Dr. Reynolds was more intuitive than Dmitri had given her credit for. He didn’t know how she knew he would demolish the skeleton, but she did.
“Nothing is going to harm you.”
She cut him a hard look. “I was talking about the bones.”
“Why is this so valuable?”
“It’s a new find.”
His gaze narrowed. “Is that all?”
“It’s . . .” She paused, glancing at the dragon. “It’s important to me.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her eyes fix on the skeleton with such awareness and concern in their depths. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on in that mind of hers, which was why he hadn’t destroyed the bones.
Desire swirled within him once more. And not just for her body, but her mind, as well. He yearned to know what went on inside her head.
And he wouldn’t mind seeing if her lips were as soft as they looked.
She lifted her chin. “Look, I don’t need you to understand. You’re being paid to protect this dig site. That includes whatever I find.”
Without a doubt, he knew Faith wasn’t a Druid. There was no magic within her slender frame. Was it just instinct that had alerted her to his intentions where the skeleton was concerned?
Mortals had that ability, but few listened to their subconscious. If her intuition was telling her that the bones were in danger, it was because she had a connection to them.
And that troubled him greatly.
What made her different? He’d felt it from their first meeting. It had taken him aback since mortals didn’t normally affect him in such a way.
If it were some heightened awareness that had brought Dr. Reynolds not only to the cave but also to the bones, then that could spell trouble for her and the Dragon Kings.
Her pale brown gaze grew hard in the silence. “You don’t even believe I’ve found a dragon. Why does it matter what the skeleton is?”
“It doesna make a difference what I think. It matters what the rest of them think. You’re allowing word to spread that you’ve discovered dragon bones, and it has stirred people up.”
She gave a roll of her eyes. “Oh, please. As if it takes anything but the change in wind direction to rouse the crazies. And for your information, I didn’t let it leak about what I found. I didn’t want anyone to know until I’d fully excavated the entire body and run all the tests.”
He believed her. Dmitri wished it otherwise, but the truth didn’t just hang on every syllable, it burned brightly in her gaze.
Standing before him was a mortal with a backbone of steel and determination stamped on every feature as she prepared to protect and defend one of his Whites.
It had a profound effect on him. One that left him temporarily speechless. Never had he imagined a human putting themselves between one of his Whites and an enemy. Except that he wasn’t the enemy.
Though she couldn’t know that.
His looked into her sherry eyes and wondered if she’d feel the same if the dragon were alive. There was a large part of him that suspected she would.
Unable to help himself, his gaze dropped to her lips. Passion for her trade and her beliefs smoldered within her, and he had a desire to discover if that same passion blazed between the sheets.
Even as his mind cautioned him on following the urgings of his body, his hands fisted to keep from reaching for her.
All because she gave a fuck about one of his dragons.
Dmitri wanted to dislike her and all she stood for. But he couldn’t find a shred of loathing to grab on to, no matter how much he searched.
He shoved aside his desire when he saw her shiver. The temperatures were dropping rapidly in the damp cave. His head turned toward the entrance as his hearing picked up the distant thunder.
It would be hours before it could be heard by a human, but it alerted him to just how quickly the storm was moving in. If he didn’t get Faith to the surface now, there might not be another chance.
A gust of wind howled through the cave as the waves slammed with brutal force against the cliffs, the sound reverberating through the stone.
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I checked the weather. They didn’t say anything about this type of storm.”
“The sea doesna bend to the will of mortals,” he said and walked toward the entrance.
She was two steps behind him. “Did you just say mortals?”
“Aye.” No use denying it. Though he was going to have to watch what he said from now on. There was just something about her that made him forget his boundaries.
* * *
Faith halted ten feet from the moonlight-dappled opening of the cave as Muscles walked to the edge of the cliff. The force of the wind whipped around her even from her position.
Yet he stood like a pillar against it, barely moving while she had to take a few steps to the side. Her gaze was locked on him, on his stoic profile that contemplated Mother Nature as if he could tame it.
Oddly enough, she had a feeling if anyone could, it would be Muscles.
His head turned toward her, putting half his face in shadows again. His azure eyes seemed to glow in the glint of bluish light while his dark hair whipped about in the wind. Then he held out his hand.
She stared at his outstretched arm for several seconds before she took it. A current instantly ran up her arm. She jerked her gaze to his face, but he didn’t seem to feel it. His long fingers gently wrapped around her hand, and he pulled her against him.
Faith gasped as the wind hit her. She turned her head away, burying it against the side of his arm. To stay upright, she had to cling to him.
She couldn’t decide what she liked most—the feel of the heat emanating from him or the thick sinew beneath her palm.
Her eyes slid closed when his head bent, and his lips brushed her ear. He held her firmly, securely. The entire scenario made her body flush with unexpected—and unwanted—longing.
She burned from the inside out. Desire had never felt this . . . hot . . . before. Every nerve ending tingled as her breathing quickened.
