Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) (38 page)

           
A sigh caught his attention. Drake looked up from where his fingers were
drawing designs on her skin to see that her eyelids were so heavy she could
barely keep them open. With a slight smile, he let both of his hands settle on
her midsection. He closed his eyes, focusing on a specific spell that would
send her into a much needed deep, comfortable sleep. Within seconds he felt a
slight burn in his fingertips and then the incantation was over.

           
He opened his eyes again to see Nadia lost to him and the world. Being as
gentle as possible, he unwove his body from above hers and gathered her in his
arms. Within seconds he was in his large master bedroom and was settling her on
the bed, under the covers. For a few minutes he allowed himself to lie next to
her. With a patience that astounded even him, he watched her breathe deeply and
evenly, amazed at the small package of dynamite that had so artlessly and slyly
snuck her way into his life, even though she had been there all along. He let
his large hand cover hers on top of the blanket, her long graceful fingers
slide in and out between his own. He marveled at the delicate build of her body
while he knew she had a bulldog persona in business.

           
Her profile was beautifully relaxed and calm and Drake knew he was partly the
reason for that. A faint glimmer of hope burst inside of his chest. What would
it be like to wake up beside her every morning, to never feel loneliness again,
to never have to slake his lust with women that didn’t know his secrets, to
make love to her instead of other women, like he had in the past? All the
things, the possibilities that they could have as a couple flickered to life,
images similar to a movie reel playing in his mind.

           
Without giving himself too much time to dwell on the future he went back to
studying her while deep inside, in a hidden part of him, his very being
vibrated with a purely male need to mate and adhere to this one woman who was
slowly entangling herself into his very life’s thread.

***

           
 Rain awoke Nadia.

           
The sound of the gentle downpour invaded her ears and then roused her
completely as a thunderclap vibrated around her. Eyes still heavy from a
peaceful and dreamless sleep, she yawned then stretched, finally settling on
her side again, her eyes starting to close once more…when a thought hit her-why
wasn’t she trembling with tension because of the storm? Even though it wasn’t
as violent as some of the ones that rattled to life in South Texas, it was
still strong enough to cause lightning and thunder, which was more than enough
to wake her and keep her in a stranglehold of panic. Her fear of storms was
something that always embarrassed her, and it was the reason why she was now
instantly curious as to why she wasn’t biting her lip and praying every prayer
she knew for protection.

           
She was just about to crack one eye open in pure curiosity when a very large,
very warm, very male arm pulled her back against an equally very large male
body. For a second Nadia was shocked, then the night before rushed back at her
so fast that she became dizzy. Surprise held her immobile for a brief moment as
she recalled in her mind the things Drake had done to her, what they had done
to each other, and then with a small secret smile she closed her eyes once
more, settling deeper against the heated circle of his body.

           
Maybe an hour later she stirred again. The rain continued to fall outside and
while she knew from a glance at the large clock on the wall that it was past
nine in the morning it was still very dark outside the massive windows. The
warmth of Drake’s body was like a cushioned furnace that was safe enough for
bed use. She might have to keep him around strictly for that reason. She had
always been a cold natured person.

           
Minutes passed as she savored the ultimate indulgence of being in his arms. The
hair along her nape prickled and seconds later his slow Texas drawl rumbled to
life.

           
“What is your favorite color?”

           
The question was so off the wall that she found herself smiling into the
pillow. “I love yellow. It’s so vibrant and alive, so obviously different from
me.” She told him honestly, not holding anything back.

           
A slight shift of his massive body, and then, “It suits you.
I remember seeing the color on you before and noticing how it complemented your
tone.” Then his strong hand wove under the soft cotton of the sheet and Nadia
remembered, a little too late, her apparent nudity. She sucked in a breath, but
didn’t speak as he settled his fingers against her soft stomach. She held back
the urge to suck in her stomach.

           
“What is your favorite food?” His deep voice was so gravelly in the morning. He
sounded like a grumpy tiger.

           
She smiled as she realized just how personal he was getting with his questions.
He wanted to know more about her,
her
. Nadia Morales had apparently
grabbed the attention of the one man in the world that mattered to her. Her
heart sputtered then picked up speed.

           
His hand clenched on her stomach. “Believe me when I tell you that I am just as
excited to have you in my bed as you are right now.”

           
Nadia’s cheeks flamed with color and heat. Just the idea that he could read her
body signals well enough to know when she was excited was amazing. She ignored
that last statement and answered his question.
“Fried
chicken.”

           
His chuckle was like gravel being poured into satin, but even so it still fired
up every part of her body, especially when it rumbled through her back when he
spoke.

           
“What’s yours?” She countered, insanely curious to know.

           
“Baked apple pie,” he said it with such reverence in his voice that she smiled
again.

           
“What is your favorite color?”

           
“Anything that you are wearing.”
This too was said
with such soul bearing honesty that immediately Nadia stilled.

           
His fingers began to rub her stomach and once again she bit back the urge to
suck it in. There was nothing inherently sexual in his touch. It was more like
he couldn’t stop himself from giving into the urge to run his fingers along her
skin. That thought settled her nerves a bit. Even after the erotic things they
had done, without giving into sex, she still had a horrible case of anxiousness
where he was concerned. More than likely, it was because she had thought him so
far out of her range so long ago that she had ultimately given up hope on even
being so near to him.

