Moonlight Temptation

by Stephanie Julian

  Instinct kept him draped over her for several minutes after that.

  Even though he knew she couldn’t get pregnant. She was on the Pill.

  Fuck.

  No. No, he knew this had gone past just fucking.

  He just didn’t know what the hell to do now that he didn’t know what the hell this was.

  Wow, that had been…

  Wow.

  With her arms still wrapped around Dane’s back and her body still shuddering in the aftermath of a wickedly intense orgasm, Evie could barely breathe, much less think.

  Her senses were getting a hell of a workout, however.

  Dane’s solid body pressed her into the bed with a living heat that seeped into her body and made her muscles want to soften to the consistency of jelly.

  She wanted only to breathe in air laced with his masculine scent and she wanted to watch her hands as they stroked up and down his back with lazy possession.

  She felt…amazingly energized.

  As if she could run a marathon. Or flick her fingers and burn the house to the ground.

  Which was kinda scary.

  Okay, maybe she was a little too juiced.

  God, why would she even think something like that? It was weird, right?

  “Evie, whatever you’re thinking about right now, I want you to stop.”

  Dane punctuated his words with a sharp bite on her earlobe that sent shivers up her spine and made her sex contract around him.

  Which made him groan.

  And she liked hearing that.

  Focus on Dane.

  He shifted above her until her arms loosened and he could put enough space between them to look down at her. As he slid free of her body, he shifted to her side, resettling them until they were both on their sides, looking at each other.

  Those dark eyes examined hers with such steady regard, she had to wonder if he’d really let himself go.

  But the rapid pace of his breathing and flush on his cheeks told her what she wanted to know.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. But how can just the sound of your voice make me feel hot all over?”

  There, she’d shocked him. His eyes widened and his lips parted but he didn’t say anything. She’d leaned in to kiss him before she realized what she was doing.

  And reveled in the fact he kissed her back until he pulled away with a groan. “Kareta…”

  She heard caution creep into his tone, as if he wanted to say something she wasn’t going to like.

  And she decided she didn’t want to hear it right now.

  She moved her fingers over his mouth. “Dane, don’t. Please. I just want to…”

  What?

  She wanted just to feel good. And right now, she felt great.

  After a few seconds, Dane nodded. And pressed a kiss against her fingers that made her tingle from head to toe before he wrapped her in his arms, tucked her head under his chin and cuddled her.

  She knew they couldn’t stay there long. She had commitments to keep today. Three children to teach. Just the thought made her smile against his chest.

  And more than enough time later to work through the oh-so-very complicated mess her love life had become last night.

  “I’m—” He sighed. “I had to leave last night. If this…relationship continues, you need to realize there will be times I’ll have to leave—”

  “Dane, not now.”

  “Yes, now. You have to understand—”

  “Ugh, you had to do this now.” With a shove, she pushed against his chest until his arms loosened enough for her to scramble off the bed.

  “Evie, vaffanculo—”

  “Don’t you swear at me, Dane Dimitriou.” Standing by the bed, she held up one hand. “Don’t say another word. If you do, I’m gonna have to get angry. And I don’t want to be angry with you. Not now. Now…I’m going to take another shower. And then I’m going to meet my new students.”

  The shock on his face gave her enough of a kick to straighten her spine and head back to the shower.

  Maybe she was kidding herself, but she refused to think about anything other than the day ahead. Three little boys to teach.

  But she knew the two big boys she’d had in bed would have to be dealt with, too.

  Later.

  Chapter Six

  Ryan sat at the kitchen table, not even pretending to read the magazine in front of him.

  No, Ryan watched Dane as he poured himself a cup of coffee before he sat at the table. Dane knew by the look on Ryan’s face that Ryan wanted to talk.

  And Ryan knew him well enough to know talking was the last thing Dane wanted to do.

  Vaffanculo, it only took the sound of the shower for his dick to get hard again. Just the thought of Evie naked and wet made him react like a horny teenager.

  And that was completely unacceptable.

  He opened his mouth—

  “Don’t even say it.” Ryan cut him off before he could speak. “This is not the time for you to freak out.”

  Dane bit back a reply that would have called Ryan’s paternity into question and possibly damaged their long friendship. Besides, he knew Ryan was right.

  That didn’t mean he could control the way he felt.

  And the way he felt about Evie… Hell, he couldn’t even begin to sort that mess out now.

  And that was dangerous. He didn’t have time for messy emotions. He had research to conduct. A disease to cure. A little boy to save.

  Why the fuck did he think he had time for a relationship? Especially one as complicated as this. He’d made a huge, fucking mis—

  Ryan rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing Dane’s attention back to his best friend. Ryan’s gaze had sharpened to an edge Dane rarely saw.

  “Just tell me one thing, Dane. When you’re with her, does anything else matter?”

  Ryan held him with that stare for several seconds before returning his gaze back to the veterinarian journal on the table.

  And Dane picked up his coffee, cursing Ryan silently.

  How the hell did the guy know the one thing to say guaranteed to throw Dane off-kilter?

  Because now that Ryan had said it, Dane couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  With more force than necessary, Dane pushed away from the table. “I’m going to the lab.”

