Eternally Bound: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (25 page)

The second she spotted Rahn making a beeline for her table, she looked like a deer in the headlights. He hoped she’d close her mouth before something flew into it. But as for the dark look he received from her temporary partner, Rahn had seen it before, and always on someone up to no good. Oh yeah, that’s just what he was looking for and would make sure to call his boss, Geri, today to check this guy out. The man looked normal enough, but the veneer was too smooth. His pasted-on smile, too perfect. This guy was bad news. Rahn felt it down in his gut and, obviously, Chrys’ spirit guide did too. So why was she here? If Adonei had sent even half of what he’d shared with Mahpiya down his psychic link with Chrys, how in the world could she sit here looking so calm?

Rahn strolled right up to the couple, ignored the encroacher and leaned down to plant a kiss just at the corner of Chrys’ decadently tempting mouth.

“Hello, love. When I awoke, you were gone. I missed you. Everything all right?”

* * * * *

God, if Adonei didn’t quiet down, she was going to go bonkers. His displeasure at Eden popping up to share her brunch was beyond palpable. The lion’s anger and agitation, like the scraping of sharp claws across a chalkboard, filled the inside of her skull. Chrys’ teeth were set on edge and had her more than ready to plead a very real headache and flee the table. Something about her present company rubbed Adonei completely the wrong way.

Head down, pretending to study the breakfast menu, Chrys tried to get Adonei to talk to her. Her churning stomach made her queasy. Something made Adonei’s skin crawl. She felt it through the bond, as if a dark and demented presence traipsed a slimy finger up her arm leaving goose bumps in its wake. Oh god, she was going to be sick. Had she remembered to pack her migraine medicine? She sure as hell hoped so. And she couldn’t get mad at Adonei. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, but whatever had him ready to pounce swooshed down their psychic link and slammed into her mind like the pounding of waves against the sand in the middle of a storm.

“Chrysalyn, you seem ill.”

Eden’s thick accent was exotically sexy in her ears, but slid over her soul like rancid oil. When her company reached over and gently covered her hand with his, the sick swirl in her belly intensified and sweat broke out on her top lip.

She eased her hand from underneath his, swallowed the bile racing into her mouth and picked up the glass sitting in front of her. Chrys didn’t think she’d ever been so happy to see iced water in her life. Even the condensation dripping down the side of the crystal goblet called her name, invited her to cool the suddenly feverish skin on the inside of her palm.

God, the liquid felt so good sliding down her throat to calm her stomach.

“Chrysalyn, are you all right?” Eden asked again.

“Uh, sure, I’m fine,” she sputtered and forced a smile while waving down the waiter. She placed her order and then took another sip of water, followed by shallow breaths. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a tall, wide figure moving her way with a determined posture. The man, intimidating body language and all, wasn’t a danger to her. If he were, Adonei would have put up even more racket than he had since Eden sat down a few moments ago. God, and those moments felt like eternity.

Suddenly, Adonei went still. He continued to pad back and forth across the forefront of her mind, but other than that there wasn’t a single roar. Not even a sniff or a yawn. And her nausea, headache, goose bumps and shivering disappeared as if they’d never been. Strange.

She turned and locked gazes with one of the most beautiful men she’d ever known. Rahn. The second their eyes met, Chrys could have sworn she felt a light brush of relief against her thoughts from her spirit guide.

His long legs ate up the distance between them as he approached, all brawn, class and a nice tight ass. Oh, goodness, had she really thought up a poem in honor of Rahn’s backside? An unusual tightness encircled her tongue as she watched him come. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her own goofy line of thinking, she snapped closed the mouth she hadn’t realized was wide open. A heated blush crept up her neck.

Rahn’s dark hair, though tastefully cut, was slightly mussed, as if he’d taken a shower, dressed quickly and come straight to her. The sexy smirk that had always made her knees tremble was firmly in place. And the gleam in his golden brown eyes screamed to the world that he wanted nothing more than to get next to her.

