go.”
He couldn’t resist any longer and didn’t care that they had an audience. Or rather, he wished to claim her in front of their audience. So he placed a hand on her waist to hold her steady while at the same time his other hand cradled her face. He didn’t give her time to pull away before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss and then released her before she could react.
“I’ll make arrangements,” he told her. “I’ll buy a new tent if I have to while I’m in town. You should get back to work. I didn’t mean to keep you from it for so long.”
And he hadn’t, wouldn’t have followed her at all if he hadn’t heard her arguing with Sean. He’d wanted her to come to him. He knew her well enough to know that she liked to be in control. Or at least thought she did.
But then Sean had fairly attacked her and Adriano found himself standing at her shoulder before he’d made the conscious decision to move. Sophie had handled Sean just fine on her own and Adriano managed to get himself under control before he killed the little prick.
Sophie tipped her head to one side. “If I can get rid of Mia, you’ll come tonight?”
“Mmm-hmm. You too if I have any say about it. I’ll make you scream like a banshee again.”
She startled and a rush of blood colored her skin. He held her gaze and smiled. Of course he’d heard her. Amazing. Came twice. He didn’t like that she’d been able to box what had happened between them into such paltry words. He would remedy that tonight. Sunlight picked up the golden strands in her brown hair as she turned her head. Incredible that the others didn’t see her as he did.
“Okay then.” She took a deep breath and walked past him, back toward the site. Her hand trailed across his abdomen as she passed and he hardened. He didn’t know if she meant that as a promise or a claim. He didn’t care, only pleased that she’d touched him. He watched her walk away, remaining where he was because her scent lingered there.
Sunscreen and toothpaste, deodorant but none of the acrid cosmetics and sprays the other women doused themselves in to disguise their scent. He liked that about her, her lack of artifice. In the jungle, the male of the species worked to entice the female. Out here, females wore the bright feathers. Except for Sophie, and the human males, their senses blunted, dismissed her as plain. She seemed to encourage that, dressing in shapeless clothing and drab colors. He saw a beautiful woman, ripe and alive. Quiet but not timid. Smart but not arrogant. She could be lovely by human standards as well if she chose. He liked her fine the way she was.
That wasn’t what had attracted him to her though. There were plenty of pretty human women wandering about. It was something in the way she saw the world. That hint of vulnerability he sometimes caught in her eyes and beneath it all a hidden core of strength. She loved the country, his people and her work. Contagious, that enthusiasm. When he’d escorted her team from the airport, he’d found himself watching her every time he pointed out another ruin no matter how small just to see the expression on her face. Wonder, pure delight.
He’d hoped to see that expression on her face when she came. But he hadn’t. She’d closed her eyes and tipped back her head as her body trembled with those gentle quakes. He wanted her shaking and screaming his name but hadn’t wanted to risk hurting her. Or scaring her by taking her like an animal. The desire to claim her, to mark her, had scared the hell out of him.
He shouldn’t want that with a human. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, thinking about showing her his world. She would love his home, built at roughly the same time as this site but continuously occupied and never fallen to ruin. He could show her ruins if she preferred, great abandoned cities overgrown by the jungle. She would be the first human to enter most of them in centuries. He wanted to give her that.
She
He couldn’t resist any longer and didn’t care that they had an audience. Or rather, he wished to claim her in front of their audience. So he placed a hand on her waist to hold her steady while at the same time his other hand cradled her face. He didn’t give her time to pull away before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss and then released her before she could react.
“I’ll make arrangements,” he told her. “I’ll buy a new tent if I have to while I’m in town. You should get back to work. I didn’t mean to keep you from it for so long.”
And he hadn’t, wouldn’t have followed her at all if he hadn’t heard her arguing with Sean. He’d wanted her to come to him. He knew her well enough to know that she liked to be in control. Or at least thought she did.
But then Sean had fairly attacked her and Adriano found himself standing at her shoulder before he’d made the conscious decision to move. Sophie had handled Sean just fine on her own and Adriano managed to get himself under control before he killed the little prick.
Sophie tipped her head to one side. “If I can get rid of Mia, you’ll come tonight?”
“Mmm-hmm. You too if I have any say about it. I’ll make you scream like a banshee again.”
She startled and a rush of blood colored her skin. He held her gaze and smiled. Of course he’d heard her. Amazing. Came twice. He didn’t like that she’d been able to box what had happened between them into such paltry words. He would remedy that tonight. Sunlight picked up the golden strands in her brown hair as she turned her head. Incredible that the others didn’t see her as he did.
“Okay then.” She took a deep breath and walked past him, back toward the site. Her hand trailed across his abdomen as she passed and he hardened. He didn’t know if she meant that as a promise or a claim. He didn’t care, only pleased that she’d touched him. He watched her walk away, remaining where he was because her scent lingered there.
Sunscreen and toothpaste, deodorant but none of the acrid cosmetics and sprays the other women doused themselves in to disguise their scent. He liked that about her, her lack of artifice. In the jungle, the male of the species worked to entice the female. Out here, females wore the bright feathers. Except for Sophie, and the human males, their senses blunted, dismissed her as plain. She seemed to encourage that, dressing in shapeless clothing and drab colors. He saw a beautiful woman, ripe and alive. Quiet but not timid. Smart but not arrogant. She could be lovely by human standards as well if she chose. He liked her fine the way she was.
That wasn’t what had attracted him to her though. There were plenty of pretty human women wandering about. It was something in the way she saw the world. That hint of vulnerability he sometimes caught in her eyes and beneath it all a hidden core of strength. She loved the country, his people and her work. Contagious, that enthusiasm. When he’d escorted her team from the airport, he’d found himself watching her every time he pointed out another ruin no matter how small just to see the expression on her face. Wonder, pure delight.
He’d hoped to see that expression on her face when she came. But he hadn’t. She’d closed her eyes and tipped back her head as her body trembled with those gentle quakes. He wanted her shaking and screaming his name but hadn’t wanted to risk hurting her. Or scaring her by taking her like an animal. The desire to claim her, to mark her, had scared the hell out of him.
He shouldn’t want that with a human. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, thinking about showing her his world. She would love his home, built at roughly the same time as this site but continuously occupied and never fallen to ruin. He could show her ruins if she preferred, great abandoned cities overgrown by the jungle. She would be the first human to enter most of them in centuries. He wanted to give her that.
She
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