She sighed and snuggled against him. The sky was getting lighter. They’d been driving for hours. They’d have to stop somewhere soon. She yawned and closed her eyes.
It seemed as though only a couple seconds had passed before she heard someone gently calling her name. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Luther. The sunlight cast his features in stark relief. He was so handsome, his face all harsh planes and angles, emphasized all the more by the shortness of his hair.
“You’re so pretty.” Wait, did I say that out loud? She heard someone laugh and blinked to clear the fog from her brain. She’d fallen asleep at some point but was still so incredibly tired.
“You’re the pretty one,” he told her as he lifted her from the back of the vehicle. His parents were nowhere in sight. Oscar was patiently waiting by the SUV.
“Go on inside,” Oscar told them. “I’m going to hide the vehicle.” He pointed to a detached garage. “The rooms are soundproofed, and there’s canned and frozen food in the kitchen. Help yourself to whatever you need.”
“What are you going to do?” Luther asked.
“I’m going to get in touch with my contact, get something to eat, grab a quick shower, and sleep. There’s a security system set up for the house and perimeter. If someone comes, we’ll get some notice.”
Victoria leaned her head against Luther’s chest and studied Oscar. He looked as tired as she felt. It had been a long twenty-four hours for all of them.
Oscar got back into the SUV and drove toward the garage, and Luther carried her into the house. She didn’t even suggest he put her down and let her walk. She was honestly too tired. The adrenaline, which had carried her so far, was now making her entire system crash.
She had no idea where they were and didn’t really care. They were safe for now and together. That was all that mattered. Or she’d thought that was all that mattered until he carried her through the door to find his parents waiting for them.
“Put me down,” she ordered. Now she was embarrassed, especially when she could tell his mother was trying hard not to smile. His father was staring at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“No.” That was it. Just no. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh at Luther’s audacity or smack him. Maybe both. “We need to eat,” he announced. “I’ll cook.”
“We’ll cook,” Victoria corrected him. She could manage to stay awake long enough to whip up something in the kitchen.
“How about we all pitch in and get things done,” his mother urged. Katherine touched her son’s arm. “I still can’t believe we’re all here and free. I keep expecting to wake up and discover it was all a dream and I’m still back in that horrible place.” A single tear slid down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, my love,” Sergei murmured as he slid his arm around her waist. The love he felt for her was overwhelming in scope and touched Victoria’s heart. “It’s over. Our son and little Victoria came for us. Although she’s not so little anymore.”
Luther carried her to the kitchen before finally setting her back on her feet. She slipped off the blanket and draped it over a chair before zeroing in on the coffeepot. She prayed there were coffee beans or ground coffee somewhere. She began opening cupboard doors and found an unopened can on her first try. “Yes.”
Luther laughed. “Let me open that for you.” He dug around in the drawers and came up with an opener. By the time she had a pot of coffee brewing, Katherine had a dozen steaks on the counter, along with potatoes she’d found in a covered bin. Victoria wasn’t sure her stomach could handle something so heavy after not eating for so long. She rummaged around and found several cans of chicken noodle soup and opened them.
It felt odd to be working alongside other people in the kitchen. She was used to living and cooking alone, when she cooked at all. Oscar joined them but seemed content to simply sit and watch the rest of them work.
In less time than she could have imagined, they were sitting around the table eating. There was little conversation, as they were all starving. She tried not to stare at the amount of food Luther and his father packed away. She managed two bowls of soup before she was full.
Head drooping, she listened with half an ear to the conversation. She’d never been part of a family meal, at least not that she remembered. It was nice to be included, even if they weren’t really her family.
Luther pushed back from the table. “I’ll clean up later,” he told them.
Oscar waved them off with a yawn. “I’ll take care of it. I set the security alarm, so you can sleep in peace.”
When Luther stood by her, she pushed back her chair. “Um, good night.” It was actually morning, but she didn’t know what else to say, especially to Sergei and Katherine since she was heading to a room with their son.
“Rest. We’ll talk later.” Katherine offered her a smile.
Victoria walked down the hallway until she found a bedroom. Luther shut the door behind them. All sound was immediately blocked out. She slipped off the shoes she was still wearing.
Luther whipped the sweater over his head, exposing his bare chest. He was barefoot. The store hadn’t carried footwear big enough for Luther or his father. She had no idea what they’d do about that, but she was too tired to care.
She sank down onto the bed and sighed.
Luther brushed his hand over her head. “Thank you.” His heartfelt words made her sad. She was overemotional due to stress and lack of rest. She’d be fine after some sleep.
She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “I’m going to get a quick shower.” She still felt dusty and dirty and didn’t want to sleep like that.
“Okay.” Luther left her and disappeared into the attached bathroom. Water began to run.
Victoria shoved herself off the bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. She was stiff and sore all over from the building collapse. Luckily, she hadn’t sustained any real injuries, only some bumps and bruises. Luther had protected her from the worst of it. She’d be fine in a few days.
