Draven's Crossing: Tempestuous Crossings by Selena Illyria Read Free Book Online Page A

more. For now, I need to see her.”
    “If I didn’t know any better—”
    “Don’t start.”
    He made his way around Flavio and took the stairs, the bottle of wine rattling with each step. By the time he reached her apartment, his stomach growled with hunger after having missed dinner. Dieter, the other security guard assigned to Rose, nodded. “Sir, I hear movement and music, an opera of some kind.”
    “Thank you.” He knocked and checked the time on his watch; it was half past eleven. He didn’t doubt Rose would be pissed to find him here.
    When the door opened, he found her standing there still in her green dress, shoes off and hair falling around her shoulders like a cloud of curls. Her make-up had been wiped away. She looked even more beautiful than before. His stomach tightened as hunger gnawed at his gut. Liquid heat seeped down to his groin, filling his cock. Thick with blood, the shaft lengthened and thickened, pressing against his fly. He bit down on his lip, shoving back the growing need. Unable to speak, he held up his bags.
    “Wanted to have dinner with you.” His voice croaked. Horrified, he cleared his throat and tried again. “I brought dinner. I know I sent some food home with you, but I’d like to pick up where we left off.”
    She giggled. Rose’s demeanor was much more relaxed now. Her eyes were glassy. He peered at her and sniffed the air. The scent of his best wine floated between them. A peek around her showed one of his bottles sitting on the floor next to the remnants of dinner.
    “You’ve already eaten, um…” He glanced down at the bags in his hand. “I’m late.”
    For the first time he wasn’t sure how to proceed with a woman.
    “Come in. We can eat the, um…” She leaned down and poked around the bags. “The pie. We can have that. Your chef gave me a bottle of wine, said it was in apology.”
    Draven made a mental note to thank her. With a grin, he nodded. “Wonderful. How much wine have you had?”
    She gave him a dreamy smile. “Enough to be buzzed.”
    Worry filled him. He would have preferred her clearheaded. For a moment, he considered turning around and leaving, letting her sleep it off, yet something tugged at him to stay.
    “I’m not drunk.” She poked him in the chest.
    He laughed. “I think you’re tipsy.”
    She waved off his comment. “Not even close, and don’t think this means I’ve let down my guard. Now, are you going to stand in the hallway all night? What if one of my neighbors opens their door and peeks out? How are you going to explain it?”
    Her eyebrow rose in question, which made him smile. “Fine, since you insisted.”
    Rose stepped back, but he didn’t move.
    “You have to invite me in.” He lifted his free hand and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed about that little hitch. Watching her eyes widen was amusing, until she pursed her lips.
    “That’s true? So, I could just take the bags of food and leave you standing there? Interesting.” The old spark was back. She looked more aware.
    He held back a grin, looking forward to what she was going to do with this information. When she crossed her arms over her chest, her breasts pushed up. He could see the clear outline of her nipples pressing against the fabric. A soft, musky scent drifted between them. She’s thinking naughty thoughts.
    “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours? Thinking bad thoughts about me?” He tried to act as nonchalant as she was. Draven lifted his arms to mimic her pose. The bags swung back and forth with only one arm resting against his chest.
    “Just wondering what other things I can keep you from doing. Are vampires allergic to silver?”
    He was amused by her lack of knowledge. Shaking his head, he answered. “Nope, that’s werewolves. Most assume it’s holy water, but that’s not true, and as you can see, neither is sunlight. Invite me in, and I’ll inform you of all the things that aren’t true of my kind.”
    Her eyebrow rose