  Ryan didn’t bother to look away from his magazine. “You need to sleep, Dane.”

  No, what he needed was to get a grip.

  “Tell Evie I’ll have Alex delivered to her around two. According to Grace, he should see an immediate improvement after the first treatment.”

  There. That caught Ryan’s attention. He looked up. “So you already started him on the serum?”

  “Yes, at six. He was sleeping when I left at eight. I shouldn’t have left.”

  Ryan’s mouth curved into a smile and it was all Dane could do not to punch it off his face. Bastard thought he knew him so well.

  Thing is, he did.

  “Couldn’t stay away, huh?”

  Dane’s hands curled into fists at his sides before he forced them to relax. Ryan was baiting him and he refused to rise to it.

  “I don’t have time for his. I need to take a shower and—”

  “Then it’s all yours.”

  Evie had emerged from the bathroom and was walking toward him, her expression calm. Icy calm.

  She was pissed at him. He smelled it on her, like the scent of hot chili powder.

  And beneath that, her scent. Which just revved up his libido once again.

  She walked over to the counter and stopped next to Ryan, who didn’t hesitate to put his arm around her and draw her onto his lap. She tensed for a brief second but Ryan wouldn’t let her freeze up.

  Instead, he pressed a kiss just below her ear and she shivered.

  Dane couldn’t help himself. He circled the counter, kissed her in the exact same spot as Ryan then turned and headed for the shower.

  Leaving Evie blinking and Ryan smirki
ng.

  And Dane fucking confused as all hell.

  Ryan held back a sigh but only barely.

  He’d thought he was going to have to punch a little sense into Dane.

  But Dane had surprised him. And Evie too, apparently.

  Dane had kissed her and she’d stilled like a stroked cat.

  And allowed Ryan to hold her on his lap.

  He couldn’t help the analogy. She reminded him of a timid stray, afraid to let anyone pet her for fear they’d hurt her, yet she was starved for affection.

  Evie gave the sigh he’d held back. “What are we doing here, Ryan?”

  He heard a bit of sharp claw in the question and figured he’d better have a good answer. “We’re getting to know one another.”

  She turned to look him in the eyes. “And then what?”

  Good question. “Then we see where it takes us.”

  “Do you love him?”

  Her question startled a laugh out of him. “Yeah, I do. But not the ‘Hey, I wanna strip you naked and jump your bones’ kind of way.”

  “So…it’s not sexual?”

  “And it’s not romantic.”

  “And there’s no jealousy over me?”

  “Do you want there to be?”

  “No. God no! I’m just…”

  Ryan smiled at the wide-eyed look of panic on her face. “Confused?”

  She sighed again. “We could start there.”

  His smile widened. “Horny?”

  She gave him a very female look of exasperation. “I’ve had more sex in the past twenty-four hours than I’ve had in the past three years. And don’t look so glad about that. I am not horny. At least, not right this minute.”

  He laughed again and pressed a kiss to her nape, loving the shiver that ran through her. “Then why don’t you let me take you back to your house so you can get changed?”

  Nodding, she slid from his lap, a small smile perking up the corners of her lips. “Fine. Just let me—”

  The knock at the door caught them both off guard.

  If Evie hadn’t been standing there in nothing but Dane’s shirt, he would have answered the door. He knew almost everyone in the den and they all knew him. But he knew Dane wouldn’t want Evie to feel uncomfortable and the look on her face showed sheer panic.

  “Get dressed, Evie, then we’ll leave.”

  She nodded and hurried to the bedroom. When he heard the door close, Ryan walked to the front door and checked the sidelight.

  And nearly groaned.

  Shit, fuck and double damn. This was sure to send Dane into conniptions.

  His mother had impeccable timing.

  Forcing a smile, Ryan opened the door, knowing she had already scented him. Though a lucani’s eyesight was pure human, their sense of smell rivaled a real wolf’s.

  “Good morning, Patricia.”

  A soft smile lit Patricia Dimitriou’s classically beautiful face. “Good morning, Ryan. Dane didn’t tell me you were visiting.”

  Swinging open the door, he waved in Dane’s mother, allowing her to press a quick, cool kiss to his cheek.

  It’d taken Ryan years to attain that level of affection from the woman Dane idolized. Patricia was not a cold woman, but she wasn’t demonstrative, not even with her own children. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her children, it was just the way she was built.

  She’d needed that backbone of steel to take care of a husband whose body and mind slowly failed while she’d raised two children basically on her own.

  “I just got here yesterday. I’m…taking a vacation.”

  “You look like you could use one, dear.” She stopped just inside the door and cocked her head to the side. “Did you bring someone with you?”

  Shit, he really didn’t want to lie to Dane’s mother and he didn’t think he could, anyway. So he figured, fuck it. “No, I didn’t. Would you like some coffee? I’ve got to run but Dane should be out of the shower in a few minutes.”

  Moving to the kitchen, he heard Patricia’s sensible heels clicking against the hardwood floor almost tentatively as she followed him.

  “I only have a few minutes. I stopped on my way into town. I’m taking Miranda to New York for a show and I thought…”

  She turned as Dane emerged from the hall leading back to the bedrooms. If his smile seemed at all strained, his mother chose to ignore it.

