Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series)

by Trish F Leger

  I knew you were stubborn, but this is ridiculous. Just accept the flowers.

  Drake

  A slow smirk grew on her face, but she stopped it from forming fully. She thrust back into her mind all of the reasons that she shouldn’t accept this gift from him. Imagining herself thinking depressing thoughts of him while she held the flowers to her chest was what cemented her actions. She would not pine for him anymore.

  She placed the card back and gave the delivery boy an apologizing glance.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t mind at all. Every time I leave his office he tips me,” the young guy told her, and Nadia couldn’t help but laugh as he left the building once more with the bouquet firmly in his grasp.

  ***

  Across town Drake was not exactly good company right now.

  His attempts at apologizing to the most stubborn, hardheaded little lady this side of the Mississippi was not working, and he wasn’t pleased about it. The delivery guy had come and gone three times already. When he came back with the bouquet in his hands again, Drake gestured for him to leave it with his secretary and then he could go.

  She would accept something from him as an apology, even if he had to be underhanded to get her to take it.

  He pushed papers around on his desk until his phonebook appeared and as he flipped through, he tried to understand this burning need to give her something in the first place. Could it have been because she had looked like a wounded black haired angel when she cried Saturday? Maybe it was because even after his changing over 200 years ago he still couldn’t handle tears from a woman. Whatever the reason, all Drake knew was that he had a burning aspiration in his gut to see her happy again, and he wouldn’t rest until he carried forth on his plan.

  An hour later Drake was wearing a shit eating grin and feeling about ten feet taller as he left his office for field work. There was no way in hell Nadia could return his gift now and just knowing that caused his blood to heat.

  He adamantly refused to dissect any reason why his body grew hotter when he had thoughts of her.

  ***

  The card arrived the next day in the mail.

  Nadia slid her fingernail under it and pulled out the heavy vellum paper. The Saunders Spa was located in one of the ritziest neighborhoods in Houston. Nadia had done a few write ups on the large business for one of her magazines and she had loved the neutral elegance of the place. They catered to wealthy patrons, but every year at a couple of Nadia’s events they would send out gift baskets that included spa days and other goodies. Her eyes went over the small note and Nadia remembered meeting Gwen, the manager, at one of her events a few months ago. Gwen had basically said that she wanted to thank Nadia because since they had been sending out those goody baskets, their business had skyrocketed and she had included a day pass for her in the envelope.

  Dang, she could use this, and it was the thing she needed so that her mind could be at ease while her body got pampered. Before she allowed her mind to change, she called the number and accepted the generous gift.

  The week passed relatively fast, and with no more flowers from Drake. In the back of her mind, Nadia had hoped she would have seen more, but she knew once she refused him three times she would not be seeing the lovely bouquet again.

  You had your reasons to do that.

  She had, but thinking about it a week later she was seeing just how impolite she had been to turn down his gift. What really surprised her was how easily he had given up. Like any other Texas gentleman she knew, Drake was a surefire charmer and could easily smile or drawl his way past any woman’s defenses. Since it hadn’t been him delivering those flowers, it was easier for her to stay immune from his charismatic ways.

  Anyway, she thought to herself, if he had wanted to charm her he could have done so Saturday at her house.

  Just remembering what she had told him that day sent a fiery blush traveling over her skin. It had to have been more than clear to him just what those yelled words meant. She only hoped that he didn’t care about her jealousy.

  Yeah right.

  If she knew Drake, and she did, not only had he noticed the green monster in the room with them that afternoon, he was also waiting for the perfect time to get to the bottom of things.

  She sure as heck didn’t need that. Hell, she was barely hanging on by a thread as things were now. Drake was an intense man. If he wanted to, he would have her emotions laid bare in mere moments. Saturday, they had been all over the place, and he had only been there ten minutes. Nadia knew if there was something he wanted to know, he wouldn’t waste time. The ruthless businessman and hardnosed animal activist in him would rise to the surface and leave her in shambles.

  Pushing thoughts of him away, she focused on the relaxing day she would have at the spa instead. She would not waste the spa’s generosity on emotions she could do nothing about. There was no way to change her feelings for Drake. She had loved him for years and would continue to do so, no matter how much it hurt her to know that he would never care for her that way.

  She knew now, after the Donavan incident, that trying to push those feelings onto another man, or even using another man to hide behind, would never work. All that had done was waste her time and screwed up a friendship and developing trust between her and Donavan.

  There was no way to escape Drake and what he made her feel. She had accepted it, but she knew her life would be miserable because of it.

  ***

  The weeks flew by and surprisingly enough Nadia was so busy that she rarely had time to focus on Drake. In between meetings concerning photo shoots, headlines, and hot topic events, Nadia also had her hands full with numerous charity functions, and trying to stay on pace with other national magazines, all without losing her sanity.

  Three weeks had passed before Nadia caught the feeling that Drake might be nearby. Her internal radar had never failed her before. With her interest held on a conversation with Amy Morehead and Leslie Tierney, Nadia noticed Drake from the corner of her eye. While Amy talked about her first year of marriage, Nadia’s nape prickled in awareness. The slow thrum of heated responsiveness slipped past her defenses and tickled her belly. Her attention was drawn to his tall frame as he stood with his back to her a good distance away.

