Page 58 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Right.” He chuckled. “And coming here was just a jobfair.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed as she climbed off the bed. “What the hell does thatmean?”

He reached out and grabbed her arm, gently pulling her to him. As soon as she was pressed against him, her mind went blank. There was nothing in her world except him. The heat in his body seeped into hers, and Tara could feel something inside of her reaching for him, needing him, desperate for him. Her breath quickened as she pressed closer to him. She wondered if he could feel her heartbeat as it pounded painfully in her chest. Her eyes held his stare, afraid if she looked away he’ddisappear.

Tara watched as Elias licked his lower lip. She’d love to say that she didn’t close her eyes and moan, but that would be a big, fat lie. “What are you doing?” she asked, hoping to break thetension.

“I’m showing you why I know this is inevitable,” he said, his voice filled with a possessive growl as he leaned his head toward hers. “Does Tucker make you feel like this? Does he make your heart race or rob you of your breath?” Elias trailed a finger down her spine, and Tara leaned into the touch. “Does he make you crave histouch?”

Her eyes opened when she felt his forehead against hers. His breath on her face was incredibly intimate as they breathed each other in andout.

“Does he make you wonder what he would taste like if he pressed his mouth toyours?”

Tara couldn’t speak. Her senses were so overwhelmed by Elias. He was everywhere, arms around her, hand running up her back while the other trailed a finger down her cheek and across her lips then down her neck. When she licked her lips, he closed his eyes and groaned as if he were inpain.

“You tempt me, luv. Like no other has, you tempt me to just take you, damn the consequences.” He didn’t pull away, and his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “I’m not going to kiss youtonight.”

Tara was pretty sure her puppy had just been kicked because everything in her deflated. She hadn’t even realized that she wanted him to kiss her. He must have noticed her face fall because he smiled, clearly happy with herreaction.

“You wanted me to kiss you, didn’tyou?”

When she didn’t answer, but instead tried to look away, he held her chin so she was forced to keep eyecontact.

“Don’t be embarrassed, little bear. If you knew how much self-control it’s taking me not to ravage you, you’d definitely kick me out and tell me not toreturn.”

“I doubt that,” she muttered under herbreath.

Elias pressed his lips to her forehead, giving her a lingering kiss. That touch, though simple and quite innocent, would be a moment she knew she would relive over and over. “You need to get some rest. And when I do finally kiss you, I’d like us to not have to worry about getting caught by your fostermom.”

He stepped back and his arms dropped, but he grabbed one of her hands and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm and then closing her hand into a fist. “Make it clear to Tucker that he’s out of therunning.”

A brow rose on her face she put a hand on her hip. “What happened to not having the right to tell me to stay away fromhim?”

“I changed my mind. You’re mine regardless of the fact that we can’t be together yet. Your poem was spot on, luv. You don’t look at him like you look at me. You don’t react to him the way you react to me, and you sure as hell don’t want him to kiss you, or you wouldn’t have let something like a little miniature earthquake stopyou.”

He headed for the window and pushed it open. Tara bit her lip to keep from blurting out something like “Please come back tomorrow,” or worse, “Can I have your babies?” She had to draw the linesomewhere.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he climbed out and then turned to face her. “I’ve only got two more days with you before I have to go to another job. I don’t plan to share you with anyone for those two days. Saturday and Sunday, luv, you’remine.”

The window slid closed soundlessly and he was gone, leaving her standing there confused, elated, and turned on. Now, he was an ass for a different reason than being rude and evasive. Tara flung herself back on her bed. “Holy crap.” She groaned as she covered her eyes with her arm. She had not seen any of that coming. One second, he was all, “We can’t be with one another,” and then the next, he was all, “You’re mine, don’t breathe other dudes’ air, grumble, grumble.” She was exhausted from her own emotions, not to mention dealing with Elias’s intensity. Her eyes closed and, before she knew it, she was soundasleep.

Chapter 16

Elias stood on Tara’s front porch after having watched over her house all night. Tucker hadn’t been there, but two other acolytes had been. Elias had tried to ask them why they were watching Tara’s house every night, but they wouldn’t speak to him, and Elias couldn’t engage them unless they were actively doing something to threaten Tara. So, he’d simply watched them watching the house. To say he was tired was an understatement. He needed sleep, but he refused to waste any time he had left with her before Jax made him leave. He understood Jax’s reasoning. His mentor was afraid Elias would do something stupid like tell her about what she was and that they were soul mates and that he wanted to take her away, marry her, and have Nat Vent little babies. Bloody hell, he neededsleep.

Elias shook his head and mentally chastised his magic because he was pretty sure that was the part of him that was conjuring up little magical children as if they weren’t a huge responsibility and energy-sucking little shites. “Pull it together, mate,” he growled to himself as he finally knocked on thedoor.

A few minutes later, a beautiful, sleepy Tara opened the door. He smiled as he looked her up and down. She was dressed in jeans hugging her figure and a thin sweater hanging off one shoulder. “Did you get up and then go back to sleep?” he asked her and then glanced at his watch. It was only eight in the morning. How early had she gottenup?

She yawned and then nodded. “I woke up at five this morning and was just wide awake. So, I got dressed, but then around seven, I just crashed. I wasn’t expecting you this early.” She motioned for him to comein.

Elias followed her and closed the door behind him. He trailed behind her, watching the sway of her hips. Tara had no idea how attractive she was. She didn’t have to try to be sexy or sensual. She just was. In the kitchen, she pulled eggs, tomatoes, bacon, and bell peppers from thefridge.

“Are you hungry?” sheasked.

“Are you offering to cook a meal for me?” Elias leaned up against the counter and crossed his arms as he watchedher.

“Only if you eat omelets. That’s what I’moffering.”

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