Smoldering Hunger (8 page)

It wasn’t until she was drying off that she remembered what Darius had said. She was in danger, and if she saw him she had to act as if she couldn’t stand him.

That was easy yesterday, but after another night in his arms? She wasn’t so sure. There was no doubt Darius was infuriating. He told her cryptic things like that, snuck into her flat, and then made love to her as if he would die if he didn’t have her.

Sophie couldn’t remember the last time a man made her feel that way. When he looked at her, he saw only her. Not his mobile phone, not his computer, not his friends or work. Just her.

And that felt … amazing.

She blinked and realized she was standing in front of her sink holding the towel as she thought of Darius. Dimly, she recognized the
Outlander
soundtrack still played on repeat.

And her glorious mood was soured as she feared she might never see Darius again.

*   *   *

Ulrik crossed another name off the list and stared at the few who remained. It was taking longer than he wanted, but he was slowly learning who Mikkel’s spy at Dreagan was. He closed the file and tucked it in a false bottom of his desk drawer with others.

One of his mobile phones rang. He answered with a curt, “Aye?”

“He’s no’ been here, boss,” said the deep voice on the other end of the line.

Ulrik sat back and grinned. “Are you positive?”

“We are. I kept watch on the front of the building while Jonas watched the back. Darius didna pay the doc a visit.”

“Did you watch the roof?”

“Aye, boss. Just as you ordered.”

Ulrik sat there a moment. After what Darius had gone through, he’d be the last of the Dragon Kings who would get embroiled with a mortal. Ulrik needed to be sure he was telling the truth, however. It looked like Darius had been.

Except he recalled how infuriated Darius became when he realized Ulrik had watched them make love.

“Follow the doctor to work. Discreetly,” Ulrik cautioned. “I doona want her seeing you.”

“Will do.”

Ulrik replaced the mobile with the others on the corner of his desk. His interest in Dr. Sophie Martin went deeper than finding Darius with her. She’d helped Thorn and Lexi.

Sophie worked outside the hospital, often going to visit those who couldn’t get to the hospital or who couldn’t afford it. It was by chance that one of Ulrik’s spies had seen her going into a building with Thorn. The same building where Darcy’s flat was located.

That building was now decimated by the Dark, so there was no hope of Ulrik finding anything among the rubble. Depending on how much she knew, Sophie could be an asset. He rubbed his jaw.

With the right amount of coercion and persuasion, Ulrik could turn her and use her as a spy. With the Kings’ penchant for showing up in Edinburgh and any mortal around them becoming injured, it was only natural that they’d call Sophie.

They trusted her, which meant they wouldn’t hide things from her. It would be another blow to the Kings. Though he was pleased by the video leaking the Dragon Kings to the world, that was only a small fraction of his plan.

Once Mikkel made himself known, Ulrik had no choice but to alter his plots somewhat. Now he didn’t just have to worry about fighting—and beating—Con, but he had to kill his own uncle as well.

It was either that or Mikkel killed him, and Ulrik hadn’t suffered through all the millennia as a mortal not to have his revenge.

As for his uncle, he continued to let Mikkel think he was doing his bidding. So far Mikkel accepted everything while keeping a close eye on Ulrik. But Ulrik wasn’t worried. There was much Mikkel knew, but even more that his uncle didn’t.

While the scales dipped in his favor, Ulrik was all right. However, he hadn’t gotten to where he was by letting fate decide his path. He made his own way, forging alliances and unions that would ensure his outcome.

Mikkel would try to kill him by a sneak attack. It was one reason Ulrik never slept. Nor did he trust anyone. Which led him back to ties. Sophie Martin would be a nice addition to his allies.

His decision made, Ulrik rose and went to change. He had a trip into Edinburgh to make.

CHAPTER
NINE

Sophie was thankful for the craziness of work to take her mind off Darius. She’d gotten there at six in the morning, and the next time she looked up, it was four in the afternoon.

She leaned against the nurses’ counter and jotted something in a file. It wasn’t until Claire took it from her that Sophie looked at her friend and smiled.

“You saw him last night,” Claire said in a whispery voice, her eyes wide.

Sophie tried to deny it, then she gave up and shrugged.

