What was he, six foot four or five, or six? So freaking…big, and her type times ten. He had the most amazing topaz eyes and cocoa skin. A man of mixed heritage, with the physique of a god. What did he do to look like that? And for the love of all that was holy, she could see his washboard under that T-shirt. How many times in her life had that happened? Never.
“You didn’t answer my question, Nadia.”
She blinked. “What was that?”
“So, do you want to go?”
Huh? “Were you asking me to the party?”
He held her gaze. “I’m your date. You applied to a service called 1Night Stand. Yes?”
“Yessss.” One word and she managed to stumble over it like she’d never spoken English. Great job. He must think her an idiot. He watched her with beautiful eyes, waiting.
“And?”
Nadia couldn’t look away. “I…did.” But she’d put on her application she didn’t want anyone in her line of work. The man, no matter how fine, was her replacement for the next semester while she took some time off for medical tests. Her physician said they’d gotten some bizarre results from her blood samples. Her cells appeared to be mutating. They wanted to make sure she hadn’t picked up some kind of a rare disease while crawling around in the old tombs.
“So what time, and where do I pick you up?”
She blinked again as her brain connected all the dots. Had she just gotten a date? Wait a minute, what about dating within her line of work? “No, I mean, I don’t date others in my profession.” He certainly looked like an archeologist, down to the cargo pants and hands roughened from exploring ancient ruins.
His smile faded. “I’m sorry. You’re already going with someone. I shouldn’t have assumed. My apologies. I thought when Madame Eve sent me here tonight, you were free for the evening. It’s why I came early.”
“No, I’m not going with anyone. I’m not going.”
“Can I ask why, or is that too forward?” He cocked his head, and completely disarmed her. Forget raising an objection or retrieving the word no from her vocabulary. Why did he have to look like that?
“Nadia?”
“Yes, you can.” Do me. For the love of God, do me.
“So, why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you not going to the party?” He studied her. “Are you okay?”
His words acted like a bucket of ice water in her face. No, no she wasn’t okay. Her sex life sucked. Her health was taking a nosedive, and, somewhere along the way, she’d become the joke of the university, courtesy of the creep she’d thought cared about her. No, she wasn’t okay. And no, she wasn’t going to the stupid party to have her tragic excuse for a life thrown back in her face by a bunch of twenty-something college girls with more boobs than brains.
Still….
The way he watched her made her want to break the rules, be a bad girl, and do all the naughty things she’d thought about only moments before in the Queen’s Chamber. Wait, this wasn’t about breaking rules. He’d asked her why she’d chosen not to go. She might as well throw it out there. “My ex will be there.” With a bunch of busty bimbos.
“I see.”
“No, you don’t. You have no idea what he’s put me through.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You are going to go to your room to sulk, drink, and let him win, so he can put you through more. Did I get that right?”
For the gazillionth time she blushed like a virgin. What was it about this guy? “Well, actually, yes.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm what?” Now he was beginning to irritate her, reading her like that. Madame Eve had really outdone herself. When she’d asked for a man to make the asshole regret he’d dumped her, she couldn’t have picked someone more perfect. Successful, rich, and hot damn, good-looking—better than good-looking. The man looked like dirty fun and debauchery all rolled into one package, wrapped up, and delivered with a bow. So what the hell was her problem?
She’d already paid an exorbitant fee for the service. And maybe that was it. She’d paid for the date. He wasn’t here because of her looks or smarts, or even for the stimulating conversation. Well, that depended on the definition of stimulating in this instance. Heat bloomed across her cheeks again. Yeah, she was well aware of what he expected to get from the date. But he was a touch arrogant. Not her style.
He cocked a brow, and her heart began to hammer. Well, not completely not her style.
“I think you need the date.”
She gasped. “I do not. I’m not desperate.”
He tipped his head back and laughed the kind of laugh that made her moist in unmentionable places. “I didn’t say you were desperate. You want to go. It’s written all over your face. I promise to make it a night you’ll never forget if you say yes.”
