The catch in her voice was so faint he almost missed it. “What?” he pressed.
She averted her gaze. “Nothing. I live alone.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “No husband… boyfriend?”
Her gaze returned to his, resolute once again. “No. Keep that thing. I’ve had enough of this.”
It pleased him that she was single.
Too much.
Leandros reached into her bag and opened her wallet to look at her driver’s license. She was innocent, but she wasn’t fully honest with him. He’d let it go for now. His mouth curved into an easy smile. “Vicky. You hiked up the mountain?”
Her gaze assessed him before she replied. “Yes.”
“How far did you get?”
“Refuge A.” Her lips pursed. “I wish I could have gone higher, but…” She shrugged.
Leandros dragged his eyes from the tempting pout of her mouth. “There’s a house on the mountain at about 8000 feet that is accessible by car…well, my car anyway. It’s almost adjacent to the summit.”
She cast him a wary look. “There’s no such thing.”
He let his gaze move over her face and the delicate curve of her bare shoulders. When his eyes lifted to hers, color rode high on her cheeks. “It’s not visible to humans.”
Her brow lifted in an amused arch. “What is it—vacation home to the gods?”
He grinned. “You could say that. Only a select group of us can stay there. Humans are generally not allowed, but the ancients let us make exceptions.”
Apprehension returned to her face. “And why are you telling me this?”
“I was on my way there when I sniffed the STX on you. I plan to stay for at least three days. You’re welcome to come.”
Her mouth formed a sexy
O.
Leandros pocketed the vial and gave her the bag. Their fingers touched, sending a sensual current through his veins—and hers.
A low gasp escaped her and her eyes shot to his. Leandros was no stranger to female body language. This woman with hair the color of honey was not immune to him physically. Her innocent sexiness had awakened primitive instincts he couldn’t ignore. It was all he could do to stop himself from hoisting her over his shoulder and carrying her to the car.
She seemed to shake herself out of a daze. “Um, you’re going now?”
He felt the corner of his mouth curl with satisfaction. “Yes, Vicky.” He stretched out his hand. “I’m Leandros.”
She looked at his hand and swallowed visibly. When she slid her small, soft hand in his, heat pulsed in his cock.
“Leandros…that’s Greek.”
He inclined his head. “Every inch of me.”
Her blush flared and he swallowed a chuckle. Still grasping her hand, he said, “So, are you coming, Vicky?”
She exhaled an unsteady breath. “I, um…need to contact my travel guide…get some clothes, some other things too.”
You’ll hardly need those, sweetness.
His blood pulsed faster and hotter. “I’ll bring the car round in fifteen minutes.”
Chapter Four
What was I thinking?
Vicky snuck another furtive glance at the big, gorgeous man sitting next to her in the large sports utility vehicle
. Letting a Greek demigod, who oozed dark and dangerous sexuality, take her to some unearthly lodge…obviously little sensible thought.
When she’d first set eyes on him at the hotel, the shock of his looks made everything around her disappear, even made her lightheaded for a few seconds. Midnight-dark hair, cut long enough for fingers to weave through, eyes the color of the Greek sky, a wickedly full mouth and a rugged jaw. His white shirt and gray slacks outlined a tall, powerful body. Vicky was not as sophisticated in the ways of men as her sister. She’d only had a few long-term relationships, but the primal interest in his eyes was blatant enough to set her nerve-endings on fire.
He embodied attributes of the men in her erotic fantasies on lonely nights. The kind of men that spelled trouble in real life, as any smart woman knew. Add immortal to that and you had a dangerous package. Vicky had made a hard effort to convince herself that she’d accepted his offer in order to experience a unique view of the mountain, but that was laughable. Her reaction to him frightened her in a way that was too tempting to ignore. Never had she been so deliciously unsettled.
She let her gaze linger on him and felt once more the sizzle of excitement arc through her. The corner of his mouth lifted yet he didn’t remove his eyes from the road. They’d been going up the eastern side of the mountain, far removed from the hiking trails. She had the sense of ascending quickly and smoothly, and she barely noticed the beauty of her surroundings.
He reached out and grasped her hand, strong, lean fingers squeezing hers. “Don’t be scared,” he said in good English with an indistinct accent that conveyed the experience of a man who lived in different countries.
