Fantasy Lover
Page 23
Grace realized Julian stood directly behind her, his body so close to hers that she could feel his body heat. He placed his arms on each side of her, braced against the mattress, before he pressed his chest against her back.
Grace clenched her teeth at the ferocity of the desire that swept through her. He didn't hold her, but the devastation to her senses was just as profound. He bent his head down and nuzzled her neck.
His tongue on her skin fired every hormone in her body. Grace arched her back as her breasts tingled. If she didn't stop him
"Julian," she breathed, but her voice was far from carrying the warning note she intended.
"I know," he whispered. "I'm on my way to take a cold shower." As he left the room, she heard him snarl an angry word under his breath. "Alone.”
After they had breakfast, Grace decided to teach Julian to drive.
"This is ridiculous," he said as she pulled into the high school's parking lot. "Oh, come on," she teased, "aren't you curious?”
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“No."
"No?”
He sighed. "Okay, a little.”
"Well, then, just imagine the stories you can tell your men when you get back to Macedonia about the great steel beast you drove
around a parking lot.”
He gave her a puzzled stare. "Does this mean you're okay with my leaving?”
No, she wanted to shout. But instead she sighed. In her heart, she knew she could never ask him to give up all he'd been to stay here with her. Julian of Macedon was a hero. A legend. He would never be a mild-mannered twenty-first-century man.
"I know I can't keep you. You're not some lost puppy who followed me home.”
Julian tensed at her words. How true to form they were. It was what made leaving her so damn difficult. How could he give up the only person who had ever seen him as a man?
He didn't know why she wanted to teach him to drive, but then, sharing her world with him seemed to please her. And for some reason that didn't bear thinking about, he liked making her happy. "All right, then, show me how to tame this beast.”
Grace parked the car and they traded seats. As soon as Julian got in, she cringed at the sight of a six-foot-three man wedged into a space meant to accommodate a five-two woman. "I forgot to move the seat back. Sorry.”
"I can neither breathe nor move, but that's okay.”
She laughed. "There's a lever under the seat. Pull it out and you can move the seat back." He tried, but he was crammed in so tightly that he couldn't reach it.
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"Here," Grace said. "I got it.”
Julian threw his head back as she leaned over his thigh, pressing her breasts to his leg while she reached between his knees. His body snapped to attention, instantly hot and hard.
When she put her cheek against his groin as she struggled with the release, he thought he would die from it.
"You know, you're in the perfect position to—”
"Julian!" she snapped. She pulled back and saw the bulge in his jeans. Her face turned bright red. "Sorry.”
"Me, too," he breathed.
Unfortunately, she had yet to move the seat, so he was forced to endure the position one more time. Grinding his teeth, Julian reached one arm over his head to grab the headrest and clench it tightly. It was all he could do not to yield to the fiery lust inside his body.
"You okay?" she asked once she released the seat and returned to her own.
"Oh, yeah," he said sarcastically. "I'm just fine considering the fact I've walked through burning fires that hurt less than my groin does right now.”
"I said I was sorry.”
He just looked at her. She patted his arm tenderly. "Okay, can you reach the pedals?”
“I'd like to reach your pedals
”
“Julian!" Grace snapped again. The man was truly lecherous. "Would you Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 230 of 340
concentrate?”
“All right, I'm concentrating.”
“I don't mean on my breasts.”
He dropped his hungry gaze to her lap. "Or there, either.”
To her amazement, he playfully poked his bottom lip out like a pouting child. The look was so uncharacteristic of him that she laughed again.
"Okay," she said. "The pedal on the far left is your clutch, the middle is the brake and the one on the far right is the gas. You remember what I told you about them?”
"I remember.”
"Good. Now the first thing you do is press in the clutch and slide the gear into reverse." She placed his hand on the gear shift in the center of her car, and showed him how to move it up and down.
"You know, you really shouldn't fondle that in front of me, Grace. It's cruel.”
“Julian! Do you mind? I'm only trying to show you how to shift my gears." He snorted.
"I wish you'd shift my gear like that.”
Grace growled at him. With a devilish gleam in his eyes, he looked totally unrepentant. Then he attempted to back up, but he released the clutch too soon and stalled the car.
"It's not supposed to do that, is it?" he asked.
"Not unless you want to have a wreck." He sighed and tried again.
