To Trap A Temptress (Southern Sanctuary - Book 2) (8 page)

“I
think.”  Nell swallowed.  “You’re getting your fairy tales mixed up.
 I believe it was Goldilocks who ate porridge.”

“Nah,
Goldilocks got too sassy.  There was eating… but it definitely wasn’t
porridge.”

Nell
felt hot colour flood her cheeks and for the first time since she’d been
carried from the water she realised that the cold, shock and shivers she hadn’t
even noticed she’d been experiencing had dissipated.  “I was so
scared.”  She admitted in a soft husky whisper.

“You
and me both Doc.”  He admitted in a gravelly rumble.

Her
eyes widened in surprise.  “That’s why you got so angry… you were scared
for me?”

“Completely
and utterly fucking terrified might be a more accurate description.”

“So
it wasn’t me you were angry with but the situation I got myself into?”

“I’m
not absolving you of all blame here, I quite like the idea of at some point…
how did you put it... scolding you?  That kind of sounds like fun.”

It
sounded more than fun it sounded completely naughty the way he said it. 
Warmth stole through her body to settle supernova between her legs. 
Without pausing to over analyse her reaction she lifted her hand and traced her
fingers down his chest from the rapidly beating pulse at the base of his neck
to the top of his snug bathers.  “Thank you for coming to get me. 
For saving me.  For looking after me even when you could have been out
there...”

“Hunting.” 
He said the word bluntly.

“I
don’t like the idea that I’m some kind of distraction.”  Nell
frowned.  “People get hurt when they get distracted.”

The
corner of Drum’s mouth twitched.  “I suppose you could try being less
distracting.”  He ran a slow glance down her body and back to her
face.  “How would you feel about wearing a Mumu and maybe a veil?”

“I
am not some femme fatale so let’s not pretend I am. I just want you to remember
that I’m capable of looking after myself.  I appreciate your help
doctoring my wounds but I could have handled it on my own.  I wasn’t the
one stopping you from… hunting.”

Drum
studied her face closely, his gut clenching as a sudden realisation came to the
fore.   He’d always followed his instincts.  From the moment
over a hundred years ago when he’d stepped out of the core of the sun re-born
as an elite warrior of Maat he’d followed his instincts.  Seek out truth,
punish injustice, balance chaos.  Simple rules but innate to the very core
of his being. 

Until
now.  Until Nell Montgomery.  

One
look at those big blue eyes of hers, that soft pouty bottom lip and those slim
elegant curves and he wanted to pick her up and disappear into the nearest bolt
hole.  Keep her safe.  How could he abandon her… leave her… to seek
retribution?  Who would protect her in his absence?

“You
have a very strange look in your eyes.”  Nell commented warily. 
“What are you thinking about?”

Drum
shook his head, Maat help him he was in love with Doctor Nell Montgomery and it
was going to be the ruin of him.
 
One moment he’d
been snoozing on the beach next to Nell.  The next he was whipped awake by
the sting of his snake tattoo’s tail cracking across his lower back. 
Every instinct screaming that something was wrong.  Something was very
wrong. 

His
eyes had scanned the cove in search of Nell.  His body in motion, feet
slamming across the sand as he sighted her snorkelling in the dim shadows
beside the nearest cliff face.  Even as he reached the water’s edge he
knew gut deep he would be too late.  As between one blink and the next she
was gone.  Diving, he’d sliced through the water, damning himself for not
being armed.  All logic and reason disappeared, only the thought of
reaching Nell, saving Nell.  Even with her attacker scared off and her
safe in his arms he had been unable to let go.  Oh he wanted to punish and
annihilate who’d ever hurt her but Nell had effectively hobbled him as a
warrior.  The thought of leaving her unprotected.  It made him
nauseous. 

For
the first time since his re-birth on this plane as a warrior of Maat he was
frozen in fear, because of her.  Maat, how could he continue to work, live
as a proponent of justice and truth when his one and only priority now was to
keep Nell safe?  What would he do for the rest of his existence? 
Would loving her, being with her, would it be enough?  Or would he grow to
resent her?  Or she him for being an overbearing looming unwanted
overprotective shadow? 

