Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter #2)(13)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Good point. I’ll tuck that in my blackmail folder for when I need a Dark-Hunter favor."

Kyrian shook his head. The boy was incorrigible. "I’ll see you tonight."

"Yeah, night."

Kyrian shut the door and headed down the long hallway to his bedroom. The large, lush room welcomed him with dark, peaceful colors that didn’t hurt his light-sensitive eyes. Nick had lit the three candles in the small wall sconce and the dull glow flickered against the burgundy wallpaper.

This room was Kyrian’s haven from the daylight.

He’d had the windows sealed and covered as soon as he bought the old neoclassical antebellum house. No Dark-Hunter ever willingly slept where daylight might accidentally find him.

Kyrian stripped off his clothes and lay down on the large bed he’d had since the fourteenth century, but his troubled thoughts spiraled through his mind.

Desiderius had eluded him and for the next few days, he would be out of Kyrian’s reach.

Damn. But there was nothing to be done about it. Nothing, except to wait and be ready when Desiderius emerged. At least he had the comfort of knowing Desiderius would come after him first.

It would give him time to keep Amanda and Tabitha safe.

Amanda.

Her name hovered in his mind, along with a mental picture of her bright blue eyes. His groin tightened instantly against the cool silk sheets. He growled at the deep-seated ache that burned through him.

"She is not mine," he whispered.

And by all the gods on Olympus, she never would be, no matter how much the corner of his heart that remained might wish otherwise.

CHAPTER 6

Amanda moaned as she felt a warm, strong hand sliding over her bare stomach to her hip. Instinctively, she turned into the caress, her body instantly on fire with need.

Kyrian rolled her over, onto her back, and captured her lips with his. Her head swam at the contact. At the feel of all his strength and power. Never in her life had she felt anything better than his tongue on hers. Or his exquisitely hard body sinuously sliding against her.

She burned even more.

His kiss was fierce and hot, yet strangely tender. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the spicy scent of his skin and tasted the heat of his mouth.

She ran her hands through the silk of his golden hair, delighting in the way the waves curled around her fingers.

He pulled back and stared down at her with a powerful hunger that made her burn as those gorgeous muscles of his shoulders bunched and flexed under her hands. "I will have you," he said fiercely, his voice possessive.

"And I will have you," she said, smiling as she wrapped her legs around his narrow hips.

His devilish, fanged smile took her breath. With her cradled in his arms, he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. Amanda bit her lip as she stared down at his handsome face while she felt his hard, masculine body between her thighs.

Needfully, she rubbed herself against his long, hard shaft. He growled in response to her caress.

He swept a famished look over her, then reached up and cupped her br**sts in his warm hands. She covered his hands with her own as he squeezed them gently.

"I could stare at you all night," he whispered.

She could definitely relate because nothing would please her more than watching him move around nak*d for the rest of eternity.

That walk … that body…

It was more than a mere mortal woman could handle.

He lifted his hips, sending her forward.

Amanda caught herself with her arms. She leaned over him, her hair falling around her face to form a dark canopy over them.

"Now that’s what I want." Kyrian reached up to cup her face and pulled her lips to his. His mouth teased hers as he gently sucked her bottom lip between his teeth.

Amanda moaned at the contact as he trailed his hand from her breast down her side and to the center of her body. "And this is what I want most." He plunged two fingers inside her.

Amanda hissed in pleasure as his fingers teased her relentlessly. In and out and around they swirled, making a hot fire to consume her.

He pulled back from her lips. "Now tell me what you want."

"You," she breathed.

"Then you shall have me." Kyrian moved his hands to her h*ps and pressed her body toward his erection.

Biting her lip expectantly, she longed to feel him inside her. To have his fullness stretch her body while they shared the most intimate of experiences.

She felt the tip of his shaft pressing against her core.

Just as she was sure he’d slide inside, the alarm clock went off.

Amanda came awake with a start.

Dazed, she glanced around the unfamiliar room and it took a full minute before she remembered she was asleep in the nursery at Grace’s house.

It had all been a dream?

But it had seemed so real. She swore she could still feel Kyrian’s hands on her body, his breath against her neck.

"Oh, it’s so not fair," she groused as she got out of bed and turned off the alarm clock. It had just been getting really good.

How could it have been just a dream? Just a dream of mysterious stranger who hid pain behind sarcastic quips and of eyes so dark and deadly they captivated her?

Trying her best to forget the intensity of her subconscious, Amanda wrapped Grace’s thick robe around her, then headed for the bathroom.

"Where did it come from?" Grace asked.

Amanda paused in the hallway as she heard Grace and Julian talking below.

"I assume Kyrian left it," Julian said.

Yawning, Amanda went downstairs and found the two of them in the living room surrounded by shopping bags and boxes. Julian was already dressed for work in a pair of khakis and a sweater. Grace wore a blue maternity nightgown while Niklos pulled and shredded paper from a sack beside her.

"What’s all this?" Amanda asked.

Julian shrugged.

"You’re right," Grace said as she found a note in one bag. "They’re from Kyrian." She read the note and laughed. "All it says is, ‘Thanks for the Band-Aid.’ " She handed the note to Julian.

Julian let out an exaggerated breath as he read the note. "It was customary in our time to bring gifts whenever you visited a friend. But I mean, damn, we didn’t leave this many." He ran a hand through his hair as he surveyed the mountain of gifts. "Kyrian was always generous, but… damn," he repeated. "I guess he came back last night and dropped them off while we were sleeping."

Amanda was amazed. It looked like Christmas… at the Rockefellers’. She watched as Grace pulled out dozens of toys for the twins. Dolls for Vanessa, building blocks for Niklos. A train and a toy horse.

Grace pulled a small box out of one bag. "This one’s for you," she said, handing it to Julian.