  “Good morning, Mother. I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

  “I only have a few minutes. Miranda and I are leaving for New York and I wanted to ask you again if you’d like to come. But I can see you have other plans.”

  Dane nodded, showing no signs of stress. Yes, the man had inherited more than his eye color from his mother. Patricia Valenti Dimitriou’s ancestors had long-held titles in the Etruscan hierarchy. And while the lucani no longer recognized any title other than king, no one could doubt Patricia and her children descended from nobility.

  That air of supreme confidence Dane wore like a second skin suited him to a T, just as it did Patricia.

  “I’m sure you and Miri will have a good time without me. You’ll be able to shop to your heart’s content.”

  “Yes, your sister will enjoy that.” She paused and Ryan braced for impact. “I was hoping you would stop by Ione’s. She has some papers for you to sign for the investments your father left you. She’s brilliant, of course. Have you met Ione, Ryan? She moved back to the den not long ago. She’d been living in Philadelphia, working for one of the large brokerage firms there. But she missed her home and her family. She and Dane have been close since they were children.”

  And there was the twist of the knife in Dane’s soft spot. His family.

  Dane stiffened, though Ryan knew he’d never dress down his mother. Especially not in front of other people. Though she exasperated him, Dane worshipped his mother. And she’d set him on a pedestal other mortals would have fallen off long before now.

  “No, I’ve never had the pleasure, though Dane has spoken of her. It was nice to see you, Patricia, but I’ve got to run in a few minutes. I’ll let you talk to Dane.”

  Ryan’s gaze caught and held Dane’s, who acknowledged Ryan’s concern with a faint nod. Patricia knew there was another person in the house. She knew that person was female but she was also smart enough to know what battles to fight and when.

  And Ryan knew this was a battle she didn’t think she could lose.

  Pushing through the bedroom door and shutting it behind him, he found Evie, fully dressed, staring out the window. She wore another of Dane’s t-shirts and the jeans she’d worn yesterday.

  Damn it, he should have thought further ahead and had her bring a bag yesterday but he probably would’ve scared her off. And maybe getting out of here would help her regain a little composure before she met with her students.

  But first they needed to wait for Dane to get rid of his mother before they could leave.

  Evie didn’t turn when she heard Ryan enter the room.

  She didn’t speak either. The lucani had amazing hearing and she figured Dane wouldn’t want his mother to hear anything she had to say.

  Which wasn’t fair. He hadn’t ordered her to stay in here and avoid his mother.

  She was the one who’d cowered in here as if she were ashamed. Ashamed of what she’d done with these two men.

  She wasn’t. She refused to be.

  And yet…

  Dane’s mother was out there.

  She’d never met the woman, but she’d heard about her from Tira and Nica. Apparently Patricia Dimitriou had a stick up her ass about Dane marrying the perfect woman, which meant mating a woman with pure lucani blood.

  And Evie certainly didn’t fall into that category. Of course, just because they’d had sex didn’t mean mating was next on the list.

  Hell, she didn’t think Dane wanted to mate with anyone.

  She couldn’t imagine he’d want to give up his autonomy. Not for anyone.

  And yet last night and this morning, he�
��d made love to her as if he couldn’t keep his hands off her.

  The situation was enough to make her head explode.

  Stifling a sigh, she felt Ryan squeeze her shoulder before he headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind him then turning on the shower.

  Ryan hadn’t finished by the time Dane opened the door, so it couldn’t have been that long.

  “Evie.”

  She turned, wondering why she felt so damn hurt.

  It wasn’t as if he’d told her to stay in the room. She’d made that decision herself.

  But Dane’s expression gave her nothing to go on. She had no idea what he was thinking.

  “I must go check on Alex. Are you—” He sighed and ran a hand over his head, barely messing the short strands. She’d realized last night she loved running her hands over it.

  “I’m fine. I understand. Ryan’s going to take me home to change. I’ll drive myself back to meet the boys.”

  “I want—” His jaw clenched. “I’d like you to come back tonight. To stay here tonight.”

  Her hands went to her hips as her gaze narrowed down to glare at him. “Is that a question? Or a demand?”

  His eyes closed for a brief second before he took a deep breath. “It’s a request.”

  Her stomach erupted with butterflies. An acceptance leaped onto her tongue but she bit it back. Yes, she wanted to come back tonight. But she also didn’t want to appear too eager.

  “Dane…this has all happened so—”

  He closed the space between them in two steps, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and closed his mouth over hers. His kiss stole her breath and, amazingly, calmed the butterflies in her stomach.

  Opening her mouth, she drew in his heat, let it warm her. She flicked her tongue against his lips and nearly melted when he groaned into her mouth. He kissed her, hard and fast, and when he released her, she nearly swooned.

  Damn the man. He left her breathless.

  But he certainly wasn’t unaffected by her.

  His cheeks held a dark flush and his breath sawed in and out of his lungs.

  “Come back tonight.”

  He didn’t even pretend to make it a question but she nodded anyway.

  “Good. I’ve got to check on Alex. I’ll see you when I bring him for class.”