Page 9 of Twilight Echoes (A New Dawn #7)

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A very blinked open her eyes. Her arm was draped over Darrell’s strong middle. She brushed her hair from her face, noticing he was already awake, propped up on the pillows, with his cell in his hand.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“What time is it?” Running her fingers across his bare chest, she inched closer, shameless, aware they were both naked. She’d spent the entire night in a man’s arms. In Darrell’s arms. She’d dreamed of this day for so long. Even after she’d tried to rid him from her thoughts when he’d moved to the West Coast, he managed to worm his way to the front of her mind.

It had always been Darrell.

It was one of the many reasons she’d never been able to bring herself to be with another man. She’d had opportunities. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done things. But when it came to the act of sex, she couldn’t do it. She told herself her career had to be front and center. She’d seen more than one ballerina have to make the tough choice between leaving the stage to have a child or having an abortion.

While she wholeheartedly believed in the woman’s right to choose, abortion wasn’t something she thought she could ever do, which is why she never put herself in that position.

The vision of the two moons danced in her head. She knew exactly what that meant. It had happened to Amanda, and now it was happening to her. It was fate. Destiny. She couldn’t have stopped it if she tried.

Truth be told, now that it was a reality, a warmth had settled through her body. A greater sense of purpose and love filled her soul.

“A little after five,” Darrell said.

“What are you looking at?” She scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Text messages from my mother asking how you’re feeling. Another from my second-in-command asking me if I saw the double moon.” He shifted his gaze. “He has no idea that it could be because of me and he wants to know if I know anything about it.”

“Wonderful,” she muttered.

“Oh. It gets better.” He waved his cell. “All your sisters have messaged a nice congratulations text. Not sure how they got my number, but all have mentioned that they tried to reach you last night and this morning and have asked me to tell you to call them.”

“Ugh.” She buried her face in his neck.

“Your mother and father have also reached out, but they at least had the decency to wait until about a half hour ago. They did say they texted both of us and wanted us to know breakfast would be ready no later than six.”

“At least they didn’t mention the moons.”

Darrell shifted, setting his phone on the nightstand. “Oh, they let me know they saw them. Something about how romantic the night sky was last night and that they were glad we are living and not dwelling on the black magic spell.”

“That sounds like my mother. I can’t picture my father leaving it at that.”

“He didn’t,” Darrell said. “He reminded me that I better do things his way today because he didn’t want to deal with a daughter who had a broken heart and two grandchildren who didn’t have a father.”

“Yeah. That sounds more like my dad.” She tilted her head and ran her hand down his taut stomach. It twitched under her touch.

He grabbed her wrist. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Relieving your morning tension.” She smiled, lowering her hand and gently brushing her fingers over his tip.

He growled, low and deep. “And what would you know about that?”

“I might not have had sex until last night, but that doesn’t mean I was totally inexperienced. I know things. Did things.”

He pressed his finger over her lips and scowled. “I’m well aware of how good you were at certain things.” He arched a brow. “But I never want to hear about your past experiences. I told you I am a jealous wolf. I’m serious about that.”

“I can be that way too, but I want to know something.”

“What’s that?”

“Before last night, when was the last time you had sex?”

He kissed her nose. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Yes, you are.” She sat up, letting the sheet pool to her waist.

He raised his arm, but she batted his hand away before it could reach her breast. “If you want these.” She cupped herself. “You’re going to answer my question.” She reached under the sheet and gripped him. Hard. “And if you want me to take of this. You’ll answer a few more.”

“You’re going to use sex as a weapon?”

She nodded.

“That’s just mean.” He chuckled, shifting to fluff the pillows. “Fine. But you can’t get mad at me.”

“I can if I want. Now talk, wolf.”

“That is so hot.”

Playfully, she slapped his shoulder.

He chuckled. “I thought I already told you. It was three years ago.”

Her lips parted. She’d been prepared to clamp down on her emotions. To hear that it had only been a few months ago. That he’d been taking care of his physical needs because that’s what men do.

But three years?

That was not what she expected to hear.

“Really?”

“There is no point in lying to you, especially about this.” He took her hand and kissed her palm. “Are there more questions, or can we move on? I don’t know how long I can sit here, staring at you, and not make you call out my name while I cover your mouth because you can be loud and someone might hear.”

She swallowed. “Why so long?”

He sighed. “There wasn’t anyone I wanted to be with.”

“And before that?”

“Really, Avery? Why do you want to know this?”

“It’s important to me. So please. Answer my question.”

“I don’t know. Maybe six months or so before that.” He pressed his hand over her mouth. “And before that, a year, I think. To be honest, after I saw your performance when you were seventeen, being with other women was like cutting off an appendage. It felt like I was cheating on you. It hurt my heart and it wasn’t fair to any of the girls I took out. After the last one three years ago, I figured I could live without it, and it wasn’t that hard. Actually, it was easy. All I wanted was you anyway.”

“Was I worth it?”

“I kind of wish I had been a thirty-year-old virgin.”

She laughed, ripping back the covers and exposing his naked body. God, he was so gorgeous. She’d seen men in their birthday suits before. Experienced oral sex. And she wasn’t overly shy about her body, even though as a dancer, she was about as flat as a pancake. Even so, she felt like a sexual woman. Believed she was pretty. Maybe even a little sexy in the eyes of some men.

But the way Darrell’s eyes smoldered over her skin, he saw more than her outside beauty.

He saw all of her. Every inch, inside and out.

