by Connie Wood
“Come,” he almost whispered to her and she couldn’t help the shiver that racked through her body.
The night air chilled her skin, in stark contrast to the warmth of Dane’s hand against the small of her back. He led her toward a car. The car was warm and plush and Lea snuggled against the leather seat as Dane closed her door. He slid behind the wheel with some effort, his size giving him trouble. He seemed too big for something like a modern sports car. Too animalistic to be doing something so civilized as driving. He looked out of place, like he belonged in the wide open space. Somewhere his presence wasn’t so overwhelming.
Lea looked at his profile and swallowed. It was one thing to have a realistic dream and quite another to be actually physically sitting next to Dane.
“Do you know where I live?” Lea asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“How?”
“There are a lot of things I know.”
“I’m sure you do,” Lea replied.
He turned and looked at her, trying to gauge her meaning. Heat suffused her face as he continued to gaze at her. Finally he smiled and the heat twisted in her belly. She was quite sure this man knew many things. If he was a man. In her dreams he was both a man and a beast. But this was reality. This man was real, he was driving a real car and taking her home.
Rin had said Dane assisted them the night of the club massacre. Was this the man who rescued her? Was the man real and the rest a dream? She looked across at him again. He certainly seemed real. But then again, Rin also said Dane was a polar bear.
Lea shut her eyes, the second guessing and over analysis taking its toll.
“Are you alright?”
Dane’s voice pulsated through her, it was a deep baritone that was almost physical. Every time he spoke, heat raced through her, followed by a flood of emotions. For a woman who spent her life living in her mind and psychoanalyzing everything, it made her very uncomfortable.
“Yes. No,” she replied, rubbing her eyes. “It’s been a very long and strange day.”
“Yes, it has.”
The car slowed and pulled alongside the curb in front of Lea’s house. Dane switched off the car, but made no movement to get out.
“You’re home.”
“Yep,” Lea replied, suddenly awkward. “Are you coming inside?”
“That is up to you.”
Lea saw the intensity of his face and knew it really was up to her. Real or not, Dane had plagued her dreams and her waking thoughts to the point of obsession. He had travelled, god knew how far, fought his way into the hall tonight to rescue her. And he would leave right now if she asked him to.
Lea reached out a trembling hand, just as she had done in her dreams, and touched his face. Her dreams felt real, but nothing compared to this. Her fingers burned with the heat of his skin as she caressed his stubbled cheek. It intensified the ripple of lust that ran from her fingers down her arm and through her entire body.
“I want you to come in, Dane,” she said, the roughness of her voice surprising her.
Dane’s eyes widened for an instant before he nodded. Reluctantly, Lea removed her fingers from his face and turned toward the car door. She started as Dane reached out and gripped her arm, gentle yet firmly, she could feel the restrained power through his tense fingers. She turned back to him, confused.
“Are you certain?” The pain in his voice made her wince. He must have mistaken her expression, because he released her immediately. “Our dreams are one thing, but this is another,” he rasped out.
“You would come all the way from wherever you were to rescue me and then gladly leave?”
“Not gladly, no. But I will see no harm come to you.” He shook his head in agitation, reminding Lea of the animal in him.
She swallowed. He was right, dreams and reality were very different. But he was here now and seemed very real. As were the feelings he was conjuring inside her. She was sick of living her life by the right and logical thing to do.
“I am sure no harm will come to me while you are with me. Please come inside with me.”
Pain crossed Dane’s face before he nodded and Lea exhaled a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Dreams and reality were merging and a slight thrill of trepidation caught Lea off guard. Sitting next to her, Dane was more potent and fierce than she could have imagined. But the thought of him leaving was even more terrifying.
Chapter Nine
The street light reflected against the cut-glass door panels as Lea stepped up onto the porch. The scent of flowers filled the still night air and made her light headed as she took a deep steadying breath.
“I don’t have my keys,” she said as she glanced at the door. “Damn, I can’t believe it. I must have left my bag at the hall. We left so quickly it didn’t even cross my mind. Great, there goes my wallet, phone, keys.”
“Okay, give me a moment.” Dane stepped off the porch and disappeared into the darkness of the garden leading toward the side of the house. He made hardly a sound for a man his size. Lea waited for a bang or the sound of breaking glass to show that Dane had broken in. She heard nothing. A moment later the front door clicked open to reveal Dane.
“How did you get in?” she asked.
“I have my ways,” Dane replied, stepping aside to allow Lea to enter.
Lea brushed past him and the bolt of adrenaline that shot through her took her by surprise. The door shut and Lea heard the deadbolt lock. Memories of this afternoon’s confrontation with Sebastian surfaced at the feeling of being closed in, leaving her tired and confused.
“Why did Sebastian come after me this afternoon?” Hopefully now she would get some answers. She walked into the living room and switched on the light before turning toward Dane.
“Because of me,” Dane crossed his arms across his broad chest and leaned against the door frame. Lea felt an almost physical barrier rise around him as his voice became curt.
“He said I had your scent all over me.”
Dane nodded.
