His Purrfect Mate (3 page)

“
Thanks,” she replied,
momentarily gripping the side as another flash of heat seared
her.

“
I’m ready when you are,”
he said.

Spinning around, Aida stared at Dane.
“Excuse me?” Her eyes took their usual trip over his body, and she
noticed he had a backpack over one shoulder. “What are you talking
about?”

“
Christopher didn’t tell
you.” It wasn’t a question.

“
Christopher didn’t tell
me, what?”

“
That I was going with you
to help move the remaining boxes.”

Dane approached and reached over her head to
fix some of the padding that was coming off the roll bar. The
action totally enveloped her with his scent. Pure, masculine,
fresh, and wild. He smelled so good Aida longed to taste him. Lick
along his skin to learn the flavor of him. Her pulse shot up; all
the while, she did her damndest to stem the flow of moisture within
her.

“
I can handle
it.”

He looked down at her, his
hair falling forward and giving him an almost innocent look.
Almost.
Okay, so maybe it’s more like he’s
lying in wait for me to drop my guard before he pounces.

“
I don’t mind. Christopher
said they would be heavy.”

“
Won’t be back until the
day after tomorrow,” she said as he stepped back. Giving him the
option of not going.

“
That’s okay.” Dane tossed
his bag in the back.

“
Alrighty then. Let’s
go.”

She stood by the door and watched him head
for the front of her vehicle. One of the camp dogs came running out
of the woods toward her, only to stop and whine as it looked at
Dane. Glancing from him to the dog, she noticed it shaking before
it spun around and ran back the way it came, tail firmly tucked
between its legs.

“
What’d you do to him?”
she asked, opening the door and stepping up easily despite the
three and a half inch lift the Scout had.

“
Nothing. Dogs just don’t
seem to like me much.”

Turning her head to the left, Aida looked at
him and coolly arched a brow. “He seemed scared to death of
you.”

He shrugged it off and glanced at her. The
remaining light of day shone on him and hit his eyes, making them
seem more golden. A tingle moved up her spine.

“
It happens.”

“
That it does.” She bit
back a smile, betting her life that her babies wouldn’t be scared
of him.

“
You don’t want to tell
Christopher I’m accompanying you?”

Staring the engine, Aida
smiled. “No. I’ll have a
discussion
with him when I get back.” Shifting into gear,
she drove through the village, waving at people. She had no fear of
this man accompanying her for had there been any doubt in
Christopher’s mind he wouldn’t have even introduced them to one
another.

“
Like the dice,” Dane
commented as the village fell behind them in the
distance.

“
Thanks. Got them from a
friend, who said I needed something feminine in here. She says this
is a man’s vehicle.”

“
Pink fuzzy dice will do
that. And I think this vehicle does fit you.”

“
Masculine?” Aida looked
at him, barely able to see his features for the night.

“
No. Ready for anything.
There is
nothing
masculine about you, Aida Roberts.”

She grinned as she faced
forward, placing her attention back on the road.
Nice to know you think so, Dane Sidorov.
The warm night air raced over them as she sped
along, keeping her eyes alert for wildlife.

Chapter Two

When morning’s first rays broke over the
African horizon, Aida turned her gaze to the man riding with her.
He slept. For part of the night, he’d stayed up talking to her
until she finally convinced him to sleep. His thick lashes settled
upon his cheeks, powerful arms were crossed over his chest, moving
courtesy of the gentle rise and fall of his breathing.

“
Keep staring at me like
that, Aida, and I’ll think maybe I have drool on my
face.”

She started,
alarmed.
I would have sworn he was
asleep.
Even so, the way her name rolled
off his tongue made her think all kinds of things that she
shouldn’t.

“
Nothing like
that.”

“
Are we there?” he asked,
still not opening his eyes.

“
Almost. Maybe another
hour. Would you like to stop?” She put her gaze back on the
road.

“
I’m good with whatever
you wish.”

