Primitive Nights by Candi Wall Page A

you any farther, but I’ve got food and water packed up there. Do you think you can walk?”
    He honestly did not know. Reaching up to touch the sore spot on his head, he encountered a cloth bandage. “What is this?”
    “I don’t know very much about head injuries, but I thought it would be best to clean and wrap it.”
    He let his gaze wander over her body. One of her pant legs was torn, and her shirt was tied high under her breasts. Reaching out to finger the knot, he smiled. “Did you use your shirt?”
    A slight blush crawled up her cheeks. “I didn’t know what else to do. Besides, it was beyond repair.”
    His finger drifted over her smooth belly without his consent. Each breath she took became shallow, and her muscles tightened under his touch. She reacted to him as quickly as he did to her. It was heady knowledge.
    He pulled his hand away from her temptation reluctantly. His leg was re-bandaged as well. “Thank you.”
    She scooted away, her hand covering the flesh he had explored. “I think I should be thanking you. Though I never would have guessed I’d thank a man for jumping off a bridge with me in tow.”
    “We had little choice.”
    Her hands laced together tight. “I know. I’m glad you were there. I don’t know what I would have done, honestly. I don’t think I would have even considered jumping, let alone been brave enough to do it. I would have been captured.”
    A vision of her slain by the Hountas flashed through his mind. The horrid thought made him reach out and pull her close. He ran a hand through her hair. “I will keep you safe.”
    Her lips parted but she said nothing. She didn’t fight his hold either. Instead, she lowered her head until their lips were a breath apart. He waited, intrigued by her boldness. There was no doubt she had liked their first kiss, but frustration and concern had dictated that contact. This was different. Her gaze darkened, thick lashes concealing none of the desire he read there.
    “Why do you continue to save me?”
    Her whispered question moved over his lips. “From the moment I saw you, I knew my life would change. You were an omen.”
    Her breath hitched and she ran a finger down his cheek to his jaw. “It was chance, nothing more. I’m not an omen, bad or good.”
    Then her lips pressed to his. She was tentative, moving her lips gently at first. When her tongue traveled over his lower lip, he opened without reservation. Fire shot through him when she leaned closer, tipping her head slightly to deepen the kiss.
    He slipped his arm around her waist and rolled her back onto the grass, unable to take the subtle, almost teasing cadence of her mouth. He delved deeper to taste the sweet flavor of her and knew he would never forget it.
    Her arms wrapped around his shoulders to knead the muscles. She pulled him closer even as her hands moved down his back. The soft moans she made stoked his already raging need, and he pulled back, stalling her protest by sucking gently at the soft skin at her neck. This was not the time.
    It was agony. He slid his fingers along the smooth skin at her collarbone. “I could spend a full day doing nothing more than touching your body.”
    A slight shiver racked her body, the scent of her arousal flaying his senses. Her skin heated as he touched it. Her breaths sharpened as he dipped lower, brushing the curves of her breasts. He tucked close to her ear, whispering, “You will be wild in my arms, under my body, taking me deep inside you.”
    She nodded, her eyes closed. “Damon,” she breathed.
    “I wish for nothing more.” He pulled her close. “I would have you now were it not for the danger around us. Myla, we must go.”
    Her eyes opened and she glanced down at their entwined bodies. Light pink stained her cheeks. She nodded then tried to sit up. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry.”
    Damon chuckled but refused to let her move. “I am only sorry we cannot fulfill what we both desire.”
    The pink turned to red. He