years old. For more than twenty years, he’d been learning how to be the hunter and how to be the prey. He’d been no more than fifteen the first time a neighboring rancher and his hands had thought they could use Jordan as target practice.
A lot of years, a lot of experience and knowledge.
They would make their move soon, he knew. He was waiting on them.
He’d felt it at the party. He could sense that the danger surrounding Tehya was beginning to escalate.
The men watching them were watching things too closely now, there was a steadily growing tension beginning to mount around them.
What they would attempt to do, he wasn’t completely certain. They were definitely after Tehya, and not to harm her. At least, not at first.
There was something they wanted, and no matter how he tried, Jordan couldn’t figure out what she could possibly possess that they could want.
They would be aware she was protected now, and they weren’t letting that bother them. They were too confident. As Micah said, they were too arrogant.
As the elevator eased to a stop, Micah stepped in front of them, his corded body tense and prepared as the doors slid open.
Only Noah awaited on the other side, though. Jordan’s nephew was watching him closely, blue eyes narrowed, suspicion tightening his expression.
“The suite’s clean.” Noah nodded as they stepped into the hall. “We have the two rooms on each side of you and the suite across from you.” He indicated the appropriate doors.
Jordan gave a sharp nod as he led Tehya to the double doors.
“Get some rest,” he ordered both of them. “We’ll meet at breakfast and go over the information we have. Let’s see if we can’t do something to liven things up a bit tomorrow.”
He had several ideas. Most importantly, he needed to force the men watching them into acting. Once they were off balance, the chances of them leading the team to their employer were greater.
Opening the door he stepped inside, looked around, then drew Tehya in as well.
Once the door closed, watchers didn’t exist. Danger didn’t exist. There was no threat, there was no reality.
He had her in his arms, lifting her, bearing her to the wide conference table that sat in the middle of the room.
There wasn’t a chance in hell of making it to the bed.
Hell, she was lucky he had made it this far.
Setting her on the cool wood surface, he slid the fingers of one hand into her hair once again, clenched in the soft strands, and forced her head back.
“Stop thinking,” he growled, determined that the pleasure they had shared in the limo would pale in comparison to the heat rising between them now.
“Jordan.” Worry darkened her eyes.
“No.” Forceful, filled with furious lust and white-hot demand, he glared down at her. “Not tonight, Tehya. Tonight, you’re mine. No worries, no fear. Just this, damn you. Just this.”
This.
His lips covered hers, his tongue pressed between them, and his hands moved from her hair to the gentle swell of her hips as he forced her thighs apart and stepped between them.
Staring down, Jordan watched as his hands, dark against the lighter violet hues of the dress, gathered the material and began dragging it slowly up her legs.
“Tonight you’re mine,” he growled again as he felt the raging hunger building inside him. “Right here, right now, Tehya, this is all that matters.”
The skirt revealed her legs, her thighs, the violet smoke of her stockings, the lacy elastic edge that stretched around her thighs.
His breathing accelerated. His chest tightened as each breath became ragged. Never in his life had a woman affected him this way. Never had anything looked so damned pretty, or been so important to him outside his family.
“Fuck, look how damned pretty.” He lifted his gaze, staring back at her, watching her eyes, her face as she became immersed in the sensual pleasure. “Watch me, Tey. Watch me touch you, baby. Enjoy you…” He almost said more.
He almost betrayed himself.
He almost gave in to the illusion that between him and Tehya, there was so much more than lust. So much more than pleasure.
If love existed …
CHAPTER 13
Tehya could feel the heat rising in the room, or was it just rising in her?
Reclining, she propped her weight on her elbows and stared back at him, the hunger to tease him, to tempt him becoming overwhelming.
She wanted her own memories to store away, but even more, there was something inside her pushing her, demanding she ensure he never