An hour later, after Julian still hadn't managed to drive around the parking lot without Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 231 of 340
hitting a curb or stalling the car, Grace conceded failure.
"It's a good thing you were a better general than you are a driver.”
"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically, but there was a glint in his eye that let her know he wasn't truly offended. "All I have to say in my defense is that my first car was a war chariot.”
Grace smiled at him. "Well, we're not at war on these streets.”
Looking skeptical, he retorted, "I wouldn't say that. You forget, I've seen your late-night news." Julian turned the engine off. "I think I'll let you drive for a while.”
“Probably wise. I can't really afford a new car right now anyway.”
She got out to exchange sides with him again. But as they crossed paths at the trunk, Julian grabbed her for a hot kiss that made her dizzy. He took her hands in his and held them tightly against his lean hips as he nibbled her lips.
Goodness, a woman could get used to this. Really, really used to it. Julian pulled back. "Want to take me home and let me nibble on other things?”
Yes, she did, which was why she didn't dare. In fact, she was so delirious from that one kiss that she couldn't even speak.
Julian smiled at the dazed, hungry look on her face. She stared at his lips as if she were still tasting them. In that moment, he wanted her more than he ever had before.
Most of all, he wanted to take the band from her ponytail and let her hair spill over his chest.
How he wished they were back at her house where he could peel the short set from her and listen to her sweet murmurs of pleasure as he
"The car," she said, blinking her eyes as if awaking from a dream. "We were getting Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 232 of 340
into the car." Julian kissed her lightly on the cheek. After they both got in, and were buckled up, Grace looked sideways at him. "You know, it seems to me there are two things in New Orleans that you have yet to experience.”
"Number one, I have yet to take you on a—”
"Would you stop! "
He cleared his throat. "Okay, what's your list?”
"Bourbon Street and modern music. One of which I can take care of right now."
Grace switched on the radio.
She laughed as she recognized "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner. How apropos, given her passenger. Julian listened, but didn't appear impressed. Grace changed the station.
Julian frowned at her actions. "What did you do?”
"
I changed to another station. All you have to do is press these buttons.”
He toyed with it for several minutes until he found a station playing "Love Hurts" by Nazareth. "Your music is interesting.”
"Does it make you miss your own?”
"Since most of the music I heard was pipers and drummers leading us into battle, no.
I think I can appreciate this.”
"Appreciate what?" she asked flippantly."The music or the fact that love hurts?”
The humor fled his face. "Since I've never known love, I wouldn't know whether or not it hurts. But I can't imagine how being loved could possibly hurt as much as not.”
Her chest tightened at his words.
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"So," she asked, wanting to change the subject, "what do you plan to do as soon as you get home?”
“I don't know.”
“You'll probably go kick Scipio's butt, right?" He laughed at that.
"I would like to."
"Why? What did he ever do to you?"
"He got in my way.”
Okay, not what she expected to hear. "You don't like anyone to get in your way, do you?”
“Do you?”
She thought about it. "I guess not.”
By the time they reached Bourbon Street, the Sunday afternoon crowd was swarming. Grace fanned her face as she fought the oppressive heat. She looked up at Julian who even sweated attractively. His damp hair hung in becoming curls around his face, and with those sunglasses on
ooo, baby!
Of course, the look was helped by the white T-shirt that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, and his lean, flat six-pack of abs. As she trailed her gaze over the button-fly jeans, she wished she had opted for a baggier pair.
But then given his confident, seductive walk, she doubted if even baggy jeans could hide such raw, overt sexiness. Julian paused as they passed by a strip club. To his credit, he didn't gape at the scantily clad women in the window, but Grace sensed his shock plainly enough.
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Staring at Julian as if she'd like to devour him, the exotic dancer bit her full bottom lip, then ran her tongue around her lips suggestively as she groped at her breasts.
She crooked her finger for him. Julian turned away.
"Never seen anything like it, have you?" Grace asked, trying to mask her discomfort at the woman's actions and relief at Julian's reaction.
"Rome," he said plainly.
She laughed. "They weren't that decadent, were they?”
"You'd be amazed. At least no one's having an orgy on the
" He broke off as he
walked past a couple making out on the corner."Never mind.”
Grace laughed.
"Ooo, baby," a prostitute called to Julian as they passed another club. "Come inside, and I'll do you for free.”