He
envied Vaughn.  Hadleigh was a warrior; she had Vaughn’s back and was more
than capable of defending herself.  Despite her claim the Doc looked oh so
fragile and worn out to him as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her
over to the nearest paddleboat.   Ignoring her protests he grabbed
the paddle and took a seat directly behind her.  Pulling her back gently
to rest against his chest, trapping her in place with his arms and legs wrapped
around her, the paddle out front. 

“Shouldn’t
you be out looking for clues Sherlock?”  Nell enquired unable to resist
resting her head back on his chest as the water lulled her suddenly weary
body. 

“I
can’t track in water - no scent.  Besides who ever tried to hurt you, I’d
lay good money they’re headed in the exact same direction we are.”

“Why
would anyone want to hurt me?”  She mused, slightly distracted by the play
of muscles in his arms as he paddled.  “I haven’t seen most of these
people for ten years.” 

They
were in open water now, Drum setting a fast relentless pace back to the resort
island.  “People hold grudges, real or imagined.  You need to put
your thinking cap on Doc and come up with some suspects.  Because until
they try again I don’t have much to go on.”

“So
what will we do in the meantime whilst we wait for the other shoe to
drop?”  She mumbled the last sentence as her eyes began to droop, lulled
by the dip of the water and the warmth of Drum’s body surrounding hers. 

“In
the meantime I stick closer to you than glue.”

With
a small inaudible sigh Nell slipped into a healing sleep, her last conscious
thought before she succumbed was to wonder why Drum suddenly sounded so grim at
the thought of them spending time together when all he’d done since they moment
they’d met was try to insinuate himself into her life? 

Chapter
Eight

“Okay
out with it.  Exactly what the hell is wrong with you tonight?”  Nell
turned glaring daggers at Drum as they entered the honeymoon cottage later that
evening. 

He
just gave her that blank grim look he’d had plastered on his face since they’d
left Diamond Sands Cove. 

She
pointed an accusing finger his way.  “No more silent treatment. 
You’re acting like I’ve done something heinously wrong and can’t stand the
sight of me, but at the same time you shadow me to the ladies room and won’t
let me get more than five feet away from you.”    Unfortunately
her umbrage lost something in translation considering the staff had once more
lit the room with candles and lanterns awaiting their return.  
“What’s going on with you?”  She crossed her arms over the orange sarong
dress she was wearing, knowing that with her hair up in a messy bun and gold
sparkling flip flops on her feet she was not reaching her full glare potential.

“It
might have escaped your notice Doc but someone tried to kill you today.”

“Duh…
I was there and have the bruises to prove it.”  Though that wasn’t
strictly true anymore as her magic ointment had all but disappeared her
injuries except for the five puncture wounds on her ankle that were scabbing
over nicely.  “Tell me what’s going on.
 
You’ve morphed from relaxed flirty warrior into this android killing
machine with a complete absence of humour.  Do you know Julie and Grant
actually offered to let me bunk in their room tonight, they were that worried
about how you are acting?”

“I
wouldn’t have let you.”  Drum gritted out with a low raspy growl.

“Let
me?”  Nell forced out a hard laugh devoid of joy.  “Let me?  You
seriously think you have any say in what I do and where I go?” 

“I’m
trying to protect you.”

“You’re
trying to smother me.  It was a simple beach party but you were acting
like we were at a political rally with assassins circling.  Do you think I
didn’t notice you manoeuvred us away from the stage when the fire dance
began?  Over protective much?”

“They
were amateurs, anything could have happened, one slip and a stampede results.”

“Okay
now you’re just jumping at shadows.  Why aren’t you out there trying to
track down who tried to hurt me earlier today?  Looking for clues? 
Intimidating suspects instead of hovering over me like a … Momma bear
protecting her cub.”

“Momma
Bear?”  He rumbled.  Drum knew he’d been acting like a lunatic but to
be compared to a Momma bear when only a few short hours earlier they’d been
flirting over his being the big bad bear.  It was too much to handle. 
Stepping up he gripped her by the upper arms giving her a brief hard
shake.  The orange hibiscus flower she’d used to decorate her hair for the
evening beach party coming free and floating between them to the floor. 
Stepping back abruptly Drum looked first at the fallen flower then at the red
handprint marks he’d left clearly outlined on her creamy delicate skin. 
“So fucking fragile.”  He murmured under his breath, backing away from
her.

