She pulled her hand away, disturbed by the heat in her body, the ache that was becoming an urgent demand. Absently she wiped her palm on her denim-clad thigh to try to erase the sensation of his lips on her skin. “You know, Aidan, half the time I can’t understand a thing you say. Why would Thomas be tempting fate? Are you saying I would kill him?” She tried not to hold her breath, waiting for the answer.
His body was against hers again as they matched steps like tango dancers. “Not at all, cara mia. Iwould kill him. I doubt very much if I could stop myself. I would not even want to stop myself.”
Her sapphire eyes grew wide as she stared up at his face. “You really mean it, don’t you? Why would you do that?”
He hesitated a moment, the silence lengthening while he carefully chose his answer. “I’m responsible for your protection. That man is after more than your beautiful drawings, Alexandria, and, innocent that you are, you cannot see it.”
Her chin tilted. “For all you know, Mr. Savage, I might have had a dozen lovers. If I choose to seduce Thomas Ivan, you won’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
Her silky hair was suddenly bunched in his hand, and she came to an abrupt halt. He stepped so close, her slender body was bent backward. His golden eyes molten, alive with passion, with possession, stared directly into hers. “You are my lifemate. You have never been touched by another man. I have been in your mind and have access to your memories. Do not try to tell me there have been a dozen men in your life.”
She remained passive, still. His body was aggressive against hers, yet there was no pain, no sense that she was in danger. There was only his terrible intensity, as if his inner demons were riding him hard. Her blue eyes flashed right back at him. “On top of everything else, you have to be a male chauvinist. Like I’m supposed to believe there have never been women in your life. And another thing—get out of my head. You don’t have a right to my private life. Whatever this lifemate thing is, I don’t want any part of it.” She tried to sound defiant, but it was difficult when his perfect mouth was only inches from hers. It was embarrassing, the things his mouth made her think.
She couldn’t take her eyes from his. She saw their gold became heated, the purpose clear in their depths. His hard mouth softened, and very slowly, with infinite patience, he touched his lips to hers, a brief, feather-light stroke that sent a shaft of desire curling painfully through her body.
“Just so you remember, seducing men is out,” he murmured almost absently against her mouth.
She could taste the words. Taste his breath. His mouth was hot and enticing. His body stirred, and she could feel him pressing against her, hard with need. His hand framed the curve of her cheek, his thumb sliding in a caress across her pulse. The wind blew the silken mass of her hair across his hand and arm, binding him to her almost by design.
She could smell his scent calling to her, wild and abandoned, like an animal calling to its mate. Her entire being responded, against all intellect, all reason, against all sanity. Alexandria had never felt such sexual attraction toward any man, and the intensity of her response to him was beyond her comprehension. This was strong and compelling, hot and steamy, a driving need as elemental as time. She wanted him right there in the night, wild in her arms, needing her.
She jerked away from him. “Stop it, Aidan. Just stop.” She held up a hand to pacify him. “I’m not ready for this.” He was so intense, so much the domineering male, he would sweep her away until she couldn’t exist without him. Until she didn’t exist without him. “You’re not going to take over my life,” she whispered to him.
He stroked the pad of his thumb across her lower lip. “I barely touched you, cara mia, and you run from me like a rabbit.”
“Anyone in her right mind would run from you, Aidan. You’re talking crazy. It shouldn’t matter to you how many lovers I’ve had—or have. That’s my private business. I didn’t ask you about your love life, did I?” Suddenly she thought about his arms around another woman, and the idea made her sick. “You’re such a hypocrite. In all the centuries you claimed to nave been alive, there’s probably been more women than I care to know about. Hundreds.” She thought about it. “Thousands. You’re a dog, Savage. A hound dog.” He couldn’t help laughing. Reaching out, he took possession of her hand again and began to walk slowly back toward his home. Her hand was small and fragile in his, her skin soft and inviting. The wind, determined to have its way, playfully touched her hair, blowing it across his arm, weaving them together with a hundred silken strands.
Alexandria walked along beside him, trying not to feel cherished and protected as he moved alongside her. It was the way he moved—confident, supple, powerful—that made her feel so vulnerable to his possession, yet his fingers were gentle around hers. With every step she took, she became more annoyed that he had access to her personal life.
“I think you’re getting the wrong idea, Aidan, about me. I may not have actual lovers, but that’s only because I haven’t loved anyone yet. I’ve been attracted, though. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
His mouth twitched. Manfully he refrained from smiling, but it was necessary to walk several steps before he could reply in his usual neutral voice. “I never, at any time, thought there was something wrong with you. If youare worried about it, though, I will be happy to demonstrate otherwise.”
She tugged at her hand. He was too close, too vivid and alive. The chemistry between them was explosive. He couldn’t touch her, let alone kiss her. It just wasn’t safe. “I’ll bet you would. But it isn’t going to happen. I have a rule about vampires—I don’t get involved with them.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Good rule. I am pleased you are beginning to show some sense. And you were not attracted to human men.”
“Thomas Ivan is very attractive.”
His amber eyes glittered at her. “You thought he was a shark. And that cheap cologne he used made your head ache.”
“He kind of grows on you,” she protested. “We have a lot in common.” Her blue eyes held defiance. “His cologne is not cheap. And he’s very handsome.”
All at once his large frame was blocking her path, and she ran right into him, her face pressed into the niche of his sternum. One of his hands circled the slender column of her throat. “Not to you, he is not.” His thumb drew a line over her lower lip.
At once her body was throbbing with need. Just like that. He blocked out the cool night air, the very stars, everything but his solid muscles, his heat and strength. Her breasts felt uncomfortably taut; her blood rushed through her body.
She could hear his heart pounding. In his veins, blood was singing, calling to her. Hunger gripped her, acute, biting. She tried to pull away, a small moan escaping her. She had been enjoying herself, actually managing to forget for a time that she needed to feed on another being to exist. But the realization drowned out everything else, so that the beauty surrounding her was at once barren and ugly. Fear for him surged through her. Planting both palms on his chest, she attempted to shove him away. It was like trying to move a wall of concrete.
Aidan simply smiled at her. “Stop fearing what is natural to you. Do you really think you could harm me?” His arms closed tightly around her, and she felt her feet leave the ground. His mouth brushed her ear. “But I do thank you for the concern.”
Clutching his waist, Alexandria peeked beneath his arm to see the ground dropping away. They floated upward, a lazy, casual motion that struck terror into her heart. “Now might be a good time to tell you I’m afraid of heights,” she ventured, her heart thudding loudly in her ears.
“No, you are not, little liar. You are simply afraid of things you do not understand. Have you not always dreamed of flying? High above the earth? Look at our world, piccola. Look at the wondrous things you are capable of doing.” There was tender amusement in his voice. “You can soar free at your will.”