Breath of Desire Read Online Free PDF Page B

of puzzle pieces clicking into place.
    He greeted her warmly, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then dashed toward the elevator with a sense of purpose as though propelled by some unspoken command. Thea was left with the oddest impression of being blessed by the sun. Her cheek tingled from the warmth of his lips and the soft brush of his golden goatee. Her heart raced as she watched him go. She only had a moment to recover before the pretty blonde woman pulled her into a fierce embrace. For the first time in more than a year she entirely forgot what it meant to grieve.
    ***
    Aurik’s heart pounded so fast he felt a little lightheaded on the way down the lift to catch up with Dimitri. The image of the petite, dark, and strikingly beautiful Thea had seared itself onto his eyelids. This was the lover Dimitri had told them so much about. The woman who had been Dimitri and his brother’s balance—their fulcrum—the same as Dimitri had become for Aurik and his sister.
    Aurik had known about Thea for months, including many of the details of her relationship with Dimitri and Alex, even some more intimate details. He felt like he knew her as well as Dimitri did, but it had always been in an abstract way, like how he now knew about many of humanity’s most popular celebrities. He hadn’t expected to be so affected by her—or by any woman, for that matter. Only Dimitri had ever truly made him feel that way. Not even the women he’d known prior to hibernation came close, though there were a handful he may have claimed to love in some fashion.
    He’d only had a moment to greet Thea. Just long enough to catch her sweet jasmine aroma and the underlying lush, fertile scent of her sex that lingered in his nostrils now.
    He cursed himself for not taking a few seconds longer to test whether he was imagining things or not. The softness of her cheek beneath his lips had left tingling warmth behind. Her beautiful, dark-fringed eyes had widened in surprise followed by instant understanding. How much had Dimitri told her about Aurik and his sister? Not much, he would wager, but Thea was likely intelligent enough to work out most of the details.
    Dimitri had just started the engine when Aurik caught up and slid quickly into the passenger’s seat. He shrugged at Dimitri’s raised eyebrow. “Aurin was worried you’d get lost and forget where you lived.” Aurik turned his gaze forward again, afraid that if he met Dimitri’s eyes, he would see the conflict that had risen inside him.
    “Did you meet her?” Dimitri asked, steering his way around the narrow streets.
    “She seems lovely,” Aurik said, hoping his tone didn’t carry anything telling along with it. So lovely I may be hard pressed not to have her for dinner. The thought emerged unbidden and he clenched his eyes shut to suppress it, but his mind chose that moment to display an image of Thea naked and spread open beneath him, her delicious scent inundating him, her milky skin supple and silken under his touch, her breathy moans music to his ears.
    “I can see that…” Dimitri said. He glanced at Aurik’s lap, then chuckled. “I had a feeling you would like her.”
    Aurik snapped back to reality, realizing belatedly that the front of his trousers seemed painfully snug, and for good reason. He grimaced and attempted to readjust himself.
    “I can’t even bring myself to be jealous,” Dimitri said. “Do you suppose Aurin likes her as much?”
    Aurik sent a mental thread to his sister but only felt a slightly playful push back. He kept trying.
    “Aurin and I are usually of like minds, this is likely no different.”
    “I should remind you both that she is here for work. And Thea is pretty single minded when it comes to her work, too. Alex and I used to have to take drastic measures to pull her away sometimes.”
    “You’ll have to remind Aurin when we get back. She’s shut me out. Something about girl talk , she says.”
    “Girl talk? I think she’s been watching