“What
did you just call me?”  Nell stalked after him, blue eyes sizzling with
anger, no sign in her expression or actions that she was threatened or
intimidated by his size or superior strength.  Maybe she wasn’t so smart
after all.  “Is that what this evening had been about?  You think I’m
some delicate little flower who needs to be looked after?  I’ve told you
already… I don’t need your protection.  I am perfectly capable of looking
after myself.”

Drum
looked pointedly at the fading red marks on her arms.  “Yet the evidence
begs to differ.”

“You…” 
Nell’s mouth dropped open as all the pieces fell into place.  “You
absolute idiot.”  She stormed up to him, practically stepping on the toes
of his newly purchased boat shoes, stabbing a sharp fingernail hard into the
middle of his chest.  “I should...”  She glared up at him.  “I
should...”

Drum
held his hands out wide, a mocking smile twisting up the corner of his
lips.  “You should what exactly Doc?  Point your finger at me and
give me a stern telling off?  Stamp your dainty foot and glare me into
submission?  Go on bring your best shot, let’s see how you…”  Drum
slumped to the floor before he could finish his sentence.

Nell
glared down at his now prone unconscious form.  “Asshole.”  She
muttered under her breath, sorely tempted to give in to the impulse to kick him
for being so surly, annoying and… darn it, sweet.  He had just been trying
to protect her after all.  And though she had warned him several times of
what she was capable of, obviously the man hadn’t twigged that she was
serious. 

Kneeling
down she checked his heart rate and breathing, all normal, well better than
normal, he was an elite warrior after all.  Letting out a slow breath she
bought a hand up cupping his granite jaw, liking the feel of his smooth warm
skin under her touch.  “Now what am I going to do with you?”

*                     
*         
            *

Drum
woke, his back aching, the floor was hard.  He tried to swallow, failed,
then tried again. 

“There’s
water next to you.  Don’t try and move just yet.”  Nell’s voice
drifted from across the room. 

Managing
to lift his head slightly off the pillow that had been placed under it he spied
the bottle.  Limbs moving like they weighed thousands of pounds he grabbed
for the water, somehow managing to snag it and lift it to his mouth. 
Draining half its contents in one go.  Tired from the effort he let his
head slump back.  “Thanks for the pillow.”

“You’re
welcome.”

“How
long was I out?”  He turned his head, Nell was curled up on a sofa
directly across the coffee table from him, bare feet tucked under her, sipping
champagne and reading a magazine by candlelight. 

She
shrugged and turned her attention back to her reading material.  “A
while.”

“What
happened?”  He tried to recall who had laid him out.  Had there been
an intruder? Nell looked fine.

“You
don’t remember?”

“We
were talking...”

“We
were arguing.”  She corrected.  “Over what an over protective dumb
lug you were being.”

“I
was not...”

“I
told you I could look after myself.  You dared me to prove it.  So I
did…”

“Did
what?”  He finished the bottle, letting it roll away.

“Prove
it.”

“Yeah
right.”  He practically snorted in derision. 

“You
don’t believe me?”  She had a beguiling smile on her face as she closed
the magazine and picked up her glass. 

Maat
she looked gorgeous sitting there in that orange sarong, cool and serene, the
flickering candlelight bringing out the gold in her hair.  With a groan he
pushed the pillow away, managing to drag himself upright and sideways to settle
his back against the nearest sofa. 

“Did
I slip on something?”  He bought a hand up to the back of his head feeling
for lumps.  There was a sore spot but nothing much to speak of. 
Confused he bought his hand forward to rub his face, get the blood moving,
maybe persuade his groggy brain to work.  Except… he stopped and held out
his hand.  Then looked at his other hand.  “You painted my
fingernails?”

Nell
laughed.  “And toes.  It was between pink passion and oil
slick.  I went with the black… you can thank me later.”

“Thank
you…?”

“You
think many people get their nails done by a highly trained Doctor?  Now
that my He-man warrior friend is bedside manner.”

“What.
Did. You. Do. To. Me?”  He eased out each word between gritted teeth as
pins and needles hit his legs and feet.

“I
told you from the very beginning that I could take care of myself.  But
would you believe me?  Of course not.  ‘Me big behemoth warrior, me
know everything.’  I got tired of talking to a brick wall so I decided it
was time for a little show and tell.”

“I
do not talk like that.”

