He chuckled softly in her ear. “Silly woman,” he whispered. “You don’t have a chance in hell of getting rid of me tonight.” He kissed her cheek.
“I’m fine.” She felt the growing heat of a deep blush growing on her cheeks. She decided to get it over with before he noticed. “I don’t need a keeper.”
“No,” he whispered, this time his lips brushing her ear, “you don’t, but there’s no other place I would rather be than as close to you as possible.”
Suddenly he realized his mistake. She hadn’t seen Julie jumping up and down and waving her arms to get their attention. She had no idea Julie was frantically shoving her way through the crowd to get to them. “Forgive me. I should’ve explained. Your friend is rushing over here to talk to you. I need to talk to my brother. I would take you with me, but your friend appears to be quite desperate to speak to you. I thought you might want to talk to her.”
“Julie?”
“Yes.” Standing upright, he placed his hand on her shoulder. “I will be back in a few minutes. Miss me, little one.”
“I’ve been searching all over the place for you. I was so scared. I saw you leave on the back of a motorcycle. You weren’t even wearing a helmet.” Julie shook her head at Nikolas just before he turned and walked away. “Oh my God, Brianna, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m fine. Did you find Emily?”
“I did.” Julie took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. “She’s really messed up.”
“I’m so sorry, Julie. I’m sure she will come to her senses and stop using drugs.”
“I hope so,” Julie replied. “I promised to take you out on the dance floor. Do you want to go now?”
“No.” Brianna shook her head. “I really don’t want to dance. Go ahead. Have fun.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Brianna lied. Of course, more than anything else, she wanted to be normal; she wanted to dance. But being blind, she’d never actually danced in public.
“He’s watching you.”
“Who?”
“Duh. Your Harley stud.” Julie said. “He’s talking to Haden Drake. They look a lot alike.”
“They’re brothers.”
“That must’ve been one heck of a ride on the back of his motorcycle. You’re such a lucky girl. I can’t believe you got to have a prime piece of Drake beef between your legs.” Julie leaned down and whispered. “Double thumbs up. He’s like totally hot.”
“What does he look like?” Brianna whispered.
“Well, do you remember when I told you about Haden?”
Grinning, Brianna nodded. “It was a description I’ll never forget.”
“That’s what he looks like. Well, his hair’s a bit lighter, and his eyes are a brownish color. He’s a tall, dark, muscle-bound god. Basically, the man is the perfect picture of yummy, hot sex. A lot of the women here are checking him out and glaring at you. When he walked away from the table, a nasty-ass bitch swooped in and tried to wrap her arm around his to drag him out onto the dance floor, but he shrugged her off and kept walking without saying a word. He didn’t even look at her.”
“Stop teasing me.” Frowning, Brianna lowered her brow. “You know that I can’t see anything. I hate it when you exaggerate.”
“I swear it’s the truth. He’s all yours for the night. I’m sure of it.” Julie leaned down to kiss the top of Brianna’s head. “Have a blast with him, but I want details in the morning.” Giggling, she walked away.
Brianna felt a sudden rush of excitement so strong it caused her entire body to shiver, and then it felt as if her entire body were submerged in warm water. It was as if the warmth embraced her.
Julie was telling you the truth. Perhaps it was wrong to monitor their conversation, but Nikolas couldn’t help himself. He was thankful for Julie’s description of him, but it was the fact Brianna had asked that thrilled him. I will never allow another woman to touch me. Your touch is the only touch I want. Your love is the only love I need. For so many years I never thought I would find you. I’m yours forever more. I belong to you, little one, only you.
Brianna felt the heat of Nikolas’ breath on her ear, but she knew that he wasn’t next to her. His voice was in her mind. Seeking him out, she turned in her chair and quickly locked her unseeing gaze onto his. She smiled. I’m missing you.
I’m missing you too. His heart melted. If you’re done with your friend, come over here and meet my brother, little one.
No. She turned away from him.
Why not? He waited for a moment, knowing she was struggling with wanting to do it and fearing what would happen if she dared to try it. Merge your mind with mine, and you’ll have all you need to do it.
***
Haden was having a difficult time accepting the fact Demetri had gone after Zack. “You’re sure?” Haden asked. There was no reason to ask. Nikolas wouldn’t claim it unless it was true.
A muscle ticked in Nicolas jaw. “Yes.” He felt some degree of guilt for sending Zack out of the club. He should’ve kept Zack close. He’d truly believed he was protecting Zack by making him leave.
“We shouldn’t wait.” Joseph said. “We should go after him now.”
“No.” Nikolas shook his head. “Zack is strong. He can hold his own against Demetri for a while. Demetri wants us to rush after him and leave our women unprotected. He will grow tired of waiting. By the end of the night he will show up. When he does, I’ll deal with him and you will stay with the women.” He narrowed his gaze on Haden. “You will take my mate under your protection while I’m away. You will be my connection to her while I’m dealing with Demetri.”
“Of course.” Haden took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “You’re sure she’s your mate?”
