Phantom Warriors: Talon (3 page)

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Lynn nearly swalowed her tongue, as she watched the man surface from the aqua blue water like the god, Neptune surveying his kingdom. Droplets clung lovingly to his bare muscled chest, glistening in the sunlight as the water settled around his trim waist.

She’d never seen perfection like this up close.

Heat blossomed inside her and her body came alive in an instant, sweling and moistening in equal parts. He moved closer, causing those magnificent muscles to ripple and flex. Lynn’s heart stuttered in her chest. Was she imagining him, too? She closed her eyes and quickly opened them again. Nope, he was stil there.

The man swept his dark hair back with a casual brush of his hand, exposing a face that could only have been summoned from some woman’s darkest fantasy. Lynn made a mental note to find her and thank her, whoever she was.

Speechless and more than a little in awe, it took Lynn a moment to stop gaping and remember why his being here was a bad thing. She looked down and yelped, then plunged into the water to cover her nudity. The cool waves lapped at her swolen breasts, causing her to gasp.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped, ignoring the need threatening to overwhelm her.

One dark brow rose. “I could ask you the same thing,” he said in a voice made for late nights, cool sheets, and sinful secrets.

“This is…” She broke off. What could she say?
This is my
favorite spot and you’re not allowed.
Just because not many people came here didn’t make it a private area. It was a public park after al. Lynn frowned. “How long have you been here?” she asked instead. Was it too much to hope that he’d just arrived and she hadn’t put on a striptease in front of him?

Despite her ingrained modesty, the idea of stripping in front of him didn’t seem totaly
unappealing
. In fact, something about him brought out a daring side that had somehow stayed dormant until now. Just her luck.

Lips that were made for kissing canted at her question. “Long enough to enjoy the stunning view,” he said, eyeing her as if she were standing before him naked, not concealed by the water.

Lynn ducked down even further. “You need to leave,” she said.

He grinned then, flashing stark white teeth. “I was here first,” he said, then looked around at the large pool. “Besides, I think the spot is big enough for the both of us. Don’t you?” She couldn’t fault his reasoning, but this was her spot, darn it.

She didn’t want to share, even if that meant sharing the spot with a man who was too gorgeous to truly exist on this planet. Heck, in this universe. Maybe he realy was a god. “Are you an actor or model or something?”

It would be just her luck that she’d get stuck naked with a male model, when she had more than a passing acquaintance with celulite. Wel if that’s what he turned out to be, Lynn felt obligated to downgrade his ‘god’ status.

He laughed. The rich infectious sound roled over her, and then burrowed deep. “Is that your way of teling me that you find my appearance pleasing?” he asked, practicaly preening under her regard.

She winced when she realized that she’d unwittingly fed his already healthy ego. Despite his false modesty, Lynn had no doubt he was used to being ogled or at least stared at al the time. She, on the other hand, wasn’t. “Do you mind turning around?” She twirled her finger in a circle for emphasis.

His gaze sharpened. “Why?” he asked.

“Because I’m not exactly dressed for company,” she said in exasperation.

Something feral flashed in his unusual colored eyes. The blue appeared to be ringed with red, which was odd...and quite possibly a trick of the light. Lynn scrubbed the water out of her face and looked again. The color didn’t change, if anything it seemed brighter.

“I don’t mind.” He took a step closer and al thoughts about eye color fled from her brain.

Lynn frowned. “You may not, but I do,” she said, crossing her arms over her large breasts.

The man shrugged casualy, then said, “From what I saw, you have nothing to be ashamed of.” He al but purred his response.

Lynn’s body flushed with warmth and she blinked. Was he flirting with her? Men that looked like him
never
flirted with her.

Her first thought was to dismiss him outright, but what if he
was
realy flirting with her? Would that be so bad?

She’d never been the type of woman who went for casual connections. Up until this moment, that hadn’t been much of a concern, since men weren’t exactly beating down her door. Sure, she’d taken care of her ‘needs’ when they’d cropped up, but she didn’t jump into anything lightly. It just wasn’t in her nature. She preferred to analyze, deduct, then once al the data was in—act.

Look where that’s gotten you?
The pesky voice in her head whispered.

Maybe it was time to shake things up. Lynn stared at the man.

