Mentally, she knew what was going on. She’d been with Rykker just the night before and it was wonderful. So much so that she’d decided that he was the one. She had to break it to Arkness and let him down sooner than later. But with him there,physically in front of her? The pheromonal sway was stronger with each passing day, and she was experiencing firsthand what Zoldana had warned her of, the man’s scent making her logical mind short circuit.
“I brought you something to brighten up your place,” he said, stepping inside, an oval package in his hands. “It is small—I didn’t have much time to work on it—but I hope it will bring you joy.
He unwrapped the protective covering to reveal a three-dimensional image in a simple wooden frame, carved with vines and decorative scrollwork. The image itself was a landscape, not a photograph, but a very stylized painting somehow unfolding in 3-D. And with the unmistakable outline of a grounded ship in the background, it was somewhere she recognized, her cheeks flushing.
“That’s where we?—”
“Yes. Where we consummated.”
“And you painted this?”
“Yes. I wanted to make you something to commemorate what we have. Something that would make you smile whenever you look upon it. Do you like it?”
“I love it. I had no idea you were an artist.”
She’d known he was a skilled pilot, and a strong fighter, as well as an experienced outdoorsman with a knack for survival skills. But fine arts? The chiseled, imposing man was full of surprises.
“It’s always been a love of mine,” he said with a genuine passion shining through, his bright, engaged smile melting her heart into a molten puddle she felt quickly gathering between her legs.
No. What are you doing? You’d made up your mind. You were going to?—
“I was thinking we could take a walk, you and I. There’s a beautiful park on the outskirts I’ve wanted to show you.”
Getting out of the privacy of her home and into the open was averyappealing idea right about then. If she stayed inside with him, who knew what she might do?
“Yes! That would be great,” she blurted a bit too enthusiastically. “Let me just put this here and we can go.”
She rested the painting on the counter, her AI automatically keeping it upright for her with a carefully placed application of energy. Olivia slipped on her shoes and rushed out the door, Arkness right behind her.
“Um, Olivia? We go this way,” he called after her as she strode off in the wrong direction.
“What? Oh, right. Lead the way.”
They walked casually, winding through the city, taking their time, and Olivia found the fresh breeze actually helped, diminishing his distracting scent enough to think more clearly than when he’d first overwhelmed her with it—though quite unintentionally. It was just what his body emitted, and it was beyond his control.
Arkness, for his part, remained quite attentive, watching her with an appreciative gaze, his intentions crystal clear. But he was a gentleman, playing tour guide and leading her to a multitude of interesting sights as they strolled.
They stopped in at a small shop where he purchased some sweets for her to sample. They were a specialty of his kind, made of a mixture of fruits and some starchy pod that, when combined, made an almost marshmallow textured treat entirely sweetened naturally. The taste was fascinating, with a fruity note up front but an almost chocolate one on the back end. It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted.
“They really are wonderful,” Olivia said, chewing another of the treats happily as they strolled up into the lush hills at theoutskirts of the city. There were a lot of people out taking in the nature, she noted. It seemed his kind were very fond of the outdoors. Another surprise from such a high-tech race.
“I’m glad you like them. They’ve always been a favorite, ever since I was a boy.”
She leaned against him without thinking, his body like a magnet for hers. The initial flood of pheromones had been intense, but where that had hit her like a smack in the face, the last few hours together had been more of a frog in hot water situation, the attraction building stronger and stronger in little increments as they spent more time together. By the time they reached the scenic overlook both were barely able to keep their hands off one another.
“There,” he said, pointing to what looked an awful lot like a picnic basket, though alien in construction.
“What is that?”
“A little selection of treats. I thought we could enjoy a little time together out here, and food and drink are, of course, a necessity.”
“You came all the way out here before you got me just to set this up?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t any man do the same for such a radiant woman as yourself?” he replied, her stomach doing flip-flops from the intensity of his gaze.
Olivia felt the fabric of her top grazing her nipples in the most distracting way. They’d been hard for the last half hour, and she didn’t know how much more she could take. She shifted her attention to the trio of small high-tech items laid out in a large triangle around them.
“What are those?”