Lea fought the urge to cross her arms in a protective gesture, knowing she had nothing to fear from Dane, but vulnerability had a strong grip on her.
“Why? Is it because of the dreams?” Her ire was starting to build. She didn’t understand what was happening and now was the time for answers. His only response was to nod and put up his barriers. She’d had enough experience with her patients being defensive. She wouldn’t stand for it now. Not with the man who had turned her world upside down and made her feel out of control.
“Answer me, damn it. I want the truth. What’s going on?” Nervous energy built within her and spilled over. Lea started to pace across the floor, not taking her eyes off Dane. He stood there watching her. The only emotion evident was in his eyes, the rest of him was stoic. She wanted to slap him and make him as agitated as she was. But only the insane or suicidal would deliberately antagonize this man. And yet even through her anger she knew somehow he would never deliberately harm her.
A distant memory lodged itself in her brain and her hand went up to her chest and the memory of four distinct scratch marks where her pendant once lay. Dane winced.
“Is it the dreams? Is that why you’re interested in me?”
“The dreams are not the reason I am interested in you.” Dane finally unlocked his arms and stepped toward her. “I cannot verbalize why I am drawn to you.” He placed a hand over his chest. “It comes from here. From instinct. I can’t control the way I feel about you any more than I can change what I am.”
Lea swallowed. “And what are you?” she whispered.
“Right now I am more of a man than I have ever been.” The huskiness of his voice cracked over his words, leaving Lea breathless.
He certainly was more of a man then she had ever seen. And suddenly she was very aware of it. Their encounters during her dreams flashed across her mind. Molten liquid pooled low in her belly and when she looked up at Dane, shivers rippled through her.
Dane stepped closer to her and her
breath came in short sharp bursts, heat emanated from him and she remembered his reaction at the stream. How he was uncomfortable in the warmth. How he said he was dangerous.
“If I touch you, will you stay a man?”
“Yes.”
Lea stepped toward him and placed a hand against the hard planes of his stomach and felt rather than heard him gasp. She ran her fingers up the ridges of his abs to the contours of his chest. She stopped at the beating of his heart. It pounded deep and hard, just as she felt hers beat in unison. She reached up and pulled his head toward her.
His lips centimeters from hers, she stood on tiptoe and sighed as his mouth touched hers. He was familiar yet different. More intense than in their dreams. She felt him growl, low and deep in his throat, the vibrations tickling her lips. For a moment she feared he would disappear on her, turn into an animal and flee.
But Dane wrapped a huge arm around her and took the kiss deeper. His tongue slipped easily passed her lips and plunged her mouth, needing to show the depth of his passion.
Lea ran a hand through his white-blond hair and pulled him further down to her. She felt his arm around her tense before he pulled her toward him. His hard arousal pressed into her belly and she squirmed with anticipation. She remembered seeing him in her dreams and knew he was a man to please her.
Dane slid a hand up under her shirt to caress her back. The feel of his hand, his skin on hers tingled up her spine. She released him and broke the kiss. Impatiently with his hand still on her back, Lea dragged off her T-shirt.
Dane hesitated only a second before bending his head to her breasts. His hot lips scorched her tender flesh, his tongue laving at her cleavage. The hand at her back unclasped her bra and then slid around her body to cup her naked breast. Lea arched her back, throwing her head backward to give him greater access to her. She dug her fingers in his hair and held him to her. Dane bent lower and she gasped out loud as he took her erect nipple into his mouth, he sucked it gently and flicked it with his tongue. Strings of desire pulled at Lea from her breasts to where moisture pooled between her thighs.
“Oh god, that feels good,” she moaned.
Dane cupped her breasts and sucked at the other nipple, tormenting her until her legs felt weak. He stood up, towering over her half naked form. His ebony gaze burned into her as he racked her with a hungry stare. She tried to swallow through her suddenly parched throat and stared back. He lifted his shirt over his head to reveal washboard abs below his large muscular chest.
Lea stepped into him and leaned her head toward his chest. She wanted to taste him, to run her tongue over the smooth ridges of his skin. Her lips met his soft skin stretched over hard muscle almost scorching her. He was hot to the touch and when she darted her tongue across his skin he tasted hot and salty. His muskiness filled her senses and she wanted to taste more. Slowly she kissed her way across his chest and sucked his nipple into her mouth. Dane tensed and drew in a ragged breath.
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Her breasts pulsed against his chest and she moaned as her hardened nipples touched his skin. She moved her mouth to tenderly lick the hollow at his throat. Her hand slid down the contours of his back, the muscles ridged and hard. When she reached the top of his jeans she pressed her hand under the waistband and was rewarded with the feel of smooth skin.
The knowledge that he wore nothing under his jeans sent a thrill of expectation through her. Her other hand found the buttons of his jeans and unclasped them.
Dane growled and gently cupped her face bringing it up until she could see his eyes. Lust burned within their blackness. He searched her face before his mouth descended hers.
Lea caught her breath as Dane’s tongue plundered her mouth. His kiss hot and almost brutal. Her heart leapt and she matched his passion.
