Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) (9 page)

           
The warmth from his body singed her right side, but no matter how much it
bothered her, Nadia knew she wouldn’t move away. She took any moment with him
as one that should be savored.

           
“I might as well get it out in the open and tell you that I won’t apologize for
sending Donavan off the other night.” The words were low, about as softly
spoken as Drake would ever get, and even still his voice was deep, rich and
melodic with his drawl.

           
“I knew better than to assume that you would,” replied Nadia.

           
“Well, since we have come to that conclusion, do you want something to eat?”

           
Nadia finally allowed her eyes to glance at him and nodded. Seconds later, they
made their way to the patio where huge tents were set up covering the dance
floor, the pits cooking the meat, and more than a few guests that were sitting
at large round tables.

           
Nadia grabbed a plate and Drake did the same. They both stood in line and
served themselves, buffet style. After piling their plates high, each of them
went to the open bar and grabbed something to drink. Nadia ordered a soda while
Drake got a beer.

           
Nadia walked out of the tented area, back towards the quieter atmosphere of the
patio. She selected a table that was only large enough for three and so far in
the corner that it was relatively dark and even a bit lonely. Thank God Renee
was still with Cole so she wouldn’t fuss. Before Nadia could take her first
bite, a shadow fell over her. She glanced up, surprised to see him standing
there. Didn’t he have a date to sit with?

           
“Is this seat taken?” Drake gestured to the seat across from her, and Nadia’s
heart sputtered. She so didn’t need this.

           
“Uh…no, go ahead,” she nodded, almost in a daze, to the empty chair.

           
With his heavily laden plate and beer in hand, he accepted the seat and gave
her a weird look.

           
“What?” She questioned, not knowing what could have caused him to glance at her
like that.

           
“I have the horrible feeling that every time you see me, you expect a woman to
be hanging on my arm.” He shook his head slightly and grabbed a drumstick,
which he promptly bit into. Nadia almost forgot the words in her throat. Hell,
even watching him eat was intriguing.

           
“It’s kind of hard to imagine it any other way, when you know that is the
truth.” Had she actually said that? She looked up and caught the look he threw
her and Nadia realized she
had
said it aloud.
Way to go Nadia. Are
you trying to antagonize him?
Ignoring her thoughts, she grabbed a forkful
of beans and stuffed it into her mouth. Hopefully, no other words would emerge
to embarrass her.

           
“At least I realize how you see me now.”

           
Nadia didn’t look up from her loaded plate. That would be an accident waiting
to happen. “Sorry, but you know it’s true.”

           
Instead of him answering, seconds turned to minutes and before long they were
both finished with their food. The table, which had once been roomy enough for
Nadia to be alone, had shrunk in size since Drake had decided to accompany her.
The lantern shades that had been hung around the perimeter of the house outside
were now fully lit. Beyond the patio, in the wooded area of Cole’s yard, Nadia
could barely make out anything of significance. It was a beautiful night for a
charity benefit and Cole always did a bang up job. Now that twilight was
deepening into night, the band was picking up tempo.

           
“Apparently Cole’s feelings for you didn’t go that deep.”

           
Drake’s deep voice slid over her ears, and Nadia turned to him when he spoke.
He gestured to the dance floor where Cole and Renee were dancing with about ten
other couples. Renee had herself glued to every square inch of Cole’s tall
body, and he didn’t appear to mind in the least.

           
“It was never anything more than a harmless flirtation,” Nadia told Drake as
she watched the dancing couple.

           
“Hmm
,…
if you say so.” His words had her turning to
look at him again.

           
“Just what does that mean?” She asked him, begging him to keep going, to bring
up something, anything that they would be able to argue about. When they
argued, she didn’t have to hide her true feelings.

           
His eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. Leaning back in the chair with his long,
big body reclined, he looked at ease, supine, and so very lazy. But Nadia knew
better than to think that he had ever had a lazy bone in his body. It was all a
front. He raised his beer bottle and took a swig, drawing Nadia’s eyes down to his
Adam’s apple as it moved. She turned her head away sharply, trying to ignore
the pulse of pure want deep inside her body.

           
“Why does it get you so angry when I say that a man was interested in you? Why
does that bother you so much?” She rolled her eyes, knowing he could see the
action, and licked her lips while she thought of an answer. Drake spoke before
she could.

           
“I know for a fact that Cole Walker is an open book. He has no gambling
tendencies, doesn’t hook up with rich women so that he can take their money,
and as far as I know, he doesn’t like to rough house with women during sex.” He
stopped talking long enough to take a swig of beer, and just when Nadia’s mind
was starting to finally wrap around what he said, he kept going, shocking her
into even more silence. “Although, I will admit, some rough housing can be
quite fun.”

           
Nadia made the mistake of turning to look at him, and had to stop herself from
dissolving into a puddle of need right there beside his boots.
Rough housing
can be fun?
Dear Lord, just the statement caused all kinds of images to run
rampant through her mind. She turned her head away from his thorough gaze and
swallowed deeply.

           
“I have never wanted Cole in that way, although I have known for years now that
with the slightest invitation on my part, he would have taken over and gotten
past our friendship stage.” Just why was she explaining herself to him?

           
“I knew that. I just wanted to see you get riled up over something without me
having to bring up the Donavan incident. I wanted a more relaxing conversation,
not something so damn serious that we can’t even speak to one another.”

