“We wouldn’t want him to find out his hero has feet of clay,” Alexandria corrected, glaring at Aidan.
He moved toward her then, a deliberate stalking, gliding around Marie in his silent, fluid way, making Alexandria’s heart pound frantically in anticipation. His perfect mouth was curved in a taunting smile. Hastily she stepped backward, tripped, and would have fallen if he hadn’t reached out a hand and caught her.
“Running away, little coward?” he whispered softly, teasingly, dragging her close into the shelter of his arms.
Marie discreetly left the room, deserting the younger woman to her fate, hiding a grin behind her hand as she went.
“Aidan.” There was an ache in Alexandria’s voice. She didn’t mean for it to be there. It was just that he was so close, the heat of his body enveloping her. His mouth was inches from hers, their hearts matching the same desperate rhythm.
His thumb brushed her lower lip in a light caress, sending a flame shooting through her soul. His golden eyes held hers as he lowered his head, his mouth finding hers with unhurried hunger, slowly savoring every inch of the silken interior, exploring, coaxing. His hands slid to her hips, his fingers tightening, pulling her against him, pinning her softness against his hard, demanding body.
There was a trace of resistance in her, as if she were still fighting for survival, her sense of self-preservation warning her she was in danger. But the bond between them was growing with their proximity, with each blood exchange, with the explosive chemistry between them. Already her mind sought his; her soul reached for him. Even her heart was softening, becoming willing. Her body cried out to his. Only her head, so stubborn, prevented him from claiming his rights as her lifemate.
His mouth moved over hers, deepening the kiss, sweeping aside her objections on a wave of fire, dragging her deeper and deeper into a world of sensuality, of the night, of all that went with the demands of their blood.
“Holy macaroni!” Joshua’s voice was awed and disgusted at the same time. “Do you like that gross stuff, Aidan?”
Alexandria jerked herself out of Aidan’s arms and rubbed at her mouth, trying desperately to regain her breath.
Aidan ruffled the boy’s blond curls. “Yes, Joshua, I like that stuff, but only with your sister. She is special, you understand. Someone like Alexandria only comes along once in a few hundred centuries.”
Joshua was regarding his sister with a speculative grin. There was a devilish light in his eyes. “She seemed to like it, too.”
“Well, I didn’t,” Alexandria denied adamantly. “Aidan Savage is a jerk, Joshua. A big jerk.”
The grin spread. “She did like it,” Joshua stated. “You must kiss pretty good, Aidan. She never lets anyone kiss her ‘cept me.” He turned his face up for Alexandria’s kiss, his little arms circling her neck as she bent to do so. “Nobody else better kiss you either, ‘cept Aidan and me.”
“That is the way it should be,” Aidan said complacently. “We will have to be especially vigilant now that Mr. Ivan has hired her to do his drawings. He has that look about him. I would be willing to bet he wants to kiss Alexandria.”
“Don’t worry, Aidan. I won’t let him,” Joshua said staunchly. “If she does go to work for that guy, I’ll follow them everywhere and make him stay away from her.”
“That would be just the thing, Josh.” The approval in Aidan’s voice had the little boy beaming proudly.
“I can’t believe,” Alexandria interrupted, “that you are having this conversation with a six-year-old.” She hugged her little brother tightly to her and returned the warmth she had been missing. He had been too long away from her. But not so long that he couldn’t still argue with her.
“I’m almost seven.”
“It’s still inappropriate.”
Joshua smirked at Aidan. “Don’t worry. She always says that when she doesn’t know what else to say and wants me to shut up.”
Aidan reached down and one-handedly lifted the boy up to his shoulder. “That is because she liked my kisses and is a bit flustered. We will have to forgive her this time.”