by Eden Robins
Chapter Fourteen
Eric got lost in Sabrina’s beautiful green eyes. His world shifted and his body tightened in response to the desire burning bright in his gatita’s gaze. Her lips parted and she let her head fall back, exposing her vulnerable neck. He was tempted to dip his head and take a little taste of her.
But he didn’t.
Not outside. Not in front of her house. They needed to go inside—now. Eric turned his little cat and lifted her into his arms. Cradling Sabrina against his chest, he carried her to the door then let her slowly slide down his body until her feet touched the front porch. He heard her breath hitch in her throat. He knew how much he was affecting her because she was affecting him just as strongly.
“Get your keys out,” he ordered softly.
“What?” Sabrina asked. Her voice was soft and the look in her eyes was unfocused, glazed with passion.
“Your house keys. Take them out of your purse,” he repeated, a little more loudly this time.
Sabrina frowned as if she couldn’t understand his words but then her expression calmed and she smiled softly.
“Of course. My keys,” she said, looking through her handbag. She found what she was searching for, holding them up for Eric to see. “Here they are.”
“Thank you, little one.”
He smiled gently down at her.
Eric held her against him as he opened her front door with his free hand. She snuggled against his hold, pressing her body lightly against him. Satisfaction, triumph and male pride filled him. And one thought filled his mind as the door opened and he guided Sabrina inside.
MINE!
The thought was primal, possessive and very predatory. But it hit everything on the head. Sabrina was his. She belonged to him. She had from the first time they’d met then started dating. And she still was his today. Eric knew that deep down. He knew she was his to take, just as she was his to take care of. He would protect her and keep her safe—and not just because he had been paid to do it. He loved Sabrina. He would care for her because she was his to protect. She was part of that small tribe of people he called his own. For them he would do anything. And somehow Sabrina had managed to find that place among his people. Eric closed the door behind him and immediately turned Sabrina into his arms. Bending his head, he captured her lips. They were soft and pliant and the minute his mouth touched hers they clung to him, as if that was where they belonged always. He deepened the kiss, taking her breath into him, tasting her sweetness on his tongue. Sabrina parted her lips and he didn’t hesitate. He pulled her tighter against him and delved between her warm lips.
Sabrina sighed into his mouth.
He groaned in pleasure.
It was so right between them. It had always been like this. As if they were two parts of a whole. Each a puzzle piece that only fit together perfectly with each other. Sabrina felt like she belonged in his arms. Like she had always belonged there. And he had always searched for that.
Eric pulled away slightly. Unease spread through him. This was what had happened the last time they were together. The feelings she brought out in him were strong. So strong they made him want to turn and run. Women weren’t supposed to make him feel this way. They were about sex, fun and occasional companionship. That was it. No emotions, no long-term commitments, no this.
He was a dragon slayer. He had no business bringing anyone into his life. It would only endanger that person.
But she’s a dragon. She’s not a normal mortal.
The thought rushed into his mind. It filled his thoughts. It brought his world to a standstill. She wasn’t just a human. She was a dragon. She knew about his kind. She knew about the paranormal world. She knew the dangers.
But she doesn’t know what you are, the voice inside taunted him.
Eric broke the kiss then gently pressed Sabrina’s head against his chest and ran his fingers through her silky raven tresses. It didn’t matter that she knew the paranormal world or what he had to face being part of it. It didn’t matter, because once she knew exactly what he was she would be long gone.
He was the killer of her kind. She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him once she knew the truth. It would be over then. And he would never see her again. He was a man who liked to win. It was just who he was. And most of the time he did win, but this was different. First of all, did he even want to win? Did he want Sabrina to be his for always? Did he want to wake up each and every day to see her beautiful face beside him?
Yes! Damn it, yes!
The answer came through strong and sure, without one ounce of doubt. The thought of making her his, spending his days with her, filled him with satisfaction. But he wasn’t really asking the right question here. More importantly, Eric should be asking whether or not Sabrina would take him.
Troubled, Eric released her and stepped back. Her eyes remained closed and her face peaceful, as if she hadn’t yet realized his actions. Slowly her eyes fluttered open. Her intoxicating green gaze almost brought him back to her. She was so appealing in that moment. Slightly dazed, her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes half closed. She looked like a woman well-loved. His body tightened and the urge to touch her almost became unbearable. Instead of listening to his instincts, he took another step back, crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze, studying her with his eyes.
“You need to get ready for your dinner at your parents’.”
He kept his face calm and unreadable even as Sabrina studied him searchingly. She was looking for something in his eyes. He wasn’t sure what she wanted to find, but he maintained a blank expression.
“This dinner is important to you. You don’t want to be late, do you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow inquiringly.
His words woke her from her stupor. Gaze widening, she gasped. “The dinner party! I need to get ready now!”
Swinging around without another word, she dropped her purse on the entranceway table and rushed up the stairs. She stopped right before reaching the top of the stairs and looked back at him over her shoulder.
