Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) (22 page)

           
“Our conversations that take place over the phone, late at
night…while we’re both in bed.”
Drake smiled, but knew he had caught her
off guard a bit. And if there was one thing Nadia hated, it was being off
guard.

           
She cleared her throat, “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

           
Well, well, well. He hadn’t been expecting her to say that. Drake placed his
phone in between his shoulder and the pillow, and got more comfortable on his
huge bed. “Honey, we could talk about the weather, and I wouldn’t mind one
bit.”

           
“I could handle the weather, but I would have to draw the line at current
events. With you being a business man and all, I wouldn’t want to have to
debate you on the merits of cutting Medicare, or hear you wax on and on about
reforming our health care in this country.”

           
Drake laughed out loud.  Leave it to Nadia to give him something to smile
about when he was tied up in knots of lust over her.

           
After finally catching his breath, he said, “So, if you’ve taken all of that
off the agenda, it leaves us with a few things.”

           
“I would say we don’t have much left.” She countered.

           
Drake smiled, “Honey, there’s always something to talk about, especially
between you and me.”

           
Quiet rang over the line, and Drake could have sworn that he heard a whispered,
“damn” from her end.

           
“There is actually one thing I would like to know,” She asked, catching him
unawares.

           
“What would that be?”

           
“What is your tattoo?”

           
Drake
chuckled,
amused that she had noticed it, and
loving that she was interested. “Damn, you have some sharp little eyes, don’t you?
It’s a cross, but with some tribal artwork surrounding it.” He made a
disbelieving sound. “I can’t believe you were able to see it, I didn’t think my
towel was that low.”

           
“Oh, did it hurt?”

           
“Nah, not really.”
Then being the devilish man that he
knew rumors made him out to be, he said, “Remind me, and next time you can see
the whole thing, up close and personal.”

           
“I might just hold you to that.”

           
Drake’s breath lodged in his throat. “Don’t make false promises,
darlin
’.”

           
Another shuddering sigh, then quiet came over the line. Drake was just thinking
he might have gone too far and then she spoke, her words catching him in the
gut.

           
“God, you do this so easily…”

           
“What’s that?”

           
Silence echoed back to him. Ah, now she was turning shy. Drake mentally
shrugged; he would bring her back to the conversation in whatever way he could.
It was past time for her to know just how sexy he found her.

           
“I believe I know what you are trying to say, angel.”

           
“Really?”
Her voice sounded harsh, unused,
gruff
to his ears.

           
“Yes, and I burn for you too.”

***

           
Damn, Nadia was sure her ears were on fire, not just her whole body. The heat
between her legs was hot enough to power her electricity for the next month.
She tightened her thighs, hoping to still the pulse of blood down below, but it
didn’t help. Actually, it made it worse. A sigh escaped her mouth unwillingly,
and Nadia tried to move the phone away before her desires became known. It
didn’t work.

           
“Ah honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you like this. But I love knowing
that you are feeling just as excited as I am right now.”

           
Something in his voice told Nadia that he was lying. He wanted her exactly the
way she was right now, worked up, with no way of getting around it. Confusion
swamped her. He had done a complete turn around. But she had no idea if he’d
had these feelings all along. Was he really attracted to her, or was he just
giving into what she wanted so badly?

           
Are you seriously questioning this, Nadia?

           
The minutes she had spent in his house, seeing him in that towel, wishing she
could lick every inch of his skin swept through her, tightening places on her
body that throbbed with awareness. She could just imagine his voice coming over
the line, asking her to touch herself, to please herself from his words alone.

           
That thought spurred her to say, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

           
God, she sounded so damn prim and uptight, even to herself, even though after
this conversation her body was leagues ahead of her mind in the arousal
department.

           
He didn’t chuckle this time. His voice was deep, dark and dangerously sexy.
“Honey, damn…I could help you through it, if you want me to… I can’t believe
I’m saying this but…”

           
“No”

           
He instantly stopped talking at her statement.

           
What is wrong with you? Do you have any brains in your head?

           
Nadia ignored that. What was going on right now was amazing, but she couldn’t
handle it all at once. It was almost too sexual, too intense, and she didn’t
want to embarrass herself on the phone with Drake. And, he still hadn’t said
anything.

           
“I’m sorry…I have to go…I’ll call you soon.”

           
Like the coward she was, she hung up the phone, not giving him a chance to say
anything. Silence burned across her bedroom while her body burned, period.

           
Nadia peered into the mirror with a discriminating eye.

           
She had to leave in ten minutes to meet Drake so that they could leave for
Dallas. She
tsked
and pulled on the lightweight khaki
jacket. The cut and color were good on her, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted
to wear it or not.

           
She wanted to be businesslike and comfortable, since she would be running
between the kitchens. A makeshift office had been set up around the ballroom
somewhere, while at the same time she would be giving Derek, her Houston
director, enough orders to make him dizzy. Comfortable was winning at the
moment.

           
Would anyone really care if you wore jeans? Would the world come to an end?

           
No, it wouldn’t, she conceded as she stared at a
very
comfortable
looking pair of jeans.

           
Ten minutes later she was pulling away from her driveway and trying to calm her
ragged nerves. At least she was wearing comfy jeans.

