"He's all charm and looks great, but he's dangerous. I've seen a few men like him, and they explode into vicious fighters when they're crossed. He's not the kind of man I'd want my sisters dating, that's all."
Riley shoved her hammock into her backpack, took a breath and turned around to face Weston. He was trying to warn her, which was sweet in a way, but he was far too late; she was already lost. She knew Dax was dangerous to her, but not in the way Weston obviously meant.
Electricity arced over her skin and sizzled in her veins. He was close. Dax. Very close. Her entire body instantly tuned to his. His scent drifted to her on the evening breeze, all the spice and masculinity, the outdoor, wild scent she recognized as Dax. She took a breath and breathed him into her lungs.
At once she felt wholly alive and unbelievably sensual. She was aware of her breasts tingling, her nipples growing taut, the smoldering fire in the pit of her stomach she'd only been dimly conscious of flaring to life. How did he do that? She hadn't even laid eyes on him yet.
She forced her attention back to Weston, managing a smile. "I appreciate the warning, Don. I'll be careful."
How careful? Do you think to resist me now?
The words shimmered into her mind. There was an edge to Dax's voice that both frightened and thrilled her. His fingers slipped over her injured hand. At once the sting was gone. His hard body brushed against hers from behind. He pushed his hips close so that his heavy erection was imprinted against her body. Strong fingers stroked caresses over her right breast. Her stomach tightened. Her thighs ached. How could he do that when he wasn't even visible?
How is it that you are always surrounded by men, sivamet? I find I do not like this habit of yours, always to be with other men.
Now his breath was warm against her neck. His tongue licked along her leaping pulse. Strong teeth bit down on her neck, right over that now pounding pulse. The bite stung, but his tongue eased the ache.
Um, I am traveling with them, she felt compelled to point out. Deliberately she pushed her buttocks back into him. Or hadn't you noticed?
Happiness burst through her. He had come. Her stomach settled down, her heart quit pounding. She found herself following the rhythm of his lungs.
How many others have warned you about me?
Sharp teeth grazed the side of her neck a second time and her womb spasmed. Her knees went weak. He definitely wasn't happy to find Weston alone with her in her private little sanctuary cautioning her about Dax. She poured into his open mind. Her hunger for him. Her secret amusement that Weston, of all people, would try to counsel her.
You find him sweet. The last word was uttered with sarcastic contempt.
His teeth bit down a third time, hard enough to take her breath away. But there was that clever tongue, bathing the small wound in healing, numbing saliva. His teeth scraped back and forth over her pulse. Her body went weak in anticipation, weeping in welcome for him. She waited, closing her eyes, needing his erotic bite.
"Riley, are you all right?" Weston asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. "I really didn't want to upset you. I felt it was important that someone say something to you."
She startled, forgetting for a moment that Don Weston was still close by.
Answer him so he goes away. He's very uncomfortable in the role of protector. And he lusts after you. He can barely keep his hands off you. It is best for his health if he puts distance between you immediately.
You can't possibly be jealous of Don Weston. That trait seemed so out of character, almost petty, and beneath Dax.
There is no reason to be jealous of a man you do not have regard for. Dax sounded a little arrogant.
It was difficult to think straight with his body so close to hers. His intoxicating scent enveloped her, heightening her awareness of him. He only came to warn me. He's never once tried anything he shouldn't.
His teeth, scraping rhythmically back and forth over the pulse in her neck, were very distracting, making it nearly impossible to think clearly. His hands slid up her body, inside her shirt, to cup her breasts. He stood behind her, unseen, his heat surrounding her, his heavy erection pressed tightly against her and all she could think about was having him again and again. Was it possible to fall in love with a man's body?
He is not a good man. He envisions himself as one, but he makes himself believe women want him because he feels he's entitled to them. Sooner or later, he will do harm to a woman and that woman will not be you. There was no mistaking the menace in his voice. I am a hunter of evil. Human or Carpathian. It does not matter to me. It is my duty to destroy evil where I find it.
A shiver of fear slithered down her spine. She had known all along that Dax was dangerous, she didn't need Weston to tell her that. He could go from old-world courtly to explosive violence in seconds.
He has sisters.
Dax bit down right in the sweet spot between her neck and shoulder. His body felt as hard as a rock, unyielding, his arms strong, surrounding her. Heat rose around her, seeping from his body to hers. Pressure coiled tighter and tighter in her most feminine core, hunger rising sharp and terrible, an ache only he could assuage.
If I tell you what goes on in his mind when he's around his sisters, you would not be championing him.
"I'm fine, Don," she managed to get out, her voice far too husky. "Thanks for the warning, I'll be very careful. But I do have to pack fast; we need to make the river today."
The smell of food made her slightly nauseous. The others were finishing up breakfast and breaking camp. She really wanted to yell at Weston to leave so she could be alone with Dax before the others were ready to go. She needed to be alone with him. She bit down hard on her lip. She was a grown woman who had no business acting so wantonly.
You're making that up, aren't you? Surely Dax couldn't know such a thing about Weston.
Night fell in soft shades of dove gray, dropping around her like a blanket, but she was still out in the open with only a few trees and that thin veil of protection to shield her. No one could see what Dax was doing, and so far she had managed to retain some semblance of decency, when all she really wanted to do was strip off her clothes and impale herself on Dax.
Dax's heavy erection burned like a brand along the curve of her buttocks. His hands began a slow, deliberate massage of her breasts, fingers tugging and rolling her nipples while his mouth blazed fire up and down her neck. She had to stifle a moan of sheer pleasure. Sensation swept through her like a tidal wave.
Believe me, sivamet, I wish that I was. He is a very depraved man. He just hasn't made the last leap to his full potential.
The moment Weston shuffled off, she allowed her head to loll back on Dax's shoulder, weak with need. Dax's mouth went back to her neck, teeth scraping along her pulse. Her blood surged hotly, every nerve ending screaming for him to bite down. Her breath came in ragged gasps of pure need.