Licking her lips, she ran her hands up his thighs, digging her nails into his solid muscles.

“I feel like a piece of meat,” he said between ragged breaths.

“You kind of are.” She leaned over, cupping him firmly, bringing her mouth to his tip. She kissed him. Softly at first. Dotting her lips up and down him while he growled and moaned.

He twisted her hair in his fist. His hips lifted slightly anytime she’d pull away.

She loved teasing him and bringing him the kind of pleasure only she could give. Parting her lips, she sucked him deep into her mouth. She took him as far as she could before easing back to the tip and repeating the motion. Slowly. But with each pass, she picked up the pace and his grip on her hair tightened.

“Avery, you need stop.”

Wiping her lips, she lifted her gaze.

“Come here,” he whispered, pulling her to his chest. He rammed his tongue inside her mouth. It was wild and reckless. Passionate and tender at the same time. His hands roamed her body, finding every spot that made her a sexual woman.

“Take me,” she projected. “I want you. Need you. Please.”

He cupped her face, fanning her cheeks, staring into her eyes with love and devotion but also a questioning gaze.

“No holding back. Show me I belong to you,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He kissed her nose. “The first few times need to be delicate.”

“I see the desire in your eyes. I feel the passion coming from your heart.” She pressed her hand in the center of his chest. “You don’t want delicate, and neither do I. That’s not who we are. If you’re hurting me, I promise to tell you, but I want you to take me the way you’ve always wanted. The way you’ve dreamed about. Fantasized about.”

He flipped her onto her back, yanking her to the edge of the bed as he knelt before her, draping her knees over his shoulders. “If you’re uncomfortable at all, you must tell me.”

“You’ll know.” She propped herself up on her elbows and watched as he kissed the inside of her thigh. His hot breath tickled her skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured before lapping at her softly.

She jerked her hips, wanting more. Demanding more.

But all he did was tease and torture until suddenly, he rammed two fingers deep inside.

She arched her back, tossing her head to the side, letting out a moan that bounced off the walls.

Reaching up, he covered her mouth. “Shhhhh. Not so loud.” He removed his hand, resting it on her breast. He pinched and twisted her nipple, tugging at it relentlessly. His fingers plunged into her heat like a rocket. His tongue flicked over her sex and her womanhood throbbed, begging for release.

“Oh my God. Darrell. Yes,” she cried out.

Suddenly, he lifted her from the bed.

“What are you doing?” She blinked. Her system was shocked by the sudden withdrawal of his hands and mouth.

“Taking you as you asked,” he said with a deep growl in his voice. He kicked open the bathroom door and set her feet on the floor in front of the vanity. He bent her over, staring at her in the mirror. His large hands covered her breasts before gliding down her stomach. “Remember what you promised.”

She nodded, trying to catch her breath, but it was impossible.

He spread her legs, positioning himself between them, all while holding her gaze. He eased into her slowly, stopping only when he’d reached his limit. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Brace yourself.”

She gripped the vanity, unable to take her eyes off him.

He gripped her hips, pulling almost all the way out, and then he thrust so hard and fast she nearly fell into the vanity. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t stop,” she managed as she planted her feet firmly on the tile floor.

He repeated the movement. Slow and methodical but powerful. It was hard and deep. It took all her strength to stay standing. But it certainly didn’t hurt. No. It was the most magnificent thing she’d ever experienced.

Her chest heaved up and down with each short, choppy breath as he pounded himself inside her with powerful strokes.

He reached around and rubbed his finger against her, bringing her even closer to the edge.

Her moans grew louder. Bolder. And a few times, he thrust so hard, her toes lifted right off the floor.

“Darrell. Oh. Yes. Yes. Yes,” she cried.

His hand clamped over her mouth just as her body shivered with the purest form of pleasure. It rolled over her like a tidal wave and it was relentless. It wouldn’t stop.

A low growl filled her ear as his climax exploded.

She slumped back into his tall, strong frame, resting her head on his shoulder, trying to suck in a deep breath, but it was impossible.

His hands smoothed across her flat stomach as he kissed her neck. “Are you okay?”

“I’m wonderful.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad.” Gripping her shoulders, he turned her, lowered himself, and kissed her middle. “We need to talk about what’s going on in here.”

“No, we don’t.” She tilted his chin with his index finger. “At least not today we don’t.”

“I might not be around long enough to see these little ones be?—”

“If I don’t get that piece of my aura back, I won’t be either.” She took him by the arms, forcing him to stand. “One thing at a time. First, we deal with the coven that did this and reverse the effects. Then we deal with the fact you probably knocked me up and that maybe, I might be able to do opening night.”

He arched his brow.

“I’m doing opening night.” She planted her hands on her hips.

“We’re having an argument in the bathroom, naked, after wild sex. Do you have any idea how hot that is?”

She poked him in the chest. “You can’t avoid this with deflection. And me dancing in the first few months isn’t going to hurt the babies.”

“That’s not my issue,” he said. “Why is Amanda living at the farm?”

“For safety reasons.”

He kissed her cheek. “I rest my case.”

“You’re so infuriating.” She stomped her foot and marched out of the bathroom. She hadn’t thought about that aspect of their situation. Or the idea that she might have to go spend the next nine months living in Vermont, hiding from crazies who wanted to kill her and her babies.

She paused in the middle of her bedroom.

Holy shit.

She was pregnant.

With Darrell Hughes’ babies.

Fucking twins.

Twins that would change the world.

Well, she did say she missed her sister, Amanda.