AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another hearty laugh filled the room. “And you have a thing or two to learn about being couth.”
“Now that is a word I know. I just have difficulty employing the concept. Particularly around an arrogant king.”
He knelt beside her. “I haven’t been so arrogant.”
“No,” she murmured as she grazed his jaw with her fingers. “Maybe that’s not the right word. Confident better suits you.”
“Not so much when it comes to you.” His heart constricted further. An odd sensation. He kissed her, then stood and toed off his boots.
She said, “This tub will take a half hour to fill, at least. So I’m just going to sit here and watch you undress, if you don’t mind. Take your time,” she added his previous sentiment.
He groaned. “You’re not making it easy for me to keep my distance.”
Jade shot him a seductive look. “I never once said that was what I wanted.”
* * * * *
Darien’s shoulders tensed. “There’s an old saying about flirting with disaster.”
“Or walking a fine line. Skating on thin ice.” She shrugged. “I know how to heed a warning, trust me. But this…”
Her gaze swept over him, admiring his sheer masculinity. Thoughts of making love with him in their dream, and then of him holding her so carefully she’d found a measure of tranquility in her otherwise besieged mind as she tried to heal made her nearly blind to the red flags.
She set the book aside and stood. Turning off the faucets, she said, “You’ll need the water pressure for your shower.”
Then she crossed to where he remained rooted, his eyes locked with hers. The cords of his thick neck drew taut and his jaw set. Her nearness did things to him, she could tell. She evoked physical responses within him as easily as he did within her. Emotional ones, as well?
By the flash of need in his eyes, she guessed so.
“But this…what?” he asked.
Mere inches from him, she gazed up at his devastatingly handsome face. He might not be a divine creation, but he was heavenly perfection.
“This attraction between us,” she said. “It’s risky, yes. But undeniable.”
Her healed palm splayed over the left portion of his pectorals. His skin was warm and smooth. Touching him so intimately sent a thrill along her spine. His large hand closed over hers, holding it against his chest. Reaching for her with his other hand, he eased her toward him.
“We’re certainly not doing ourselves any favors,” he told her.
“I can’t help it,” she said on a breathy whisper. “It’s more than just the fantasy we shared. It’s…everything. The way you look at me, the way you touch me. The way you try so hard not to upset my apple cart.”
He grinned. “You do know your antiquated sayings.”
“I like history. Maybe because my present has lacked luster, and the future doesn’t hold much potential either.”
He pulled in a long breath, then let it out slowly. Staring deep into her eyes, he asked, “What would you change? Aside from bringing back your parents, because I can’t do that. What one thing do you wish for?”
Her heart suddenly felt as though a large fist squeezed it tight. With a slight shake of her head, she said, “Nothing. I don’t believe in wishes.”
“Not even on your birthday?”
“Especially then. I stopped celebrating when I was eleven, the year my parents were mur—” She sucked in a breath. “The year they died.”
Of course, the irony and hypocrisy of being drawn to someone who belonged to the demon world from which the shifters who’d slaughtered her family derived did not escape her. Nor was she inclined to taint the moment or offend him after he’d rescued her and had done so much to help her recover.
Continuing, she said, “It took some time to convince Michael and Lisette to forget my birth date as well. It’s just another day, with one more year behind me. I enjoy history, yes. But not mine.”
He lifted her hand, bringing it to his mouth. His lips brushed over her fingers. “Do you know one of the things I admire most about you?”