Smiling in a way Haden had never seen him smile, Nikolas nodded. “There’s no doubt in my soul.” Then rage flooding him, he frowned. “Zack was right. The past has returned to haunt us, but this time we won’t fail. Demetri killed Brianna’s sister, his own mate, and now he plans to kill Brianna. The night he killed his mate, he saved Brianna. I suspect he did it because he wanted to make sure I knew her before he kills her.”
“I never would’ve imagined Demetri would fall so far into the darkness.” Haden pushed his hand through his hair. “Did you already restore Brianna’s sight? She’s walking over here.”
“No, I didn’t. She has been blind from birth. It will be a long process. I want you to continue it for me.” Nikolas smiled. “Demetri and I are equally matched. There will be no end. There will be no true victor, I will not return,”
“Why? You’re overreacting. You haven’t given this enough thought. You can’t just give up on the future. Don’t go after him now,” Haden said. “There’s no reason for you to make such a terrible sacrifice. You’ve found your mate. You belong with her. We will come up with another way to stop him.”
“I do not wish to have a future with Brianna,” he lied. “There’s no other way. When I leave here tonight, I won’t maintain any connection with her.”
Haden lowered his brow. “Why?”
“Look at what she’s doing.” Watching and adoring every move she made, Nikolas smiled. “She has powerful telepathic abilities.”
“She’s only human,” Joseph blurted. “You’re leading her, keeping the people out of her way.”
“So what if she’d telepathic? The majority of our kind can’t poke around in your head,” Haden said. “You can easily block her from any part of your mind.”
“I can’t unless I completely, purposely block her,” Nikolas replied. “And I’m not leading her or keeping the people out of her way. She’s finding her way to me by taking the information on what’s surrounding her from my mind. I’ve no desire to be with her. Cutting our connection is the most merciful thing I could do for her. She effortlessly enters my mind at will. She's so quiet I can’t always feel her presence. Our connection is so strong she will likely suffer the pain of any injury I sustain, and s
he will attempt to come to me, to help me if I don’t shut her out.”
In stunned silence, Haden watched as Brianna finished making her way to Nikolas’ side. He couldn’t understand why Nikolas would choose to walk away from her. He was amazed when Brianna tilted her head as if to look up at Nikolas and even more amazed when he saw the tender way Nikolas wrapped his arm around her to kiss the top of her head. The pride and admiration he felt for her was so powerful his countenance shined with it. What are you doing? You cannot lie to me, brother. You do not want to leave her.
***
You know nothing. You will watch over her. Nikolas wasted no time making introductions; instead, he led her toward the dance floor. “Dance with me, little one.”
“No.” Shaking her head, she tried to pull her hands from his, but his grip was unbreakable. “I can’t dance.”
He laughed. “You just walked the full length of this crowded building alone.”
She wanted to run away and hide. Dancing in public was so entirely out of her comfort zone. There were too many people, and she couldn’t see any of them. If she tried to dance, she was going to be tripping and bumping into every one of them.
“No, you won’t.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Then, with no warning, he spun her around, and then he dipped and kissed her. She was laughing, nearly hysterical, when he pulled her into his arms. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
“I did.” She continued to laugh.
Pressing her body against his, he started to move, forcing her body to move in perfect sync with his. “So did I.” And that was the truth. His only problem, if you could call it a problem, was controlling his body’s reaction to the glorious sensation of feeling her body pressed up against his.
At first his motive was unselfish. He wanted to give her this experience, but he quickly realized that he needed this moment, this dance with her, more than he’d ever needed anything. He didn’t know how he would find the strength to walk away from her, but by the end of the night he wouldn’t have a choice. She’d done well getting by on her own, but she would never face the world alone again. In his absence, Haden and Joseph would watch over her.
Brianna was amazed by Nikolas’ strength, his ability to lead her and prevent her from bumping into anyone when she couldn’t see anything around her. But she was even more amazed by the hard evidence of his desire pressed against her belly. The fact that he wasn’t even attempting to hide it was exhilarating.
Nikolas knew the chemistry between them was building, and it was explosive. Their dance was more like making love and could easily get out of control. Dancing with her was more sensual than any other experience he’d ever had. No past sexual encounter could ever compare to feeling her body moving against his. He knew she was scared, but she wanted him to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her too. He needed to feel her against his lips, taste her, claim her. With a thought, he placed a privacy hedge around them as he bent his head so his lips lightly touched the corner of her mouth. “Brianna, kiss me.”
She hesitated to move, to breathe, to do anything. She wanted to kiss him, but she’d never kissed a man. She knew they were surrounded by people. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a breath and held it. Her body was pressed so snugly against his, intimately moving with his. What was she doing?
“I’ve taken care of it. No one can see us.” Nikolas lifted her chin and leaned down to softly press his lips against hers. When she would’ve backed away, he held her firmly. “Kiss me.” He knew she wanted to believe him, but she could hear people all around.
“We can hear them, but they can’t hear or see us.” He didn’t give her a chance to hesitate. His mouth was on hers; his tongue parted her lips and delved deep, completely silencing the voices and sounds of the crowd.