He shook his head without breaking his stride. Grace grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop. "Were women like this before the curse?”
He nodded. "It's the reason Kyrian was my only friend. The men around me couldn't stand the attention I received, and women followed me everywhere I went, trying to shove their hands under my armor.”
She thought about that for a minute. "And you're sure none of these women loved you?”
He looked at her drolly. "Love and lust are not the same thing. How can you love someone you don't know?”
"I guess you're right.”
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They headed down the street. "So, tell me about this friend of yours. Why didn't he mind the way women gawked at you?"
Julian flashed his dimples. "Kyrian was deeply in love with his wife, and couldn't have cared less about any other woman. He never saw me as competition.”
"Did you ever meet his wife?”
He shook his head. "Even though we never discussed it, I think we both knew it would be a very bad idea.”
Grace watched him as his face changed. He was remembering Kyrian, she was sure of it. "You're blaming yourself for what happened to him, aren't you?”
Julian clenched his teeth as he thought about what Kyrian must have felt when the Romans captured him. Considering how badly the Romans had wanted the two of them, there was no telling what else they'd done to Kyrian before they took his life.
"Yes," he said quietly. "I know it's my fault. Had I not angered Priapus, I would have been there to help Kyrian fight them.”
And there was little doubt in his mind that half of Kyrian's fate had come from the fact that Kyrian had been foolish enough to befriend him.
Julian sighed. "What a waste of a brilliant life. Had he ever learned to master his recklessness, I know Kyrian would have made a fine ruler one day." He took her hand in his and gave a light squeeze. They walked in silence while Grace tried to think of some way to cheer him.
As they passed Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo, Grace stopped, then dragged him inside. She explained the origins of voodoo to him as they toured the miniature museum.
"Ooo," she said, picking up a male voodoo doll from a display. "Want to dress him up Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 236 of 340
like Priapus and stick little pins in him?”
Julian laughed. "Want to pretend it's Rodney Carmichael?”
Grace suppressed a smile. "Now that would be unprofessional of me, wouldn't it?
But it is tempting.”
Grace set the doll down as her gaze fell to the glass display case that held assorted amulets and jewelry. In the middle of the case was a necklace of black, blue, and hunter green threads braided so intricately that it looked like a thin black wire.
"It brings good luck to the wearer," the saleswoman told her as she noticed her interest. "Would you like to see it?”
Grace nodded. "Does it work?”
"Oh, yes. The thread pattern is strong magic.”
Grace didn't know if she believed that, but then, a week ago she would never have believed two drunk women could conjure a Macedonian general to life, either.
She paid the woman for it, then turned to Julian.
"Lean down," she told him. He looked skeptical.
"C'mon," she teased. "Humor me.”
The saleswoman laughed at them as Grace fastened it around his neck. "That boy don't need no luck charm, chère, he be needing a spell to thwart the attention of those women staring at his rear while he's stooped over.”
Grace looked past him to see the three women who were indeed ogling his butt. For the first time, she felt a vicious stab of jealousy.
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The feeling evaporated as Julian kissed her cheek tenderly before straightening. His look devilish, he draped a possessive arm over her shoulders. As they passed the women, Grace couldn't suppress her own mischievous impulse. She paused by the women. "By the way, he looks even better naked.”
"You would certainly know, my sweet," Julian said as he put his sunglasses on, then draped his arm back over her shoulders. Grace slid her hand around his waist and into his front pocket as he hugged her against his side.
"You know," Julian whispered to her. "If you want to move that hand a little lower in my pocket, I wouldn't mind a bit.”
She squeezed him, but kept her hand where it was. The women's envious stares followed them all the way down the street. For dinner, Grace took him to Mike Anderson's Seafood to eat. She cringed as they brought out Julian's oysters and, placed them on the table.
"Ew," she said as he ate one.
Offended, he scowled at her. "They're delicious."
"I don't think so.”
“That's only because you don't know how to eat them.”
“Sure I do. You open your mouth and let the slimy thing slide down your throat." He took a swig of beer. "Tha
t's one way of doing it."
"That's how you just did it.”
"True, but would you like to try another way?”
She bit her lip in indecision. Something in his demeanor warned her it could be most dangerous to take him up on this challenge. "I don't know.”