Pretending to have her head together, she decided to keep up the pretense hoping it would eventually become reality.
She took a deep, steadying breath. Big mistake. His scent swirled around her like tendrils of smoke that made her want to inhale him. No candy-smelling man here. He was clean and musky. Almost spicy. Definitely all male. His hands still played at the base of her skull. The slight, rough texture of his fingers moved across her neck, tangling in the curls with a brush, brush, brush as he rubbed back and forth. The sensations combined on her skin and sent a buzz straight to her brain.
Blazes, her senses were on overload, but she stuffed them deep down inside and painted on a calm, confident expression. The shifting angle of RuArk’s head and the barely noticeable stiffening of his spine told her he’d noticed her withdrawal, though she hadn’t physically moved a muscle.
She took a step back at the intensity of his gaze. He closed the distance and enfolded her in his arms, his intentions clear as he lowered his head.
Oh blazes, he was kissing her again. Stole her thoughts, her very breath, swept her up in a torrent of want just as quickly and effectively as when he’d kissed her the first time early this morning. And she was honest enough with herself to admit she liked it. He held her tight against his chest and plundered her mouth with teeth and tongue until she kissed him back with such fervor there was no way they would make it to dinner.
Rhia lost herself in the taste and feel of him, sliding her hands down the lean lines of his body, taking in his masculine scent. Sweet grass and sage. She’d always liked sage. A growl sounded in his chest when Rhia leaned into him, reluctant yet honest in his wanting. She moved her mouth slowly, yet hungrily beneath his—needing, demanding more without words. His response to her touch was a welcome surprise. Good to know she wasn’t the only one knee deep in the unexpected.
RuArk’s eyes darkened from their gray hue to a deep molten silver. Lips slightly parted, he looked absolutely dreamy. He stroked her cheek and spoke, his voice a deep growl.
“I can envision going to bed and waking with wearing this same expression, your body wrapped around mine. Long legs draped over my longer ones.”
Her body heated instantly.
Whoa. Who would have known that sexy talk would flip her switch like this?
His firm flesh beneath her fingers was such an aphrodisiac, Rhia had to force herself to separate mind from body just to regain a bit of control. She couldn’t recall feeling such frantic craving for a man. Ever. Her mind splintered as his kisses became endless, sweet, erotic nips as he slowly, very slowly, released her.
Rhia jumped at Joan’s quiet ‘uh-hem’. Her body language solidified into the upright Blademaster again when she noticed two others standing with her best friend.
Turning to their audience, Rhia said sweetly, “Please, excuse us for a moment?” Grabbing RuArk by an elbow, she tried to lead him away from the others and back into her apartment. He crossed his arms over his chest again, his legs firmly apart.
“Will you come on?” she ground out, her lips tight, and the set of her jaw even tighter when RuArk didn’t budge. With effort, she swallowed the sigh she wanted to release with all the dramatic ability she possessed. “I need to speak with you a moment. Please.”
He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “All you had to do was ask in the first place.” His voice was even, though one side of his mouth lifted in amusement as he pulled away.
The wall lock clicked and the door slid open. The second it closed again, Rhia found herself backed up to the nearest wall.
When he released her, her lip sheen was non-existent and her breathing, erratic and deep. Each pull of air into her lungs sent a zing down to her sex that caused the traitorous organ to dance around in her underwear like it wanted to get out. Hell, she guessed it did want to get out after waiting so long for a man that actually got under her skin. But now wasn’t the time for this nonsense. Even if it was filled with lots of ‘feel good’.
Besides, she was supposed to be mad at RuArk. How dare he and her father decide her life for her. They had no right to force her into a marriage by playing on her honor.
They couldn’t make her... Damn. It wasn’t working. Her temper simply wasn’t cooperating. It was too interested in how gently he touched her. He was careful not to push too far, too fast, one hand playing around her waist and the other teasing the skin just beneath her jaw.
