Nexus

by C. L. Parker

  She stepped through a slim opening between a pair of overgrown bushes and found the path had led her to a small clearing. Just ahead was what looked like an entrance to a cave, only the cave had been formed by dirt, foliage, and an entanglement of trees with trunks that had been twisted and knotted until they formed a domed canopy. Tiny buds of wildflowers in purples, yellows, whites, and pinks bloomed in patches across the hollow mound covered by thick, vibrant green grass. The entrance was covered by a thick layer of hanging vines like a beaded curtain from the sixties. She wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but the place was big enough that she halfway expected to see seven pervy dwarves emerge with pickaxes thrown over their shoulders and Snow White sending them off to the jewel mines with a wave and a very satisfied smile.

  A rustle of leaves and a snap of a twig to her right shook Tori from her disturbing musing and she whipped around in that direction. She remained perfectly still, watching and listening with her senses on high alert.

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” The only answer was the sound of her voice echoing back.

  Her first instinct was to be on guard against the demons that liked to spring out at her in her dreams. For whatever reason, they couldn’t harm her, but they got a kick out of seeing the look of horror on her face when they scared the living daylights out of her. Only he wasn’t there, so she couldn’t have been dreaming, which meant the demons couldn’t have been lurking either.

  Tori’s heart pounded in her chest, a steady beat that increased in ferocity and accelerated with fear of the unknown. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a little gray bunny dashed away from the same spot where the sounds had originated and darted into the mound.

  It took her a moment to calm her nerves, and then she couldn’t help but scoff at the irony. “What is with this place? I guess now I’m Alice in freaking Wonderland? No way am I following that bunny into the hole.”

  As she spoke, a rumble of thunder resounded across the sky. She looked up and then put her hands on her hips in aggravation. “Really? I’m in the middle of nowhere here! You can’t cut me a break?” The gray clouds above opened up in answer and began to pelt her with fat dollops of rain, showing no mercy.

  “Great. Just friggin’ great. Let’s go to London for the summer, Tor,” she mimicked her mother’s voice. She huffed as she eyeballed the opening of the mound in front of her and weighed her options. She could catch her death of cold and make the hike back to the Dickenses’ or take temporary shelter until the torrential downpour passed. Neither seemed very appealing, but she wasn’t going to have the chance to make the decision for herself anyway.

  All of a sudden, the loud roar of a motor pierced through the sound of the falling rain. She couldn’t tell which direction it came from because the noise seemed to bounce off every surface around her like a pinball machine. Louder and louder it got while Tori spun in a circle in the center of the clearing, trying to anticipate where it would come from and what the hell it even was. The trees became a blur with each dizzying spin, but the rumbling of the motor grew almost deafening. In the next instant, a black blur streaked out of the brush and something hit Tori so hard her feet flew out from under her and she was knocked to the ground. Before she could register the sopping wetness of the grass on her cheek, everything went black.

  Tori clawed her way back from the void of her unconsciousness. Her whole body vibrated with energy, something she had never felt before, perhaps a residual side effect of a deep slumber. She could smell the distinct aroma of earth and rain and hear the soft crackling of a fire burning amid the steady trickle of water on water. She opened her eyes, attempting to regain her bearings, but through her hazy vision nothing looked familiar. What she saw was a campfire smoldering in the center of a pile of rocks, but she couldn’t remember having gone camping, although she recalled having been in the woods. She shifted her weight for a better look and was startled to find herself lying on a feather tick that was on top of an elevated bed of foliage. Shock sobered her and she could finally make out the plush pile of blankets that surrounded her. She moved again and clearly felt something heavy draped over her side while something warm was pressed to her back. Tori slowly lifted the blanket and glanced down her body, finding a masculine arm wrapped around her . . . naked waist.

  She gasped and sat up, a throbbing pain instantly assaulting her temple. She grabbed her head and then turned to look behind her. When she saw a man’s form rousing from his sleep, she scrambled to the corner of the bed, getting as close as she could to the makeshift wall of trees behind her. The man’s groggy eyes parted minutely and then widened when he saw her. With an equally startled quickness, he jumped up onto his hands and knees with one hand raised in a defensive manner.

  “Wait, wait, wait . . . this isn’t what it looks like,” he said in a thick British accent. It was smooth and rich like caramel, but even so, no way was she anywhere close to believing him.

  “Stay away from me! I swear if you so much as breathe on me, I’m going to kick your ass! And I can do it, too!”

  He laughed, but she was having a really hard time figuring out what was so damn funny.

  “Calm down, killer, I haven’t and won’t do anything to you.” It wasn’t until his eyes raked over her seductively and a hint of something wicked tugged at the corner of his mouth that she remembered she wasn’t fully clothed. “Unless you want me to,” he added with his brow raised.

  “Not gonna happen, pervert!” Tori reached for a blanket and yanked it, nearly knocking him off balance when she pulled it out from under him. “Who are you, and why am I naked?”