           
Their phone conversation from the week before was still affecting her now. She
wasn’t sure if she would be able to go through with this. It wasn’t as if he
was just some guy that she wanted to have a good time with. This was Drake, the
man that had captured her attention and her heart at a young age. He had been
the first man to make her feel desire. The nearness of his body caused hers to
come alive, as if from his touch alone, her senses went into overload. She
would never feel this way for another man. She knew it with a determination
that astounded her, which was why every conversation, every glance from those
beautiful eyes of his, was a bittersweet pill to swallow.

           
And now she had something new to worry about.

           
The conversation had turned deliciously naughty the other night. Some of the
things he had said had shocked Nadia speechless. Sure, she had been flirted
with before, but when Drake was the one doing the honors, her body flared to
life at the mere thought of what he might say, and she wouldn’t stand a chance.
What really surprised her was that after all this time she had been under the
assumption that he didn’t find her attractive. Needless to say their
conversation had opened her eyes.

           
Nadia parked the Rover beside a few vehicles and one low slung, very expensive
sports car at the private airstrip that Drake had told her to meet him at.
Minutes later, holding her two travel bags and her laptop, she was heading
towards a metal hangar where a few men were milling around a small plane.

           
One of the men, a handsome, sandy haired guy stepped away from the group and
came up to her. When he got closer he smiled brightly and said, “Let me take
those for you, ma’am.”

           
“Thank you so much, Mr.--?” Nadia asked as she handed over her bags.

           
“Brian Leigh.” Blue eyes twinkled. “You can call me
Bri
,
everyone does.” He gave her a jaunty wink.

           
Nadia smiled, instantly at ease with his blatant flirting. This she could
handle. He was like an overgrown puppy. “Thanks again, Brian.” Nadia stuck out her
hand but then she remembered he was full of her bags at the moment. Pulling her
hand back she told him, “I’m Nadia.”

           
He flashed another bright smile, “I know.”

           
She wanted to question that but kept her mouth shut as she realized Drake must
have told them to expect her this morning. “Apparently my reputation precedes
me.”

           
“You have no idea.” He told her, then turned back to go towards the plane.
“C’mon Nadia, we’re about to leave.”

           
Now she really wanted to know just how much this guy knew about her.

***

           
Monster, magic man, yellow-eyed demon, and warrior of spells…the list went on
and on.

           
Drake had heard every name used to describe what he was. The real truth behind
it was an ancient spell that had been cast among a group of Druids practicing
their potions and spells before ‘witch’ was even a word. The ancients were
smart, diabolical humans with unique abilities to heal or frighten off other
wary ones such as themselves. They kept their secrets very secret and in turn
no one could have imagined what would occur. Now, centuries later, their
descendants lived among humans, sharing their lives, their families, and their
world.

           
Drake downed the cold soda he was drinking and grinned as Nadia’s long legs ate
up the distance between her truck and the plane. She followed resolutely behind
Brian with a smile on her face. As he looked at her a highly erotic thrill
moved through his body. She was the only woman he knew that could make him
react like a randy teenage boy, which was something he hadn’t been in a very
long time.

           
She made him feel almost human again. He had come to terms with what he was
long ago. Now here was a human woman that made him want to hide his gifts from
her. He wanted her to want him as if he were normal. Yeah, he was seriously
losing his mind.

           
Long black hair was loose, thank God, flowing down her shoulders where wisps at
the end touched her lower back. Her eyes were covered with chic dark
sunglasses. She had dressed comfortable today, which surprised him. He was used
to seeing her in nothing but suits and dresses. A
very
nice looking pair
of jeans clasped her legs and her hips, making Drake’s fingers itch to grab and
mold to her small frame. Her shirt was frilly, feminine, and buttoned all the
way up. Each tiny little button begged Drake from across the tarmac to rip the
offending material off and lick every inch of her pale, beautiful skin. His
tongue, gums, and teeth heated in response. If he let it, the slide of his
fangs would be complete in seconds, so would his other Druid abilities.

           
Fuck. This was not what he wanted.

           
Whatever, you keep telling yourself that buddy, while your body knows the whole
truth.

           
Drake blinked, pushing the burn of his amber eyes back to where he could
breathe easier knowing they wouldn’t pop out in a moment’s notice.

           
Seconds later Brian and Nadia waltzed right up to him beside the plane.
   

           
Seeing Nadia from far away was nothing compared to seeing her up close. Her
forehead was creased and Drake sensed the nervous energy inside of her, along
with the rapid movement of her blood. Pretty light green eyes studied him for
mere seconds before she turned and thanked Brian once again, her soft voice a
sensuous slide against Drake’s ears.

           
“I’ve got it now
Bri
, thanks for getting everything
ready. Go ahead and get on in. I’ll get Nadia settled.” Drake told Brian as he
took Nadia’s bags and stowed them away.

           
He turned back to her, smiled his charming smile and held out his hand, “C’mon
darlin
’, otherwise we’ll be late.”

           
Her face was a picture of non-expression, but Drake didn’t need to read
mannerisms to know how she felt. The nervous energy from moments ago had
heightened and now a pretty flush rested on her cheeks.