There’s a tempting offer.
Let’s say you and me, on a blanket, enjoying whatever comes
up.
Against her better judgment, Aida
pulled off the road to park the Scout near a grove of baobab trees.
“I think a five-minute break is in order.” Without looking at him,
she slipped from the vehicle and walked to the back. Leaning over
the side, Aida reached for the cooler and opened it. “Water?” she
hollered up to Dane.

“
Please,” he said in a
quiet voice.

Surprised, Aida glanced up
to find him standing on the other side of the vehicle. Watching her
with those incredible eyes of his.
Damn, I
didn’t know he moved. Never heard a sound from him.
Tossing him a bottle, she shut the cooler and
opened her water, groaning in pleasure as the cool liquid slid down
her throat, offering some comfort. Didn’t do much to douse the
feelings for the man with her. She stared at him as he drank, her
eyes transfixed to the way his throat moved with each swallow. Lust
slammed into her, and it was with difficulty she dragged her gaze
from him.

She pushed away from the side of the 4x4 and
walked away. A slight breeze rose, and she stood facing it. Off in
the distance, a herd of elephants moved easily, bringing a smile to
her face. There was nowhere else like this on earth.

“
Beautiful,” Dane
commented from beside her.

“
Yes.” Her gaze drifted
sideways to the man next to her. “We should get going. I have a
bunch of things to get done before we head back.”

“
I would have driven,” he
said. “So you could have slept.”

One half of her mouth curved up. “Don’t
worry about it. I’m used to it. Let’s go.” Turning away from him,
Aida walked back and climbed in. Moments later, despite the
openness of her vehicle, the interior felt smaller when Dane lifted
his large body up to the seat. With a deep breath, she started the
engine which had them back on the single lane, dirt, rut-filled
road in no time.

The ride was silent but not awkward. Each
lost in their own thoughts. Aida grinned when she saw her house
come into view. Nothing fancy, but it was home and all hers.

Beside her, Dane sat up a little straighter.
“Nice place.”

“
Thanks. It’s coming
along. Have a bit more refurbs to finish on it.” She parked beside
the house and jumped out after turning off the engine. Reaching
over the side, she grabbed a bag similar to the one Dane had thrown
in and led the way to the front door. “Come on in and make yourself
at home.”

Dane watched the sway of Aida’s hips within
the confines of her pants as she walked before him. For a moment
back at the village, he’d wondered what was between her and
Christopher. A brief one, for it was of little consequence. Aida
belonged to Dane. No other man would have her. Then, when he’d
overheard Christopher talking about how he felt bad Aida had to go
back and get more boxes alone, Dane had jumped at the chance. The
desire to be with her overriding anything else. Even the slightly
warning, slightly jealous glare Christopher bestowed upon him
hadn’t mattered.

The important thing was he got a chance to
be with Aida. Alone. She was all that mattered now.

“
There’s a bathroom right
through there and a bed in the room next to it, so feel free to
crash if you want. Help yourself to anything in the
kitchen.”

“
Where are you going?”
Dane was loath to let her out of his sight.

She looked at him over her shoulder. “Make
some calls, shower, and change. I’ll be back in a few.”

The mental image of her
naked body standing under cascading water called his cock to
immediate attention.
Not that I haven’t
been aroused since I met her.
Swallowing
the moan which crept up, he nodded. “Okay. Mind if I go take a look
around?”

“
Not at all. Help
yourself. I do have dogs, just so you know. Try not to scare
them.”

Be careful with that
offer, Aida. I may just take you up on that.
“Thanks.” He headed in the other direction and put his bag
inside the room she said he could sleep in then went back
outside.
Dogs are the least of my
concerns.
He’d not met dogs who weren’t
afraid of him. Even the military dogs, he had to take care to keep
away from. And while he wasn’t a huge fan of canines, if Aida had
dogs, he didn’t want to give them a heart attack. He wondered what
she had. She didn’t strike him as a toy dog owner.