“I’ll be a bit. Are you going to change?”
Eric looked down at the clothes he had worn all day. “Do I need to?”
Sabrina smiled then. It was that secret smile that women sometimes have. It was mysterious and sexy and he knew it had made men over the centuries wonder what exactly they were thinking. Her gaze ran slowly down his body then back up again. He felt himself get hot and hard all over again.
When she once again met his stare her eyes were bright with desire. “Though I’d prefer you without any clothes, I think you should probably change into something a little bit more dressy.”
Eric’s mouth hung open at her statement. But before he could get a word in, Sabrina turned, ran up the remaining stairs and disappeared into her room. Her sweet behind was the last thing he saw before he heard her slamming door.
Then her words finally registered in his head.
Had she just said she preferred him without any clothes?
No way.
No frickin’ way.
Sabrina couldn’t have said that. She wouldn’t have said that. Not to him.
But she had.
He couldn’t stop the satisfied smile that slowly spread across his face.
So she wanted to see him naked? Hmmm. Interesting. He would tuck that little bit of information away for a later time. In the meantime, it was satisfying to know that his gatita appreciated his body.
Sabrina leaned her head back against the door.
She hadn’t just said what she thought she said.
Had she?
It was as if the words just spilled out of her mouth of their own volition. She hadn’t meant to say them. But as her gaze ran down and then back up Eric’s body, she couldn’t help herself. The faded jeans he was wearing were just snug enough to accent his strong thighs and, well, his other “manly attributes”. Sabrina felt a blush climb up her face. His “manly attributes” had been a curiosity to her for quite some
time. In fact, while they had dated she had actually had many a fantasy about just that.
The fact that the black T-shirt he wore clung to him like a second skin hadn’t helped matters either. His hard, muscled chest, flat abs and strong arms drew her gaze. And once there, she had to finish the trip, didn’t she? She knew she had devoured him with her eyes, but couldn’t seem to help herself. And then the words, well, they had just flown out of her mouth.
If she hadn’t been so horrified by what she had said, she probably would have enjoyed the almost comical expression on Eric’s face. His mouth had dropped open and his eyes had widened in shock. It had almost been worth saying what she had just for the sight of that expression.
But then there was the follow-through. There was always the follow-through. Her words opened up a field of play that hadn’t been explored yet since they had reunited. And now she didn’t know if she wanted it open. Things had gotten a little hot and heavy between them, but not to the point that both of them knew it could reach. The attraction was there, potent and so strong it was almost tangible.
Now she had cracked the door open to explore that attraction to a point that hadn’t been touched yet.
Sabrina released her breath in a heavy sigh, only then realizing she had been holding it. Nothing could be done about her words now. She had said what she had said. She would just have to deal with the consequences of that when and if they happened.
At the moment she had more important issues to deal with. She needed to make this evening a success. Her parents had invited influential elders in the dragon community to this dinner so she would have the opportunity to spread the word about her book and help those somewhat opposed to it see her side of things.
She needed to keep her mind on that. It was important. More important than seeing Eric without clothes. She knew that on a rational level yet her mind kept wandering to him while she got ready for the evening. Even as she made the last finishing touches to her makeup, Sabrina couldn’t stop thinking about the hunky man who had once meant so much to her.
And she knew she had meant something to him. Despite his nonchalance, despite his outward appearance, she had known she had mattered to him. She’d never forget the conversation they’d had one day after a spending a lazy afternoon strolling around the Phoenix Zoo. It had been a day filled with laughter, talking and cuddling.
At one point they had sat on a bench by the lake and talked about their pasts.
Eric had turned away from her in one moment and looked out over the lake. His stare became far away, as if he were caught up in memories from long ago, but then he had brought himself back and swung his gaze to her.
“It amazes me, you know,” he’d said, his face suddenly serious and somber.
She’d frowned in confusion, glancing out at the lake for a minute then back at him. “The lake?” she’d asked.
He’d smiled then, but it had never reached the sadness that suddenly filled his eyes.
“No, not the lake. You, Sabrina. It amazes me that despite the fact that I’ve been around for this long and known a good amount of women, I’m experiencing things with you that are brand new.”
His words had left her breathless and silent. They had been so unexpected, so surprising, yet at the same time so completely and obviously genuine. She had gotten to know him well enough that she knew he didn’t spout off platitudes on a whim. The few times he had talked about his feelings had been completely authentic and from his heart.
So she didn’t take his words lightly. And as they spent more and more time together, more would occasionally come out. He would verbalize his feelings for her, but he most often expressed his feelings through his actions. They way he touched her with such tenderness and caring. The way he looked at her. The way he talked about her to others with such pride and admiration in his voice. It had affected her so deeply.
