here on the balcony and listened to the small sounds from the woman in the next room.
She made him feel like a damn voyeur.
A strand of night jasmine, trailing down from the hanging pot over his head, swayed in the breeze. He reached up and moved it, taking care not to bruise the soft petals. The sweet, pungent fragrance mingled with the fresh cool scent of the river, spinning a sensual web around his senses. Hunger swirled to life as its exotic scent reminded him inexplicably of Kalesia .
Gabriel shifted, irritated. Son of a bitch. He didn’t need this again tonight. It was a wonder he wasn’t walking permanently hunched over. The damn woman was going to cripple him yet.
She’d be wild. Passion would make her bottle-green eyes luminous. His mouth went dry as he pictured her nails raking his back, her legs wrapped around his waist.
He shook his head to dispel the image.
Gabriel cursed long and fluently when the fantasy refused to go away. Hell, if she learned how much he craved her, the touch of her mouth and hands on his body, the feel of her moving under him, he’d be handing her a power over him he had never allowed anyone.
The front legs of the chair thudded to the wood floor. He got to his feet. In the hallway, Gabriel told himself that he had the strength to resist even as he came to a stop in front of Kalesia’s door, his hand on the knob. Turn around. Leave. Now. His hand clamped down on the doorknob as Gabriel argued with himself. If he left now, Kalesia need never know. All he had to do was return to his room.
The doorknob turned quietly under his grip.
He was just going to check on her, he justified silently. See if she was all right. She’d been upset earlier.
Gabriel padded silently across the room. He noticed with a sense of relief that the drapes weren’t drawn.
He was just going to make sure she was safe, he told himself again as he came to a halt beside her sleeping form.
Staring down at her, Gabriel admitted to himself that he’d lied. He wanted to do more than check on her. Much more. He wanted to crawl in bed beside her, hold her, shape her gently rounded form with his hands. He wanted to be inside her. So deep inside he could forget, even if only for an hour.
Forget the faces, forget the blood, forget the taste of pain.
Kalesia stirred, her lashes lifting. She blinked sleepily, then asked huskily, “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t sleep.” Gabriel closed his eyes in despair. It wasn’t what he wanted to say.
Chapter Seven
Kalesia’s eyes slowly focused. Silvery light gleamed off a sleek flank.
Gabriel was naked.
Her gaze slid up. Etched on his face was a kind of agony.
She lifted the covers.
Gabriel went perfectly still, then came to her in a rush. “God, I need you so much tonight.”
She closed her arms about him, feeling, but not fully understanding, the urgency pulsing through the hard, strong body. All she could do was respond to it. It’d be easier to stop breathing than to say no to this man tonight.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he muttered against her throat, his mouth tasting, teasing, nipping the sensitive area.
Luxuriating in the gently savage caress, her head fell back. Her hands explored the massive shoulders. She sensed the internal struggle going on within Gabriel and asked, “Why are you?”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
The undercurrent of disgust that laced the words caught her attention. Knowledge, sharp and clear, burst forth from where it had been hovering on the edge of her awareness.
Gabriel patterned his entire life on the concept of control.
Looking back, she grasped the undertone of his initial rejection. Her talk of visions was the antithesis of everything he valued. Visions couldn’t be fitted into nice, comfortable niches. They couldn’t be controlled.
Kalesia contemplated the alluring picture of Gabriel out of control.
“I don’t want you to be able to help yourself,” she murmured, tasting the hot skin of his chest.
She made him feel like a damn voyeur.
A strand of night jasmine, trailing down from the hanging pot over his head, swayed in the breeze. He reached up and moved it, taking care not to bruise the soft petals. The sweet, pungent fragrance mingled with the fresh cool scent of the river, spinning a sensual web around his senses. Hunger swirled to life as its exotic scent reminded him inexplicably of Kalesia .
Gabriel shifted, irritated. Son of a bitch. He didn’t need this again tonight. It was a wonder he wasn’t walking permanently hunched over. The damn woman was going to cripple him yet.
She’d be wild. Passion would make her bottle-green eyes luminous. His mouth went dry as he pictured her nails raking his back, her legs wrapped around his waist.
He shook his head to dispel the image.
Gabriel cursed long and fluently when the fantasy refused to go away. Hell, if she learned how much he craved her, the touch of her mouth and hands on his body, the feel of her moving under him, he’d be handing her a power over him he had never allowed anyone.
The front legs of the chair thudded to the wood floor. He got to his feet. In the hallway, Gabriel told himself that he had the strength to resist even as he came to a stop in front of Kalesia’s door, his hand on the knob. Turn around. Leave. Now. His hand clamped down on the doorknob as Gabriel argued with himself. If he left now, Kalesia need never know. All he had to do was return to his room.
The doorknob turned quietly under his grip.
He was just going to check on her, he justified silently. See if she was all right. She’d been upset earlier.
Gabriel padded silently across the room. He noticed with a sense of relief that the drapes weren’t drawn.
He was just going to make sure she was safe, he told himself again as he came to a halt beside her sleeping form.
Staring down at her, Gabriel admitted to himself that he’d lied. He wanted to do more than check on her. Much more. He wanted to crawl in bed beside her, hold her, shape her gently rounded form with his hands. He wanted to be inside her. So deep inside he could forget, even if only for an hour.
Forget the faces, forget the blood, forget the taste of pain.
Kalesia stirred, her lashes lifting. She blinked sleepily, then asked huskily, “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t sleep.” Gabriel closed his eyes in despair. It wasn’t what he wanted to say.
Chapter Seven
Kalesia’s eyes slowly focused. Silvery light gleamed off a sleek flank.
Gabriel was naked.
Her gaze slid up. Etched on his face was a kind of agony.
She lifted the covers.
Gabriel went perfectly still, then came to her in a rush. “God, I need you so much tonight.”
She closed her arms about him, feeling, but not fully understanding, the urgency pulsing through the hard, strong body. All she could do was respond to it. It’d be easier to stop breathing than to say no to this man tonight.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he muttered against her throat, his mouth tasting, teasing, nipping the sensitive area.
Luxuriating in the gently savage caress, her head fell back. Her hands explored the massive shoulders. She sensed the internal struggle going on within Gabriel and asked, “Why are you?”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
The undercurrent of disgust that laced the words caught her attention. Knowledge, sharp and clear, burst forth from where it had been hovering on the edge of her awareness.
Gabriel patterned his entire life on the concept of control.
Looking back, she grasped the undertone of his initial rejection. Her talk of visions was the antithesis of everything he valued. Visions couldn’t be fitted into nice, comfortable niches. They couldn’t be controlled.
Kalesia contemplated the alluring picture of Gabriel out of control.
“I don’t want you to be able to help yourself,” she murmured, tasting the hot skin of his chest.
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