There was no subtlety about his intent as he stepped to her side. A soft musky scent filled the scant space between them. God, he smelled good. Looked good. Felt good. Licked and sucked good.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push the thoughts away. She couldn’t sit here with Eden and think about how deliciously Rahn had feasted on her still-throbbing pussy just after sunrise. It just wasn’t right. Chrys didn’t like Eden
that way
, but it felt naughty to think on such intimate details in the presence of another man.

And Rahn wasn’t making it easy on her. Especially when he leaned forward, his breath tickling her ear just before he dropped a kiss dangerously close to her lips. Her mouth almost fell open again when he started talking about how much he’d missed her when he woke to find her gone. And the man made no attempt to keep his voice down, either. Damn it, he’d have everyone thinking they were sleeping together! They were in the same apartment, but they weren’t sleeping together. Hot-tubbing maybe, but definitely not sleeping, though the idea was beginning to have merit.

God, she was really losing it.

Rahn eased into a pub chair. His thigh brushed against hers as he reached across the table and extended a friendly hand to Eden. A glance at her tablemate stilled the blood in her heart. She almost called his name to see if she could snap him out of his…whatever he was in. Lips set in a stern line, Eden didn’t move, didn’t blink, showed no expression at all. The man looked as if he were carved from stone.

“Hello,” Rahn said in as friendly a tone as she’d ever heard. “I’m Rahn. Traveling with Chrys for, ah, work.” The urge to kick him in the shin when he turned and winked at her almost overrode her common sense. There was no missing the implication as the knowing smirk reappeared, accompanied by a slyly arched brow. How did he pull that off without looking like a smart-ass? And now that he was seated next to her, his presence swirled around her, reached for her. Focusing on her spirit guide, she was surprised to find Adonei settled down, watching the byplay. The big cat had ceased pacing and now sat on his huge haunches, watching curiously to see what would happen between the two males sharing her table.

Hmm. What was going on here?

‘Adonei, is there something I should know? You’re awfully calm all of a sudden,’ she whispered in her mind, sneaking another peek at Rahn from underneath her lashes. Geesh, the man was gorgeous even when he ordered coffee. And if the big grin spread across the face of the perky little waitress was any indication, Chrys wasn’t the only one who thought so.

A bagel and cream cheese was hustled to the table along with a small bowl full of sweet, sliced melon. Chrys found her eyes glued to the sinewy play of muscle in Rahn’s forearm. Skilled fingers moved gracefully as he spread some strawberry cream cheese over the toasted bread. The lightly tanned skin exposed by his dark blue three-quarter-sleeved t-shirt was smooth, but heavily veined and stretched over thick ropy tendons. The bulge of biceps pushed against the fabric, hinting at the raw power of his honed body. Damn, he was sexy.

And could have anyone he wanted. So what the hell did he want with her? The answer lit her mind like a beacon.

Chrys sniffed and turned away. She was nobody’s fool. Rahn may have alluded that he was more to her than a coworker, but he was just posturing because Eden was there. Typical male. He might not want her, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. So what about the stint in the hot tub? Again, typical male. What man could resist a half naked woman in a hot tub?

Here we go
, she thought with a silent snort.
Two men all cocksure over a woman neither of them have any right to.

Eden hadn’t gotten anywhere near being intimate with her. And Rahn obviously thought a few perfectly placed licks of his talented tongue meant he could pick up with her where they’d left off three years ago. Now that pissed her off.

Besides, their previous estrangement was all his fault. He was the one who’d decided to get so wrapped up in his cases that he didn’t have time for her. And he sure as hell gave no indication he’d intended to ask for her hand while getting himself caught up in the agency’s floozy of the year. So Chrys had cut her losses and moved on. Shortly after she’d become engaged to Sean, Rahn had moved back to London and pretty much disappeared from her life. All she knew was he occasionally worked out of the Miami, London and Rome offices. He’d only tried to contact her once since then.

On a trip back to Denver, he’d managed to get her alone in the office for a minute. He’d wanted her back. But, hell, at the time she’d been too busy trying to figure out what was going on with the idiot she was engaged to.

Yep, she’d picked an insensitive blockhead to get over Rahn and ended up cutting off her nose to spite her face. It wasn’t something she’d advertised after the wedding was called off. In fact, no one except her cousin, Delaine, and her boss, Geri, had even known the real deal until almost six months past the wedding that never happened.