She blinked several times, suddenly more alert when she saw Luther standing there stark naked, his sweatpants on the floor. It shouldn’t be possible, but he seemed even bigger naked than he did when he was fully dressed. He was also very aroused and doing nothing to hide it.
“Um, I can wait until you’re done.” She turned to go, but he wrapped an arm around her and reeled her in.
“I’m going to shower with you. It’s quicker and will conserve water.”
“Is that the only reason?”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “I also want to make sure you don’t collapse in the shower.”
“Oh.” So much for thinking you wanted me wet and naked.
He leaned down and nuzzled her temple. “It’s also a good excuse to run my soapy hands all over your body.”
A new sense of awareness buzzed through her, temporarily driving back the fatigue. She knew she’d crash at some point, but right now, her blood was sizzling.
“That’s so…giving of you.” She couldn’t believe she was teasing him. After everything they’d been through, everything they’d survived, Victoria wanted to taste all the good that life had to offer. And that started right here and now with Luther.
Luther eased her torn blouse over her shoulders. “It is giving of me, isn’t it?” He tossed the soiled garment aside and went to work on her pants. The suit wasn’t salvageable, and she was done with them. She wanted to wear casual clothes, jeans and fuzzy sweaters and funky shirts.
Not that she had any clothing, other than what Oscar had purchased for her, or even ID for that matter. Everything was gone. She sucked in a deep breath and shoved all the worries aside. There would be time enough to start dealing with all of that later.
Now was for her and Luther.
When he had her stripped to her bra and panties, he paused and waited. She knew he wouldn’t continue without her encouragement. She reached behind her back, undid the hooks of her bra, and let the garment fall away.
In spite of having a building collapse on him, he didn’t seem to be bruised anywhere, but she needed to make sure. “Turn around.” She made a spinning motion with her fingers until he complied.
He held out his hands at his sides and turned slowly, letting her look her fill. “I’m perfectly fine,” he assured her.
He was that and then some. He was tall and strong and unabashedly male.
Then this big, powerful man went down on his knees in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat when he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties. Ever so slowly, he peeled them down her legs. She stepped out of them, leaving her naked.
She’d hidden from people her entire life, but she felt no such desire now. Luther knew all her secrets, just as she knew his. They were both physically and emotionally stripped bare.
Luther leaned inward and placed a kiss on her stomach just below her navel. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He stood and guided her beneath the heavenly hot spray. She closed her eyes and let the water cascade over her. She needed the heat, but most of all, she needed to wash away the past. It was done.
She had no idea what the future would hold. All she knew was that she was going to make love with Luther before she went to sleep.
…
Evan Caine stared at the remains of his former compound. It was all gone. All of it. There wasn’t a chunk of concrete or a sliver of steel remaining. It was both chillingly terrifying and tremendously exciting.
The power dragons possessed was unparalleled, and he wanted it for himself. It wasn’t fair that those dumb creatures had such strength and abilities when he was forced to deal with the failings of a human body.
Of course, his body was stronger than most due to years of ingesting dragon blood. But that was coming to an end. And he laid the blame all on Herman Temple. He wished Herman were still alive so he could kill him again. If he hadn’t come searching for dragon blood, none of this would have happened.
Herman had allowed his own dragon to die and had lost another one he’d had in his sights. Now Evan’s dragon was gone. He had some blood stored using various methods. It would be interesting to see which of the samples, if any, were still potent. He would be a living experiment.
“Sir.” One of his men stood patiently beside him. “What would you like us to do?”
There was nothing they could do. He’d have to report this to that bitch Karina Azarov. She was head of the Knights of the Dragon and had spies everywhere. He didn’t doubt that she’d already heard about this debacle.
“Wait by the car,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir.” The man withdrew to give him privacy as he pulled out his phone. It was answered on the second ring.
“Evan, I heard you had a little trouble.”
Only Karina would call losing a dragon and a billion-dollar facility a little trouble. “Nothing I can’t handle. This was all Herman’s fault. He was surrounded by traitors.”
“So I heard. Are they all dead?”
“Doubtful. I imagine the humans are, but the dragons would have survived.”
“Dragons.” He had her attention now. “More than one?”
“Why, yes. Didn’t you know that Herman was actually employing one of them?” And that was a revelation. It had taken some brass balls to infiltrate the Knights of the Dragon. Caine admired Luther Henderson even as he was formulating plans to capture him.
“How is such a thing possible?” she demanded.
“Not my problem. I’ll be taking over Herman’s businesses to offset the cost of losing this compound. He owes me.”
“Does that mean you’re moving to New York?”
Karina had her primary residence in Boston but had spent the last few months living exclusively in her New York home. “For the time being, but only until I can start rebuilding.” Let her think he was down. He had another facility just like this one ready and waiting for such an occasion. His people were already moving in and setting things up. It paid to be prepared.
