The air stirred near her head, and instinctively she knew he had brushed his fingers there. She almost moaned low in her throat, but killed the noise instantly. There was the slight tug on her loose hair, and then she felt his finger trace her jaw line. Nadia almost dropped to the ground at his feet. Her breath crystallized in her lungs, and she knew in the back of her mind that this was affecting her more than him.
“I don’t think you realize the kind of hurt he could have given you, Nadia.”
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. The moment was so acute that she was able to feel the calloused skin on his fingers when he brushed her jaw again.
“You are too small, too delicate, and so much more than that, to allow him to mess with your life like he was doing.”
The words touched something deep inside of her, and Nadia clenched her teeth from screaming out, but you don’t understand! This was all to keep me away from you. To keep the temptation of reaching out to touch you away from my hands, away from me!
The threat of tears returned. Oh dear God, what was she going to do? This was too dangerous. She knew better than to dwell on anything he was doing or saying. But it was so hard when he was saying all the right things, and touching her in all the right ways.
You can’t have him Nadia. You knew that years ago, and you still know it now.
Listening to her conscience warring inside her head, she pulled her chin from his hold then locked the memory of his fingers on her skin in the vault of her mind. Slowly stepping away from him, she put space between them, even as her insides screamed at her not to do so.
“Whatever danger I was in with him around is no longer apparent,” the words came out low, and deep. Nadia cleared her throat and continued, without looking directly at Drake. “He will never be welcome in my life again.”
Without giving him a chance to say anything, she turned and left him standing out in the moonlight, with only the sounds of night as company.
***
What in the hell just happened?
Drake clinched his fists, ground his molars together, and literally stopped himself from breaking the top of the stone portico ledge in half. After a few seconds the need to change had passed, but as a defensive mechanism, his fangs were scraping his bottom lip.
“Fuck.”
The word was murmured low. Even humans couldn’t hear it, but just saying it eased the tension coiling tight inside his body.
Movement jostled the small bush next to him on the outer perimeter of the portico. His enhanced vision could see clearly in the night, and as he peered into the bushes a small nighthawk gazed back at him coolly, her yellow eyes warm and friendly. The bird let out a soft trill, a short hoot that fell on Drake’s ears warmly. To any other human it would only be the sound of a bird squawking. To Drake, he understood the emotion behind it. The hawk felt sorry for him. Apparently the bird sensed his tension.
“Believe me, I don’t even understand it, friend.”
The hawk tipped her head curiously to the side, peering fiercely at Drake, then flew off to find more interesting company.
The barrage of emotions from Nadia left Drake feeling as if the floor had been scraped out from under him. It wasn’t often he was left standing around with his thumb up his ass and nothing to say. Actually it was a very rare occurrence. Usually he was able to cut through the bullshit and get to the point. With Nadia, he couldn’t do so. He had the horrible feeling that he would hurt her feelings if he did, so he never pushed her too far.
Brushing his hands through his hair he let out a growl, shook whatever tension from his body that he could, and pushed the confusing thoughts away. He only came out here to make sure Donavan, the ass, didn’t try something stupid. Something that might warrant Drake kicking him into the next century. Of course that hadn’t happened, much to Drake’s dismay. But damn, it would have been fun to take out his frustration for the dumb bastard on the very man that caused Nadia’s pain in the first place. Just thinking of that particular form of exercise got him all worked up again.
Remembering the pain, hesitation, and confusion that warred around and mixed in her aura minutes ago was what had made him so confused. He hadn’t known whether to console her, hug her, or leave her the hell alone. The blood inside her body had also been at full alert, zinging around, rushing through her veins and calling out to Drake, which told him that there was something happening here that he wasn’t quite too sure of.
At first he sensed her depressed emotions, then tinges of wanting, of needing something badly had come to the fore. When she walked away, the total adjustment back to the real Nadia, the one that held her cards close to her and never allowed anyone to see, was final. He knew better than to try and dissect what he felt all at once. It would take awhile for the essence of her true feelings to be signaled out.
After a few minutes of settling down, he managed to go back inside. Within minutes he had zeroed in on his date and was about to leave, when Nadia’s small frame plucked at the edge of his radar.
He couldn’t remember ever seeing her look so damn enticing. The wicked blue gown suited her far better than those other, oversized frocks that she wore in society. Well, the dresses weren’t that bad, but they sure as hell were nothing compared to what she was wearing right now.
Dark blue clung to every curve of her body. Drake had never seen that much of her before. Now that he was, he was admitting that she was curved in all the right places. The bare patch of shoulder led to her long, elegant neck, and as he looked back down his eyes caught on the silver arm cuff that she was wearing. For some reason that little extra jewelry made all the difference. She looked pagan, dangerous, and fey-something not entirely of this world, and that added to the mix of chameleon like fronts that had him so confused tonight.
He was just about to tear his eyes away when they lit and stayed on the long length of one leg extended from the daring little split in that delicious dress. Long, shapely and so damn beautiful. Before Drake could blink to take it all in again, it was gone, back under the folds of the long gown. His gums burned, so did his eyes. How in the world did such a short woman have such long legs? How was it possible?
