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but I ve never known a Watcher to be so masochistic that he actually tried to limit
himself to that. Hey, are you okay, Skylar? You look sort of pale. We better get you
inside. Duse will kill me if you get sick while you re with me. By the Three, I hope it
wasn t my driving that made you ill.
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Beth Kery
Chapter Seven
Duse paced restlessly in the large living area immediately outside the foyer. This
was the last time he let any of his men take Skylar anywhere. They were supposed to
have been back over an hour ago. She was okay, he knew, but still& what the hell were
they doing? He had to resist a strong urge to march down the parking garage and
demand the answer then and there. The elevator door opened a few minutes later. He
heard the sound of Ainge s deep voice. His relief at knowing Skylar was safe within the
warded realms of the penthouse turned quickly to irritation when she responded to
something Ainge said with warm laughter. The familiarity and comfort he sensed in
their new acquaintance really ate at Duse. Skylar rarely seemed that uninhibited with
him. Of course, there was the fact that he d hardly been carefree and natural with her,
either, but still&
 Prince Ammadon. Ainge nodded semi-formally when he saw Duse standing
there. He did a double take when he sensed Duse s barely leashed irritation.
 You re late.
Skylar s eyes widened when she took in the impact of Duse s presence. The hard set
of his mouth and the tension that seemed to coil in his muscles alerted her immediately
to his tightly controlled anger. He was wearing a black collared short-sleeved shirt and
a pair of faded jeans that hugged his hips and strong thighs in all the right places. The
combination of his dark clothes, skin and hair acted as the ideal backdrop for his
magnificent light eyes. Skylar felt scorched by them as they sought her out and rested
on her like a high-powered beacon.
 It was my fault, Duse. I asked Ainge to stay until I checked the final shipment.
Early summer is an especially busy time of year for us, Skylar insisted. The last thing
she wanted was for the amiable Ainge to get in trouble because of her.
 You could have let me know, Duse said softly. His eyes ran over her hungrily,
ostensibly assuring himself of her safety, her reality. His gaze warmed in appreciation
when he took in how feminine and pretty she looked wearing a pair of jeans, and a
short-sleeved, pale yellow knit sweater that accentuated the shape of her breasts. His
nostrils flared in arousal. He d been the one to pick out the knit top, and once again,
he d been right about the color looking stunning against her luminescent skin. He d
been pleasantly surprised by the fact that Skylar had accepted the things he had bought
for her. In previous incarnations, she d refused the things that he had wanted to give
her for extended periods until she felt completely comfortable with him. He supposed
he should find it stimulating that so many aspects of her remained a mystery to him,
but currently, he just felt bewildered.
 I m sorry, Skylar said.  I ll call next time we re going to be late.
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Subtle Magic
 I wasn t talking to you, Duse said as his blue eyes left her and shifted rapidly to
Ainge.
Skylar sensed a communication pass between the two men, but she couldn t glean
exactly what it was. Ainge was totally polite when he turned toward her, though.
 I ll see you later, Skylar. Thanks for all the advice.
 Don t forget about our dinner plans, Ainge, Skylar called after him.  I ll meet you
in the kitchen at& say, seven?
Ainge s eyes pointedly avoided Duse.  Oh& right. See you then.
Duse steadily watched his knight s retreating back as he headed toward the large
office space shared by all four of his men. When he glanced back at Skylar, she was
eyeing him cautiously.  What was that all about?
 He wants to ask a human woman to dinner. He told me that Watchers don t eat.
I d never thought about it before. Why didn t you tell me that you weren t really eating
every time we sit down to a meal together? Skylar asked him irritably.
Duse was going to kill Ainge. For what exact crime, he couldn t say. He doubted
that making him look foolish in his mate s eyes could be considered an actual infraction
of Watcher law.  Ainge has atrocious human eating skills. If he takes a woman out to
dinner, she ll run screaming out of the restaurant, Duse scoffed.
 Well, that s why I told him I would help, Duse, Skylar said slowly, like she
thought he was an imbecile or something.  Why didn t you ever help him before? Your
manners are perfect at the dinner table.
Duse just laughed. Skylar obviously was very kindhearted, but she didn t know
what she was getting herself into.  Babe, it doesn t have anything to do with manners.
Is that what you thought Ainge meant by eating skills?
Instead of responding, Skylar jumped in on the offense.  Why did you fake eating
like that? Why were you trying to fool me?
His mouth came open in amused disbelief.  I wasn t trying to fool you. I wanted to
spend time with you. I figured you would be uncomfortable if I was just sitting there
staring at you while you ate.
 Oh, Skylar murmured, her irritation forgotten. Her eyes flicked to his uncertainly.
The moment stretched as their gazes clung.  That s really sweet, Duse. But you
shouldn t have to make all these sacrifices for me. I mean, you re already staying with
me every night while I sleep.
 I do that because I want to.
 Oh, well, all right. I want you to, as well, Skylar admitted, feeling vulnerable.
 Duse, I would really rather you didn t keep me in the dark about everything. She
swallowed heavily, wanting to ask him about what Ainge had been describing in the
car about taking sustenance from human women. She cleared her throat determinedly.
 Do you think I could talk to you in private after dinner tonight?
83
Beth Kery
Duse s brow wrinkled slightly in concern. As was becoming annoyingly typical,
Skylar was shielding her thoughts from him again.  Okay, he finally murmured
cautiously.  I have something I want to talk to you about, as well.
* * * * *
Skylar flipped open several cabinets and then stared into the freezer later that
evening, pondering. Now that she knew that the Watchers didn t eat, she found Duse s
fully stocked kitchen poignantly amusing.  How much food do you think I actually
consume, Duse? Skylar asked wryly. The freezer was jam-packed with more meat than
Skylar would probably be able to eat in ten years.
 Jax s lem  Ainge stopped abruptly at the sight of Duse s irritated scowl.
 Uh& girlfriends eat here, too, sometimes.
Skylar shrugged. It was still way too much food, even if the rock-star gorgeous,
elusive Jax Ammadon had a busload of groupie girlfriends, which wouldn t have
entirely surprised her. The mention of Duse s younger brother and his girlfriends made
her blush. She stuck her head determinedly into the refrigerator to avoid Duse s
hawklike eyes.
It had just happened yesterday, right in this very room, much to Skylar s intense
mortification. She d plunged through the heavy kitchen swinging doors, intending to
get some orange juice after her yoga workout. She d stopped dead in her tracks at the
sight before her. For a second, she couldn t logically make sense of what she was seeing.
But her body had surged to life instantly, not requiring a rational explanation.
She d walked in while Jax Ammadon and Jana were in the midst of making love.
That was bad enough. But it was the way he was making love to her like a vertical
sixty-nine position that made it even more flagrantly embarrassing for her. Only an
extremely strong man could have ever done it. Even now, almost twenty-four hours
later, Skylar felt her pussy flood with heat. They were both completely nude. Jax stood.
His powerful muscles were rigidly defined as he held Jana upside-down over him. Her
slender legs crossed behind his head and she was making concentrated, writhing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]