“Such a shame.”
In spite of her bitchiness, he liked Karina. Like him, she didn’t pretend to be anything other than what she was. Anyone who didn’t see that deserved whatever befell them.
“Any idea where to find your missing dragons?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he tossed back.
She gave a deep, throaty laugh that stirred his lust. No denying she was a beautiful woman. “I’m busy looking for my own.”
“Still looking for Varkas?” That was the dragon that had managed to give Herman the slip before he could capture him.
“I’m always looking,” she shot back. “You take care of yourself and call on me when you get to the city.”
A command if he’d ever heard one. “I look forward to seeing you.” He ended the call and gave one final glance at the space where he’d lived and worked for most of the past two decades. Then he turned his back and walked away.
He hadn’t gotten where he had by looking back.
He’d already sent a team of lawyers ahead to New York to start the process of taking over Herman’s assets before Karina got her hands on them. It was easy enough to forge documents showing Herman had sold his businesses to Evan. He had copies of all the financial documents Herman had brought with him, had faxed them to his own people during their meeting. He was secure there.
But he wasn’t going to New York. Not yet. There was still something that needed his immediate attention.
“Is it activated?” he asked when he reached the car.
“Yes, sir.”
Evan smiled as he slid into the vehicle. “Where are we headed?”
“Arizona, sir.” His bodyguard replied.
Evan signaled the driver, and they pulled away. He always planned ahead, and it had served him well over the years. He knew a dragon’s body would reject a foreign object, but a human’s body was different. And the tracker he’d had inserted into the back of Katherine’s neck was still transmitting.
Chapter Eighteen
Water flowed over Victoria’s satin skin. Luther wanted to lick every drop from her body. She turned under the spray, and he caught a glimpse of bruises on her back. He frowned and ran his fingertips lightly over the dark marks.
“How badly do they hurt?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Not so much. I’m mostly stiff and sore.”
Which meant she needed to rest and take it easy, not have him try to get her into bed. Strangely enough, as frustrated as that thought made him, his overriding impulse was to take care of her.
Her hair had come unpinned hours ago, and she’d roughly braided it. Now he got to do what he’d wanted to from the time he’d first met her. He unwound her hair, letting the silky tresses glide through his fingers. Dust drifted to the shower floor.
“What are you doing?”
“Washing your hair.” He reached for the shampoo bottle and squeezed out a dollop. “Duck your head under the water for a second.”
She blinked several times, seeming more bemused than anything, before she did as he asked. He rubbed the shampoo though her hair, massaging her scalp and soaping all the way to the ends.
“That feels good.” She gave a little sigh and let him take care of her. That told him just how exhausted she must be. She clung to her independence like a lifeline. “No one has ever washed my hair for me.”
“Never?” He carefully combed his fingers through the wet mass before guiding her back beneath the spray to rinse.
“I guess someone must have when I was a child, but I don’t remember. It was cut short when I was a kid. Easier to take care of.”
“But you grew it out.” He loved her hair. The suds slid down her arms and back. It wasn’t easy to wash such long hair in the shower. There was a
bottle of conditioner on the built-in shelf, so he used that, too. Anything to allow him to keep touching her.
“As soon as I left the orphanage. I always wanted long hair. People think it’s difficult to take care of, but it’s actually easier. Cheaper, too. No salon visits, except a trim twice a year, and I never have a bad hair day.”
No, she didn’t. She always looked classy and put together. He much preferred her like this—relaxed and natural. With the conditioner rinsed away, he grabbed the bar of soap and lathered it between his hands.
“I can do it.” She started to reach for the soap, but he shook his head.
“Let me.” He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I almost lost you.” Now that they were safe and alone, all his worries came crashing down around him. He pulled her into his arms and held her so close he knew he might be hurting her, but he couldn’t seem to release her.
He felt the tentative glide of her hands around his waist, and then she was hugging him back. “I was so worried,” she whispered.
He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Me, too.”
She slowly looked up at him. “You didn’t seem worried.”
He cupped her face in his hands. She was so delicate, but so strong. “I could have lost you.”
He kissed her, unable to wait any longer. He knew he should be taking care of her, not rushing her into anything when she was bruised and exhausted, but he needed this, needed to taste her lips, to hear her heart pounding, to feel the sharp bite of her fingernails digging into his back.
They’d made it. They were alive. All of them.
He glided his tongue over hers, teasing, encouraging. Not that she seemed to need much encouragement. She was aggressive, staking her claim on him. He liked that.
Her breathing was ragged when she pulled away. “What are we doing?”
“Whatever you want to.”
…
Victoria was finally warm. The hot water and Luther’s touch had driven out the chill that had clutched her for hours. And he’d washed her hair, making her feel cared for and protected.
She loved kissing him. He was so masculine, so big and rugged, but his lips were soft, his mouth so hot and inviting.
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