She didn’t doubt that a bit. Here was her chance. A one-night stand. She could handle one night, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t asked for it. She just hadn’t expected him. No, absolutely not. This had bad idea written all over it. Before she could stop herself, the wrong answer rolled off her tongue. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get back to our hotels and change. I’m staying at the Castillo Hotel in Luxor. I saw students in the lobby, so I assume you have a room there as well.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh, what? You don’t have a room there?”
“No, I….” She bit her lip. Damn. She hadn’t heard back, so she hadn’t bought a dress. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t go to the black-and-white party in her work clothes. Not the kind of impression she wanted to make. Buzz. Her phone took that moment to vibrate in her pocket. “Excuse me a moment.” Nadia pulled her cell from her pocket and slid her thumb down the screen to unlock it.
I took the liberty of purchasing a dress for your party. It’s hanging in the closet in your room. Have fun, and, despite what you think, Lucas is everything you asked for—and more.
Eve
“Never mind. Let’s party.” Nadia smiled. If Eve thought he was the perfect man, why should she argue? Even if for one night only.
Lucas offered her his arm, and they strolled out to her rental Jeep together. A short ferry trip and she’d be minutes from the hotel and the date of a lifetime.
Chapter Two
Nadia turned side to side, studying her image in the mirror. The gold gown glowed against her skin. The party was supposed to be a black-and-white formal, but she looked like a cliché fashion diva breaking the rules. Metallic. Was it real gold? The damn thing weighed a ton for what little material it had, and the fabric possessed that slinky feel, like a delicate bracelet.
A can of spray adhesive had come with it. At first, she didn’t have a clue why they’d included it, until she put the dress on and discovered the front dropped to her navel, the back to just over the dimples above her rear, and the skirt had a slit to her hip. Lucky it covered anything at all. This dress was the complete opposite of her conservative nature, and the wrong part of the world to decide to take a fashion risk like this. Her stomach twisted into knots. Could she wear this, go to the party, and not feel naked—or get arrested?
Because of the dress’s design, she couldn’t wear a bra. The only thing keeping her from being naked under the gown was a tiny thong she found in a small box of accessories on the bed. The scrap of fabric covered her southern region. Barely. Well, it was a private party, put on by the university, closed to outsiders. They were told the hotel staff catering the event were women and understood the dress would be Western. When she’d received her invitation, she was told to wear whatever she wanted. But the gown could be a tad dangerous in this part of the world, even if Cairo had a rather progressive outlook on women’s clothing.
The gown felt deliciously sinful, but it still meant she basically had nothing on underneath, and everyone would know it. If she’d wanted to make a man envious, this would be the dress to do it in, but she’d never been bold enough to buy something like it, let
alone wear it. At least the spray kept the fabric in place and her boobs covered. Oh hell, what was she thinking? She couldn’t wear it. She reached up to undo the top and froze at her image in the mirror.
Killer—like man-eater, killer. She unknotted her hair and refastened it after several twists and adjustments. She stroked the necklace, tracing around the design with her fingertip. Unbelievable. The reproduction collar was stunning. Lapis, gold, and red coral. The whole piece made up the body of an eagle, with the wingtips fastening at the back of her neck. If she didn’t know better, she’d say it was real, as in from ancient Egypt, but nobody would get access to a museum piece like that, even under heavy guard. It must be a very expensive reproduction that would have to be returned to wherever it came from in the morning, if a security guard wasn’t following her around the party to collect it after.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Just a moment.” Butterflies swirled in her stomach. No, too late to back out, or try to find something else to wear from the hotel gift shop. Nadia sucked in a breath, moved across the room, smoothed down the dress, and opened the door.
Her mouth went dry, and, for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
“Are you ready to go, Dr. Crane?”
The man belonged in Armani. Holy shit. She blinked. He smiled and handed her a bouquet of orchids wrapped in delicate gilded tissue. The blooms were such a deep purple, they looked black. Where he’d found them in Egypt baffled her, but wow, just wow. Men like him really existed on Earth, and she’d been lucky enough to score a date with him, a man so out of her league. “Um, I….”