His hands found the zipper on her skirt and the satin lining brushed over her skin as the garment fell to the floor. Stepping out of it, she kicked it away and toed off her heels.
Dane’s massive arm reached around the small of her back and lifted her upward. She wrapped her legs around him, the denim of his jeans feeling rough against her sensitive skin.
He kneaded her bottom and pressed into her, wanting more. He walked toward the bedroom, carrying her as if she weighed nothing. They paused at the doorway, she could see nothing in the darkness now, only feel Dane’s hands on her, his heat and his pleasure.
Dane’s massive arm tensed and held her against him as he reached across with his other arm to switch on the bedroom light. She smiled as his face was thrown into brightness but as she looked into his eyes, her smile dissolved at the intensity she saw in his gaze.
He strode across the room in two gigantic steps and Lea felt herself falling backward, tightening her grip around Dane’s neck. The cool cotton of her duvet shocked her bare back. Good god, the man was massive; both his huge arms were on either side of her now, taking his full weight as he lay above her. His arms rippled with muscle and she turned her head and laved the inside of his elbow, following the contours of muscle up his bicep. He lowered his head and kissed her slowly. The tenderness and passion almost making her climax. Dane moved down toward her breasts and kissed them. Slowly, he licked the softness of her stomach and her thighs. Lea moaned and opened herself to him.
His fingers hooked her underwear and slid it down over her legs. She was wet and aroused. He kissed the juncture of her thigh, just above her wetness, where she craved him. She felt him hesitate.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
The question shocked her and she looked at him questioningly, she knew a lot rested on her answer. Perhaps everything.
“Yes. I trust you.”
He continued to look at her and she couldn’t look away.
“Do you fear me?” his voice was low.
A ripple shot through her that had nothing to do with arousal. She knew he would never make love to her if she feared him. Did she? He was certainly intimidating and there were still so many questions left unanswered. But this question she could answer truthfully.
“No. I have no fear of you.”
His black eyes widened for an instant and he smiled. It was a smile of seduction, of power and ownership. It made him devastatingly sexy and even though she had no fear of him, a bolt of sexual trepidation struck her. He could do what he wanted to her and she would gladly accept it. That kind of trust was what scared her.
Dane locked his gaze with hers and lowered his head. His warm lips found the tender flesh of her inner thigh and kissed her slowly.
Lea moaned and opened herself up to him. He tormented her, kissed her, laved her everywhere except the one spot she needed him. Lea held his head and moved toward him, his tongue finally finding the wet engorged folds of skin.
She could almost feel him smile.
Desire took over and she closed her eyes, concentrating on feeling him touch her. His hands clasped at her hips, holding her still as she started to squirm. His hot lips kissed her core, his tongue parting her flesh and laving deep inside her.
She bucked as his tongue entered her and his hands tightened on her hips. She fought against their hold when his tongue flicked at her engorged bud, sending shards of pleasure through her. He did it again and the muscles throughout her entire body contracted. She pushed into him as he continued to kiss her and lick her.
She stiffened as her body lost control. She screamed out her desire and pressed herself against him. His strong hands held her as he continued his ministrations. She screamed again and sunk into the bed.
The feeling of sudden loss surrounded her as Dane released her and rose from the bed. Lea opened her eyes. Dane towered over the bed; she stared at him, mesmerized, trying to catch her breath.
He kicked his boots off before sliding his jeans over the thick of muscles of his legs. Lea gazed at his tawny skin. She had seen him naked before in their dreams, but as he stood above her, she realized this was very different.
The man was huge, in every sense of
the word. Hard corded muscles ran the length of his legs. His cock was just as hard and thick with his arousal, below his washboard stomach and broad chest. The planes of his jaw were rigid as if he were trying to fight something. His firm mouth she knew could deliver both soft words and a great deal of pleasure. It was his eyes that made her melt, dark almost to the point of blackness they were like deep pools and she got lost in them. They were in direct contrast with his fair hair and tanned skin.
Lea looked him up and down again. She couldn’t help it, he was intense and beautiful, stunning. She smiled, sat up and turned to face him, her feet on the floor to ground herself. This was something she had never done before. Not because she was a prude, but it was something so intimate, so trustworthy she’d never felt comfortable with anyone. Until now.
Lea placed her hands on Dane’s hips and ran them down the length of his thigh. He shivered. She leaned in and kissed his thigh, just as he had done to her. He jerked and she moved her head back. His massive hand reached out and caressed her hair and she relaxed a little.
Again she kissed his thigh, this time allowing her tongue to taste him. Dane sighed with pleasure and Lea took confidence from it. One hand caressed from his thigh to his aroused cock, and Dane moaned deeply again. Her fingers wrapped around the hard shaft and she continued to kiss the inside of his thigh.
She felt herself became aroused again as Dane started to move with her caress. As her fingers slid up his shaft, Lea gently kissed the head of his cock.
“Oh, Christ.” His voice sounded guttural, almost out of control.
Lea flicked her tongue across him and slid him into her mouth. She moaned at the taste of him. His hardened flesh jerked as she moved her tongue along him. She moved her hand to cup his testicles gently and continued to take him in her mouth.