Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) (15 page)

           
Three weeks had passed before Nadia caught the feeling that Drake might be
nearby. Her internal radar had never failed her before. With her interest held
on a conversation with Amy Morehead and Leslie Tierney, Nadia noticed Drake
from the corner of her eye. While Amy talked about her first year of marriage,
Nadia’s nape prickled in awareness. The slow thrum of heated responsiveness
slipped past her defenses and tickled her belly. Her attention was drawn to his
tall frame as he stood with his back to her a good distance away.

           
The dim lights in the Galleria hotel slipped over his dark chocolate hair and
massive shoulders. The knowledge that he was here, at this event, spilled
through her body like warmed honey. It was almost as if their argument had
never happened. Her body still reacted to him in that same dangerous way. But
in Nadia’s mind she knew things weren’t the same.

           
Those easy conversations they had shared when she was younger, along with the
ones at Cole’s barbeque just weeks ago, seemed like memories now. Like always,
Nadia would be able to hide what she felt under a cold and indifferent nod or
look. What scared her was if Drake would come out and ask her about her
jealousy problem. Would she be able to play it off? She wasn’t sure.

           
When he turned, Nadia noticed the tux was absent tonight. He still managed to
look seductively handsome in his black trousers, dark midnight blue button up
shirt and patterned tie. Even though the dress code wasn’t black tie, he
outshone every other man there in his understated elegance.

           
Those beautiful eyes of his scanned the area while he still managed to keep his
attention on the conversation with the men around him. When his bold gaze came
too close to her, Nadia snapped her eyes back towards her friends, but she had
the feeling that he had caught her staring.

           
After getting drawn back into the conversation, she surprisingly forgot about
Drake’s presence.

           
Another thirty minutes passed as Nadia laughed and gossiped with the girls.
These two women were the only true society women that she trusted. With their
easy going manners and open, friendly attitudes, it was easy to get along with
both of them.

           
“I see whatever it is you are doing is working perfectly.”

           
Drake’s deep drawl snapped her to instant attention. Nadia noticed he barely
hefted his voice above a whisper, so the other ladies hadn’t heard him. With
her back ramrod straight and her eyes still on her friends, Nadia let her
emotions and senses open to his nearness.

           
His tall, hard, hot body was standing very close behind her. She could feel the
heat radiating from him in waves. Since the gathering was massive with people
milling around closely everywhere, Nadia knew the other women hadn’t given
Drake’s closeness extra attention. The small hairs on her body lifted minutely,
as if rising to meet him. Her fingers tightened on her wineglass whenever he
spoke again, as his warm breath teased her bare neck.

           
“You are relaxed, smiling, and you look happy.”

           
A warm thrill shot through her. He noticed her, or rather, something about her
and that was something she hadn’t expected.

           
The thread of conversation was still heavy around her. Nadia listened to the girls
talking, but for the life of her she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

           
“I guess that trip to the spa did its job?”

           
Those few words thrummed through Nadia’s brain. It took her a moment before she
realized exactly what he was saying. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened
even more. That sneaky, sneaky man!

           
Turning, she whispered, “You underhanded, devious, conniving…” She was so
furious that she ran out of words to spit at him.

           
“Ah
darlin
’, sometimes that is the only way to make a
woman see reason. You have to do things a little dishonestly.” His words were
deep with his delicious drawl, and Nadia hoped Amy and Leslie couldn’t hear
their furious whispering.

           
She fumed silently while Drake’s eyes sparkled at her with hidden humor. The
bastard was enjoying this! He liked seeing her flustered. Those eyes of his
were warm on her face as he looked down at her, and Nadia watched as a sexy,
wicked grin kicked up one corner of his mouth. Her insides quivered as he
nodded to the other ladies vaguely and said, “Ladies.”

           
His eyes slammed once more into hers and Nadia felt rooted to the floor.

           
“I’ll be seeing you around.”

           
He worded it like a promise, putting emphasis on the ‘you’ part. In reality
those softly spoken words made her want to find a hiding place right this
second.

           
Whispers from behind her drew her attention but she couldn’t help but watch
Drake as he walked away from her, his large, powerful body moving fluidly,
muscle by muscle.

***

           
The stinging of his gums acknowledged the fact that the sight of Nadia after
three weeks of not seeing her proved more than his vaulted control could take.

           
Drake continued walking until he had maneuvered around throngs of people to the
refreshment table where a beer was waiting with his name on it. After that
first bracing cold drink, his body cooled somewhat. He nodded to a few people
he knew around the table but maintained his distance from them for the time
being. He had all he could handle right now with Nadia crowding his thoughts.

           
She still stood about thirty feet from him, but even with that distance between
them, Drake could feel the pulse of awareness that had thrummed through her
body, and still did, when he had walked up behind her. The responsiveness of
her body had called out to him at that moment. Drake had stopped himself from
giving the delectable, exposed nape of her neck a long hot lick, but even now
his mouth still watered from the action that he had
halted.     

           
With all of her glorious dark hair piled on her head, her shoulders, nape and
back was bared to everyone’s gaze. The black, strapless gown was stunning in
its simplicity. With Nadia wearing it, it became a walking temptation. Drake’s
hands tightened into fists at his side. He almost crushed the frozen beer
bottle in his hand, stopping himself mere moments before he knew he would have
heard a crack in the glass.

           
Shit. This was ridiculous.

