Thomas accepted the silent invitation, his hand closing warm over the eager orb and Inez moaned and arched into the caress, and then cried out into his mouth as he plucked at the excited nipple. She groaned in protest, however, when he tore his mouth away from hers, but then gasped and arched even more as his head dropped so that his lips could fasten on the nub he'd been teasing.

Catching both hands in his still-damp hair, she held on tightly and shivered as he alternately laved and suckled at first one breast and then the other, gasping little half-phrases of encouragement and need in Portuguese. However, her ability to speak deteriorated even as the excitement he was stirring in her built and Inez was soon merely moaning and then tugging firmly at his hair, demanding he return to kissing her.

Thomas chuckled at the silent command and raised his head to kiss her again, pressing forward as he did so that his chest and groin brushed against hers as his arms enveloped her. Inez groaned into his mouth at the a.s.sault to her senses and reached between them to catch the hem of his T-shirt and begin tugging it up. Thomas broke their kiss and leaned back, his arms rising accommodatingly so that she could remove the item, but when he started forward again to kiss her after that, she didn't let him.

Her hands were now on his chest, holding him back as she explored the muscular surface. His muscles weren't unattractively bulky, but sleek and well defined and his shoulders and chest were wide, a veritable playground for her to explore. Inez ran her hands over all that male flesh with awe, and then leaned forward to press kisses to the firm surface, before stopping to lick and nip at one flat nipple.

Thomas sucked in a breath and immediately caught her head between both hands to force her face up. His mouth then covered hers in a kiss that was hungry and carnal. Inez smiled against his mouth. Emboldened by this small success, she trailed her fingers lightly down his chest until they reached the top of his jeans. She worked blind at his belt buckle, then at the b.u.t.ton and zipper and then quickly pushed the heavy material down over his hips until the upper half of his behind was bare. Her hands stopped then for a brief foray over the taut flesh, before slipping back around to the front to find him hard and free of the enc.u.mbering jeans.

A sigh of satisfaction slipped from her mouth to his as Inez closed her hand around his arousal, and then she stiffened in surprise as a wave of keen excitement coursed through her. Thomas growled into her mouth and reached down to catch her hand and try to drag it away, but all he managed to do was draw it the length of his shaft and Inez cried out with startled pleasure as another wave of pleasure, this one larger and heavier, poured over her. Her eyes blinked open as she realized that her own cry had echoed a growl from Thomas.

Inez tried to break their kiss to ask what was happening, but Thomas wouldn't let her. He also wouldn't let her touch him again.

He forced her hand away from him and brought it up over her head, catching and raising her other hand at the same time. He then switched his hold so that he had both wrists caught in the fingers of one hand against the mirror.

Realizing how he'd trapped her, Inez tried to protest, but it was hard to do with his tongue in her mouth, and then his free hand closed over one breast and she arched and shuddered and forgot all about it as he drove her wild with both his kisses and caresses.

Just when Inez thought she couldn't stand it anymore, Thomas suddenly released his hold on her hands. Gasping with relief, she reached to wrap them around his shoulders, but he wasn't there to hold. He'd broken the kiss to travel her body with his mouth, his lips brushing over her throat, her collarbone, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and continuing downward as his hands caught her by the hips and pulled her bottom to the edge of the counter.

Gasping breathlessly, Inez dropped her hands to the counter and braced herself to keep from falling back against the mirror, hardly hearing the skitter of the cosmetics she sent skipping across the marble. Her attention was focused entirely on what Thomas was doing as his lips burned a trail over her stomach. When the path continued down over her hip, Inez shook her head and tried to close her legs, but he held them open with his hands, and even urged them farther open to accommodate his shoulders as he dropped to his knees before her.

Inez knew where he was going and what he planned to do, but still cried out and jerked in surprise as his head bowed between her legs. She may have known what was coming, but nothing could have prepared her for the shocking jolt of pleasure that shot through her at the first rasp of his tongue over her sensitive flesh.

That cry was one that seemed to have no end. It became an ululating sound that rose and fell and dropped into breathless gasps, but then rose again as Inez struggled on the counter, her hips and pelvis fighting to rise into the caress or alternately to shrink away when the sensations became too intense. She was allowed to do neither. Thomas held her in place, his grip firm on her thighs as he drove her toward the edge of sanity. When he suddenly stopped and lunged to his feet between her legs, she didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. He didn't say a word, simply slid his hand under her bottom and scooped her off the counter.