           
His words caused her to look back at him. The night was a bit darker now, and with
the way he was sitting only one half of his face was caressed by the lantern
light. The side that wasn’t was the picture of being devilishly handsome.

           
Nadia forced herself to think of nothing but lighter thoughts. She understood
what he was saying. Every time they managed to end up sharing the same
airspace, they had nothing but severe conversations. Drake was letting her know
he was sick of it, and if she was being honest with herself, so was Nadia. She
might as well enjoy his company since she was in it, although it would be hell
on her heart to spend quality time with a man that never had and never would
want her.

           
“I’ll bet you can’t wait until football season starts, huh?” She sent him a
sideways look and caught the slightly crooked grin that stole over his sculpted
mouth before he stopped it and donned a serious expression, and then ruined it
all when he busted out laughing.

           
Nadia was floored. “What? You wanted a lighter conversation. That’s exactly
what I was doing, starting a lighter conversation!” She huffed and turned away,
silently laughing along with him, but acting mulish on purpose.

           
“Ah Nadia,” he told her when he finally regained his breath. “I distinctly
remember you saying how much you hated football. I also remember a few guys
asking you to football games when you were in high school, and you adamantly
turned them down.”

           
She looked at him in shock, “I was a teenager for crying out loud. Hell, I
never knew what I wanted then.” She huffed, “And anyway, I asked
you
the
question.”

           
You are lying, lying through your teeth. You wanted the man sitting beside
you. Even though you didn’t know at the time what wanting meant. But you do
now.

           
Drake’s words caused her mind-rambling to stop.

           
“I clearly remember you when you were a teenager.” She caught his eyes whenever
he glanced at her. The comfortable feel in the air put her at ease, so did the
deep, hypnotic quality of his voice. “So slight, so delicate, and you always
wore your hair in long braids.”

           
Nadia rolled her eyes again, “I hated those darn braids.” They couldn’t really
be talking about her hair, could they? “Mom said if I didn’t take care of it,
it would fall out.” A light laugh escaped her, “Mom always knew how to make
losing my hair sound like the end of the world as I knew it.” Nadia stopped as
another thought popped up in her memory. “Although I remember Carl Browning
commenting on how pretty my hair was in braids. I think that is why I wore them
for so long.”

           
“How old were you when that happened?” His deep, silky voice slid out of the
darkness next to her.

           
“I would say around thirteen. At the time, I thought he was the hottest guy for
giving me a compliment.”

           
Drake chuckled. Nadia gave him a glance and asked her own question, “Okay Mr.
I’m Untouchable, I’m sure there was someone in your past that caught your eye.
Everyone had somebody when they were younger that they were crushing on.”

           
“Crushing on?”

           
“Yeah, you know, you liked this person, even though you knew you would more
than likely never have the chance to ever date them.” Damn, this was starting
to sound like her life story.

           
“Hmm…I’m sure there was someone, but that was a long time ago.”

           
Nadia peered at him through the slight shadows and barely caught the smile on
his face. The smartass was fooling her. He probably remembered the girl’s name,
knew her age, and where she lived. Damn lucky girl. “You can’t tell me that you
don’t remember.”

           
He shrugged his massive shoulders and took another swig of his beer. Nadia
narrowed her eyes good-naturedly, trying to show him her mean face. Instead, he
busted out laughing again. He was seriously too happy tonight…must be all that
beer he was drinking.

           
“What’s wrong, you getting too far up there in age that your memory is taking a
few hits?”

           
“Oh, that’s a low blow, Nadia,” he said it seriously, but she caught the smile
he sent her way.

           
“Okay, back when you were a teenager, you know around the Inquisition, there
had to have been someone that caught your eye.”

           
He smirked at her and said, “I really don’t remember.”

           
Nadia smiled at him. “Damn, that’s horrible. A whole lifetime lost to the
ravages of dementia.” He laughed out loud, and Nadia couldn’t stop the smile
that appeared. She loved the sound of his laughter, deep and melodious. “Does
it run in your family? Because if it does, you might want to go get it treated
right away. You wouldn’t want to waste the memories that you still have.”

           
He moved, sitting straight up in the chair, and Nadia’s easy going nature left
as she remembered just exactly who he was and what he did to her insides. For
an instant there she had forgotten all of the years she had ached for him. It
had been a different moment all together, something she had never had with him.
Now she was missing it already.

           
“I never knew this side of you existed. But I know for damn sure that I like
it.” Then he grabbed his empty plate and got up from the table, leaving a very
confused and very mystified Nadia behind.

           
What the hell had he been thinking, voicing the thoughts in his head? He knew
better than to dangle a comment like that in front of Nadia. Ever since he had
first
laid
eyes on her when she was twelve, something
damn close to hero worship had been in those green depths. Over the years she
had apparently learned to hide her thoughts and emotions.

           
Not that it mattered worth a damn.

           
Ever since that double glance when she was younger, he had felt her regard for
him with every look, hesitation, and wide-eyed peek. Back then, he had thought
it funny and kind of cute.

           
Now, it caused reactions in him that shouldn’t even be considered. For thirteen
years he had thought of her like a daughter, looking after her whenever her
parents passed had cemented that territorial feeling inside of him. But ever
since he found out what Donavan had done, and her odd reaction on the terrace
last weekend, all he could think about was how grown up she looked, and how he
was starting to read her body and mannerisms like any other human he came into
contact with.