Why in the world does it matter to you? It took you this long to notice she is a nicely put together woman. Leave it at that and don’t worry about how the rest of her looks under that dress.
Nadia was almost like a daughter to him, not a woman that deserved to be drooled over. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he found Natalie and made for the exit as if flames were licking behind his heels.
***
Nadia fingered the delicate silver chain of the necklace that her parents had given her for their last Christmas together. The tears she hadn’t shed yet, even after tonight’s emotional battlefield, still didn’t fall. They merely rimmed along the lower lids of her eyes, causing everything to blur and basically drive Nadia crazy.
The soft, but still fragile edges of the silver covered feather pricked her finger. The feather came from a small hawk that Nadia had taken a liking to after she’d noticed it at the Haven. The victim of a random vehicle accident, the hawk had been picked up and taken to the Haven. The beautiful, regal looking bird touched something deep inside her, causing her heart to stutter every time she saw it. After doing what they could for the bird, it still passed after dying from internal injuries.
Unbeknownst to Nadia, her father mentioned to Drake her feelings for the bird, and Drake in turn had acquired one of the small feathers from the animal, gotten it plated in silver, attached it to a delicate necklace, and Nadia’s parents gave it to her as a Christmas present.
Now with the light from a few candles burning in her living area, Nadia let her fingers trail over the frail edges of the feather. She always felt that even though the gift came from her parents, Drake instead gifted her with something from his world of animals, something full of healing and mystery. He held that inexplicable air of understanding and knowledge about animals that she would never co
mprehend. Watching him work with them was something unexplainable and beautiful, and if a person watched too long, the connection between animal and man took on a respectable and strong alliance.
One afternoon while waiting for her father to get off, she saw Drake and a few men out in the paddocks working with an abused horse. Just the simple act of trust, of allowing one small touch between human and animal, was something that was instantly met with hostility from the sadly abused equine. That first afternoon Nadia saw Drake enter the paddock and simply stand there, about twenty-five feet away, as he watched the animal while humming something low beneath his breath. He never really approached the animal. It was more along the lines of a gentle seduction of the horse’s emotions. His long, tall body would walk side to side, while his hands worked with a small lead rope, and his eyes tracked the animal at all times. To Nadia it was like poetry. Something incomprehensible with mere words, but she knew that Drake would sooner or later overcome the issue of trust and the horse would accept him. Within weeks the animal had.
She shook her head and looked at the tiny flame of the candle nearest to her. The way she felt for him was similar to that flickering flame. She knew better, but would her feelings for him ever be extinguished?
For the sake of her sanity she hoped it would happen soon.
Chapter 4
“I’m getting a dog.”
Renee’s blue eyes peered over the lenses of her chic glasses, straight at Nadia. “A dog? Since when have you started feeling maternal and wanting to nest?”
Nadia shook her head as she answered, “I’m not nesting, or feeling maternal, but the dog needs a home and I’m open for a change of scenery.” She slung a questioning look over at Renee, “Why would getting a dog mean that I’m nesting?” Did she project her loneliness that much?
Renee rolled her eyes and ignored the question, “Ahh…this must be the dog you mentioned injuring the night you found out about Donavan. I remember you saying something about the dog being at the Haven,” she told Nadia, as her fingers slipped over the edges of a ton of papers on Nadia’s desk.
Nadia joined in the search for the one paper that they couldn’t find. “Yeah, Drake offered her to me before he put her up for adoption. After thinking about it, I have decided to go ahead and accept his offer.”
Renee’s blue eyes slid over to her again. “Drake? Is that the same Drake from a couple of weeks ago that came into the office looking all delicious and much too Texan for me to handle?”
Nadia couldn’t help but smile at Renee as her fingers continued flipping through papers. “That’s him, although I’m not too sure he would like to hear you talking about him like he was the new flavor of the month.”
Renee huffed. “Flavor of the month? Honey, try flavor of the year. That man oozes so much sex appeal that my beloved great grandmother, Esther, would claw her way out of the grave to just look at him.”
“Well, I have decided to go ahead and adopt the dog. Hopefully I won’t live to regret it,” Nadia told Renee, even as she was still smiling over Renee’s statement about her great grandmother.
Renee’s hand covered hers over the huge mound of papers between them. “Honey, you know as well as I do that you love animals. That dog will love being there with you.” Then she pulled her hand away and continued looking.
“You are right. I have no reason to worry about anything,” Nadia agreed. “And anyway, it will be a few more weeks because she has a pretty weighty cast on her leg, and she is receiving the best care at the Haven right now. There is no need to move her.”
There was also no need to throw herself into Drake’s presence right now either. Their last little meeting had taken place the weekend before, and Nadia was just now starting to feel as if her life was returning back to normal. A dose of Drake didn’t fit into the picture.
“Found it!” Renee’s vastly relieved statement woke Nadia up from her silent musings. “I’m going to input this into the computer for you, and then we can both go home,” Renee told her as she waltzed out of Nadia’s office.