           
But his body didn’t think it was. At that moment Nadia laughed, and the sound
caused something inside Drake’s chest to tighten almost to the point of pain.
Dreading the action and telling himself he shouldn’t, he brought his gaze back
to where she was standing and soaked up the sight of her with a blinding smile
on her face. Her eyes were lit up from within while she spoke to one of the
women on her left. The front of her dress was just as simply made as the rear,
but with it wrapped around her body, to Drake it became something that
showcased all of the curves that he had overlooked for years now.

           
Well, he was catching up real fast with reality.

           
The young girl with the coltish legs and stick body was nowhere in sight. Now
he was faced with a dark-haired beauty. Smoldering green eyes showed him almost
every emotion she felt and her adolescent skinniness had disappeared, giving
her a more feminine, rounded appearance. Ripe, womanly curves were splendidly
on view for his approval, and boy did he approve.

           
Surprising long legs, for such a small woman, took up half of her height. The
only other thing on her that competed with her long legs was her long black
hair. When it was down, the very tip brushed her lower back.

           
Drake felt his fists clench again as an image scorched his brain with heat. He
could imagine her long, delicate neck thrown back, her body magnificently
flushed with arousal as she tilted her hips to receive him, her long hair tracing
fire along his thighs with every backward dip, as she screamed his name.

           
He growled and moved away from the table. Fuck this. She was Nadia
Morales-daughter of an old friend that he had trusted and cared deeply for, not
only for him, but for his young family too. This rabid want that had him fired
up and wanting to do things to her that he shouldn’t even dream of, was
ludicrous.

           
With his thoughts in the gutter, damn good thoughts, but still inappropriate,
Drake downed his beer, tossed it in the nearest trash can and headed for the
woman that had been giving him delicious looks all night.

           
Her name was
Josette
, and that was all Drake needed
to know. The only thought in his mind was to get Nadia’s image out of there, and
if he had to do his best to fill his mind with someone else, then he would.
Josette
was more than happy to dance and while they did
Drake tried not to see the glance that Nadia gave him. It was almost as if she
knew what he was doing, as if she knew how he felt in that moment.

           
She knew nothing about the overwhelming need pounding through him right now.
Nothing about how he was burning up for a woman he shouldn’t even feel this way
for. Nothing about those fragile, wounded eyes knew anything about the
intensity of his lust at this moment, and if Drake had any say in it, she would
never know. No matter how gentle he could be, the beast that lived in him, that
breathed the same air as he, but managed to only come out at times of high
stress or emotional moments, would tear her apart. His Druid abilities were
strong and sometimes Drake felt the primal edge of that hidden danger pulse
inside of him. The last thing he needed to do was unleash that upon the one
woman that he wanted only to protect.

           
You know damn well you want more than that from her.

           
He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore the burning of his gums.
Josette’s
left leg slipped into the small opening between
his. Her hip brushed his groin and he felt the excitement rushing through her
veins. The tall brunette was more than experienced with the way he handled
things than Nadia could ever be. Even the aura around her hinted at a wealth of
hidden sexual vices that he could easily imagine would keep them busy all night
long. But when he glanced down at her brown eyes that all but promised him
heaven, Drake felt anxiousness crawl into his chest.

           
Even with her obvious interest, her tall, svelte form, Drake still couldn’t
manage a hint of interest in
Josette
. And that pissed
him the hell off. All he wanted to do was bury himself deep in another woman
and forget about Nadia.

           
When the dance ended, he politely, but firmly, brought
Josette
back to her table with the rest of her guests. The look of shock and hunger in
her eyes made him even angrier, but he didn’t know what to tell her.

           
Sorry
darlin
’, but you aren’t what I want. For
some reason, that little dark haired woman-child in the corner over there makes
my blood run hot, but a purely delicious carnal woman like you can’t get me
hard
.

           
Drake scoffed at his subconscious and left the ballroom. He would stop this
madness. He just wasn’t sure of how long it would take him.

***

           
Nadia looked in the mirror once more. She wiped gently at the tear marks on her
cheek, sniffed and then threw the tissue in the trash. She reached out to grab
her small clutch and noticed the fine shaking skittering along her fingers. And
that was all it took to make her chin wobble again.

           
She slammed the clutch down on the counter in her anger.

           
Why should she continue to do this to herself? What was the point? She was only
making herself depressed when she allowed her eyes to follow him around. When
he had taken
Josette
Perkin’s hand and led her to the
dance floor, Nadia could have sworn that her heart had sunk to her ankles. The
pain that had invaded her system at that moment had been intense. She had
almost run to the restroom for privacy.

           
She wanted him so much that she felt sick with it.

           
Letting out a puff of air she stood straight up. She stiffened her shoulders
and placed an iron hold over her emotions. He would not get to her this easily.
He could dance with whomever he wanted, he could flirt with whomever he wanted,
and he could sleep with whomever he wanted. Nadia would remain immune. She told
herself these things, but for some reason she didn’t believe one word.

           
Surprisingly enough, when she walked back out to the ballroom
Josette
was still there with a sullen look on her face
while Drake was nowhere to be found.

***

           
Nadia had just settled into bed, tugged the covers up to her chin and rolled
onto her side, determined to not dream at all, not even about Drake, when her
phone rang. Huffing out a breath in irritation, she grabbed her
iphone
that was emitting the annoying sound and answered.