  The dim lights in the Galleria hotel slipped over his dark chocolate hair and massive shoulders. The knowledge that he was here, at this event, spilled through her body like warmed honey. It was almost as if their argument had never happened. Her body still reacted to him in that same dangerous way. But in Nadia’s mind she knew things weren’t the same.

  Those easy conversations they had shared when she was younger, along with the ones at Cole’s barbeque just weeks ago, seemed like memories now. Like always, Nadia would be able to hide what she felt under a cold and indifferent nod or look. What scared her was if Drake would come out and ask her about her jealousy problem. Would she be able to play it off? She wasn’t sure.

  When he turned, Nadia noticed the tux was absent tonight. He still managed to look seductively handsome in his black trousers, dark midnight blue button up shirt and patterned tie. Even though the dress code wasn’t black tie, he outshone every other man there in his understated elegance.

  Those beautiful eyes of his scanned the area while he still managed to keep his attention on the conversation with the men around him. When his bold gaze came too close to her, Nadia snapped her eyes back towards her friends, but she had the feeling that he had caught her staring.

  After getting drawn back into the conversation, she surprisingly forgot about Drake’s presence.

  Another thirty minutes passed as Nadia laughed and gossiped with the girls. These two women were the only true society women that she trusted. With their easy going manners and open, friendly attitudes, it was easy to get along with both of them.

  “I see whatever it is you are doing is working perfectly.”

  Drake’s deep drawl snapped her to instant attention. Nadia noticed he barely hefted his voice abo
ve a whisper, so the other ladies hadn’t heard him. With her back ramrod straight and her eyes still on her friends, Nadia let her emotions and senses open to his nearness.

  His tall, hard, hot body was standing very close behind her. She could feel the heat radiating from him in waves. Since the gathering was massive with people milling around closely everywhere, Nadia knew the other women hadn’t given Drake’s closeness extra attention. The small hairs on her body lifted minutely, as if rising to meet him. Her fingers tightened on her wineglass whenever he spoke again, as his warm breath teased her bare neck.

  “You are relaxed, smiling, and you look happy.”

  A warm thrill shot through her. He noticed her, or rather, something about her and that was something she hadn’t expected.

  The thread of conversation was still heavy around her. Nadia listened to the girls talking, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

  “I guess that trip to the spa did its job?”

  Those few words thrummed through Nadia’s brain. It took her a moment before she realized exactly what he was saying. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened even more. That sneaky, sneaky man!

  Turning, she whispered, “You underhanded, devious, conniving…” She was so furious that she ran out of words to spit at him.

  “Ah darlin’, sometimes that is the only way to make a woman see reason. You have to do things a little dishonestly.” His words were deep with his delicious drawl, and Nadia hoped Amy and Leslie couldn’t hear their furious whispering.

  She fumed silently while Drake’s eyes sparkled at her with hidden humor. The bastard was enjoying this! He liked seeing her flustered. Those eyes of his were warm on her face as he looked down at her, and Nadia watched as a sexy, wicked grin kicked up one corner of his mouth. Her insides quivered as he nodded to the other ladies vaguely and said, “Ladies.”

  His eyes slammed once more into hers and Nadia felt rooted to the floor.

  “I’ll be seeing you around.”

  He worded it like a promise, putting emphasis on the ‘you’ part. In reality those softly spoken words made her want to find a hiding place right this second.

  Whispers from behind her drew her attention but she couldn’t help but watch Drake as he walked away from her, his large, powerful body moving fluidly, muscle by muscle.

  ***

  The stinging of his gums acknowledged the fact that the sight of Nadia after three weeks of not seeing her proved more than his vaulted control could take.

  Drake continued walking until he had maneuvered around throngs of people to the refreshment table where a beer was waiting with his name on it. After that first bracing cold drink, his body cooled somewhat. He nodded to a few people he knew around the table but maintained his distance from them for the time being. He had all he could handle right now with Nadia crowding his thoughts.

  She still stood about thirty feet from him, but even with that distance between them, Drake could feel the pulse of awareness that had thrummed through her body, and still did, when he had walked up behind her. The responsiveness of her body had called out to him at that moment. Drake had stopped himself from giving the delectable, exposed nape of her neck a long hot lick, but even now his mouth still watered from the action that he had halted.

  With all of her glorious dark hair piled on her head, her shoulders, nape and back was bared to everyone’s gaze. The black, strapless gown was stunning in its simplicity. With Nadia wearing it, it became a walking temptation. Drake’s hands tightened into fists at his side. He almost crushed the frozen beer bottle in his hand, stopping himself mere moments before he knew he would have heard a crack in the glass.

  Shit. This was ridiculous.