So much for being pissed off. In fact, she was getting annoyed with her ‘mad’ for not showing up when it was supposed to. Mad was all she could think of to help stiffen her spine, to resist the ultimate loss—of herself.
Easing past him and away from the wall, she stalked further into the room, then stopped dead in her tracks. What the hell was she doing? Moving closer to a bed in the same room with RuArk was so not smart. She was sure she looked crazy backtracking, but who the hell cared when one’s sanity was at stake?
“Do you have to kiss me like that? Twice in one day you’ve practically eaten me in front of that scarf wearing woman, and now in front of my best friend and some guy I’ve never even met.”
◊ ◊ ◊
Still standing near the door, RuArk leaned against the wall—he seemed to be doing that a lot lately where Rhia was concerned—and said nothing as the bright intuitive light in his mind flared on. His feisty, blade wielding beauty was embarrassed by her reaction to his touch. He filed that knowledge away and pressed his advantage.
Moving slowly and purposefully closer, he let his intentions flare in his eyes, let his gaze take on a dangerous glint as the lines of his face tightened with determination. At this moment, he was the Wind Storm. Predator. Hunter. And though he still couldn’t believe it, mate.
When he was almost within touching distance she raised her hands, palms out, and braced her feet firmly apart as if to ward him off.
Pffft. As if.
He snorted, then laughed outright at her annoyed frown.
“You are my mate, Rhia. Thankfully, I am drawn to you. I am not totally out of control, but it is a close thing. Keep my hands to myself? I have no wish or will to do so.” His fingers slipped up and over the soft skin of her arms. “As a warrior, it is a difficult thing to admit to any woman, even my own.”
“Well, I want you to stop touching me until I get used to this marriage business.” And then he heard the words drift across his subconscious, ‘Because I lose it every time you touch me.’
He took a moment to process what she’d unknowingly let slip, then said, “I would gladly grant whatever you request...”
The triumph left her eyes, though she smiled anyway, probably because she’d won.
“... Except for what you just asked of me.”
Rhia’s brows snapped together and the grin was wiped away by a clearly frustrated sigh.
“You’re just being difficult. Nothing new, that,” she grumbled.
“What? Would you rather I dislike you? Not be attracted to you? Be disgusted by you? Woman, does that even make any sense?”
Of course it didn’t make sense, but he knew she certainly wasn’t going to admit it.
“We’re late for dinner and the last thing I want is my father to walk up on me being eaten by a Gaian warrior in the hallway.”
Gods, the visual her words created was absolutely sinful.
“Eaten by a Gaian warrior? I can’t find a single thing wrong with that particular thought.” He knew his expression was beyond wicked as he stepped toward her again. “Would you care to...?”
“Oh, hush. You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Are you sure?”
“Okay, time to go. And definitely time to change the subject,” she snapped as she walked to the door, opened it, turned and said with as sweet a voice as he’d ever heard her use. “Can we go to dinner now? Please?”
“Was that so difficult to say?”
“You have no idea.”
Oh, but he did.
Back out on the landing, he was gl
ad to see his companions speaking comfortably with Joan. “Rhia, please meet Linc and Sharyn, my First Commanders.”
Rhia stuck her hand out in greeting and flashed a genuine smile to Linc. But when she turned to Sharyn, she extended the same greeting she’d given Linc, but her body language was altogether different. If Rhia’s voice got any cooler or her back any stiffer she’d break into pieces.
RuArk wondered what that was about for as long as it took Rhia to start down the stairs. The lovely view of her backside knocked away the concern and his eyeballs tracked every movement, even as his heart began to engage.
◊ ◊ ◊
Joan hoped that Rhia’s unspoken jealousy about Sharyn’s role in RuArk’s company would fade now that the two women had been formally been introduced. The other woman’s rank as First Commander would certainly explain why she was always with him, day or night. Unfortunately, the wispy thing she called clothes looked exactly as Rhia had described as she’d sat on Joan’s couch soaked to the bone. While Rhia was prone to wear skimpy outfits too, even Joan had to admit that Sharyn’s clothes were blatantly sensual.