He’d moved closer while she’d been contemplating what to do.

Could she act without thoroughly examining the situation? More importantly
should
she?

“Don’t come any closer.” She held out her hand. The man stopped instantly.

“I wil not harm you, I swear it.” Gone was al the flirty humor that had been there before. He seemed genuinely hurt that the thought of harm had even crossed her mind.

Something inside Lynn melted. Maybe he wasn’t quite as secure and egotistical as she’d first imagined.

“You never answered my question,” she said.

He visibly relaxed, causing the muscles in his abdomen to ripple enticingly. “What question was that?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “I wanted to spend time at my favorite spot in the canyon.” He spread his arms wide, giving her an eyeful of his extraordinary biceps. “This is it.”

Lynn swalowed hard. She watched a lone drop of water snake between his pecks and slowly make a B-line down the slight indent that bisected his perfect stomach. It disappeared into his nearly invisible navel. Lynn had the sudden urge to dip her tongue inside and taste that drop. Would it be salty like his skin or would it taste like the man?

“Okay.” Not the brightest response, but it was al she could manage as lust soaked her brain.

The man took a step closer and held out his hand. “My name is Talon,” he said.

She’d have to rise a little to take it. Did she dare? She hesitated.

A musky aroma washed over her. Lynn wrinkled her nose as the wild scent teased her nostrils, daring her to inhale. She did. A second later, heat swept through her like a flaming tsunami. Lynn closed her eyes on a moan and inhaled again, deeper this time, taking the enticing smel as far into her lungs as she could get it, then swayed.

“Are you al right?” Talon asked, watching her closely.

Lynn’s gaze flicked to him and she gave him another quick once over. The need that had been simmering below the surface shot to the forefront, nearly buckling her knees. This would probably be her last time in the field. She had no idea when or if she’d ever get back to this spot. Why not make her last time here memorable?

The scientific part of her brain was screaming at her to stop, figure out what was happening. The woman in her quickly gagged that logical voice and shoved it into a dark recess of her mind. She wanted this man. And he miraculously appeared to want her, too.

They were both consenting adults. As long as they kept things simple, they could both walk away satisfied.

Lynn kept one hand pressed against her chest in a poor attempt to cover herself. She reached out with the other and took Talon’s outstretched hand. A slight tremor ran through his body on contact and his nostrils flared.

An unexpected thril shot through her. She’d never realy turned men’s heads or made them lose control. What would it feel like to have that kind of power over a man like Talon? Lynn shivered as his large hand enveloped hers. His grip was firm, but not crushing, like he considered her something precious.

Wow, what a concept!

For someone standing in cool water, his skin was unbelievably hot like he was generating a fire from the inside out. Lynn knew exactly how that felt, since she was pretty sure without the water that she’d spontaneously combust if they got any closer.

“Nice to meet you.” She paused. “Talon? Is that a family name?” Before he could respond, she added, “Saddled with something like that, it must’ve been a chalenge growing up.” He shook his head and a few strands of dark hair fel into his face. He brushed them back casualy. She watched the muscles in his arm flex. “Not so much,” he said, with a sly smile. “I’ve always been very good at taking care of myself…and anyone else under my care.”

Lynn blew out a breath. She just bet he was. Her body swayed toward him subconsciously, seeking that delicious fragrance that seemed to cling to his skin. “My name is Lynn. Lynn Regis.”
And I want to jump your bones.

Talon grinned as if he’d read her thoughts. “The pleasure is al mine, Lynn Regis.” Her name roled off his tongue in a savoring of sylables.

She blushed. “Um, I realy need to get dressed. Do you mind?” Lynn turned to leave, but his next words stopped her.

“Sure you want to go back?” The musky fragrance came again. This time stronger, body slamming the last of her resistance.

“I was hoping we could go for a quick swim together,” he said, a little too innocently.

Lynn glanced over her shoulder. There was nothing innocent about the look Talon gave her. His gaze scorched every inch of her exposed skin, drinking her in, devouring her without laying a finger on her. Lynn’s heart thudded hard against her ribs. Now she knew what Eve felt like when that wily snake offered her that apple.

“Unless you’re…
chicken
,” he added, al but daring her to act.

