Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

He sat in silence, his black, black gaze drifting over her in that way he had that made her feel as if she belonged to him, whether she wanted it or not. Those red embers were beginning to flare into actual flames.

“That was it, ewal emninumam, your big confession that you thought might upset me to the point that I would raise my voice to you?”

“I should have told you right away. It wasn’t fair to let you think that you were so close to temptation again. You weren’t. You weren’t about to lose your honor. You weren’t betraying me.” Tears burned behind her eyes. “I was betraying you and could have lost you to suicide. I didn’t understand what meeting the dawn was.”

Sandu was on his feet then, moving in that easy, fluid way he had, all flowing muscle, mesmerizing with a sensual quality that caught at her. She couldn’t move, not even when he reached for her, lifting her right out of the chair and carrying her back to the bed, where he sat, cradling her on his lap. Adalasia blinked. His suit jacket was gone, and his shirt was unbuttoned, showing far too much of his thick, heavily muscled chest.

He released the heavy mass of her hair so that it tumbled down her back in long waves. He stroked caresses through the thick strands until goose bumps covered her skin and she felt sensuous, sexier than she’d ever felt in her life. His hand went to the back of her head, fingers continuing to move in the thickness of her hair, massaging her scalp. All the while he murmured soft words to her in his native language.

“There was no betrayal, Adalasia. None.” His lips touched the top of her head. “Listen to the sound of my heart.” He rocked her gently. Soothingly. His breath was warm against her ear now as he slid her hair to the side of her neck.

She turned her face toward his chest, where his heartbeat beckoned her. There were little dark ruby beads welling up. Small. Like gems. Right over his heart. She felt strange, distant from reality, as if the beating of his heart and the scent of those ruby beads overwhelmed her to the point where she had stepped into a fantasy world.

Adalasia touched her tongue tentatively to one of the drops sliding down his warm chest. The moment she savored him on her tongue, need welled up, sharp and terrible, a hunger so strong, as if she’d been waiting for so long just for this particular taste. She let her lashes fall, let him press her close to him. Let her lips settle over that dark line of addicting droplets. She craved the taste of him. Everything else paled in comparison.

Adalasia slid her arms around him and moved restlessly on his lap. She felt the hard length of him pressed tight against her thigh. Every nerve ending in her body was aware of him. Of the shape of him. Of his hard muscles. Of the width of his shoulders and the thickness of his chest. The way his hips narrowed and how his thighs were columns of muscles. She wanted to explore his body, to taste every inch of his skin. To explore his groin, his heavy erection, every last part of him that would be hers, but she didn’t want to stop feeding from him. She hadn’t realized how hungry she’d been until that moment.

Very gently he inserted his hand between her mouth and his chest, murmuring something in his native language so low she couldn’t quite catch it and closing the line on his skin.

Adalasia licked her lips and lifted her face to his. He caught her chin and kissed her. The moment he did, the world spun away until there was only feeling. Fire. Beauty. Perfection. She leaned into him, giving him everything while he lit up her mind and body with glittering sparks of fire. She could kiss him forever, and when he lifted his mouth from hers, she chased after him, seriously addicted.

He rested his forehead against hers. “We’re going to have to stop here, Sivamet. I fear I am not a saint.”

Sandu woke Adalasia carefully, keeping her memories of the night before very distant, as if they were more of a dream than a reality. He regretted that it was necessary, but she wouldn’t have accepted that they had to advance their relationship so quickly. She was in his mind, yes, but only on the surface. He was in hers. She hid a few things from him, but very little.

Adalasia was extremely intelligent. She was also determined to go her own way, follow the path she was certain she was supposed to be on—with or without him. That wasn’t going to happen. Their path was extremely dangerous. That meant he had to protect her at all costs. He couldn’t do that during the day when he was in the ground if she was above it. To him, it was that simple, that logical. Adalasia had to come fully into his world. If not immediately, she needed to be ready so if she was ever wounded, he could bring her in fast.