The Thing about Elves Page 6

  True, she was very good in bed and brought out the best in him in almost every situation. But would the sex be enough? He had been down that road before and the sex by itself was definitely not enough. Still, she sat in his home right this moment and that was something he had never thought about before. And he wasn’t the one who had brought her to the North Pole; she came because of Jedrick and Tessa. He didn’t have to coerce her in any manner. She had come of her own accord, for her own reasons. All along, she had made it very clear that she would like a relationship with him. Any relationship would do according to her.

  But would just any relationship do for him? She was more than great in bed, she was a partner in the medical field he loved so much, and her extreme intelligence made it delightful to be around her. And beautiful, if truth be told, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever come in contact with, including the one who had almost broken his heart. Plus, Angie had thoughts and ideas on everything. Sometimes he felt that she talked too much but at other times she was thoughtful and retrospective at just the right moment. From his point of view, she was the best of all worlds. She really was everything he had ever wanted in a woman. Why couldn’t he admit it to her?

  He knew why. He had just barely admitted it to himself and it was going to take him some time to get himself around the concept of love and everything it entailed. Then there was the past. No one ever really let go of the past because there was always some part of it that remained. He had been hurt badly and even though he knew deep inside that Angie would never purposely hurt him, he had to make very sure about this for himself. And if that meant waiting a little longer to tell her, then wait he would.

  Looking in his liquor cabinet, he was happy to find peppermint schnapps. If he would have thought about it, he would have remembered that he had put in an order so that Tessa could have some in her hot chocolate. They really were alike. He had been completely wrong about Tess and he supposed now he was also completely wrong about Angie.

  He rarely made mistakes in anything medical. But he was learning that he didn’t know enough about human nature to understand when a person spoke the truth or not. Aingeal had told him once he better learn how to read people, human people, or he’d never make a good doctor. Even his mother had told him to loosen up now and then. He wondered briefly if both were correct in their assessment.

  He was a good doctor, that much he knew his sister had been wrong at, but the part about human nature could be a very true assessment about him. That first relationship had soured him totally against love in any form. He had almost ruined his relationship with his parents and siblings till his father had showed him the error of his ways. Could it be that he had been wrong about learning to understand humans? Or that loving this one human could be everything he ever dreamed about?

  And what about his mother’s thought? Did he really need to loosen up and relax even more? He thought he handled the stress of being a doctor well. He knew the birth of the twins had been a test for him. A test he thought he had passed with flying colors. Maybe he needed to look at the scenario more closely. Sighing, he knew he had a lot of things to work out. But there would be time enough for all that later.

  Now he needed to be with Angie.

  Chapter 5

  Angie could have kicked herself. She hadn’t meant to put Ardan on the spot like that and for some reason it pinched at her heart when he didn’t answer he right away. Deep down she knew that winning him was going to be a long process and not something that would happen in a day. She had tried to be around Tessa and Jedrick as much as possible. She wanted the man to see that she wasn’t afraid of him or his lifestyle.

  She had made Tessa see that the North Pole wasn’t the end of the world at all. Angie had even had to convince her best friend that wherever the man she loved lived was where she wanted to be. It had taken some ingenuity on her part, but Angie had brought Tessa around and she just had to bring Ardan around. If that meant sex every day for weeks at a time, she would make the sacrifice. Laughing to herself, she knew that wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice. Suddenly, she realized she was quite warm and started to shed some clothes.

  By the time Ardan returned to the room with their hot chocolate, she was down to her lingerie. And what lingerie it was. She decided that morning on simple things…a cami with some lace and buttons…and some briefs instead of bikini underwear. She would tell by the appreciative look in his eyes she had made the right choice.

  “A little warm?”

  “A little.”

  “Here’s your drink. And I did manage to find the schnapps as requested. I was amazed I had the stuff at all and then I remembered that it was something Tessa liked too.”

  Rolling her eyes, she tried not to frown as she took the cup. She and Tessa were a lot alike and had a lot of the same interests. “Sorry we’re so much a like.”

  “What’s there to be sorry about? You two grew up together like sisters, did you not?”

  “Yes, we did. Her parents took me in when my family couldn’t care for me anymore.”

  “What happened to them that they couldn’t care for you?”

  Angie sighed. This was one part of her life story that she could do without. “My parents were very poor hicks, basically. They really didn’t understand me or my intelligence. They had come to Reno to find jobs and all they found was heartache. More and more I stayed with Tessa and her parents, finally her parents asked if I could stay there permanently when it became apparent to them that I wasn’t getting the proper care.” She hung her head and fingered her glass.

  “Where are they?”

  “They were in the same car accident when Tessa’s parents died.”

  “How?”

  “We were never sure but we think that her parents took them out and tried to get them to sign some papers or something. I had wanted to change my name since I was sixteen. That was when I went to live with them. But we could never get my parents to agree.”