"What-?" Inez gasped with confusion, quickly wrapping her legs around his hips and catching one ankle over the other to help hold her weight as he turned toward the door.

"We can't do it here," Thomas growled. "You might hit your head on the marble or the mirror."

Inez hadn't a clue what he was talking about, she'd been in no danger of coming to harm that she could tell, but then he took a step to carry her out of the room and froze as the movement made her slide against his erection where it was caught between them. She saw his face tighten, though it looked more like alarm on his face than excitement, then his mouth firmed with determination and he took another step only to pause again as they both groaned.Shaking his head grimly, Thomas took one more step and this time she felt his shoulders ripple in reaction to the pleasure that shot through them both.

A growl of what sounded like despair and frustration slid from his lips and Thomas suddenly turned. The three steps had taken him to the doorway, his turning placed her back to the doorjamb.

"I'm sorry, this is as far as I can get us," Thomas growled as he lifted her slightly against his chest until his erection sprang free from between them.

Thinking he meant because she was too heavy, Inez felt her face flush with embarra.s.sment and opened her mouth to tell him to put her down if she was too heavy, that she could walk, but the words died on a gasp as he eased her back down and his erection pushed into her.

Inez met his gaze. His eyes were almost silver white now, there wasn't a drop of blue left in them and she suspected her own were probably black, the pupils dilated to erase the color. She knew they'd gone wide with shock at what she'd just experienced. When she'd touched him earlier, she'd experienced a shock of pleasure herself, as if he'd somehow sent his pleasure out to her, but that had stopped when he'd forced her hands away. However, Inez had just experienced it again, a wave of pleasure riding on top of her own pleasure, somehow joining and doubling it.

"I was trying to guard you from it. I didn't want to overwhelm you, but I can't concentrate enough to keep my guards up anymore,"

Thomas said through gritted teeth.

Inez stared at him blankly, not really understanding what he was talking about, but suspecting she was experiencing his pleasure on top of her own.

"Will you be all right?" he asked with concern.

Inez just stared at him for a moment and then whispered, "Do it again."

Thomas peered at her uncertainly, but then pulled out slightly and drove back in and Inez cried out and tipped her head back as another wave of their combined pleasure rolled over her.

"Again," she cried, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Thomas let his breath out on a sigh that sounded relieved and began to move. Inez soon realized that he'd still been holding back somewhat even when he'd claimed that he couldn't concentrate enough to do so. Suddenly it wasn't just one wave of pleasure with each move, but that wave rolled forward to thunder through her, receded and then poured over her again even as the next wave arrived to crash over her as well.

Inez soon felt she was going to drown in the pleasure swamping her. She couldn't catch her breath, couldn't feel the doorjamb pressing into her spine, couldn't hear the sounds she knew she was making, and couldn't even think. All she could experience was their mounting pleasure as Thomas drove into her, and then suddenly something snapped and the pleasure exploded, blowing out every thought and feeling. Inez screamed, vaguely aware that Thomas was shouting out too and then her awareness was suddenly sucked away, caught in a fiery backdraft.

It was a constant and repet.i.tive tapping on his cheek that woke Thomas. Frowning at the irritating sensation, he blinked his eyes open, the frown fading at once as he found himself peering up into Inez's worried face. "You're alive," she said with relief, stopping her tapping the moment he opened his eyes. "For a minute I was afraid I'd killed you."

Thomas chuckled, sending her bouncing about where she leaned on his vibrating chest and then he a.s.sured her, "I would have died happy."

A small smile curved her lips, but then she arched an eyebrow. "Would you mind explaining what exactly just happened?"Thomas felt his eyebrows fly up. "Well, the choo-choo went into the tunnel and-" He stopped and laughed as she smacked his chest with exasperation.

"Smart-a.s.s," she accused, her lips twisting, then looked more serious and said, "I mean the brain thing. What was that?"

"That, my dear," Thomas said, catching her by the upper arms and tugging her to lie fully on top of him, "was immortal s.e.x."

"Yes, but-Stop looking so b.l.o.o.d.y satisfied," Inez ordered on a laugh.