Vicky was nervous, but not scared. “I’m not.”
“There’s an entrance coming up…it’s an illusion for camouflage purposes.”
She turned her gaze to the front and her body froze. The car was heading straight for a solid wall of rock and trees. “Oh, God!”
“It’s not what it seems…you won’t be hurt.”
Instinct kicked in and she screamed and shielded her face as the vehicle went through. With her heart pounding, she pried her hand away from her eyes and stared through the intact windshield.
Impossible.
“Here we are, Vicky.”
The vehicle cruised on a smooth road that curved to the front of a stone villa with enormous windows. He cut the engine and stepped out. Vicky was too stunned to move, even when he opened the door for her. Her heart was still racing.
He held out his hand and she got out on wobbly legs. “That was weird…”
“I’m sorry…I couldn’t think of any other way to prepare you.”
As her breath calmed a fraction, Vicky took in the earthy elegance of the villa. Made of tan and gray stone and a dark-tiled roof, it nestled comfortably within a copse of pine trees. Leandros had left her side to retrieve their baggage.
“So this is supposed to be invisible to the human eye?” she questioned.
“That’s correct.”
She looked at him. “Why can I see it, then?”
He grinned, showing perfect, white teeth. “Because you’re in my company.”
She gave a wry smile. “Of course.”
He chuckled and handed her a bag of groceries. The rest, he carried without effort up the few steps to the villa’s front door. Her heart skipped with sudden unease and her steps faltered as she looked at his commanding stature. Vicky wasn’t naive. When a man invited a woman to stay at a residence for a few days, it was about sex.
But why me?
Her sexual experience with conservative men hardly translated into the image of a sexual tigress—the sort of woman a demigod would want in his bed.
She realized it was a mistake coming here. The man was beyond her league. She’d embarrass herself. He must have picked up on her hesitation because he glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and she forced her legs to move.
Too late, Vicky.
She followed him into the building and almost pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming—even her most exotic dreams hadn’t taken her to a private dwelling of the gods. The inside was decorated with understated elegance. When they entered the living room, the floor to ceiling windows drew her attention. Placing the bag on a nearby coffee table, she walked over to them.
Her breath fanned out across the pane of one window as she gazed across at the peaks of Olympus. The villa was so close she could make out the colors of clothing worn by a small group of hikers filing their way along a narrow ridge of loose debris toward the summits. The mists had thinned since yesterday and she watched, mesmerized, as they parted, exposing the distinct characteristics of the three famous peaks. Her breath caught. Though barren and unwelcoming, the ancient rocks possessed a serene dignity that was nothing less than majestic.
Her fingers brushed against the window as she felt the heat of Leandros’ body behind her, her senses alert to the forbidding energy that set him apart from humans. Her muscles weakened, her body threatening to lean against him.
“Was it worth the trip?” he asked, his voice a deep velvet.
Her pulse hadn’t settled. “Yes.” She paused and focused her eyes on a prominent peak that resembled a half-crown. That was Stefani. “Do they live among us like you?” Her voice came out huskier than she wanted and it was getting harder to think with him standing so close.
“No. They’re spirits that live anywhere they choose. I haven’t seen an ancient in years.”
As her gaze moved downward to the plunging slopes, a vision of chiseled ridges and thick boulders, his fingers traced a path from the small of her back to her hair and slipped underneath to brush her nape. A delicious shudder danced over her skin.
“What lineage are you from?” It was a nervous question, an attempt to distract her from his touch.
“Poseidon.”
Vicky had good knowledge of Greek history. Poseidon was the god of the ocean and brother to Zeus. A shiver went up her spine. Leandros was a descendent of one of the most powerful Olympians, which put him in a higher-ranking class of demigods.
“Do you speak any Greek, Vicky?”
Her lids closed a fraction. “Very little.”
He made a low sound in his throat as he pushed her hair out of the way, exposing her neck and her upper back. Her body tensed, a sigh of anticipation hitching in her throat.
His warm breath touched her ear.
“Se thelo.”
It took a few seconds for his meaning to register and then her knees almost buckled.
I want you.
His fingers curved around the side of her throat before sliding across her shoulder, pushing the thin strap of her dress away. “Do you understand, sweetness?”
