white. You truly did look like an angel.”

  “And you looked like a complete rake.” Her breath shuddered out of her as he cupped her breasts and plumped them together.

  Michael tugged on her hair. “Well, neither of you were right. He’s a no-good bastard and you’re a witch. Give me your mouth, darling girl. I’m feeling left out.”

  Elle laughed, a shaking, erratic sound.

  Ren eased her weight back against Michael as she rested her head on his shoulder and kissed him. Going to his knees in front of her, Ren caught one pink nipple in his mouth. She arched, and faintly, he caught the muffled sound of her cry.

  Her body was hot, burning. Stroking her, he cupped her sex in his hand, slid his finger over the slick, swollen crease. “Oh, princess…you’re so wet,” he muttered.

  When he pushed inside, she clenched around him and he pulled his mouth away, pressed his face against her neck and prayed for strength…she was so slick, swollen, silky wet.

  She rocked against his hand, her inner muscles gripping him. He lifted his eyes and stared at her, watched
her profile as she kissed Michael. Lovely…she was so fucking lovely.

  He braced himself for that painful, onslaught of jealousy and it came…but the punch wasn’t quite so strong.

  And when she pulled her mouth away, rested her head on Michael’s shoulder and stared at him, Ren had only the smallest urge to bloody the other man’s perfect face.

  Then she smiled and reached up, touching Michael’s cheek. “I love you.”

  “Darling girl…” Michael whispered.

  A blush crept up her cheeks, staining them a soft pink as she looked at Ren. He was half-prepared for her to say she’d changed her mind. Almost wished for it. But then she rocked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzled him. “Ren…?”

  Stroking a hand down her long, graceful back, he buried a hand in her hair. “My lady?” he teased.

  “Get back up on the couch.”

  He chuckled and shifted, moved up so that he could lie across the foot of it. It was one of those chaise-styled deals, wide and thick, but he had to shift length-ways as he saw what Elle had in mind. She shimmied up and straddled his hips, grinning down at him, her long, golden hair hanging almost to her hips. He tangled his hands in it and muttered, “I love your hair.”

  Smiling down at him, she sat back on his hips and gathered it up in her hands, piling it up on her head. “Do you?”

  “Fuck, yes.” Then he slid his eyes over the rest of her, admiring the view, taking it in, storing in the depths of his memory. He cupped her hips and shuddered as she rocked against him, the slick folds of her sex cuddling against his cock.

  Fuck.

  She shifted and reached down, grasping him in her hand. Ren tensed and glanced behind her, looked for Michael. He’d slipped out of the room.

  Bloody hell, has he gone looking for something to take my head off with?

  But the rest of his mind was incapable of thought and it only got worse as Elle lifted up, tucked the head of his cock against her entrance. And started to sink down…and down…

  Slamming his head back against the couch, Ren gritted his teeth and swore. She smiled down at him and lifted back up halfway, then started the slow, teasing possession all over again.

  He was sweating by the time she’d taken all of him, sweating and swearing and all but ready to beg for mercy.

  And that was when he realized Michael had returned.

  He was kneeling on the couch behind Elle, his black hair falling to mix with her golden locks as he dipped his head and rubbed his cheek against hers. “Bend over, darling girl.”

  Elle rocked forward, but Ren caught sight of the fear in her eyes. Reaching up, he hooked an arm around her neck.

  “Come here, princess,” he teased. “I need a kiss.”

  His heart wanted to break.

  He wanted to tell Michael to stop.

  He wanted to call this whole thing off.

  He could feel her heart slamming against his, and though his gifts were nowhere near as attuned to human needs as hers, he could feel her fear. He knew her too well.

  Calling this off would only hurt her more. She needed this…needed him, one last time. Stroking the tips of his fingers up her side, he tugged on the ends of her hair. “Kiss me, princess,” he whispered against her cold, stiff lips. “You told me I could have a goodbye, after all…where is my goodbye?”

  She didn’t respond, but she didn’t pull away either when he rubbed his lips against hers. And slowly, as he kissed her, her mouth softened under his. Slowly, her mouth opened and she started to return his kiss and once more, she started to rock against him once more. The hungry, wicked heat had faded, but the need was still there…it burned between them, edged with something new, something different.

  Truly goodbye, he knew. For him…and for her. Both of them, saying goodbye to different parts of their lives. The bitch of it though—he was probably saying goodbye to the better part of his life.

  Lock it down.

  Couldn’t let her feel that. Not know…

  He cupped her breast in one hand, and over her shoulder he saw Michael watching him. Michael lifted a brow.

  Ren looked at Elle, tangled a hand in her hair and focused on nothing but her.

  Yes, they’d had damn near a century together as lovers. Michael had her youth, and he had her future, but Ren knew her well. Focusing on that, he did every damn thing he could do bring that hot, hungry woman back to the surface. He shifted and reached between them to stroke the tip of his finger over the budded knot of her clitoris, raking his teeth over her neck.