  “I am your knight in shining armor, and if you’ll examine yourself, you’ll find that you’re still wearing your knickers. That’s certainly not my definition of naked, but if it’ll make you feel better, you can always strip those off, too. Promise not to look.” The lopsided grin he gave her said he would most definitely look . . . and touch, too, if given the opportunity.

  She pulled the blanket out and peered down at herself, finding her panties and bra still in place. Then she looked back at him. The sparse candles flickering throughout the room gave her just enough light to make out some of his finer features. His rain-dampened dark brown hair curled in loose waves over his forehead and accentuated the dark lashes around vibrant blue eyes speckled with bits of brown. Small golden hoops decorated his earlobes, which brought attention to a thick neck collared by a matching gold chain. His chest was bare, smooth skin tightly stretched over taut pectorals and well-defined abdominals.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “And why are you naked?”

  He sat back on his haunches and looked down at himself as well, then pulled the waistband of his black boxer briefs out before letting them retract back with a snap. “Calvin Klein would disagree with you.” When Tori rolled her eyes, he cut the shit. “Look, you were wet and cold, not to mention unconscious. It’s not like I could ask who I should call, or where I should take you. When you started shivering,” he shrugged, “I figured the fastest way to warm you up was by body heat, so I lent you mine. Judging by the way you snuggled into me, I don’t think you minded one bit.”

  Unconscious? Tori searched her memory, and bits and pieces of what had happened before she woke came back: the pull down the path, the clearing and the mound, torrential rain, a roaring motor, and a black blur. Pain shot through her head again and she touched her temple.

  “What happened?”

  He averted his eyes and scratched his head. “I might have hit you with my motorbike, but to be fair, I didn’t exactly expect you to be standing in the middle of my clearing.”

  “Your clearing? Isn’t this a public park?”

  “Partially, yes. That big, open space with all the benches, sidewalks, and merry-go-rounds you had to walk through to get to the trail? That was the public park. My family donated a section of our land to the good people of London for their enjoyment, but everything beyond the fence is private property . . . as hinted at by the ‘No Tr
espassing’ sign that I know to still be posted there. You’re American and you obviously speak English, so I assume you know how to read the language as well?”

  Tori blushed at his accusation. “I’m sorry. I just had to see what was back here.”

  “I can’t say I’m bloody happy about that, but not much can be done about it now. Not another living soul, aside from me, has ever been here before. This,” he said, sweeping his arms wide with evident pride, “is all mine, and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep what you’ve seen to yourself.”

  Tori took a good look around. The outside of the mound was made up of all natural growth, as was most of the inside, but the interior of the structure was manicured in such a way that it looked like it had been manufactured instead of grown. The pieces of furniture scattered throughout the expanse of the open space were hand-carved from wood, and the flooring was composed of smooth slate rock intricately cut and placed so that each piece fit together perfectly like a giant puzzle. In the far back corner of the room, there was a small pool of water that looked to be deep enough for wading. Steam rose from its surface like boiled water that had been set aside to cool.

  “It’s a hot spring,” he said, noticing her interest. “People pay an ungodly amount of money to wade in man-made springs at spas, and I have nature’s finest right here for my very own personal use.”

  Temporarily forgetting she had awoken in the arms of a stranger while both of them were half-naked and still remained that way, she had to satisfy her curiosity. “I’ve never seen anything like it. What is this place?”

  “It’s called a fairy mound.”

  Tori arched a brow. “Aren’t those only supposed to be in Ireland or Scotland or wherever?”

  “Normally, yes, but I built this myself.”

  Uh-huh, yeah right. Tori was skeptical of that part. It would take years for the natural growth process required for such a feat to occur, not to mention a serious talent for gardening. “You built it?”

  His answering smile held a secret. “You might say I have a green thumb. What’s your name, Angel?”

  “Don’t you think I should be wearing clothes before formal introductions are made?”

  He tilted his head and regarded her, his smile replaced by a smoldering in his eyes. “And what if I prefer you like this?”

  Tori narrowed her eyes. Just because he whisked her away to some fairytale abode, it didn’t mean he had swept her off her feet to the point that she would just run around half-naked for his ogling pleasure. She threw the blanket off and crawled past him to climb out of the bed. If he didn’t want to hand over her clothes, she’d just find them herself. She made no attempt to cover herself as she walked around the room. Let him enjoy the view, because it was going to be the last time he ever saw that much of her skin.

  Seeming to read her mind, his long body stretched out on his side with his head propped up by his elbow so that he could watch her. He offered no guidance, but Tori didn’t need him to point out her clothes. It was only one room, for Christ’s sake. She found them in the most logical place, of course: by the fire, hanging to dry over what looked like a hitching rail used in old western movies for cowboys to tie up their horses. She grabbed her shirt first and pulled it over her head.

  “Well, now you’ve gone and ruined the fun, Angel.”

  “My name is Tori, not Angel,” she said, shoving her arms through the sleeves. Then she took her pants, finding they were still somewhat damp, but put them on anyway. As she did so, she gave the stranger an expectant look. “Well?”

