Wild, Tethered, Bound Read Online Free PDF Page B

her shoulders, and he looked down into her eyes. How had she never realized how tall he was before? “You’re crying,” he said, brushing away her tears. “Should I not have eaten those damned walnuts? I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
    “No, I should’ve offered them to you,” Dessa said, having trouble speaking over her emotions. “But it’s no matter now. In touching you, I can feel the magic and know I’ve found my mate.”
    The word mate did something to him. He tilted his head slightly, and a confused smile passed over his lips. She knew he wanted her. Primal passion was no different for humans than it was for the animals—no different for mortals than for dryads. She could feel desire in his touch.
    But he pulled away.
     
    Mate? Nick would have been lying if he said that he didn’t want her. But he was still angry at the way she’d used her powers to hold him still. Besides, she’d given him a lot to take in. There was the kiss, the way she’d hidden him inside the tree and the things she’d said about him being a chimera…The events of the past hour all had a dreamlike quality, and he needed time to think.
    “Not that I’m not flattered, but a man likes to be wooed,” Nick teased to lighten the mood. “Some drunken, noncommittal groping in the backseat of a car, or maybe a little dinner—”
    She squinted as if she didn’t understand. “I can go to the restaurant and sneak dinner back for you before you give yourself to me.”
    Give himself to her? Ug! His lips parted with surprise when he realized she was sincere. With the cascading water behind her, she was looking at him with undisguised hunger, eyes smoldering with sensual need. He’d be a fool to refuse her frank sexual invitation. It’d be a long time until nightfall, hours before he could escape. Was there really a better way to spend the time?
    But when it came to women, Nick liked to make the first move. He was the suave seducer, not the seduced. And being locked up in this…spa, greenhouse, tropical whatever…made him feel as if he was about to crawl out of his own skin. Again.
    He was about to gently rebuff her advances when she lunged at him. “I need you,” she said fiercely, pressing her lips against his.
    This kiss was different than the one before. This one was primal, savage, crushing. He’d once mistaken Dessa for a helpless waif. Now that she was pressing him back against the wet rock wall, he realized how strong she was. As the water flowed over his hair and back, his military training kicked in and powerful forearms strained against hers, forcing the dryad’s hands back until she was the one pinned.
    He felt her pert breasts against his chest, her thigh between his and her teeth grazing his lower lip. Releasing one of her arms, he gripped a fist of her wet hair; she was trying to ravish him and it was turning him on almost as much as it was pissing him off.
    “I need you,” she whispered again, pale throat exposed. In the midst of their struggle, she’d somehow worked her skirt up over her hips and was pressing against his thigh.
    All righty then, maybe this was going to happen after all. Nick wasn’t exactly known for his willpower and he wasn’t a saint. Refusing her now would take more self-control than he had. “Is this what you need?” he asked, sliding his fingers into her panties to stroke her.
    “More,” she demanded. Then her hands worked at his zipper.
    He grabbed her wrist. “Hey,” he growled, low in his throat. “Ask nicely.”
    His words seemed to startle her. “All right…” Then she peeked up at him beneath lowered lashes and whispered, “Please give me a child.”
    “ Whoa .”
    It was the last thing he’d expected her to ask. And Nick suddenly realized just how cold the water was that trickled down his spine.

Chapter Seven

    Dessa fumed. Dryads did not ask nicely for the things they wanted. Dryads were worshipped as goddesses in some places; they ruled forests and bent nature to