“It’s going to be dangerous,” he said in his husky brogue.
Actually, she was quite fine where she was in the confines of his arms, his heat surrounding her even as the wind buffeted her with almost demonic force.
“I’ll get you to the top.”
Without a doubt, she knew he would. Muscles wasn’t the type of man to give a promise and break it.
“But the rocks are sharp, and the wind vicious. I doona know that it’ll be any better in the tent.”
Faith had been inside a tent while the wind blew, and it hadn’t been a pretty thing. She’d gotten no sleep that night listening to her tent strain against the ties.
She lifted her head and met his gaze. Desire rushed through her like a tidal wave. Their lips were so close they were all but kissing. And then that’s all she could think about.
His lips moving over hers, teasing and nipping before plundering her mouth. Would he bend her back over his arm, hold her against him, or push her against the rock wall?
Her stomach fluttered at the thought. She willed herself to stop thinking such things, but the images were already there. Somehow, she had enough wherewithal to lift her gaze from his lips upward—colliding with azure eyes that watched her as a predator did its prey.
Was it the moonlight that allowed her to catch the threads of silver in his eyes? Or was it simply her imagination?
As if the storm would no longer wait for her reply, it sent a gust into her back that made her lose her balance. In an instant, he moved them out of the cave entrance and righted her.
Up against the stone wall.
Her knees went weak, her lips parting. She was panting and needy. He was still close, his strong hands holding her steady. Desire heated her body as blood pounded in her ears. Her hands held on to his shoulders with a death grip.
Slowly, she loosened her fingers and spread her fingers to feel more of his muscles. She struggled to breathe against the tide of passion that was rapidly dragging her under.
She wanted him. To know his taste, the feel of his hard body naked against hers. To give in to the yearning and the need that tightened inside her.
To surrender to the promise of pleasure.
“You’re shivering.”
No, she was fairly certain her body was on fire. The words lodged in her throat, however.
“Come,” he bade.
Somehow, she made her legs work as he guided her to the back of the cave once more. Then he sat her down, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
“Doona move. I’ll return shortly.”
“You can’t go out there,” she hurriedly said.
A crooked, sexy smile formed on his lips. “Of course, I can. I willna be long.”
He was gone before she could stop him. And with his absence, the cold penetrated her clothes. Faith pulled her legs up against her chest and sat huddled against the wall.
She knew the force of the wind. It was idiotic for Muscles to even attempt to climb the cliff in such a storm. Then again, he had been unmovable against it.
Her gaze slid to the bones as her teeth began to chatter. At least the rain hadn’t begun yet. That would allow the climb to be a tad easier.
Though the wind couldn’t reach her so far back in the cave, the sheer size of the tunnel meant that the cold filtered in quickly, sinking into every space.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her, but nothing could stop the damp air from breaching her clothes. Inside her boots, she curled her toes that had begun to tingle from the temperatures.
Her lids slid closed. She wouldn’t have been in this predicament had she left with Tamir. Instead, she’d continued working.
Muscles was right, she couldn’t count on a weather app to know what would happen. But all of that was a moot point now. She was stuck in the cave.
Much as her dragon had been.
Odd how the storm made her realize how still the cave was. She wasn’t afraid. Instead, she felt . . . at peace.
Her lids grew heavy, and it took too much energy to keep them open. She let them close as she continued to listen for Dmitri’s return.
She must have dozed because she came to at the feel of strong hands on her arms. Faith forced open her eyes and saw Muscles in the darkness.
His hair was windblown, and his face was fixed in hard lines as he concentrated. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing when he lifted her, but then she felt the softness of a sleeping bag.
She curled onto her side to find warmth even as he took off her shoes. That’s when she noticed all the lights were out. A thick wool blanket was thrown over her before Muscles molded against her back.
As soon as his warmth cocooned her, she sighed in contentment. It was a dire situation, but somehow, he’d come through – just as she’d known he would.
He slid his arm beneath her neck before his other hand flattened on her stomach and pulled her more securely against him.
“You need warmth,” he whispered.
Yep. Though she needed more than that. But warmth would do. For now. “Thank you.”
“Rest,” he ordered.
She wanted to argue, but as if on command, her eyes closed. Though she didn’t go straight to sleep. Instead, she listened to the sound of Dmitri’s even breathing while enjoying the feel of his body against hers.
They lay there for long moments while the wind and sea raged. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt him move aside her hair.
The pads of his fingers caressed along her jaw so faintly she wondered if she’d dreamed it. Sleep began to pull her under, but she fought to remain awake.
She wanted to know if Muscles would do more. Because for a man who appeared to be made of granite, his touch was exceptionally soft and gentle.
More, she silently begged.
As if he’d heard, he moved aside her bangs that were tangled in her eyelashes. He then gently stroked down the curve of her ear.
“Sleep, lass,” he whispered. “For tomorrow is yet another day.”