And so Sabrina had thought she had known where they stood. She had thought that what they had mattered and was meaningful. She had thought Eric cared deeply for her and she had grown to love him in a way she never thought possible. She had let down her guard a little and basked in his love. She had just started to feel safe with Eric when he dumped her like a piece of trash on garbage pick-up day. She shuddered just thinking about the cold emptiness and fear that had filled her on that day. The endless loneliness that had struck deep inside her and seemed to spread out before her into forever. She had gotten so wrapped up in her and Eric’s life together that once he was gone there had been a big black hole inside her that she thought she would never be able to fill.
Yet time passed. And with the passing of days and months, Sabrina came to realize her part in her and Eric’s demise. She acknowledged her own reluctance to giving Eric all of herself, including revealing what she truly was. She had held herself back from him and only toward the end, when it was too late, had she started to open up. He had sensed it, even commented on it once or twice, but she just couldn’t let go. Old habits are hard to break.
Despite this, despite taking responsibility for her part in their failure, her pain still remained very strong and intensely real. But, as so many say, time heals all wounds. She wouldn’t say that her wounds were necessarily healed, but they had been bandaged over so well that eventually there were long stretches of time when she hadn’t even thought about Eric. And the times when she had, her thoughts had become less and less emotional and more and more objective. In other words, life went on, as it always does.
Why couldn’t she keep Eric in that part of her brain where he belonged? The part that kept the past in a kind of a passionless place, with little emotional value. Where it held little more worth than any passing thought. That’s where Eric belonged. That’s where his body belonged and that’s where she needed to put and keep him. Maybe if she did that, she would be able to get through this with her heart intact. Maybe she would be able to survive and go on with her life once this was over.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
She was sick of that word. No more maybe, no more try. She would do this. She could do this. She needed to do this.
By the time Sabrina left her room she had made up her mind. She felt good about her decision. She felt strong about her decision.
Her decision blew apart into a million pieces the minute she walked into her living room and saw Eric.
I love him.
The thought hit her hard and fast. It felt so right, so true, as if her heart itself was telling her the way it was.
Eric stood as she walked in and his eyes lit up as he slowly scanned her from head to feet. Once he made his way back to her face and met her gaze with his she felt singed. His stare was hot and intense and she finally understood what friends meant by the term “making love to me with his eyes”.
And it wasn’t just him doing the looking. Sabrina couldn’t help but run her gaze over him. He had changed into tailored charcoal slacks and a short-sleeved black sweater. The material stretched across his wide shoulders and chest and her mouth almost watered as she imagined running her fingers over his skin beneath the shirt.
The thought of her friend Ruben looking at a man and calling him “fi-ine” came to mind. Eric definitely looked “fi-ine”. In fact he looked more than fine, he looked downright handsome and irresistible.
She wanted to close the distance between them then and there and kiss him, but instead said what she could.
“You look really nice.”
Eric smiled then and her breath caught in her throat.
When he smiled, he always reminded her of a very sexy, very mischievous pirate. Kind of like Johnny Depp in The Pirates of the Caribbean. The twinkle in his golden eyes and the long scar running down one side of his face only added to that picture.
“Thank you, gatita. You look quite lovely also,” he said. His words were soft and low, sending tingles up and down her spine.
Sabrina had chosen a coral-colored button-up silk blouse and black twill slacks. The blouse had a ruffled V-neck and the pant
s were a classic, pleated style. She felt the outfit gave her an elegantly feminine look while still carrying a professional air, and the colors were a perfect combination for the evening.
“Shall we go?” he asked, holding his hand out toward the front door.
“Sure,” Sabrina said, trying to keep her voice neutral, trying to keep the desire and emotion from her voice. Brushing past him, she caught the subtle scent of his cologne. It was spicy, clean and mysterious, yet all male. Just like Eric. She tried not to inhale too deeply, but the smell was intoxicating.
The ride to her parents’ house was torture.
The scent of his cologne teased her unmercifully and the heat from his body seemed to spread across the front seat to her. She was burning up inside. Glad that Eric was driving, she clenched her fists tightly on her lap. She would not give in to the desire to touch him.
She used to always touch him when they drove. She would stare at his beautiful profile until she couldn’t take it anymore then reach across and caress the back of his neck. Eventually her fingers would sneak up to his hair. She’d loved running her fingers through it, and she’d known Eric enjoyed it by the soft rumble that emanated from his chest. It had been almost like he was a great cat purring from her touch.
And there had been times when her touch had been too much. She remembered coming home from one of their many trips up north. They had been driving for about an hour and Sabrina had been touching Eric on and off from the moment they had left the charming bed and breakfast. Sabrina’s hands had started out caressing Eric’s neck, but then she’d somehow ended up with her hand running slowly up and down the inside of his thigh. She should have realized that she was teasing him too much, but she couldn’t stop herself. Each time she let her fingers skim closer and closer to the center of his thighs, and as she did so he would suck in his breath sharply.
She had been surprised when the car swerved slightly. It was then that she realized Eric had taken an unfamiliar exit from the highway. Looking at his face, she’d seen his jaw clenching and unclenching. He must have felt her surprised gaze because he’d swung his eyes toward her for a moment.
