his beautiful, haunting words, which revealed a soul naked and vulnerable, and so achingly alone.
Falcon was completely enthralled, caught by the love in her eyes, the sheer intensity of it. She glowed with happiness she didn’t even try to hide from him. Her body had gone from wild struggling to complete stillness. But now there was a subtle difference. She was wholly feminine, soft and inviting. Each stroke of her fingertips over his face sent curling heat straight to his soul.
Just as quickly her expression changed to confusion, to fright. To guilt. Along with sheer terror he could sense determination. Falcon felt the buildup of aggression in her body and caught her hands before she could hurt herself. He leaned close to her, capturing her gaze with his own. “Be calm; we will sort this out. I know I frightened you, and for that I apologize.” Deliberately he lowered his voice so that it was a soft, rich tapestry of notes designed to soothe, to lull, to ensnare. “You cannot win a battle of strength between us, so do not waste your energy.” His head lowered further so that he rested, for one brief moment, his brow against hers. “Listen to the sound of my heart beating. Let your heart follow the lead of mine.”
His voice was one of unparalleled beauty. She found she wanted to succumb to his dark power. His grip was extraordinarily gentle, tender even; he held her with exquisite care. Her awareness of his enormous strength, combined with his gentleness, sent strange flames licking along her skin. She was trapped for all time in the fathomless depths of his eyes. There was no end there, just a free fall she couldn’t pull out of. Her heart did follow his, slowing until it was beating with the exact same rhythm.
Sara had a will of iron, honed in the fires of trauma, and yet she couldn’t pull free of that dark, hypnotic gaze, even though a part of her recognized she was under an unnatural black-magic spell. Her body trembled slightly as he lifted his head, as he brought her hand to his eye level to inspect the shredded skin. “Allow me to heal this for you,” he said softly. His accent gave his voice a sensual twist she seemed to feel right down to her toes. “I knew you had injured yourself in your flight.” He had smelled the scent of her blood in the night air. It had called to him, beckoned him through the darkness like the brightest of beacons.
His black eyes burning into hers, Falcon slowly brought Sara’s hand to the warmth of his mouth. At the first touch of his breath on her skin, Sara’s eyes widened in shock. Warmth. Heat. It was sensual intimacy beyond her experience, and all he had done was breathe on her. His tongue stroked a healing, soothing caress along the back of her hand. Black velvet, moist and sensual. Her entire body clenched, went liquid beneath him. Her breath caught in her throat. To her utter astonishment, the stinging disappeared as rough velvet trailed along each laceration to leave a tingling awareness behind. The black eyes drifted over her face, intense, burning. Intimate. “Better?” he asked softly.
Sara stared at him helplessly for an eternity, lost in his eyes. She forced air through her lungs and nodded her head slowly. “Please let me up.”
Falcon shifted his body almost reluctantly, easing his weight from hers, retaining possession of her wrist so he could pull her to her feet in one smooth, effortless tug as he rose fluidly. Sara had planned out each move in her head, clearly and concisely. Her free hand swept up the knife hidden in the pocket of her sodden jacket, which lay beside her. As he lifted her, she jack-knifed, catching his legs between hers in a scissors motion, rolling to bring him down and beneath her. He continued the roll, once more on top. She tried to plunge the knife straight through his heart, but every cell in her body was shrieking a protest and her muscles refused to obey. Sara determinedly closed her eyes. She could not look at his beloved face when she destroyed him. But she would destroy him.
His hand gripped hers, prevented all movement. They were frozen together, his leg carelessly pinning her thighs to the floor. Sara was in a far more precarious position than before, this time with the knife between them. “Open your eyes,” he commanded softly.