Claire looked to the ceiling. “Thank you, God. Now, if you don’t mind, send one my way. Bob is getting tired.”

“Who’s Bob? You’ve not told me about a Bob,” Sophie said, a little hurt.

“I have too,” Claire said and gave her a little shove in the arm. “Bob is Battery Operated Boyfriend. B.O.B.”

Sophie laughed, because only Claire would come up with such a name for her vibrator.

Then Claire batted her eyes and did her best Southern accent to mimic her favorite character, Kaylee, from the movie
Serenity
as she said, “Goin’ on a year now I ain’t had nothin’ twixt my nethers weren’t run on batteries.”

Sophie had to grab her sides she was laughing so hard. Leave it to Claire to make her smile.

“What?” Claire said with an innocent expression, keeping her Southern drawl. “Was somethin’ I said funny?”

Sophie held up a hand when Claire started to continue with more lines from the movie. “No more, please.”

“It’s all that coffee,” Claire said as she eyed the cup Sophie set down a moment ago. “Water, Soph, water.”

“Yes, but water doesn’t have the caffeine I need to keep going.”

“With Mr. Do-It-Right in your bed, I don’t think you’re going to need much caffeine.”

It was a reminder that Darius had come into her life out of the shadows, and he’d disappeared back into them. Sophie tried to keep the smile in place, but Claire knew her too well.

“What is it, honey?” she asked.

Sophie waved her away. “Nothing. It was just sex, nothing more. And he’s gone now. He won’t be coming back.”

“What a wanker. At least he wasn’t perfect.”

Only Claire would immediately come to her side and find something wrong with Mr. Do-It-Right, as she’d called him. Sophie smiled wryly. “He was kinda perfect.”

“Everyone has flaws. Did he snore?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“I bet he snored,” Claire said with a firm nod. “Was his thingy bent? It curved to the side, didn’t it?”

Sophie shook her head.

“Was he…” Claire trailed off and wiggled her little finger.

“Mr. Do-It-Right?” Sophie asked with a flat look. “He certainly wasn’t small.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Hey, some small guys can do it right. It just feels better when the man is well hung. So maybe he couldn’t kiss. That’s it. He was a bad kisser.”

Sophie shook her head again.

Clair threw out her hands and let them slap her thighs as they fell. “I give up. Looks like he was perfect except that he left. That definitely makes him a wanker.”

“It’s better that he’s gone.”

“It’s absolutely not better if you think that. If you’re glad, then that means he struck a chord in you, Soph. And I’m sorry, but after seven years, you need several chords struck. Repeatedly. And often.”

Sophie checked her watch and winked at Claire. “Thanks for the pep talk. Gotta run.”

“We’re not done here,” Claire called as Sophie walked away.

Sophie merely lifted her hand and waved, not bothering to look behind her. It was a conversation she and Claire had been having for years. She met Claire six months after moving to Edinburgh, and they had bonded during one incredibly long shift.

During a girl’s night out a year later, Sophie had drank too much and ended up telling Claire the entire awful story. Claire was the only person in Edinburgh who knew the sordid details.

No matter what Claire said, Sophie was happy with her life. She had everything she wanted. Her career was on track, she loved her job, and she had a close friend. It was all she needed.

Except, with Darius, she’d begun to long for so much more. That dream of a husband and a happy life began to sprout again.

It was a dangerous thing, hope.

Especially to someone like her and all she’d endured. The humiliation, the shame.

Sophie turned the corner and ran into a man. She bounced back, but his hands grabbed her by her arms to steady her. “I apologize,” she said and looked up into gold eyes.

He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his unique eyes. “It’s my fault. I wasna looking where I was going.”

She recognized him from the day before. “It’s fine. These halls are very busy.”

“I’ve a confession,” he said as she started to walk around him.

Intrigued, she asked, “Oh?”

“I put myself in your path. I’ve been trying to get your attention all day.”

Sophie looked at the hand-sewn suit he wore and shook her head. He practically oozed money and old-world class. “A man like you can have any woman he wants.”

“What do you mean, a man like me?”

“Handsome, rich, and charming.”

“But you doona find those redeeming qualities?” he asked, watching her intently, with a half-smile in place.

