He balled his hands into fists. Her kind never desired him in return.
Even still, need churned inside him, hot and driving. He watched her smooth a tendril of hair from her brow, and his blood blazed. His body hardened. Though her every move was like living passion, there was something almost vulnerable about her. Something sad. Something that pulled at his deepest yearnings.
As if she could sense his scrutiny, she glanced around, up, down. Then she pivoted slightly and met his gaze. Blue to brown, desire to confusion. For a moment, he forgot his reason for being there.
Did she see him?
Longing devoured him, and he nearly dropped to his knees. She held his stare and even gifted him with a smile.
He sucked in a breath. She did. She saw him. Then she shifted, her shoulders sagging, her smile fading.
He’d been mistaken. She did not see him.
Had his brother planted himself firmly between her thighs? Percen ground his molars. Of course his brother had tupped her. What man would ignore such loveliness? Not Jorlan, a connoisseur of female flesh. Well, ’twas reason enough for Percen to have her himself.
He tapped a finger against his chin. Just how should he go about winning this girl? His ugliness frightened…everyone. Magic, mayhap?
Aye, he could use the same spell he’d used all his life to lure women to his bed. A spell that made others see him as the man he wanted to be, not the man he truly was.
When the object of his fancy brushed her fingertip against Jorlan’s arm, Percen narrowed his eyes.
The plain woman noticed the interaction, her body going rigid.
His brother glared at her before smiling at the redhead.
Percen flicked his tongue over an incisor. Oh, this was going to be fun.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE DAY PROGRESSED quickly for Jorlan. He worked much, talked little and remained alert, expecting some sort of attack. Only when he and Katie returned to her home was he able to relax, the sensation of being watched finally abating. Needing time alone to ponder everything that had happened, he headed for the bathing chamber.
“Jorlan?” Katie called.
Silent, he shut and locked the door, fiddled with the water knobs as Katie had taught him. After stripping, he stepped inside the shower stall. Warm water rained liquid heat over his naked body, but did little to ease his strain.
The presence he had felt today…familiar yet not familiar. He pressed his forehead against the cool, damp tile. At first he’d thought Percen had found him. But, as strong as Percen had once been, he hadn’t been this strong.
Unless his power had grown? Always a possibility.
Even as Katie’s feelings for him deepened, the curse had definitely grown stronger. Liquid stone still seemed to rush through his veins.
Could he win her heart in time?
He let his mind drift over the day’s events. After Frances and Heather had said their goodbyes, he and Katie had worked inside the old house for many hours. Though he still reeled from her rejection, he’d enjoyed their time together; her gaze had repeatedly glided over him with longing.
I’m still in the game.
She’d even expressed more curiosity about his past.
“How did the curse come about?” she’d asked.
“I was in bed, and I was…not alone.” He’d been with Maylyn. “The guards knocked on the mystical door to tell me a male had arrived who claimed to have news about my father, who had been slain years before. I’d searched for his killer for so long, with no results, and I welcomed any information, from anyone, at any time.”
He’d vaulted from the bed and dressed, then drew the bed’s canopy closed, so that no one would see his sleeping lover.
When the magic door-block vanished, Percen had materialized in the bedchamber.
Maylyn had used magic to move the canopy. She’d remained splayed across the mattress, gloriously naked. With a smile, she’d oh so sweetly uttered a spell to lock Jorlan’s feet in place and purred, “Hello, Percen. You’re late.”
In that moment, Jorlan had known the truth. She’d been Percen’s ally all along, just as rumors had suggested. Jorlan had reached for a weapon, intending to kill them both, when his brother cast the stone spell. Jorlan’s flesh had hardened between one blink and another, yet he’d still heard, felt and seen everything around him.
Percen had limped around the statue, studying Jorlan from every angle. He’d laughed with glee. “I know you hear me,” he’d said, trailing a fingertip down Jorlan’s chest. “There was a male here, brother, and he did have information about Father’s death. So I killed him. Now you’ll never know the truth.”
As Jorlan had screamed and cursed inside the stone, Percen had laughed again, the sound reminding him of glass shards grinding together. “Do not worry, my brother. There’s hope for your freedom yet. When I think you’ve suffered long enough, I will allow Maylyn to kiss you. The stone will vanish, and you will have two cycles to win her heart. Just imagine. She betrayed you, yet you must court her or lose your freedom forevermore.”
Katie had listened intently, had even hugged him close afterward, a gesture of support and comfort. But when he’d questioned her about her past, hoping to learn more about her, she’d turned away, suddenly busy.
He thought he understood her reasoning, even if he didn’t like it. Sharing oneself created a bond all on its own, opening wounds once thought healed. But she would learn, just as he had, that they could not deny their pasts and move forward.
Would she learn in time?
Would he win her heart?
Would she choose to part with him even if she did, in fact, love him?
* * *
WHILE JORLAN BATHED, Katie set the stage for his seduction.
Her fingers shook, her nerves on edge as she lit a cluster of jasmine-scented candles on her dresser. The flames flickered in the darkness, lazily twining darkness and light together, casting lacy shadows over the room. The atmosphere evoked a mood of sublime promises and carnal need, hinting about the pleasure to come.
True to Nick’s advice, she wore nothing beneath her robe. Condoms, lubricants and other purchases were piled on the nightstand beside the bed.
Just a few more finishing touches to go.
The flowing water quit sooner than she’d anticipated. Katie froze.
One minute ticked by, then another and another. From the far corner, she watched as Jorlan emerged from the bathroom, a white cotton towel secured around his waist. Tendrils of steam wafted around him.
She gulped, steeling herself for what happened next. Ever since she’d turned down his marriage proposal, things had been so uncertain between them. With every fiber of her being, she missed the ease they’d shared before.
This would either turn out wonderfully or terribly.
I can do this. I can. “Jorlan?”
Thumping footsteps resounded as he approached. He stopped a few feet away, candlelight bathing him, his bronzed skin glowing.
He raked his gaze over her slowly, deliciously. She waited for his reaction, silent, but he said nothing. Did nothing. But, when she played with the robe’s tie, he inhaled sharply.
“I have been thinking,” he said smoothly.
She wiggled her eyebrows. “About all the sexual positions we should try?”
He blinked, surprised. “The sexual positions we should try are always on my mind. But about your life. We have talked about mine, but not yours.”