The clean yet arid air of the area flowed
through him, bringing with it a sense of contentment. A feeling he
hadn’t been familiar with in a very long time. His gaze drifted
back over to the dwelling where Aida lived. Smaller than his log
home back in Savoy Valley—not that his place was huge. His brother
Heller lived in a large stone mansion while Dane personally
preferred the intimacy of his log cabin over the prestige of a
massive dwelling. His other siblings lived in larger homes as well.
Aida’s was still a very nice place. Two bedrooms and one bath, the
living area was a mixture of office and living room.

Trees grew around the outside, offering
shade to the house. Not much in the way of grass but there was a
nice stone patio with some furniture on it. All of it shaded by a
portcullis with some vines growing on it.

A sliver of warning snaked up his spine, and
he turned at the same time a low growl filled the air. Before him
stood a dog, a deep red wheaten color, powerful, corded muscles
running through its stocky sleek-coated body. A line of hair grew
backwards up his spine like a small ridge. And he could see the
brilliant white fangs as it stared at him. There was no collar or
anything on this animal. Dane hissed at it.

Unlike all the other dogs he’d faced, this
one didn’t back down. In fact, the warning it emitted grew louder,
and from the corner of his eye, Dane noticed another dog, similar
to the first one, just slightly larger, come around a tree with the
same attitude, teeth bared, growling, fearless attitude. This one
had scars on his face and body.

Dane felt his beast roar in anger within
him, and he hissed again. The dogs growled louder, and one began to
bark. There was no fear in either of these dogs, and he couldn’t
explain it.

“
Kamau. Ruger. Enough!
He’s a friend.” Aida’s voice filled the air.

Dane watched her come up near the scarred
one. Silence reigned, but neither dog let down their guard.

“
I don’t think your dogs
like me,” he commented offhandedly while his beast paced and
chuffed in fury.

“
They don’t know you,” she
responded in a bland tone.

Why aren’t they running
from me?
“What kind of dogs are
they?”

A smile filled her features, lighting up her
entire face, and his heart skipped more than just a few beats.
“Rhodesian Ridgebacks. That one is Kamau. And this scarred baby is
Ruger.”

The one she called Kamau moved closer to
her, and she crouched down. Dane watched her rub their heads with
obvious affection. He relaxed a bit, not too much though.

“
What happened to Ruger?”
He could feel her tense as much as see it, and the dogs immediately
became rigid and much more alert.

“
The man who believed he
had the right to own him beat him.” She stood and sent him a terse
smile. “So I kept Ruger and the man went on his way.”

Arching a brow, Dane
stared at her.
I’m sure there is way more
to it than that.
“I see. And
Kamau?”

“
I got him from a breeder.
The week after I brought him home, I got Ruger, so they grew up
together.”

“
They are very steady.
It’s been a while since a dog has looked at me like it wanted to
tear my head off.”

“
My babies don’t get
scared.” She yawned. “I’m going to go lay down for about an hour.
Feel free to eat, sleep, whatever.” Aida turned around. “Come on,
boys, let’s go to bed.”

Lucky damn dogs! What I
wouldn’t give to curl up with her.
Dane
watched her and the two canine guardians walk back to a side door
of her home and disappear inside. With a few deep breaths to calm
his raging libido and his beast, Dane wandered off toward the shed
in the back. The scent of cut wood reached him as he entered. It
didn’t take long for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and he
scanned the interior, looking for more insight on Aida Roberts.
Like the house, the shed was neat and orderly.

He maneuvered through the bright sun to
where the patio was set-up. It was easily fifteen to twenty degrees
cooler in the shade, and it wasn’t all that late in the morning. He
spotted a hammock tucked under some heavy foliage in the corner.
With a smile, Dane strode toward it and settled himself in. Using
his foot, he gave a gentle push and closed his eyes as it began to
swing in a hypnotic easy motion.