Sophie shrugged. “Handsome is always a boon. Money comes and goes easily, so that shouldn’t make a difference.”

“But it makes life easier.”

“That’s true,” she conceded. “As for the charm, I’ve learned that men use it to get what they want, but it’s rarely genuine.”

The fake smile dropped as he looked at her differently, as if he were seeing her for the first time. “You’re no’ wrong, lass. However, men are no’ the only ones to use something to get what they want.”

“Ah, but I’m not one of those women who use their bodies to get something. I’ve a brain.”

“Which is why I’m interested.” He held out his hand, “I’m Ulrik Dunn.”

Sophie hesitated for a moment before she accepted his hand and shook it. “Sophie Martin.”

“Doctor,” he corrected with a grin.

She found herself returning his smile. “Just what are you after, Mr. Dunn?”

“Ulrik, please,” he said as he released her hand. “I’ve learned a lot about you, Dr. Martin. I know that you often help those less fortunate with your house calls.”

Sophie immediately retrieved her hand and took a step back. “It’s not against any regulations.”

Ulrik held up his hands and bowed his head. “I was in no way saying it was. I’m merely pointing out that it’s your side work, as it were, that has drawn me.”

“Why?” Sophie was suddenly leery of him.

“You think of others. It’s a trait I admire.”

She held the chart against her chest and wrapped her arms around it. There was something about Ulrik that didn’t quite meet up. His words were right, but his eyes lacked … humanity.

Darius’s words of caution the night before came back to her. “So you’ve been following me?”

“Word of your deeds reached me. I checked you out, of course.”

“Of course,” Sophie replied tightly. She met his gold eyes and said, “Mr. Dunn, I enjoy what I do. My hours are filled here at the hospital and helping others. I don’t have any spare time for whatever it is you want from me. I’d also appreciate if you quit following me.”

“You’re going to leave without even hearing my proposal?”

She paused as she was about to walk around him. “I am.”

“You doona trust me,” he replied with a hint of surprise in his deep voice.

“As a general rule, I don’t trust anyone.” She wasn’t sure why she told him that, since it wasn’t true anymore. At least not when it came to Darius.

Whether she wanted to or not, she found she trusted Darius.

Ulrik put his hands in his pants pockets and gave a slight nod of his head. There was something in his golden gaze. It had been there for a second, so fleeting it was gone before she could realize what it was. But there was no doubt it was a bit of sadness and a heavy dose of anger.

He’d been hurt deeply.

Sophie didn’t want to feel a connection to him. Ulrik wasn’t a man to be trusted—ever. He was too controlled, and entirely too handsome. Men like him were a volcano waiting to erupt.

And when they did, they took out everyone around them.

Unlike Darius who was more like water. Soft at times, and yet unyielding and dangerous. Why then did she want to trust him?

She tried to keep walking, but something held her back. Sophie turned her head to Ulrik. He tilted his slightly, a question in his eyes.

“What is it?” he asked.

By his confused look, he had no idea of what he’d revealed. Most people wouldn’t have seen it, but Sophie knew all too well how deep the wounds of a betrayal were. Those who had those same wounds could see them in others, no matter how well hidden they might be.

“I’m going for coffee. You’re free to walk with me,” she told him.

His cocky grin was back in place. “While doing my best in that short time to convince you of my proposal?”

“Yep.”

Sophie started walking, and just as she expected, Ulrik was beside her. He held the door for her, as a perfect gentleman would. Yet there was a precarious current around him.

It was different than what she felt with Darius. Darius was electrifying, a temptation. Being near him was heart-pounding and hazardous to her health, but exhilarating all the same.

With Ulrik, she got the feeling that being near him almost certainly meant death. It put her on edge, making her tense and uneasy.

With coffee in hand, they sat at an empty table. Sophie set the chart in her lap and filled her coffee with loads of cream.

“Why did you invite me?” Ulrik asked.

Sophie focused on fixing her coffee. “I’m not sure. You make me uncomfortable, and you know I don’t trust you.”

“Exactly. You should be far away from me, and yet here you sit.”

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug as she sipped her coffee. “I told you I’d listen to what you have to say. Once I decline it, you can leave.”