"I can't help it. I am satisfied." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and lifted his hands to slip them into her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he ran his hands over her head, and then down her back, moving lower with every sweep.

"Checking for wounds. You didn't hurt yourself when we fell did you?"

"I don't think so," she said with a frown. "Nothing hurts."

"Good," he murmured, his hands slowing as he reached her behind. He couldn't resist cupping and squeezing the round cheeks.

They fit perfectly in his hand and felt so soft and smooth... Little Thomas approved wholeheartedly of the foray and began to lift his head beneath her, making Inez's eyes widen.

"Thomas," Inez said in warning tones. "Don't even think about it. I want answers. What just happened? I could feel-Well, I think I might have been feeling what you were feeling. And I've never fainted in my life, but just now..." She made a face, showing her disgust for what she considered her weakness.

"I did too," he a.s.sured her, continuing on with his search.

"Hey!" Inez stiffened on top of him as his fingers slid between her legs.

"I have to be thorough in my examination," he said innocently, smiling as her eyes darkened and her breathing hitched and then settled into a fast, shallow pace.

"Thomas," she begged, squirming a little on top of him and making Little Thomas grow harder. Shaking her head, she tried to shift off of him, but couldn't, his wrists and lower arms were bands across the backs of her upper thighs. Giving up, Inez gasped, "Please. I want to understand what just happened."

Thomas stopped tormenting her and shifted his hands to her waist as he explained, "That is what it's like between lifemates. While they can't read each other or control each other's minds, they can share what they're experiencing while having s.e.x and can eventually share thoughts and feelings without speaking."

Her eyebrows rose at this news, but then she frowned and said, "You said you were guarding me from it at first. What did you mean?" Thomas hesitated, and then suddenly tightened his hold on her waist and rolled so that she was beneath him, his hips nestled between her legs. Leaning his weight on his elbows to keep the worst of it off of her, he concentrated on keeping up the walls in his mind and ground himself against her. Thomas clenched his hands as pleasure shot through him and Little Thomas grew a little harder even as Inez gasped and shuddered beneath him. He then let the walls drop and did it again, closing his eyes as both her pleasure and his own charged through him, filling every corner of his mind and body.

"Oh, Deus," Inez moaned.

Thomas opened his eyes as the last of it pa.s.sed and said, "I love it when you talk dirty."

A breathy laugh burst from her lips, and she informed him dryly, "I said, Oh G.o.d."

Thomas grinned. "No. I'm not G.o.d, but I can understand how you'd mistake me for Him after the mind-blowing s.e.x I just gave you."Inez snorted.

Expression growing more serious, Thomas peered down at her and said solemnly, "I've never had a lifemate before. I've heard about the s.e.x, though, and how overwhelming it can be. I was afraid it might scare you, so I tried to keep my guard up as long as possible. And then I realized how foolish I'd been starting it in the bathroom like that. I was afraid one or both of us would be hurt when we fainted so tried to move it to the bed, a nice soft, safe surface to faint on."

"But I was too heavy for you to carry me that far," she said with an unhappy nod.

Thomas stared at her incredulously. "What?"

"Well, that's what you meant when you said it was as far as you could get us... isn't it?" she asked uncertainly.

"Inez," he said patiently. "You saw me lift up that blond guy one-handed in Amsterdam. He had a good eighty pounds on you. You aren't too heavy for me. You aren't heavy at all."

"Oh... right," she murmured, obviously recalling the incident, but then she frowned and asked, "Then what did you mean by 'it was as far as you could get?'"

"I meant that I couldn't wait any longer," Thomas said dryly. "I was all out of self-control. I couldn't walk one more step with you rubbing against Little Thomas and driving him crazy. I-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," she interrupted with a laugh and then arched an eyebrow and said, "Little Thomas?"

"Hmm." He shifted, nudging Little Thomas against her. "He says h.e.l.lo, and wants you to know he's very enamored of you."

"He is, is he?" Inez asked with amus.e.m.e.nt and then said softly, "Well, I find him very interesting too, almost as interesting as Big Thomas."

"Do you?" he asked with a grin, and then said, "Well, that's a shame, because the smells coming from the food cart in the living room are driving me crazy."

"You can smell it from here?" Inez asked with surprise.

Thomas nodded. "Yes. And I fancy eating in the traditional immortal fashion."

