Page 15 of A Touch of Crimson
Lindsay stared at him and played loosely with her knife. He’d gotten the drop on her moments earlier, taking her completely unawares, and even that wasn’t enough to put her on full alert. He disarmed her in every way, despite knowing how dangerous he was.
Whatever else she discovered about Adrian Mitchell, it was irrefutable that he beguiled. And that was more hazardous to her than any claws, fangs, or scales he might reveal. A damned sight scarier, too.
She focused on his magnificent profile. Even after receiving the entirety of his attention for the last few hours, she was still arrested by the strength of his jawline and the aristocratic line of his nose. And she loved the shape of his lips, which were so beautifully etched they were a work of art in their own right…
Mental images of that seductive mouth brushing across her skin, whispering heated, erotic words, and curving in full smiles seized her heart in a fist. In her mind’s eye, there was an entire repertoire of intimate, shadowy images that were so moving they were almost like memories.
Arousal swept over her skin, tightening her nipples and spurring a slow, hot trickle between her legs.
Tearing her gaze away, she looked out the window and fought to regulate her erratic breathing. Fuck. What was wrong with her? She was a mess. A quivering, pissed off, turned on, jittery mess.
The distance between the sprawling hillside properties was widening the higher they climbed. Soon, the infrequent streetlights disappeared, the evening sky swallowing them whole except for the narrow swathe of the headlights. She reminded herself that Adrian was a known personage and her father knew where she was, but those safeguards didn’t calm the part of her mind screaming, He’s not human.
The car slowed when they reached a wrought-iron gate bisecting the road, cutting off further public access. She surveyed their immediate surroundings, her gaze pausing on a rough-edged granite slab on the shoulder that was sandblasted with the words Angels’ Point. A frisson of unease slid down Lindsay’s spine.
A burly guard stepped out of a gatehouse. He looked at Adrian’s driver—Elijah—and nodded, then retreated back inside to open the gate. The Maybach drove another half mile or so before the house came into view. As dark as the night was, this high above the city’s light pollution, Lindsay had no trouble seeing the home. It was drenched in floodlights, so the evening was lit like daylight. It would be impossible for anyone to approach the house from any side or from above without being seen.
The residence scaled the side of the cliff in three tiers, each with its own wide wraparound deck. Distressed wood siding, rock terraces, and exposed wooden beams made the house seem almost as if it were part of the hillside. She knew nothing about architecture, but Angels’ Point screamed affluence—as everything about Adrian did.
The car rolled to a stop, and her door was opened by yet another guard. Lindsay was about to step out when Adrian appeared before her with his hand extended. She couldn’t help but notice his speed, which he apparently felt he no longer needed to hide, but she made no comment. She appreciated him dropping the pretense of being human, but she wasn’t going to praise him for it.
Her feet crunched atop the gravel driveway. She was attempting to absorb the grandeur of the house when movement in the periphery of her vision turned her head. A huge wolf prowled by.
Gasping in surprise and instinctive trepidation, Lindsay flattened herself against the side of the car. Adrian caught her by the elbows, the shield of his body filling her with indefinable comfort and relief. The beast sniffed a tire, then lifted its majestic head and studied her with undeniable intelligence. Her startled senses kicked into overdrive, prepping her body for defending herself.
“You won’t need that,” Adrian murmured, making her realize the readiness with which she held her knife.
Elijah rounded the car’s hood. A low growl rumble from his chest as he stared at the wolf. The beast stepped back, lowering its gaze.
More wolves appeared. An entire pack, or perhaps two. Lindsay didn’t know how many wolves made up a pack, but there were at least a dozen of the multicolored beasts padding around the driveway. Their size was imposing. Each one looked as if it ate an entire cow every day.
Lightning streaked across the sky, perfectly mimicking the electrical charge around Adrian.
Jesus. She exhaled in a rush.
The otherworldliness of both the place and the man beside her made her shiver. The wind caressed her, ruffling her hair but carrying neither a warning nor reassurance. She was on her own and feeling like she’d fallen down the rabbit hole—confused, fascinated, stoned.
Adrian gestured toward the house. “Come inside.”
She followed his lead. They entered through a double-door entrance, crossing over a slate foyer to reach a massive sunken living room. An enormous fireplace dominated one wall; Lindsay was fairly certain her Prius would easily fit inside it.
“Do you like it?” he asked, releasing her and watching her carefully, as if her opinion mattered.
The interior of Adrian’s home was a thoroughly masculine space, decorated in shades of brown and taupe, with splashes of a burnt red that reminded her of rust.
Renewable green materials had been used liberally—carved wood, thick cotton linens, dried grasses. Directly opposite the front door was a wall of windows overlooking the smaller hills and valleys below. In the distance, city lights twinkled with multihued fire, but the metropolis seemed worlds away from this transcendent place. To call the residence amazing would be an understatement. It suited Adrian so well. For all his urbanity, she sensed an earthy connection to nature in him.
She kept her bag close to her side and faced him. “What’s not to like?”
“Good.” He gave a regal nod. “You’ll be staying here indefinitely.”
His imperiousness was stunning.
“Excuse me?” she asked tightly.
“I need to keep you where I know you’ll be safe.”
I need to keep you… As if he had the right. “Maybe I don’t want to be kept.”