  Ardan looked concerned. “Do you think they argued about it?”

  Sighing deeply, Angie thought for a moment and took another drink. “It’s one of my biggest fears that they caused the accident. We’ll never know for sure and Tessa never did blame me. I just always thought…”

  Ardan set down his cocoa and lifted his hand to her face. “You shouldn’t think ill of the dead. Even though there might be a chance they wronged you greatly. You must always remember they are your parents.”

  She cocked her head slightly. “Wisdom from the elf. Imagine that.” Looking down again at her hands and cup, she slowly raised tear-filled eyes to him. “I know, I need to be a little more respectful. It’s just hard not knowing for sure. The accident ruined a lot of things for both Tessa and I. And then there’s the fact they are all gone. Not just my parents, but hers, as well.”

  “Well…you seem to be well adjusted now.”

  “We were a mess after the accident. You have no idea.”

  “If it’s anything like what we see after a car accident in a hospital, I can understand about the devastation.”

  Thankful that he had changed the subject, she raised her eyes. “Where all did you work? And where did you do your internship?”

  “I went to pre-med in Alaska and med school was actually in Washington state. I did most of my internship in Alaska too, with a few months here and there in other hospitals located in Washington and I even requested some places in Canada and Scotland.”

  “Why Canada and Scotland?”

  “Because Canada has places that are even more remote than Alaska. The hospitals they put me in in Alaska were Anchorage and Juneau. Those are really small metropolitan areas. In Canada, I got the remoteness that I knew I would find here. Our nearest neighbors were an Eskimo village about two hundred miles away. I believe that it’s a research village too for some global warming indicators. I went to Scotland because I wanted to have some experience in the old world. That’s where they say all elves originated. Or so they say.”

  A
ngie shook her head. “Ah…about Scotland, that is…it certainly seems like one of the places elves would have begun. The Canada thing makes total sense too. You really have to be on your toes to work in a remote clinic like this one. You never know what you can come up against.”

  “Yeah…it’s not like I can consult a specialist and bring him or her here regarding any little thing…I have to make sure it’s necessary. But I do have a few that I consult with from time to time.”

  “What type of specialists?”

  “The one thing I did while in school was take courses in Trauma Medicine, as well as Obstetrics and Neurology. I figured if I ever got into bad situations it would be in one of those three areas. So I made sure I cultivated those relationships while I was in school, just in case I would need to consult with anyone at a later date.”

  “Yup…those would be the ones I would want to bone up on myself…seeing that they are really specialized areas. I can totally understand why you decided to get some extra training there.”

  “Where did you go to school?”

  He reached his hand out and began to caress her neck. It wouldn’t take much to turn her away from the conversation but Angie knew she was really making some headway in learning more about Ardan. She felt sure he had never really talked to anyone about this before…how, she wasn’t sure…but she just knew it.

  “University of Nevada, Reno. I started at the Community College there when I was a junior in high school. I had most of my basic classes taken by the time I was ready to go to college. Then I really pushed and was out in two and a half years. Since I was only seventeen when I graduated, I was barely twenty when I got my Bachelor’s degree.”

  “Wow. I know I wasn’t that fast with school.” Ardan looked at her with surprise and a measure of respect she hadn’t seen before in his eyes. Her heart swelled as she realized she had surprised him with her studies and how quickly she finished school.

  “Well…I had some things I really wanted to do…and staying in school any longer wouldn’t help me to reach my goals.”

  “And just what was your goal?”

  She smiled. That one was easy. “I wanted to help people. And I really didn’t care where those people were located. I’ve made arrangements with the hospital I work at to volunteer for Doctors without Borders at least six weeks a year.”

  Ardan shook his head. “I understand why you’re doing something like that. If I could do something like that I probably would but then this place would be without any medical care. Do you know, until I decided to be a doctor, this place had no medical care?”

  “I don’t understand why you don’t think you could do some volunteer work. Starting a clinic seems kinda risky to me, no matter where it’s located. How big is this community? I know I haven’t seen very much of it. I’ve never even seen the building where Tessa works. She told me about it though…she was really amazed with the atrium…and everything else there.”

  “Well…she should be…it’s an engineer’s dream. And that includes someone who’s a computer scientist. It has all the latest toys for them.” His low laughter reverberated through his very skin.

  “What made you want to be a doctor at all?” Setting down her cup, she leaned more into his hand. She really loved the feel of his skin next to hers.

  “It wasn’t any one thing. I had always helped with the animals. They had to be treated special because of their magical abilities.” He moved his hand down the front of her cami, slowly unbuttoning the top button. “Then there was the time that Mom had to leave to have the twins. My eyes were opened then and there.” He leaned forward and gently kissed the pulse at the base of her neck while pushing his hand lower in her shirt to cup her breast. “There was no one here to do what needed to be done. I’ve never known for sure, but I think my father almost lost my mother. I swore then that if I had the chance, I would change all of that.”