"What is the-"-her question was interrupted by a gasp of surprise as Thomas launched himself to his feet, pulling her up with him. Once upright, she finished-"traditional immortal fashion?"

"Oh, that," Thomas said lightly, retrieving both of the fluffy white hotel robes supplied with the room. He slid into his own as he walked back to her, then helped her into hers before scooping her up in his arms and heading for the door.

"Thomas?" Inez prompted as he carried her into the living room where the food cart with their meals waited. "What is the traditional immortal fashion?"

"Eating it off your naked body," he answered.

"It is not!" she protested with disbelief, and then asked uncertainly, "Is it?"

"No," Thomas admitted with a grin. "But we can always start a new tradition."

He wiggled his eyebrows and leered.

Inez laughed and said, "I love-" Thomas felt his heart stutter as she suddenly hesitated. A full minute pa.s.sed before she finished in more solemn tones.

"Being with you."

That's a start, Thomas told himself, and hoped his disappointment wasn't showing. For one moment he'd hoped... But it was early days yet, everything would work out. She was his lifemate, after all, he rea.s.sured himself, and tried not to think about the fact that he'd known times when it hadn't worked out. When the mortal lifemate refused to be turned and become immortal as well.

Chapter Twelve.

"This is it."

"A terraced house?" Inez asked with surprise as Thomas urged her up a short walk to one of many such houses on a residential street in York. Her gaze slid over the stone facade and she wondered if it looked less grim in daylight. They'd caught the seven P.M. train from London, arriving in York just after nine.

"Terraced house?" Thomas asked with surprise as he looked it over. "We call them townhouses in Canada."

"But why a whole townhouse for just the two of us?" Inez asked.

"Bastien said all the hotels inside the walls of the city center were booked," Thomas said with a shrug as he removed the arm around her shoulders to take the paper out of his right hand and leave it free to knock on the door. "He thinks Aunt Marguerite, Tiny, and the Nottes will be staying inside the walls and wanted us to as well. He figures they probably had to rent a townhouse too on such short notice. That would explain why there's no hotel charge on the credit cards. Some of these places aren't set up to accept credit cards. They might have paid by check."

"Are we paying by check?" Inez asked, glancing curiously around the quiet street and wondering if one of the other townhouses on the street held Marguerite Argeneau.

"No. Bastien wired the money into the owner's account this morning."

"Oh." Inez smiled faintly as she watched Thomas knock again, wanting to brush aside the bit of dark hair that had fallen over his forehead, but not comfortable enough to do so.

She supposed that was ridiculous after the night they'd spent together. They hadn't gone to sleep until dawn, but had spent the night starting their meal, interrupting it to make love because Thomas insisted on eating portions of his off of her, and then making love again and so on. This had been interspersed with quiet moments of conversation, and Inez had learned that while Thomas had a light and carefree outer sh.e.l.l, there was a very serious and deep thinker under it all.

Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of a door opening and Inez glanced to the entrance of the adjoining townhouse as it opened and a gentleman leaned out to peer at them. He was old with grizzled hair sticking out from his head, gray stubble shadowing his wrinkled face, and half his white shirt untucked from dark trousers. He also clutched a steaming teacup in one hand.

"Tom?" the man asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Thomas Argeneau, yes," Thomas said, turning now to peer at the man as well.

Nodding the fellow turned back into the townhouse and slammed the door.

When Thomas turned surprised eyes her way, Inez shrugged and murmured, "Northerners."

"Oh," he said blankly and she chuckled softly.

"Southerners say that whenever someone from the north does something inconceivable or odd," she explained with a grin. "I haven't figured out what it's supposed to mean yet, but give me another eight years here and I'm sure I will."

Thomas smiled faintly and then glanced to the adjoining townhouse again as they heard the door open once more. Both of them watched as the man hurried out, rushing from the step in his stocking feet, clutching a piece of paper in his hand... and a key. Inez saw as the man opened his hand to offer both to Thomas.

"There's the key, son. My number's on the paper if you need aught. Show yourselves in and enjoy. I'm missing my Baywatch." On that note, he whirled away and rushed back inside his townhouse, slamming the door closed again. This time the sound of a lock clicking into place followed.

Thomas turned disbelieving eyes to her. "Baywatch?"

"We get reruns of all your best shows," she said dryly.