So what was Rahn really doing here? Was it just work? His possessive overtures and attempt to seduce her—an attempt that was working quite well until a few seconds ago, by the way—said it was nothing more than just an investigation in Rome. But if he needed to get somewhere, why take the long way ‘round on a cruise ship with her?

Her suspicion grew as she watched him. The smile plastered on Rahn’s face certainly didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, she couldn’t recall spotting such a cold, calculating look on the man.

And now that she was really paying attention, Eden got more and more fidgety the longer he sat in Rahn’s presence. So what was Eden’s problem? He’d practically come right out and said he was interested in her. Now that Rahn appeared, he was just going to up and back off? Now she was really annoyed.

‘Adonei, come to me,’ Chrysalyn called across their bond. The fully mature lion rose and stalked forward until his image practically filled the very forefront of her mind.

‘Adonei, what is going on with Rahn? He’s being civil enough, but he seems to be feeling Eden out like he’d do with a suspect on one of his cases.’

*
He has every right to be protective of you, Chrysalyn
,* Adonei said quietly, seriously.

‘Really? Why is that?’ she snarled sarcastically along their link.

*
He is your mate
.*

A sip of coffee slipped down the wrong pipe into her lungs. “Oh please!” she hacked around rough racking coughs. Oops, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Rahn’s head snapped around and his golden brown gaze captured hers. No mask. No schooled features. No pretense. Only true and genuine concern was mirrored there.

He reached out a hand and covered hers gently. “What was that, Chrys? What’s wrong, love?” His words were pitched low in his throat with a smooth and inviting timbre, laced with care. Bastard.

Before she could answer, Eden wiped his mouth on a crisp linen napkin and tossed it gracefully onto the table next to his half empty plate.

Chrys frowned as she watched him tidy up his area as if he were leaving. What the hell did Eden have to be uncomfortable about? She was the one sharing an apartment with the most striking man in all of creation. And that damned English accent of his made her body shiver until she clenched her thighs together to keep from coming in her fitness pants. And she wasn’t supposed to want him, damn it! Eden was a welcome distraction, damn it.

“If you’ll excuse me, Ms. Geyer.”

She schooled her features, wanting nothing more than to snap her neck to the side and settle her fist on her hip. Ms. Geyer? What happened to calling her Chrysalyn?

Eden rose smoothly to his feet. “I believe I shall go and see about arranging a tour for our next port of call. Perhaps we can finish our conversation later?”

And now her welcome distraction extracted himself from her presence. Sigh. Maybe she could still salvage the situation? She smiled and opened her mouth to agree, but Rahn cut her off.

“You know, love,” he crooned, turning to her. “I was thinking perhaps we could take a private tour of Ibiza when we get to the Balearic Islands. One of the owners brought along a few toys, including a jet boat. You game, Chrys?”

Raising a hand in the universal I surrender gesture, Eden gave a slight bow and left as quickly as he’d appeared.

Rahn grinned like a rogue. God, she wanted to smack the cocky grin off his face. Besides, he had no intention of taking her anywhere. He was just trying to head off Eden. Damned man.

With schooled features and a plastic smile of her own, she eased her plate back and away, along with the coffee she hadn’t finished.

“You arrogant, self-centered, son of a…”

“What? What’d I do?” Rahn asked with wide-eyed innocence. If she’d been a novice she would have actually believed the sinless-as-an-angel reaction. Out of her seat, she stilled when he swiveled around in his chair and wrapped his fingers firmly around her biceps, preventing her from leaving.

“Where are you going?”

“Last I checked, I was on vacation and not reporting to anyone. Not even our boss,” she growled quietly, not wanting to draw attention to their little quarrel in the middle of a packed eatery. Especially since the restaurant was on-board ship and she’d surely have to see at least some of these people again.

“Chrys, baby, don’t be mad.”

“Don’t be mad? I’m stuck on this damned floating palace for three months and you just chased away my potential hang-out buddy. Now what the hell am I supposed to do? Just sit around with my thumb up my ass, bored out of my head?”