Nell
tilted her head to the side studying him.  “You kind of do when you’re in
warrior protect mode.”

“Did
you use some kind of magic on me?”  Absently he rubbed his chest.  He
distinctly remembered she’d been poking him there just before the lights had
gone out in his head.

“A
little bit, hardly takes any juice at all if I find the right pressure point.”

“Seriously…
you took me out with a simple touch?”

“You
have a manicure and a pedicure to prove it.”

“And
a lump on the back on my head.”

“Your
head is incredibly hard… you’ll be fine.”

“So
much for bedside manner.  You didn’t think about cushioning my fall before
I hit the ground?”

“Please,
would you jump in front of an oak tree to stop it falling?”

“You’re
comparing me to a falling tree?”

Nell
shrugged, that small smile continuing to play around the edges of her
mouth.  His Doc was quite pleased with herself.

“So
you knocked me out with your secret ninja medical skills to prove to me you can
take care of yourself?”

“Basically. 
You were being an overbearing idiot.  Do you want a drink?”  She
gestured at the champagne.

“Hell
yes.  You ordered room service?”

“There
was plenty of time.  I did my nails.”  She waggled her pink tipped
fingernails at him before sliding his glass across the low coffee table
separating them. “I did your nails, read a magazine.”

Drum
took another look at his own nails as he bought the glass to his lips, thank
Maat she’d gone with the black, he could live with that.  “So what else
can you do Ninja Doc besides knock a guy out?”

“Unconsciousness…
paralysis... pain... pleasure.”

“Pleasure…?” 
He lifted an intrigued eyebrow for a split second.

“Theoretically.”

“No
test subjects?”

Nell
laughed huskily.  “Plenty of test subjects for the negative aspects of my
talent, I do have two brothers after all, not to mention an overabundance of
cocky know it all male cousins.  They learnt pretty quickly growing up not
to piss me off and get within touching distance.”

“But
you haven’t tested out the pleasure principle part of the equation?”

Nell
hoped the candlelight would hide the warm colour suffusing her cheeks. 
“No… not yet.”

“Where
do I sign up?”

Nell
drained the contents of her glass.  “How did we stray so far from the
original subject?”

“You
were telling me about your mad ninja medical skills, knocking people out,
causing them pain… pleasure.”

“You
know pleasure can kill right?  Over stimulating a subject can lead to
cardiac arrest, seizures and a host of contributing factors.”

Drum
shook his head in bemusement.  “The woman just gets hotter and hotter.”

Nell
huffed an exasperated sigh, leaning over to refill her glass.  “Back to
the argument that started all this.  Do you now understand that I am quite
capable of taking care of myself?”

Drum
considered her question, his gut still tightened at the thought of her getting
hurt, of being alone but it wasn’t the all-encompassing fear that had frozen
him back at Diamond Sands Cove when he’d realised what it meant to be in love
with a healer.  She was a smart, practical woman who would deal well in a
crisis.  Her defensive skills were nowhere near his level but she was
capable of protecting herself and going on the attack if needed. 

For
the first time in five hours he felt the band of pressure that had been
squeezing him around the chest region ease.  It seemed his snake tattoo
likewise agreed with the assessment that the Doc could look after
herself.   Who would have thunk it, an elite Maat warrior who
specialised in the art of death would fall in love with a  healer and as
fate would have it, she in turn could be every bit as lethal if she so
chose.  Looking at her curled up on the couch, sun kissed and relaxed he
knew it would be a hard decision for her, the path of violence, but to protect
herself or those she cared about she’d make the imminently practical logical
choice… because that was Nell; a core of steel, heat and passion wrapped in a
gorgeous elegant deceptively sweet package.  A package that tempted him
more than any woman he’d ever known.  He wanted to own her… worse he wanted
her to own him. 

“You
look like you’re thinking pretty deep thoughts there He-man. That
historically has never led anywhere good. You wouldn’t be plotting a
little payback would you?”  Nell enquired warily.  “You were the one
who wanted proof.”

“Credit
where credit is due Doc, I did ask for it.  Although next time if you
could drop me onto a softer surface I’d much appreciate it.”

“You
think there’ll be a next time?  The reunion only lasts another two days.”

Well
considering he envisioned them spending a lifetime together there would
probably come another time or two when she might have to dig into her bag of
tricks but he didn’t want to scare her off.