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Redemption (The Captive #5) Page 43
Author: Erica Stevens

"I see," she whispered.

His smile only grew as he came at her like a hawk diving toward a mouse. Unlike the mouse, she thrilled at the prospect of him catching her as he stopped before her. "Did you really think my brother's troops would be so undisciplined?"

"I uh... I didn't know what to think," she admitted.

He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Despite her determination to fight her attraction to him, her traitorous body instinctively reacted to his and she swayed closer. The pupils of his eyes dilated, his index and middle finger pressed against her skin and slid down her cheek.

There was something so irresistible about this man but if she was going to keep her sanity and her heart intact, than she had to resist. She didn't know where she found the strength to do it, but she took a step back from him. "It won't happen again," she echoed his words from a couple of days ago.

Irritation flickered through his eyes as they deepened to an almost charcoal color. His hand fell away and he began to button his shirt. Disappointment and relief crashed through her but she realized that clothing didn't help to ease his appeal as he slid the last button into place.

"I know you won't like me saying this, but you probably shouldn't be out here alone," he said.

"I've been coming to this lake since I could walk," she told him defensively.

"That was also before you pissed off the vampire that used to rule this town."

"Yeah well, you helped with that."

"So I did," he replied with a strained smile. "And I'd like to make sure you stay safe."

She wanted to argue with him, simply because she wanted him to go away, but she was tired of fighting with him.

She glanced longingly at the peaceful water before turning to the sky. The sun wasn't brightening the horizon just yet but she'd had enough experience with this time of day over the years to know that it would be soon. "I should go back, there's not much time before the sun rises anyway."

His fingers were so subtle against her flesh that she barely even felt them wrapping around her wrist in order to halt her. "What I said before Hannah, about it not happening again, I didn't mean it to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me!" she retorted as indignation shot through her.

She was really beginning to dislike the way he seemed to see inside of her with those unrelenting steel eyes. "Then why have you been going out of your way to avoid me?"

"There are things that I've had to take care of." It wasn't entirely a lie so she didn't feel even a little bad for uttering it. "Besides you're right, it shouldn't happen again. I have too much to deal with in my life without added complications and I know you wouldn't want anything to do with me in a romantic way."

He tugged her an inch closer. Her nostrils flared as they were filled with the alluring scent of him mixed with the fresh water from the lake on his skin and hair. Her fingers itched to touch that shirt, to slip the buttons free and feel the damp skin just beneath. She imagined that his skin would be supple to the touch but hard and unyielding when pressed upon, like him.

"Why is that?" he asked as he moved even closer to her.

He was too close and too much to take. She took an instinctive step back, and then another, from his relentless pursuit. "Because..." she managed to get out from her clogged throat. "Because of my status as an Undesirable!"

The sexy way he lifted his eyebrow was almost her undoing as she searched for some way to get some distance between her and this obstinate man. "Hannah, you might be the most desirable woman I've ever encountered."

Those words took the wind right out of her protests at the same time that the tree in her back ended her retreat. No one had ever said anything like that to her, and if the hungry gleam in his eyes was any indication, he had completely meant it. A small gasp escaped her; she couldn't help but bite on her bottom lip as he rested his hand on the tree beside her head. His eyes latched onto her bottom lip as he leaned closer to her.

The smell of him overwhelmed her as she realized that it was the lust emanating from him that had caused his aroma to increase to such a degree. Her knees began to tremble as she fought against the impulse to throw herself into his arms. She was in over her head with him, she had been all along, but as she met his gaze she found she didn't care. In that moment she would give him anything he asked of her, and she would do it with glee. It would most likely result in a broken heart, but maybe it was better to at least experience a broken heart, instead of continuing to experience nothing at all. She had never expected any real thrill or adventure in her life, but with him everything was thrilling. No matter how short their time was together it would be an adventure.

"I think." He gently pulled her bottom lip free of her teeth and began to trace it with the tip of his finger. "That you have been locked away here for too many years. The world is not what it was when the vampires like you retreated here. My brother's regime, and The Council that helps him rule, are far more tolerant of others. Saul is amongst them, Aria was a human, Xavier relinquished his title, Ashby is the reason Braith was blinded, Daniel and Frank are human, and Gideon's just an ass. They are a group that understands persecution and is far more accepting of others."

She was so fixated upon the feel of his finger against her lip, and the water glistening upon his skin that she could barely focus on the words he was saying to her. Her hands fumbled behind her and clutched at the tree. The bark broke away in her fingers but it also helped to ground her a little bit.

"I... I didn't know," she stammered as his finger dipped down to skim the edge of her collarbone.

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