  But his body didn’t think it was. At that moment Nadia laughed, and the sound caused something inside Drake’s chest to tighten almost to the point of pain. Dreading the action and telling himself he shouldn’t, he brought his gaze back to where she was standing and soaked up the sight of her with a blinding smile on her face. Her eyes were lit up from within while she spoke to one of the women on her left. The front of her dress was just as simply made as the rear, but with it wrapped around her body, to Drake it became something that showcased all of the curves that he had overlooked for years now.

  Well, he was catching up real fast with reality.

  The young girl with the coltish legs and stick body was nowhere in sight. Now he was faced with a dark-haired beauty. Smoldering green eyes showed him almost every emotion she felt and her adolescent skinniness had disappeared, giving her a more feminine, rounded appearance. Ripe, womanly curves were splendidly on view for his approval, and boy did he approve.

  Surprising long legs, for such a small woman, took up half of her height. The only other thing on her that competed with her long legs was her long black hair. When it was down, the very tip brushed her lower back.

  Drake felt his fists clench again as an image scorched his brain with heat. He could imagine her long, delicate neck thrown back, her body magnificently flushed with arousal as she tilted her hips to receive him, her long hair tracing fire along his thighs with every backward dip, as she screamed his name.

  He growled and moved away from the table. Fuck this. She was Nadia Morales-daughter of an old friend that he had trusted and cared deeply for, not only for him, but for his young family too. This rabid want that had him fired up and wanting to do things to her that he shouldn’t even dream of, was ludicrous.

  With his thoughts in the gutter, damn good thoughts, but still inappropriate, Drake downed his beer, tossed it in the nearest trash can and headed for the woman that had been giving him delicious looks all night.

  Her name was Josette, and that was all Drake needed to know. The only thought in his mind was to get Nadia’s image out of there, and if he had to do his best to fill his mind with someone else, then he would. Josette was more than happy to dance and while they did Drake tried not to see the glance that Nadia gave him. It was almost as if she knew what he was doing, as if she knew how he felt in that moment.

  She knew nothing about the overwhelming need pounding through him right now. Nothing about how he was burning up for a woman he shouldn’t even feel this way for. Nothing about those fragile, wounded eyes knew anything about the intensity of his lust at this moment, and if Drake had any say in it, she would never know. No matter how gentle he could be, the beast that lived in him, that breathed the same air as he, but managed to only come out at times of high stress or emotional moments, would tear her apart. His Druid abilities were strong and sometimes Drake felt the primal edge of that hidden danger pulse inside of him. The last thing he needed to do was unleash that upon the one woman that he wanted only to protect.

  You know damn well you want more than that from her.

  He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore the burning of his gums. Josette’s left leg slipped into the small opening between his. Her hip brushed his groin and he felt the excitement rushing through her veins. The tall brunette was more than experienced with the way he handled things than Nadia could ever be. Even the aura around her hinted at a wealth of hidden sexual vices that he could easily imagine would keep them busy all night long. But when he glanced down at her brown eyes that all but promised him heaven, Drake felt anxiousness crawl into his chest.

  Even with her obvious interest, her tall, svelte form, Drake still couldn’t manage a hint of interest in Josette. And that pissed him the hell off. All he wanted to do was bury himself deep in another woman and forget about Nadia.

  When the dance ended, he politely, but firmly, brought Josette back to her table with the rest of her guests. The look of shock and hunger in her eyes made him even angrier, but he didn’t know what to tell her.

  Sorry darlin’, but you aren’t what I want. For some reason, that little dark haired woman-child in the corner over there makes my blood run hot, but a purely delicious carnal woman like you can’t get me hard.

  Drake scoffed at his subconscio
us and left the ballroom. He would stop this madness. He just wasn’t sure of how long it would take him.

  ***

  Nadia looked in the mirror once more. She wiped gently at the tear marks on her cheek, sniffed and then threw the tissue in the trash. She reached out to grab her small clutch and noticed the fine shaking skittering along her fingers. And that was all it took to make her chin wobble again.

  She slammed the clutch down on the counter in her anger.

  Why should she continue to do this to herself? What was the point? She was only making herself depressed when she allowed her eyes to follow him around. When he had taken Josette Perkin’s hand and led her to the dance floor, Nadia could have sworn that her heart had sunk to her ankles. The pain that had invaded her system at that moment had been intense. She had almost run to the restroom for privacy.

  She wanted him so much that she felt sick with it.

  Letting out a puff of air she stood straight up. She stiffened her shoulders and placed an iron hold over her emotions. He would not get to her this easily. He could dance with whomever he wanted, he could flirt with whomever he wanted, and he could sleep with whomever he wanted. Nadia would remain immune. She told herself these things, but for some reason she didn’t believe one word.

  Surprisingly enough, when she walked back out to the ballroom Josette was still there with a sullen look on her face while Drake was nowhere to be found.

  ***

  Nadia had just settled into bed, tugged the covers up to her chin and rolled onto her side, determined to not dream at all, not even about Drake, when her phone rang. Huffing out a breath in irritation, she grabbed her iphone that was emitting the annoying sound and answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, I just wanted to make sure that you made it home okay.” Drake’s thick-as-molasses tone slid into her ear. Every single inch of her body come to immediate, throbbing life.