* * *
Being very beautiful women, Caylee and Mia were getting a lot of male attention on the dance floor. Dancing together, they ignored the men trying to move in on them as best as they could.
“How can you stand it?” Joseph asked.
Remembering how crazy it used to make him when he stood back and watched Caylee dance, Haden smiled. Over the past year, watching over Caylee from a distance, he’d learned to enjoy it. It wasn’t difficult. He loved to watch the way her body moved to the music. “Why would I mind as long as none of the men touch her?”
“That’s your mate out there.” Clearly disgusted, Joseph scowled. “You’re seriously screwed up. The entire building reeks of lust.”
Just then, a man moved in on Caylee, pressing way too close for her comfort. He was tall and heavyset. He was dressed in an expensive suit, but he reeked of sweat and old beer. He kept stumbling and grabbing her to steady himself.
“Well …” Joseph didn’t hide the anger in his voice. “Is that enough to warrant an intervention?”
Narrowing his dark gaze, Haden grumbled. “What the fuck do you think?” He walked toward Caylee.
At first Caylee tried to ignore the man, but she quickly realized it wasn’t working. She tried to move further away from him, but he followed. She shoved him, but he didn’t back away.
Mia shoved the man. “Get your ass away from her.”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” The man shoved Mia hard enough to cause her to stumble.
Beneath his breath, jaw clenched to the point of causing him pain, Joseph whispered, “Oh, hell no.” He headed out onto the dance floor.
Caylee didn’t see Haden, but she knew the instant he was behind her. She saw fear in the man’s eyes as he backed away. From behind, Haden reached around her waist and pressed her backside against him.
Giggling, Caylee lifted her arms. “What took you so long?”
Haden bent his head and rested his chin on her shoulder so she could wrap her arms around her neck. “You’re so naughty, little love. Getting all of these men worked up.”
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Haden whirled her around and kissed her. “No, you didn’t. You did everything perfectly, magnificently.”
* * *
Once Mia was satisfied Caylee was safe with Haden, she moved away from them and continued to dance. Experiencing a sudden wave of excruciating pain, she stumbled. At the same time, the man who’d shoved her grabbed her arm and yanked it. He held her body against his too firmly, hurting her. She pulled to get away, but the pain in her body weakened her and nearly brought her to her knees.
Joseph came up from behind Mia and wrapped one arm around her waist to support her weight and lesson her discomfort. Then he reached over her shoulder and grabbed the man’s throat. “She’s dancing with me now.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Kiss my ass, Joseph!”
Joseph shoved the man hard. Then, flashing her a devilish grin, he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “There’s no reason to beg for it. Bend over—I will happily kiss your ass, angel.” He turned her around slowly, gently, careful to not cause her any pain as he sent waves of healing energy into her body.
Mia glared up at Joseph. He was a vampire. She hated him. She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to continue harassing her and pretending he was anything other than a bloodthirsty murderer. There was no way of knowing how many people he’d already killed to satisfy his thirst for blood. It was possible he’d killed her parents. One way or another she would find a way to kill him to stop him from killing. Maybe seduction would work; relaxing, allowing her body to move with the music, she danced with him.
Before Joseph knew it, Mia was dancing very seductively with him, kissing him, touching him, driving him absolutely insane. Her body was so hot, suggestively moving, rubbing up against his, and her hands were touching him everywhere. He was lost, forever lost. During the entire time he’d been married to Teresa he’d never felt such an intense sexual hunger. All along, he’d believed that he loved Teresa. She’d paid special attention to him and made him feel like he had a purpose. It broke his heart when he discovered that T
eresa was having an affair and planning to kill him. Dancing with Mia, feeling the heat of her body, was such an exceptional feeling. He knew that he was holding the best he ever had. It was a healing experience. His soul, filled with joy, was alive. His body, hard with need, was alive.
Mia allowed Joseph to pull her closer. She didn’t resist even though he was holding her a little too firmly. She wanted to kick him in the balls when he bent his head to kiss her, but she resisted the urge. She was a smart woman. He was a very large, physically fit man. Taking him down wouldn’t be easy. She needed to make sure he wasn’t clear headed when she made his move. Pressing even closer, allowing her body to melt against his, she kissed him. Once she was certain he was solely focused on the taste and feel of her kiss she, using an exceptionally well-learned self-defense move, knocked him flat onto his back. “You son of a bitch!” She glared down at him, pressing her six-inch heel against his chest. “No means no, asshole!”
Blinking, he looked up at her. Not a bad move for a dying woman. He was so stunned that he couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything except stare up at her. Something shifted deep within his soul. She wasn’t simply a wolf; she was an alpha female, and she would naturally only accept the strongest of the strong as her mate. He wasn’t her mate. But she wanted him. Her aggression was a test. It was intensified by morphine and distorted by her belief that he was a vampire. He was so incredibly moved by the knowledge he didn’t even care that he was flat on his back, surrounded by so many people.
A primal, lustful sound rumbled in his throat as he lifted his chin to look at her heel pressed against his chest. It hurt so incredibly damn good. He slowly moved his gaze up her leg. More than anything, he wanted to feel her legs wrapped around his body.
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