  His breath was warm on her skin. Where she had been cold before, now she sat warmed by the fire with a wonderful man sitting beside her, and she felt more secure and cherished than she had ever before. “Can you feel my heart beating?” she whispered, knowing that it created a slow, steady thump against his hand.

  His hand moved to cup her left breast and caressed the nipple gently. “Umm…yes…I do. It’s just a little faster than it was a moment before.” He scooted closer to her, his hand moving down the front of her lingerie to rest on her stomach. “You’re so soft here,” he murmured and continued to rub the sensitive area.

  Breathing deeply, Angie leaned closer to him. She loved the way he smelled and the way his hair fell around them when he leaned over her. She bent closer and let her lips brush his. Lifting her hands, she placed them both on his face and drew it to her. Tentatively, she kissed him and nipped at his bottom lip. This time she wanted to be in charge of everything. Her hands continued to caress his face and slowly crept toward his ears. Jedrick had never really been able to show her what happened when a woman caressed an elf’s ears. He told her that she would have to find out for herself because it was something very special between an elf and the one they loved.

  Tenderly, she ran her fingers over the lobe of his ears and up to the points. His rapid intake of breath and slight pulling away only increased her need to continue. Straddling him, she deepened her kiss and continued to stroke his ears slowly. Soon his hands encircled her waist and she felt his bulge straining against her crotch. Breaking the kiss, Ardan leaned into her.

  “Do you know what you’re doing to me?” He moaned as she continued the light touch on his ears.

  “I think so,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted to do this since Tessa told me about it. And when Jedrick allowed me to touch his ears and I had no effect, I could only think that she had exaggerated. I still wasn’t convinced last night when you warned me as I touched your ear. Now I see I was wrong.”

  Snuggling her neck, he tried to duck away from her hands to no avail. Running his tongue up the side of her neck, he leisurely explored her ear. “I’m hoping this does the same to you,” he whispered hotly.

  His hands continued their exploration of her breasts, stomach and back, each touch sending a thrill through her. Unhurriedly, he worked his way to her ass and cupped each cheek, kneading and fondling each one as if it were a precious object. “I just love your ass. It’s so round and smooth and the skin is as fine as porcelain.” He rubbed and squeezed her for a few more moments before moving one hand toward her cunt. “God…you are so wet for me…your body shows me just how much it wants what I have to give.”

  Angie breathed deeply and forced him to look at her. “You bet…this is what I’ve waited for all day…I’ll want this forever.” She didn’t care if she had made a major mistake by telling him, he needed to know how she felt. Opening her mouth, she moaned softly and leaned back slightly. Still her one hand moved on his ears and with the other, she reached for his chest, loving the feel beneath her fingers. His fingers brought her new sensations that she had never experienced as he began to rub and finger her clit. Straining forward, she kissed him savagely, thrusting her tongue into his mouth to war with his but only briefly before she broke contact.

  Pushing him to his back, she slid to one side while keeping one leg across him. Jerking his pants open, she pressed the fabric to the side, exposing his now burgeoning penis. The large purple head engorged and she saw a drop of precum on the end. Leaning down, she rubbed her tongue over him, taking in the slightly salty taste of the liquid. “I won’t ever get enough of looking at you and your body. You are huge,” she said softly, taking in his size once again.

  “I believe I made that comment last night.” His breathing was labored.

  “I know…I could feel you…and when I saw you this morning I couldn’t believe it. But no matter, you are still a sight to behold.”

  “As are you,” he stated as pushed her cami out of the way. “I want this off.” Stripping off her top, he also made short order of her bottoms.

  “I hope I’m al
lowed the same request. Considering you have more clothes on than I do, I hope I won’t inconvenience you too much.” Without much difficulty, she leisurely unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his body and enjoyed what she saw. Since she already had his pants undone, it was just a matter of getting them out of the way. Soon, she had a better look at him than she had even this morning, long of limb, with just the right amount of muscle and a rock hard penis pointing right at her. He had very little body hair which she found very intriguing. That trait seemed to be much like the Indians and Eskimos. Leaning over, she began to caress his chest and body with both hands and mouth. Laving his nipples, she chuckled when she heard his sharp intake of breath. She wanted to know every one of his erogenous zones.

  Angie reveled in the fact Ardan softly moaned with each and every touch. She wanted him more than moaning, she wanted him writhing from her very touch. A slow heat stirred in her and she wanted to share it with him. Briefly, she wished she had been the one with the magic qualities because she would be using them right now to heighten his pleasure. Still, she had qualities of her own she wanted to use, like knowing just where to touch a man, her elf-man, in all the right places.

  She lifted his balls and leaned over to taste him. The skin had a slightly musky odor and salty taste as she laved first one then the other of his testes. Gently sucking, she pulled one of the almond-shaped balls into her mouth, rolling it along her tongue and lightly across her teeth then continued on the other.