After Renee’s departure the abrupt silence that ensued made Nadia’s ears ring. The last thing she needed to be was alone. She couldn’t trust herself when she was depressed, and she still was, even though it had been almost a month since she walked in on Donavan.
Moving around papers on her desk, she finally found her datebook knowing that she would see Cole Walker’s invitation written down. Cole Walker held an annual barbeque at his home in Houston, but the unique thing about this get together was that half the proceeds went to various charities and organizations. With the plate prices varying from $200.00 to $500.00, and with a large number of guests attending the lavish event, the charities were always happy when they received the check. Nadia’s part in the event was distributor of funds. The part she didn’t like was that more than half the people she couldn’t stand would be there. Thank God the gossip about Donavan messing around with Suzanne was starting to die down.
Why not go? Enjoy good food, maybe take in the beautiful environment that Cole Walker lived in, and let go, just for a little while? But would she be able to? Not giving herself the chance to back out, she grabbed her phone.
Seconds later Cole’s secretary answered. Even though it was close to four-thirty in the afternoon, Nadia knew he was still there, and after she asked the secretary to speak to him, he was on the phone.
“Nadia, how are you honey?” Cole was the consummate Texas gentleman, suave, debonair, undeniably handsome, rich, and loaded with southern charm. He was more than just a great catch. He was turning out to be a good friend.
“I’m fine, Cole. I hope the invitation to your barbeque is still open, even if I had already cancelled once before?”
“Darlin’, you could deny every invitation that is sent to you, but you should know better than to think that I would refuse you anything.” Silky incitement fluttered in his voice, and Nadia knew, like she had for almost three years now, that if there was the least bit of a nod from her, he would do his damndest to mark his territory around her. He was nothing but a harmless flirt, but she had known from the first moment she met him that he would make some woman happy some day. But that woman was not her. Thank God he never pushed the issue.
“Well, I’m planning to attend tonight.”
“My guests and I will be waiting patiently, honey. Just make sure you bring your dancing boots. I’m sure I won’t be the only one waiting in line for a dance with you.”
“Shameless flirt, but thank you. I will see you tonight.”
After hanging up the phone to Cole’s laughter in her ear, she smiled and thought to herself that she might just have a good night after all.
***
“I see the earlier rain shower didn’t stop your guests from showing up on time,” Drake told Cole Walker when he finally managed to snag a moment of his host’s attention.
Cole shrugged his shoulder and returned Drake’s smile. “You know us Texans. If you promise us food, beer and dancing, we show up in drastic numbers.”
Drake knew Cole was right.
The early evening was more than a little warm, but with that earlier rain shower, a breeze now kicked up from the south. Everything smelled fresh, damp, and Drake had a feeling that his night was about to get better. Where that thought came from, he had no idea.
“How are the animals managing with all that fancy new fencing and high tech gear you have over there?” Cole asked him before he took a sip from his beer and nodded at another guest that walked past him on the large outdoor patio.
“I’m sure it takes some getting used to, but the new fencing and other gadgets my people put up around the area are equipped with some pretty damn good sensors. If the animals in our northern pasture piss wrong, we will all know about it.”
Cole grinned at that. “Well, at least you know the animals will be safe while they recuperate from whatever injuries they sustained before.”
Drake nodded then took a deep draw from his own be
er while letting his gaze take in the huge event. He and Cole kept up a light conversation about the current stock market woes while Drake took in his surroundings.
Cole’s large, rambling ranch home was behind them, while around two hundred people milled in Cole’s large yard. The ranch was just east of Houston, so the drive wasn’t too horrible from Beaumont. With the large number of guests, Drake was sure that Cole would meet his quota of donations before the night was over with.
Cole Walker was in his mid thirties, a good ole Texas boy with loads of charm, loads of money, and a fair amount of brains in his head. Drake liked to maintain good company, and Cole was one of the best. He was one of the top dogs in a firm of lawyers in Houston, and even though he made good money putting the bad guys away, he didn’t need a dime of it. Cole’s family was tremendously wealthy in oil, banks, and many other endeavors that Texas had generated over the past hundred or so years. Drake had known his ancestors on a friendly basis for almost two hundred years now.
“Damn, she did show up,” Cole’s statement and following whistle caught Drake’s attention. “And she brought company. Would you look at that pair of lovely women? The night couldn’t get any better.”
Drake followed Cole’s nod, and when he caught sight of the women, he became stock still.
He should have known with this being a charity event that Nadia might show up. But when he first got that thought in his mind, he had chased it off. Never before had he looked for reasons to go out of his way to ignore, or get away from her company. Lately, for some reason, he was finding it odd he was having those thoughts in the first place.
Her curvy, flame haired secretary was with her. But for all Drake knew, Renee could have been Cindy Crawford and he still wouldn’t have looked twice at her. Now that was a thought that he didn’t need to dissect. Damn, he just needed to stop thinking all together.
“Who is that beauty beside her?” Cole questioned, and Drake watched his eyes follow the tall Amazon beside Nadia.
Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) Page 5