Tonight the woman’s shimmering jewel green sarand or saland or whatever it was called, floated about her body like the mists at the bottom of a waterfall. The rich color set off both her deep golden skin and jet black hair. Her bedroom eyes were deep brown and angled up at the corners like an exotic cat’s. Just like Rhia’s.
Turning her attention away from the other woman, Joan concentrated fully on Linc. He was just as vibrant as when she’d met him in the stables not more than a standard hour ago. Yet, he seemed... different somehow. He’d been all business then, not even telling her his name. Now he had a ready smile and his unusual hazel-green eyes sparkled when he was into mischief or teasing RuArk. But his easy humor in no way made her think he was a fool. Fools were not First Commanders. Period.
Linc made his way to her side and took her hand through his arm as they walked toward the large hall for the evening meal. Joan waited for her cheeks to heat with blushes, for his nearness to send her wits into the ether, and was a bit perplexed when none of that happened. No breathlessness. No zing. Nothing. Perhaps she’d imagined her reaction to him earlier.
Joan smiled up at Linc, disappointed that her heart didn’t race. Strange. It had practically galloped out of her chest when they’d met the first time. “So, you decided to join us for dinner after all?” she asked.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I’m glad. When we spoke earlier I didn’t get your name.”
“When we spoke earlier?” Linc said, bemused.
Joan tilted her head and smiled, puzzled. Perhaps he had a short memory or something? She knew it couldn’t be a case of mistaken identity because there couldn’t possibly be another man on the planet like this one.
“We’re just meeting for the first time, I’m sure,” Linc continued. “I would not forget skin such as yours. It reminds me of the fragrant beans we grow at home.”
“Beans?” Joan scoffed, tilting her head again. She knew one of her platinum brows had shot up a good inch. She could hear Rhia giggle at the comparison. Joan thought about kicking Rhia in the backside for laughing as Linc explained.
“We grow coffee and cocoa beans in the fertile foothills of my province. You have tasted Gaian chocolate perhaps?”
“No, I don’t believe I have.”
“The fragrance is one of a kind.” His voice was smooth and seductive. She looked up and gasped at the heat in his eyes, now a smoldering emerald green.
“And it makes the most delicious chocolate. Dark, rich and creamy. It melts in your mouth, in fact.” He leaned in closer. “It will melt all over your fingers if you hold it in the palm of your hand.” Towering over her, he breathed deeply, inhaling the fragrance of Joan’s hair. “I can almost taste it,” he whispered for her ears alone. Joan’s mouth dropped open.
His words conjured such wicked pictures in her mind, she blushed to the roots of her curly blond hair. Surely her cheeks were some shade of purple. Draeman women were in no way demure about their sexuality, but goodness, his talk was far more erotic than anything she’d heard lately.
But still, no butterflies or squirrely stomach. Realizing she must have mistaken her attraction to this man when she’d seen him earlier, she quickly changed the subject to one of her favorite topics—horses. As she chatted, Linc’s gaze locked on something just over her left shoulder and stilled. Expression distant, as if he listened to something no one else could hear, looked for something no one else could see. Then his brows drew taut and his expression cleared. The strange look was there for only a few seconds, and if she hadn’t been watching him so closely Joan would have sworn she’d imagined it.
They almost ran into Rhia’s back when she came to a screeching halt and then turned to face them.
“Rhia, what is it,” RuArk asked softly.
“I-I’m not sure,” she said “That was just weird.”
“What?” they all asked at once.
“I’m sure it was nothing. Let’s get into the hall. I’m starving.”
“Rhia?” RuArk pressed.
Expression thoughtful, she said, “It was the strangest thing I’ve ever felt, like someone had brushed close by, only it was in my head like an echo or a shadow. Not like the prickly feeling I get when there’s danger. Now that I think about it, I felt something similar when we were, uh...” She paused. “When we met earlier in my father’s office.”