Julian opened the box, then paled.

Grace looked over and gasped. "It’s your general’s ring."

They exchanged a stunned look.

"How did he get it?" Grace asked.

Amanda edged closer to take a look at the ring. Like Kyrian’s, it had a sword of diamonds and emerald laurel leaves against a deep ruby background. "It looks like the one Kyrian wears. Except his has a crown on it."

Julian nodded. "His is marked with a royal seal while mine is strictly military."

Confused, Amanda looked up at him. "Royal?"

"Kyrian was a prince," he said simply. "Sole heir to the throne of Thrace."

Amanda’s mouth dropped. "The Romans crucified an heir? I didn’t think they could do that."

Julian’s jaw ticced. "Technically, they couldn’t, but Kyrian’s father disowned him the day he married Theone."

"Why?" Amanda asked.

"She was a hetaira." He saw the bemused scowl on her face and added, "They were lower-class women who were trained to be entertainers and companions for wealthy men."

"Ah," she said, easily seeing how that could make his family angry. "Was he looking for a companion when he met her?"

Julian shook his head. "Kyrian met her at a friend’s party and was enchanted by her. He swore it was love at first sight. All of us tried to tell him she was only after his wealth, but he refused to listen."

Julian laughed bitterly. "He did that a lot back then. His father adored him, but when Alkis found out Kyrian had broken his engagement to the Macedonian princess so that he could marry Theone, he was incensed. Alkis told him that a king couldn’t rule with a whore by his side. They argued, and finally, Kyrian rode out of his father’s palace, straight to Theone and married her within the hour. When Alkis found out, he told Kyrian he was dead to him."

Her chest tightened at his words as sympathetic pain sliced through her heart. "So, he gave up everything for her?"

Julian nodded grimly. "The worst part is, Kyrian was never unfaithful to her. Neither one of you really appreciates what an accomplishment that was. In our day, there was no such thing as monogamy. It was completely unheard of for a man to be faithful to his wife, especially one of Kyrian’s heritage and wealth. But once Kyrian married Theone, he never wanted anyone else. Never even looked at another woman."

Julian’s eyes flashed angrily. "He really did live and die for her."

Amanda’s heart ached for Kyrian. The pain he must still have over it.

Grace handed Amanda three bags that held gift-wrapped boxes. "These are for you."

Amanda opened the largest box to find a thickly woven designer coatdress. She ran her hand over the soft, navy blue silk. She’d never felt anything like it. Looking in the bags, she found shoes, and other boxes marked with the Victoria’s Secret logo. Blushing, she didn’t dare open those around Julian and Grace. Not unless she wanted to die of embarrassment.

"How did he know my size?" she asked as she checked the tags on the dress.

Julian shrugged.

Amanda paused as she found a note addressed to her. The handwriting was elegant and crisp.

Sorry about your sweater. Thanks for being such a good sport.

-Hunter

Amanda smiled, even though a tiny part of her was hurt by the fact he still refused to use his real name with her. No doubt it was his way of keeping a distance between them.

So be it. He had a right to his privacy. A right to live his dangerous immortal life without any kind of close entanglements with humans. If he wanted to remain Hunter to her, she would respect that.

Still, after all they had gone through last night…

In her heart, it didn’t matter what name he used. She knew the truth of him.

Gathering her gifts, she headed back up the stairs to get ready for work, but what she really wanted to do was thank Hunter for his kindness.

After her shower, Amanda opened all her gifts to find a treasure of naughty lingerie. Hunter had bought her blue silk stockings with a matching garter belt. She’d never before owned or worn one, and it took her several minutes to figure out how to operate it. A matching silk bra and thong completed the outfit.

"Hmm…" For a man wanting to keep his distance, he certainly made some very personal choices for her. But then, he was nothing if not an enigma.

Amanda bit her lip as she reached for her dress. She felt so incredibly feminine and soft wearing her new lingerie, and a tiny shiver went up her spine as she thought about the fact that Hunter’s hands had touched them.

It was incredibly erotic knowing his hand had probably traced the delicate lace of the thong that now rested intimately between her thighs. That his hand had touched inside the cup that cradled her breast.

How she wished to have him there to undress her. To touch her as intimately as the garments did.

She drew her breath in sharply between her teeth as she imagined the dark, hooded look on his face he would have as he took her into his arms and made love to her. Her br**sts tingled and swelled at the very thought of it.

She picked up the dress from the bed and held it against her. For the merest instant, she thought she caught a whiff of Hunter’s exotic scent. It sent stabs of desire through her.

As she dressed, the silk of the dress slid against her skin, reminding her of her dream. The feel of Hunter’s hands on her body.

Oh, how she wished he were here. How she wished she could watch him unbutton her dress to discover the woman beneath it. But it would never happen. Kyrian was gone forever back to his dangerous life.

Her stabs of desire ended instantly, and were replaced by a profound pain in her heart. A pain that made no sense to her and yet it was there. Aching. Wanting. Needing.

Sighing, Amanda slid the shoes on and made her way downstairs where Julian was waiting to take her to work.

"I am so sorry about you and Cliff."

Amanda looked up from her desk and counted to ten. Slowly. If one more person said that to her, she was going to go berserk, head down to Cliff’s office, and carve him into little, bloody Cliff-kabob pieces.

He had told everyone in the office about their breakup and had arrogantly said she was too torn up by it to come in yesterday.

She could kill him!

"I’m fine, Tammy," she said to their office manager with a forced smile.

"That’s it," Tammy said. "You keep your spirits up."

Amanda curled her lip as Tammy left. At least the day was over. Now she could go home and…

And dream of the tall, handsome man she’d never see again.

Why did that hurt more than the fact Cliff had broken up with her?