  His gaze made another long sweep over her body and then settled on her face. “I think Angel is a much better suited name.”

  Tori huffed in exasperation, but decided to let it go. “And?”

  “And what?”

  This guy was really starting to get on her nerves. The bedroom eyes, seductive expressions, and Adonis-like looks might work on most girls; in fact, they might even think waking up in his arms was like a fantasy come true, but Tori wasn’t like most girls. Given her position of sorts, she couldn’t risk being in the company of someone she didn’t trust implicitly while all alone. It would only take one slip of her guard for something reprehensible to take advantage of her and gain the upper hand. Although, she had to admit that her Guardian senses weren’t alerting her to any danger at the moment. Still, it wasn’t proper to be caught in such a predicament as she was without at least knowing the guy’s name. Okay, so maybe she didn’t know his name and they had played kissy-kissy since her fourteenth birthday, but he had never seen her down to her bare essentials either.

  “I told you my name, so this is the part where you tell me yours.”

  Mystery Guy finally climbed his half-naked ass out of the bed and stalked toward her slowly. It was then that Tori really got a good look at his height, as well as his other assets. She blushed, never having seen that much of a man before, but she was still pretty sure his size in that department was an exception to the norm. He stood at over six foot with the build of a track star, but he didn’t exactly give her the impression that he was an athlete in the traditional sense. No, his aura gave off vibes of a bad boy rock star with undercurrents that hinted at graceful nobility—such a contradiction, but there all the same.

  He stopped only inches from where she stood. The slow and steady burn of his gaze gave Tori the impression he was mere seconds from sweeping her into his arms and carrying her back to bed just to undress her all over again. Tori’s heart pounded so loud in her chest she could hear it drum in her ears. It should have made her feel uncomfortable—after all, she didn’t know him from Adam—but it didn’t. Instead, his close proximity gave her a sense of comfort, like nothing could penetrate the safety of the bubble that seemed to encase them in that moment. Waves of electricity pulsed through the small amount of space that separated them, something that was familiar yet alien at the same time.

  Tori’s mouth went dry when he leaned down to whisper in her ear. He was close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body against her skin without actually touching her. For just a split second, she actually thought she might close the distance to remedy that fault, but quickly came to her senses—what little was left of them.

  His breath was hot against the shell of her ear, her own breathing coming to a near halt at the sensation. “I could tell you my name, but what would be the fun in taking away the mystery? Something tells me that you’ll drive yourself insane trying to figure out that bit of information, which means my presence in your mind will be a near constant, and you’ll most definitely come back here for a visit. I rather fancy the idea of that.”

  Tori swallowed hard, her eyes transfixed on the smooth skin of his long, muscular neck. “I won’t be back.”

  He pulled away and looked into her eyes. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a panty-dropping smirk. “Yes, you will.”

  The smug, egotistical bastard.

  “Won’t you feel like quite the fool when I don’t?” It was a statement, not a question. She took a step back because his close proximity wasn’t exactly promoting rational thought. “I have to go. I’d say it was a pleasure meeting you, but obviously the pleasure was all yours.”

  She turned to walk toward the exit, but his hand was suddenly on her wrist stopping her. A jolt of something stimulating shot through her, the hum from the point of contact spreading throughout the rest of her body. Tori tried to pull away, but he maintained his hold. When she looked up at him, she could’ve sworn she saw the color of his eyes flare with a brightness that had not been there before. They were back to their normal shade so quickly she knew it must have been a trick of the candlelight glowing around them.

  He tilted his head to the side and gave her an inquisitive once-over before wetting his lips, his teeth languidly scraping over the bottom one. “You’re a curious one. Very curious, indeed.”

  “What?”

  He shook his head and turned her loose before grabbing his pants to dress as well. “The rain ha
s passed, but it’s dark out. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  Tori let out a huff of ironic laughter. “All the way back to the States?”

  He chuckled, and it was probably one of the sexiest sounds Tori had ever heard. “I hardly think my Ducati is equipped with floatation devices. You’re here on holiday, then? Where are you staying?”

  “With some family friends. Um, Royal Oak Square? It’s just outside the park. I can find my way.”

  He paused as he slipped the shirt over his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Is that so? I know the place. Very posh neighborhood, but you’ll still have quite the hike to get back. Unless you fancy yourself trekking through the woods in the dark . . .”

  Tori set her chin defiantly. “I’m not scared.” The words were out far too quickly for them to be believable.

  Apparently, he found that humorous because it was obvious he was trying to hold in his laughter as he fastened his pants and then bent over to get her shoes. After handing them to her, he grabbed his enormous motorcycle boots and began to heft them on over his socks. “I believe you, Angel. Still, I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I allowed you to go traipsing off into thick underbrush that you’re not familiar with in the pitch-black of night, now would I? Never know what might be lurking in the shadows at such a late hour. I don’t know how your American blokes do things, but here in England we very much believe in rising to the task of assisting a damsel in distress. I won’t have your injury, or even death, on my conscience.”