Joan knew that what she’d left out was the whole kissing part of that particular meeting in the High Counsel’s office. Perhaps her good friend had simply been zapped senseless by the man’s sexuality.
“Don’t worry about it. Right now there’s simply too much going on in my life right now to worry about a few chills, RuArk.”
RuArk obviously wasn’t moved by Rhia’s attempt to brush off whatever she’d just experienced. Joan bit back a smile when her friend attempted to change the subject.
“Do you know that when you’re pissed, your speech switches back and forth between Draeman common and that old fashioned dialect I remember your father speaking when I was a child?” Rhia asked.
RuArk glared at her.
Okay, so he wasn’t being distracted.
“I’m fine, RuArk. Seriously.”
Joan glanced toward the others in their party. Sharyn wore what Rhia had described in confidence as the woman’s serious-as-usual expression, and it clearly said that she didn’t believe Rhia for a second. Too bad. Joan knew that Rhia didn’t care in the slightest.
“We’re going to be late. Let’s get moving,” Rhia said.
Ignoring the questioning looks of those around her, Rhia turned her attention to the hallway. The carpeted runner muffled their footsteps as they approached the dining hall. The noise of the gathering reached her ears long before they ever reached the wide-open double doors. The reason for the gathering stung, but was quickly washed away by the buzz of excitement pouring out of the room.
The positive vibe was strong, all because people had come to see this powerful man who walked calmly next to her. Part of her wanted to preen because he was technically hers. The other part of her that didn’t appreciate the circumstances still wanted to kick him in the balls.
Chapter Twelve
Their party of five entered together and were greeted by escorts who smiled and chatted as they led them to the gigantic table at the front of the room.
Tonight, the chandeliers and sconces were turned up high until the iozene gas-filled orbs cast a shimmer on everything, making it all brighter than usual so the splashes of color stood out in vast relief. Red and burgundy runners graced the tables. Potted evergreen trees with their light green spiky needles were strategically placed around the room, and their complimenting displays of greenery on each table sported little cream colored cones.
Now that they had the ability to bioengineer almost anything, they could make the most luxurious-looking objects and
not feel guilty about it since the costs were minimal. The high table was an example of that. Made to look like the texture of wood, the top of it was a lovely shade of light brownish-pink that reminded her of the shells down near the southern shores at Harbor Station. Polished to a lustrous sheen she almost hated to eat on it, it was so beautiful.
Everything else was white, compliments of Draeman stone. With the exception of the gold accents along the top and bottom, the walls were white, coated with a clear substance that insulated yet let the natural color of the stone show through.
The High Counsel rose from his seat at the center of the high table and greeted them as RuArk was directed to the place of honor at his right hand, with Rhia next to him. Linc sat on the High Counsel’s left and Joan at his side. Sharyn didn’t sit or talk, but took up a position behind RuArk, surveying the growing crowd and closely watching the ambassadors from the neighboring provinces of Maine and Balear as they were seated.
Though the hall was huge, meals here were typically small fairs with just Rhia, her father, the commanders of the Society of War along with the top ranking members from the Society of Physics and Space, all talking about the usual events of the day or upcoming collaborative projects for new weapons or gear. Tonight, so many encroachers came to preen in front of the High Counsel’s special guests that extra tables had been brought in just so the usual diners could have seats at all.
Rhia ground her back teeth—all of the Council of Seven had come. Dressed in the typical Draeman tunic and trousers done in silks and velvets in the colors of their Societies and Houses, they strutted into the hall with the sigils of their colonies practically plastered across their foreheads. Pushing through the throng, they seated themselves strategically among the guests at the high table. Their only goal was to wiggle their way into discussions with the visiting ambassadors on behalf of their individual colonies. Blasted parasites.
Rhia gave RuArk a nudge and subtly motioned with her eyes for him to follow her line of vision. Well, they quietly agreed on one thing—nothing was more annoying than jockeying nobles. Perhaps the false rumor that he’d come to sign new trade agreements paid off too well.
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