His confident arrogance should
have irritated her. Instead, she admired it. She'd never found
followers to be particularly appealing, yet had never seen
an alpha leader in action before.
Except her father, and that had been a long time ago.
There was nothing wrong in fighting for what you really wanted.
It was the way of her people, and it was her way. She'd done
battle and taken her war to the very edge many times. Giving
up had never been an option.
"Do you have a family, Katya? Husband,
children?"
Family. Her throat constricted and she
pushed the memories aside. "No. My parents are both
dead. I have no husband. Although I have a rather large.extended
family. And you?"
"My parents live in Boston. I have
three brothers and a sister, and a lot of extended family
members here and there."
"That must be nice."
"I take it you have no siblings,
then?"
"No. None at all." Loneliness
surrounded her, the memories thickening in front of her eyes
like the evening fog.
Conner moved in front of her, forcing her gaze away from the
mountains onto him. His eyes were like the sky in the winter.
Crisp, cool, and utterly mesmerizing.
Her mind screamed danger, her body warmed
so fast and so hot she thought of taking off her coat. This
physical reaction
to Conner was unnerving and unexpected. She had to keep her
distance from him. "I think we've talked enough tonight.
I'm very tired."
She turned to walk away, but his hand shot out and grasped
her upper arm. Despite the chilled night, heat burned through
her coat and layers of clothing. Unfamiliar urges washed over
her. Arousal, desire, want. The need to mate had never reared
up before, but primal urges pummeled her.
Why now, and why with this man?
"You're a woman of great mystery,
Katya. I like that."
Her throat went dry and she fought to swallow past the lump
forming there. She had no experience with men, didn't really
know how to handle a sexual attraction that had materialized
out of nowhere. He stood so close to her that if she inhaled
deeply her breasts would brush his chest.
The thought of rubbing her nipples against his naked chest
nearly sent her to her knees. She fought to still the trembling
of her limbs. A deep need to feel the contact of skin against
skin, fur against fur, enveloped her. She began to perspire,
suddenly too hot for all the clothing she wore.
"I love uncovering a mystery. How
about you?"
She fought for words, anything to break
the spell he'd woven over her normal sensibilities. "Mysteries
can be dangerous."
He nodded and pulled her closer, wrapping
his arms around her waist and drawing her against his body. "I
like dangerous. Do you like dangerous, Katya?"
Her body screamed yes. She wanted danger, wanted to strip
off her clothing and run as far and fast as she could, hoping
that Conner would give chase.
She wanted the challenge, and the reward at the end.
She wanted him.
Desires like that could be perilous. "There's
no place for danger in my life, Conner. We have a business
relationship
and we should keep it at that."
He paused, his hold on her loosening.
But then he shook his head, smiled and said, "I don't
think I want to. Do you really want to keep your distance
from me, Katya?"
With utter fascination she watched his mouth draw ever closer
to hers.
By the time his breath caressed her cheek, her lips had parted
and she was ready for him. When his mouth descended gently
but firmly over hers, her world shattered in a million pieces.
His tongue parted the seam of her lips and slipped inside,
gently probing. She sighed, shivered, and melted in his arms.