She’d understood from the moment he looked at her with dark heat in those blue eyes. She gave a faint nod. It was the main reason—likely the only reason—she was standing thousands of feet above ground in this house. She wanted him. Vicky didn’t suffer from delusions. With Leandros, it would last as long as they were here. Three days, he’d said. After that, they’d go their separate ways. Immortals never took human mates. And humans could never be made immortal.
He’d unzipped her dress, his fingers drawing an erotic caress over her spine that made her fingers curl against the glass. Nerves had moistened her palms.
“Why me?” she finally asked the restless question.
An amused chuckle sounded in his throat. “You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who fishes for compliments. Which could only mean that you’re the kind that doesn’t know how terribly desirable she is.”
Her heart fluttered. No man had ever riled her composure like Leandros, and right now, two emotions tore at her. Uncontrollable desire and anxiety. She let out a gasp as the dress fell to the floor around her feet, leaving her naked except for a matching pair of white panties and bra.
“Um, I’m not…I don’t sleep with strangers…normally,” she mumbled.
His teeth grazed her earlobe. “Even better.”
Before she could respond, she sensed he no longer stood behind her. With a frown, she stepped out of the crumpled dress, slipped off her shoes and walked toward the kitchen at the far end of the large room. Leandros emerged with a small plate and as his gaze scorched down her body, she made an awkward move to cover her breasts. He was fully dressed yet she was too exposed.
“No. Don’t hide your loveliness from me,” he ordered gently and motioned for her to join him at the cream sofa.
Vicky closed the distance and looked at the open, fresh figs on the plate, their centers dark pink ambrosia. She’d had dried figs, but not fresh ones. “So, we’re going to eat.” She cocked an eyebrow.
He made a sound of acknowledgment.
A smile tugged her lips. “I could have done so with clothes on.”
“I prefer my appetizer half naked,” he purred, sending a hot tingle through her body. He lowered himself onto the sofa and took her hand, pulling her closer. “Straddle me.”
When she hesitated, his hands grasped her hips and brought her down onto his lap in a way that she had no choice but to bend her knees and straddle his hard thighs. His scent reached her, ocean and earth. No trace of cologne. The man was delicious. Vicky had no doubt he would please her like no man ever had and that he would push her past her sexual inhibitions. He would indulge in her the way his ancestors enjoyed their ambrosia. Her gaze fell to the sensual curve of his mouth and she slid her hand to his nape, fingertips pushing into his thick hair.
“I’ve fantasized about men like you,” she murmured without much thought. Her statement incited a pleased purr.
His gaze lingered on the rise of her breasts in the bra and then dipped to her belly and the junction between her thighs, sending a sizzle of heat to those parts. He slid a hand up her thigh and about her waist while he picked up one half of the fig.
“You’re so lovely. Now, open that luscious mouth of yours and take a bite.”
She parted her lips and bit into the juicy core of the fruit. A sweet explosion of flavor awakened her taste buds and she couldn’t help the moan of pleasure.
Goodness, this is delicious!
She took another bite and closed her eyes. The texture was luscious and silky except for the delightful crunchiness of the tiny seeds at the ends.
She opened her eyes and when she looked into his, the naked hunger she saw made her heart go into an erratic flutter.
“Thee mou,”
he rasped.
He gently fisted her hair and brought her mouth to his. It was a light caress, a taste of the juice on her lips and teasing flicks of his tongue just inside the seam of her mouth. She ached for more, pressed into him in a silent plea. Moaned against him until he caught her bottom lip between his teeth in a tiny nip. With a low groan, he pulled away, the muscles in his jaw tight.
He swept his thumb across her cheek. “Patience, sweetness, or else I’ll lose control and have you right here. You deserve better.”
He picked up the remaining half of the fig, folded the edges back and squeezed the core outward. With the fruit, he traced a cool, wet line down her throat, followed by the heat of his mouth. A broken sigh pushed through her lips. He tugged her head back, her throat now vulnerable. He alternated between sucking, gentle nipping, and tongue flicks all the way down to the valley of her breasts. His large palm cupped one breast as his sinful mouth feasted on the fig juice and her skin at once. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks and moisture escaped from her sex. Never had a man eaten any type of food from her body. In her erotic haze, she wondered how that was even possible. It was so pleasurable, so arousing.