           
“I love to listen to music. It calms me, soothes my Druid side sometimes when
urges tend to overrule common sense.” Another stroke of that devilish finger,
“Being near you obviously does the same thing. I’ve found out in the past two
days that I haven’t felt the urge to beat a couple of holes in the wall over
business, like I usually do.”

           
She thought about that and smiled again, liking the fact that she calmed him
somewhat. Biting her lip, she grabbed the bull by the horns and said what she wanted
to say, damn the consequences. “You should keep me around then. You never know
what other effects I might have on you.”

           
Damn, her heart was really pounding now. That was as close as she had ever come
to acknowledging how deep her feelings for him ran. Nervousness caused her
stomach to heave.

           
He nuzzled the hair at her nape, Nadia clearly heard him inhale her smell, and
then he growled against her body. “I just might have to do that.”

           
Every particle of air in her body evaporated. It wasn’t an outpouring of love,
and she wasn’t really expecting that either, but it was enough to tell her that
he wanted her with him at this moment. Wasn’t that all that mattered?

           
They lay there, together, wrapped up beside each other in his huge bed for at
least another hour or two. Nadia didn’t want to move and neither did Drake. She
came to understand that even though he appeared closed off and arrogant
sometimes, maybe he was just as misunderstood as she was. Settling deeper into
his mattress, listening to him breathe against her, feeling his fingers on her
body caused her to drift in and out of consciousness. At one point she thought
she heard him whisper words in her ear, but she dismissed that because of the
rain pouring outside the windows. Letting her body be lulled by his heat and
the protected feeling he gave her, she dozed in the arms of the man she loved.

           
  A sharp wolf whistle greeted Nadia when she walked into work on Monday
morning. With a smile she turned and caught the sly look on Renee’s face. She
had known that Renee would have something smart to say after knowing, courtesy
of a late night call last night, the slightly condensed version of what
happened over the weekend.

           
“Honey, whatever Mr. Thompson does for you, he needs to keep doing it. I have
never seen a smile on your face that big or that bright,” Renee told her with a
hug. Nadia was immensely glad there was no one else in the office with them at
the moment.

           
“I told you enough last night. There is nothing else left to say,” Nadia said
as she placed her purse in her desk drawer and pulled up her computer for the
day.

           
“There is always something left out and I can guarantee that there is still
something you haven’t shared.” Nadia couldn’t help but smile again. Renee
caught it immediately. “See, I told you. But that’s okay, because whatever else
happened should stay between you and him.” Renee stepped up in front of the
desk and grabbed Nadia’s hand, looking at her with huge blue eyes. “This is
your moment. You need to savor it.”

           
Nadia nodded, not sure if she had any response to that or not. But she did know
Renee was right. It was about damn time she got her chance with the man she
loved. Renee moved away, ending the moment and getting back to business, which
was just what Nadia needed to get her mind off of Drake and onto work. But that
was easier said then done.

           
Thoughts of Drake kept popping up all day long. When she went to grab a bite to
eat, she was reminded of sitting at his island in his kitchen, eating
sandwiches and a salad while they spoke of his abilities. When she met with
Andy, the head of photography and design for THE TREND, she was reminded of
Drake’s luscious colored eyes, when she glimpsed a man with similar eyes as
they poured over images to use for their new spread. At the store, as she was
grabbing stuff to bring home, Nadia overheard some cowboys talking in the aisle
next to her and with their deep, smoky drawls she was instantly reminded of
Drake’s deep tenor when he had spoke to her yesterday morning while they were
in bed.

           
Her mind, body, and soul were flooded with remnants of him. She couldn’t get
away even if she tried, not that she would want to. The one man she had dreamed
of for years was now at her fingertips. What woman wouldn’t be thrilled with
that idea?

           
All day long she’d had daydreams about what she
should
have done instead
of basically falling asleep in his lap. She
should
have finally scoured
over every inch of his body like she had wanted to do for years now. She
should
have touched every delicious part of him, his tattoo that she hadn’t known
about until recently, his leanly sculpted chest which was roped with muscles
and tendons, begging her fingers to reach out and test his strength. The
yearning deep inside of her had multiplied to an overwhelming want that
screamed at her to do something about it.

           
She wanted sex.
Wild, rough and unadulterated sex, with Drake
Thompson.

           
She wanted him sliding deep inside her body with every molecule of breath she
had inside of herself. The complacence he had shown her triggered something
inside of her, something that told her he would never turn her down, would
never tell her no, so why not go for it, why not take what she wanted so badly?
Because even though she would finally have him, she still wasn’t sure if he
wouldn’t leave her afterwards.

           
So why couldn’t she just have sex with him, satisfy herself and him, and then
go on about business as usual?

           
It wouldn’t happen because once she tasted him, once he had buried himself
deeply inside of her, she would want him to want her forever. She would never
be able to be just casual sex to him. It was a hopeless cause and she knew it.

           
She wanted the romantic ideal. She wanted forever. There was no reason why she
shouldn’t have it either. Determined wasn’t even close, when it came to
describing something that she knew was almost within her grasp. She would dodge
bullets for him. She would give up her wealth, notoriety, and position in
society for him. Nothing else mattered except what she felt for Drake.

           
Aren’t you tired of wanting and never getting? Aren’t you sick of watching
other women have their chance with him while you stood off on the sidelines
biding your time away with a handful of scarce glances and rare crooked smiles?