“Look divine.” His gaze glided down her body, taking time to caress each curve and dip, a deep sense of appreciation filling his eyes. Chills exploded across her skin. If he touched her with a tenth of the heat with which he looked at her, she’d certainly melt in his arms.
“I was going to say I don’t think I can do this. I can’t even dance, and the women in Egypt dress a bit more conservatively.”
“The dress looks like it was made for you. Don’t change. Follow my lead, and they’ll think you’ve been dancing since you could walk.” He lifted his chin and looked into her eyes. “He’ll be punching his pillow tonight, and your image will haunt him for the rest of his life. Trust me, it will be worth it.”
Nadia couldn’t stop the laugh. “Now that was the best line I’ve ever heard.” Seriously? She was scruffy around the edges, with dirt perpetually under her nails and her hair in a ponytail. There was nothing divine or elegant about her, not compared to him. “You know, this date includes a one-night stand. You don’t have to say pretty things to get me into bed.”
He raised a brow. “I call it like I see it, and, tonight, I’m the luckiest man in Egypt.” He leaned closer and spoke softly in her ear. “In bed or out of it.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
Oh, she was in trouble. She could see it coming from a mile away. She’d give him anything he wanted with the crook of a finger. Powerless. It would have been better to raid the wet bar and hide in her room, claiming she’d gotten food poisoning, or some other exotic illness. She was actually going to do this, go to this party, parade in front of her colleagues in next to nothing, with a man hot enough to set the desert on fire. The sun must have baked her brains.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” he responded to her internal dialog, causing her to misstep and stumble. Lucas caught her in his arms as though it were second nature to keep bumbling women on their feet. Lucky he had. She tended to turn black and blue at the slightest bump. Landing on the floor would have her skin wearing every color of the rainbow.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Careful, love. It would be a pity to bruise such beauty.”
Nadia blinked. Did she just say everything out loud? Must have. He couldn’t read her mind. Damn she was nervous. He lifted his arm again, offering it to her like a crutch, one she’d certainly need if he continued doing what he was doing. No man had ever been so tuned in to her. She took his arm and let him escort her from the room. As they walked through the lobby toward the ballroom, heads turned.
Showtime.
Gorgeous. One look at Nadia in gold and Lucas had second thoughts about killing her. A woman could not be any more perfect for him if he’d had her custom made. How many years had he worked on Earth, terminating hybrids where he’d found them? Not once did he question the authority that governed his people and sent him here for one purpose. And that could only mean one thing.
Not possible.
Lucas inhaled her scent. There was something different about this woman from the others he’d pursued. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it dug under his skin. As they passed a curve in the hallway and disappeared from sight, Lucas grabbed her arms and spun her back to the wall, pushing her up against it. It couldn’t be.
Her eyes popped wide, and she dropped her clutch. He leaned in until they were almost nose-to-nose, inhaling, embedding her unique scent into his brain. He told himself it would be to track her if she got away, but it was a lie. “Who are your parents?”
“Lucas, you’re scaring me.” She squirmed in his grip, turning his predator on in more ways than one.
“I asked a question.” This time he used the language of the people of his world. Testing her, swearing his nose didn’t lie. This was no hybrid. More to the point, this woman was born to be a hunter. It permeated every cell of her being, saturated the air of the corridor, driving him mad with lust. If he kissed her, he’d know for certain, but that could also mean he’d be bound to her. Forever. She might not appreciate the, till death do us part, without a little courtship first.
“You speak a nearly extinct dialect.” Her eyes opened wider, and her heart began to pound. “Where did you learn it?” She licked her lips. Her pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared. Soft breath brushed his jaw. He wasn’t the only one who sensed the connection, the bond. Her arousal drove straight into him like a spike, a gut punch to the groin that made him harder than he’d ever been.