Talon knew he was cheating a little. At the last second, he’d decided to test her reaction to his pheromones. The faint scent would only affect her if there were a possibility that she could be his mate. Talon knew he should’ve given her more time to get used to his presence, but time was something he couldn’t afford to squander. If Lynn turned out to be incompatible, then he needed to know before this went any further, so he could search elsewhere.

His body rebeled at the thought of walking away from her.

He’d waited a lifetime to find her. She was everything he’d been looking for in a woman, yet the last thing Talon expected to find.

Lynn was an odd mixture of shy, courageous, modest and sexy.

The perfect woman. The perfect mate.

How had he grown so attached so quickly? Maybe he wasn’t the only one cheating with pheromones?

Indecision danced in furrowed lines across her forehead, before eventualy smoothing. Her expression went from reluctant to euphoric in a blink. Lynn inhaled again and giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

“Sorry,” she slurred, flushing crimson. “Just thought of something funny.” Lynn was definitely affected more than she was letting on.

Hope made his two hearts swel. Talon knew he was getting ahead of himself. More tests needed to be done, but it didn’t stop him from anticipating what was to come. He’d served his people wel, along with the Atlanteans. Talon had never asked for anything in exchange. Now he did. He wanted this woman. Longed to pul her into his arms, lay her beneath his body and claim her for al time.

From the videos that had been created upon Queen Rachel’s arrival, he’d learned a lot about Earth. Talon had been keen to understand the customs. Being from the Winged Clan, he’d learned al he could about the flying creatures that populated the planet.

He’d also learned the subtleties of the English language. He knew caling Lynn a ‘chicken’ would goad her into acting. Chickens were one of the few birds on this planet that realy couldn’t fly—at least not far.

Talon tried to imagine what that would be like and his mind blanked. The thought was inconceivable. He’d never want to be a chicken. And to think, people on this planet actualy
ate
them. He shuddered.

Lynn gave him a shy smile. “Race you to the other side,” she said, then dove under the water.

Talon watched her swim. It was easy enough to track her movements. Lynn surfaced a minute later to try to locate him. She frowned when she noticed he hadn’t folowed.

“What are you doing?” she asked, treading water.

Talon grinned. “Giving you a head start,” he said, hoping the distance would diminish the effect his pheromones were having on her. He wanted Lynn sober when he took her.

She snorted. “I don’t need one,” she said, then swam hard for the other side.

He threw his head back and laughed, then slipped beneath the water. His strokes were clean and strong. It helped that he didn’t need to breathe as frequently as she did. Talon caught Lynn easily.

Thanks to the water’s aqua blue color and overal clarity, he’d been able to spot her legs as she kicked her way to the shore. Oh, and what legs they were...

Talon reached out and slid his hands over her firm calves, folowing them up until he brushed the inside of her soft thighs.

Lynn squealed loud enough for him to hear her beneath the water.

He surfaced with a smile on his face. “Caught you,” he said, then puled her into his arms.

For a second, Lynn struggled. The moment her back made contact with his hard chest, she gasped in shock, then her body sagged. He could feel her heart racing, but she didn’t try to pul away.

“What happens now?” she asked in a voice so quiet that Talon barely heard her.

He slowly turned her in his arms. “Now I do what I’ve been longing to do, since I laid eyes on you.”

“And what’s that?” she asked.

His gaze locked on her lips and Talon lowered his head. The first brush across her petal soft skin made every muscle in his body tighten. His hands flexed and he puled her closer.

On the second swipe across her mouth, Lynn’s sweet taste hit him like an Atlantean energy blast to the groin. Talon groaned and sank into the embrace, deepening the kiss with a swipe of his tongue. His hands roamed over her lush curves, exploring every inch of her bare skin. He couldn’t wait to taste everywhere he touched.

She slanted her head, giving him better access. Talon didn’t think. He simply took, conquering her mouth, laying siege to her senses, while he sought to capture her heart. Their connection was greater than he’d imagined. Lynn was beyond perfect.

He growled, a habit he’d picked up from the Claw Clan on Zaron. Lynn quivered and her nipples stabbed his chest. Talon longed to take the hard kernels into his mouth and feast upon them.

He knew he could bring her to orgasm by his mouth alone and he planned to...again and again and again.

Before he finished, she’d be begging him to take her.