“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Go upstairs and pack a few things. You're coming with me.”
“What? No, I'm not.”
Braxen closed the distance between us and grabbed my chin. “You're in danger, Lora. Go and pack.”
My breath caught. Braxen's hand slid down my throat and idly stroked me there. I jerked back. His stare never wavered. Something in it scared me, and I suddenly believed him. I needed to go with him. Right away. So, I turned around and went upstairs to pack.
Chapter Eighteen
My hands shook as I packed a suitcase. It had been a long time since I'd been so afraid. Humans generally didn't scare me. I could be hurt, certainly, but it would take a lot to kill me. That man, though, there had been something strange about him. And the things he said were even stranger. Even if he hadn't scared me, I still would have gone with Braxen. I needed to find out what the fuck was going on.
I locked up my apartment and turned to find Braxen standing on the stairs. He had an odd look on his face and his hand gripped the railing as if it were holding him up.
“What's wrong? Has something else happened?” I hurried over to him.
Braxen seemed to come out of a daze. After clearing his throat, he said, “Nothing else. Come.” He took my suitcase and headed downstairs.
“You know, you sound like a caveman when say 'Come,' like that.”
“Sorry.”
I rolled my eyes. But at the end of the roll, they fixated on the back of Braxen's neck. He had a tattoo there. It was the same as the one Rune had on his hip. The shaft disappeared into hisshirt. It made me wonder if the line continued down his spine. My mouth went dry as images of licking my way down his back filled my head. Then I mentally shook myself.
What the actual fuck?! Are you this fickle?
No, I was not that kind of woman. I didn't kiss men seconds after we met, and I certainly didn't randomly fantasize about them when I was deeply in love with someone else. It felt as if I had cheated on Rune twice. I had to remind myself that I had done nothing wrong. He had left me. It was over between us. If I wanted to start something with Braxen, I could.
Oh, who was I kidding? I couldn't start anything with Braxen. For one thing, he looked too much like Rune. For another, he was practically related to Rune. That's just bad form. But great Gods, his back. His shoulders. His whole damn body was a work of art. Not that Rune's wasn't. But damn! Braxen was right before the point where muscles became monstrous or even ridiculous. He was Conan-thick, but the Jason Mamoa Conan, not Schwarzenegger. Big but not too big. Just enough to make people stare. As if his face didn't do that already.
I stumbled on the bottom step. As if he knew my every move, Braxen smoothly turned and steadied me with his free hand. His right hand was still carrying my heavy Louis Vuitton suitcase as if it were a feather.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my hand lingering on his biceps. “Dear Gods, you're . . .”
“What?” Braxen's whisper seemed intimate in the dark corridor. “What am I, Lomasi?”
“That's not my name anymore.”
“I like it. It has more meat to it than Lora.”
“Interesting way of putting it.” Yes, I was still touching him.
He just stared at me, waiting for my answer. What was he?
I swayed toward him again, then straightened, using his arm to push myself away. “You're perfect.”
Braxen's eyes widened.
“Fuck!” I let go and started to go past him. “I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I'm—”
Braxen grabbed my wrist and spun me. I smacked into his chest, and he sort of folded around me, that huge body enveloping mine. His body heat was so soothing. His scent was like a Hallmark Christmas—warm spices and vanilla with a hint of something green. I couldn't help laying my head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat.
“You haven't done anything wrong, Lora,” Braxen said, his low voice vibrating through me. “Don't feel guilty for your desire. It's natural. And reciprocated. We'll weather the storm together.”
Holy shit. The guy spoke in single syllables, then turned around and spouted that? It was lucky that he was holding me or I may have fallen, just bowled over by his words. Reciprocated? Weather the storm together? That meant he felt something for me in return. But that was crazy. I loved Rune. I didn't love Braxen.
But I did feel an overwhelming attraction to Braxen. And I was damn comfortable in his arms. It was almost as if he hadheld me before. His body was so familiar. I knew the hard planes of his chest. I knew what it was like to be with him intimately. I even knew what he'd sound like when he came.