“You know it.”
“My father taught me,” she said elegantly in the Saarian language. “What did you expect? He was a world-class archeologist. Where did you learn it? Only a handful of people in our profession can speak and read it. It predates the Sumerian flood.”
“Yes,” he whispered back. “But more people can speak it than you think.”
“What the hell are you getting at, Lucas?”
“You’re not from Earth. You’re Saarian.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No, not crazy.” He let the color of his eyes shift from fiery topaz, to green, bright violet, and back to amber. “And you are one of us. More to the point….” He ran his hand up and down her arm. “Mine.” No, he’d never been one to leash his dominant nature. She’d have to learn to deal with it—courtship or not.
“Yours?”
“Mine.” He gave her a satisfied smile.
“You lied to me about being my replacement. Who the hell are you really?”
“Lucas Saar, a Saarian tracker, and you, Miss Crane, are my mate.”
“Huh.” Nadia took the opportunity to ram her knee into his testicles, and, like any other male with a package in the south, he dropped to the floor, completely incapacitated.
“Help!” She ran for the elevator.
Lucas lifted his head from the tile. Help? Was she fucking kidding? His eyes started to water, and even though she’d put him in a bad position and a great deal of pain, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Okay, so she’d thrown down the gauntlet. Nothing like a little pursuit to get the blood pumping. Let the hunt begin.
He staggered to his feet and ran for the stairs. After several weeks of lounging around, a little exercise wouldn’t kill him, and he needed to work off some of the adrenaline lacing his system since the minute he’d figured out what his target was. No he wasn’t mistaken. She belonged to him.
***
Her father had told her a very special man would come for her so
meday to claim her. Nadia didn’t think someday would be tonight, and she hadn’t taken it literally. She’d just figured her father tried to make her feel better about not getting a date for her senior prom, with tales of princes on white steeds. Now, all those bedtime stories about people on other worlds made sense. She bolted from the elevator and ran down the hall toward her room as fast as her stiletto-clad feet could move, but it wasn’t quick enough.
A hand caught her arm, spun her around, and shoved against the wall outside the fire escape. His lips were on hers. Strong hands gripped her wrists and lifted them over her head, holding her shackled against the plaster. This time he was too close to knee if she’d been inclined to do so.
She squirmed as his kiss softened. Even though she’d groined him, it didn’t seem to cool him off—or her, for that matter. Fire roared through her. He acted as though he’d take her right in the corridor where anyone could step out of their room and see them.
The longer he kissed her, the less she wanted to fight. His taste—unlike anything she’d experienced before—seemed to be a custom aphrodisiac. The moment his tongue dove into her mouth, she felt the pull, a need to throw herself against him, believing in that moment they could mesh as flesh and bone. And the really sick thing? Nadia didn’t care if he ripped her clothes off in public and took her against the wall. Actually, it held a great deal of appeal. But the police and her co-workers might. She tore her mouth from his. “You recovered quickly.”
“Trackers do.” He leaned in and kissed her jaw, nuzzled her ear, and whispered, “We can do this here, or we can go back to your room, but anyway we do this, it’s happening tonight.”
Was it? She wanted him. Never had she been so turned on. If he didn’t have her pressed to the wall, she’d have melted into a puddle at his feet. Her pussy throbbed, and her heart pounded. No denying it. She wanted him and he knew it, but would she feel the same way in the morning? “Sex? In the hall?”
“It won’t be just sex, Nadia. Sex is foreplay. What we do will go much deeper than physical intimacies. When I have you, you’ll come apart, explode, implode and go into fucking meltdown. You will feel worshipped, owned, and will want it—no, beg for it. Most of all….” He lifted his hand and dragged a finger across her lips. “You will know without a doubt when I say mine, what I truly mean. If you smell me, you’ll get wet. Hear my voice, you’ll burn. I will imprint on you, and no other man will turn your head again.”
He Sphinx I'm Sexy (1Night Stand) (1Night Stand Series) Page 2