  She was sweating, rocking against him, hovering just on the edge of climax when Michael moved closer. Ren deliberately kept her there, teasing her, taunting her and when he felt her stiffen in fear he goaded her, nipping on her lip and muttering against her mouth, “What is this, princess, you come this far and now…what? Are you going to chicken out on me?”

  She snarled against his mouth. “You’re a bastard, Thom.”

  “Yes…” He bit her lip.

  She bit him and then shoved backward.

  Ren groaned, because he felt it—felt it as that action forced Michael inside her. Elle cried out.

  “Easy, darling girl,” Michael murmured. “Easy…”

  Ren eased her weight up, forced her to prop herself up. Then he stroked a hand down her torso and whispered, “You’re amazing, poppet.”

  “Ren…”

  Tears burned in her eyes.

  He rested a hand on one hip. Michael gripped the other. “Easy,” they murmured.

  Her head slumped, resting on his shoulder.

  Stroking her clitoris, he gritted his teeth, tried not to think about how fucking tight she was now, how sweet, how hot—

  A long shudder wracked her body. He circled his fingers around her clit, fast, firm. She started to rock forward, seeking out that contact. Ren groaned, unwittingly arched his hips up.

  She gasped.

  “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

  “No…” Her lashes fluttered closed as she circled her hips against him and whispered, “Oh, I like that.”

  Then she did it again in slow, small circles. Ren gritted his teeth and held still, focused on her face and the look of dazed delight that was slowly moving across her face.

  She caught her lip between her teeth. Groaned. “Damn it…”

  “Shhhh.” He nuzzled her neck, cuddled her close. “Let us…”

  He stroked up, then back. Then Michael moved. She tensed.

  “Elle?” Michael murmured.

  “Again,” she moaned.

  So they did. Slowly at first. Then, as she started to move between, harder, quicker, so did they, following the rhythm of her body and the hunger both of them sensed from her.

  Her nails bit into Ren’s shoulders. Her teeth marked him.

  She started to convulse in his arms only seconds before he knew he was about to lose control. When she started climaxing with a series of harsh, broken moans, he held it together just long enough. And then he couldn’t control it another second. Tangling his hand in her hair, he slanted his mouth against hers and muffled his groan against her lips as he came.

  It was…endless.

  And still, over far, far too soon.

  Distantly, he heard Michael’s muted, muffled curse, felt the other man through the thin membrane of tissue separating them.

  As Michael started to sag, Ren just barely had the energy to shift and roll so that Elle was cuddled between them.

  She squirmed around until her head rested against Michael’s chest. But her hand reached down and caught his.

  That was the last thing he remembered before the darkness of sleep rushed up and caught him.

  Chapter Five

  There was a vague tightening in the air—vague, but damn familiar.

  Either Ren was having a fucking nightmare, or they were about to have a visitor.

  He came awake with that thought in his mind.

  And he knew it wasn’t a nightmare.

  Sweari
ng, he sat up just in time to see a circle of light flash into existence in the middle of Elle and Michael’s living room.

  Elle was asleep, her head tucked against Michael’s chest. Michael was rousing, just barely.

  The light faded, revealing Will and a dark-haired mortal girl. Michael scowled and rubbed his eyes. “Damn it, don’t you know how to knock?”

  Will just smiled.

  The girl arched her brows. They were black, black as midnight. And her eyes, dark brown and wicked, were dancing. She looked from Ren to Michael and then finally to Elle who was just now starting to wake.

  “Wow. Is this what guardian angels do in their off time? Then damn it, Will, can you just kill me now? I want the off-time benefits, like immediately.”

  Will closed his eyes.

  If Ren thought the man was capable of such human weaknesses, he’d think the man was praying for patience. Then Will opened pale silver eyes and looked at Ren. Giving him a narrow, thin-lipped smile, he said, “The three of you have an assignment—parasei, in a town four hours south of here. I’m sure you’ll feel it once the…aftermath clears and you get on the road.”

  Ren curled his lip. “You couldn’t have given me that message yesterday and helped us get a jump on the job?”

  “The shape you were in, you wouldn’t have lived through the job,” Will snapped.

  Then he looked away and closed his eyes. When he looked back at Ren, he was smirking. “I expect that’s…changed now. So, do your job. When you’re done, Thomas, you have a new recruit. I’ll take her to your place in Wisconsin.”

  Ren blinked.

  Then looked at the girl.

  “Oh, no,” he said, shaking his head.

  She smiled at him.

  Scrambling off the couch, he snagged his jeans and dragged them up over his naked hips. “Are you insane?” he demanded.

  “No. I think that’s you,” Will replied.

  “Well, of course I’m insane. Everybody bloody knows that, so why the hell are you sticking a kid with me? A mortal?”

  “Because it will do you a world of good.”

  Ren shook his head. He looked at Elle and flung a hand toward Will. “You talk some sense into him, princess. He’s out of his head if he thinks I should be trusted with teaching anybody. Much less a mortal—she’s still mortal too. I can smell it on her.”