Samhain Publishing Ltd, Ebooks and Books in Print

Rayna Vogel walked carefully along the narrow path. The waterfalls around her continued to draw her attention and it was only a matter of time before she either killed herself trying to see their beauty or got the picture she desperately wanted. Hopefully, the second of the scenarios prevailed.

Her boot slid on the loose gravel and Rayna lost her footing. Her heart felt as if it leapt to her throat and blocked the scream wanting to come. A strong hand caught hold of her, plucking her from the air with an ease and strength normal men didn’t seem to possess. As she stared into a set of unnaturally golden eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. A nervous giggle sounded from her and her cheeks heated out of embarrassment.

“Careful, I would very much like you to remain in one piece,” Kabril said, his voice so deep and so sexy that Rayna had to bite back a sigh. She still had yet to place his accent. It wasn’t thick but it did tinge his voice ever so. She’d often tried to get exactly where he was from out of him but Kabril liked his secrets and she didn’t mind letting him have them.

He set her on her feet and visually inspected her. “Are you hurt?”

“Just my pride.” She tipped a bit, losing her balance and seized hold of his forearm. The man didn’t seem to have an ounce of fat on him. She squeezed and visions of having Kabril’s powerful body above her, sliding in and out of her filled Rayna’s head.

She couldn’t tear her gaze from his square face and piercing eyes. When she’d first met Dr. Kabril Kingston he’d seemed a bit on the cold side, almost regal in his mannerisms. He also seemed prone to odd displays of chauvinistic behavior, all of which his assistant explained away as being part of Kabril’s unusual sense of humor. Now that Rayna knew Kabril, she realized he was one of the warmest men she’d ever met. Not to mention gifted. He’d managed to get Henry up and flying in no time at all. He definitely had a magik touch. He had a way about him, one that made her feel safe and cared for.

He glanced over the edge. “I am dangerously close to making you wear a safety harness, Rayna. You, unfortunately,” he puffed out a long breath, “do not have wings.”

“There is a better than average chance I’d wring my neck with the harness so it’s best you not.”

Laughing, he held her close to him. “I have no doubt you would. You are so very different than most women I know.”

“Hey, is that a knock on how clumsy I am?” She grinned, enjoying his teasing more than she should. His warm hands seemed to push heat through her body as he held her close. Rayna shifted awkwardly in an attempt to stop the moisture Kabril was more than capable of producing between her legs. One glance from him and Rayna’s body reacted.

“No. Not clumsy. More like absentminded,” he whispered, the bass in his voice moving over her, causing her to sigh.

She drew a deep breath in, savoring a mix of lavender, sage and cedar—the scent of Kabril. It took everything in her not to touch him in a way she shouldn’t. Not to stroke his massive chest. Lusting after a man she considered a friend was wrong. They’d never actually set friendship boundaries though. Still, it was wrong. She’d been closer to Kabril in the last few months than she ever had been with anyone else.

“I’m not absentminded. Am I?”

“Rayna, you dropped this,” Sachin said as he joined them. He held the lens cap to her camera in one hand and a rather large smile upon his handsome face. The man never moved far from Kabril’s side. At first, she’d assumed they were brothers. They even argued as siblings would. She had little doubt Kabril was the older of two. Sachin also tended to goad Kabril whenever possible, as a younger brother often would. She’d been shocked to learn they were not related but rather close friends.

Chuckling, Kabril touched her cheek lightly. “No, Rayna. You are not absentminded in the least.”

She gave him a fake snarl and pushed past him, mindful of the steep ledge. “And you’re not the least bit arrogant. Are we going back to camp or are you two going to start exchanging weird looks when you don’t think I’m watching you?”

No sooner did the words come out her mouth then Kabril and Sachin did exactly that. They glanced at one another. Sachin’s expression was one of amusement. Kabril’s held something else. Something Rayna couldn’t pinpoint. It was too cute not to comment.

“See, that’s exactly what you do to me. You always make me feel like I’m missing out on an inside joke. It makes me crazy.” Lunging forward, she ruffled Kabril’s chin-length black hair. His smile warmed her heart. “There. That’s more like it. I hate it when you look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You dragged me down here because you wanted to document your studies. As much as I’m loving this vacation, I like to see you happy more.”

Kabril caught her hand and drew it to his lips. He took her by surprise, planting a kiss on the back of her hand tenderly. Before Rayna could remark, Kabril had drawn her into his arms. A slow, racy smile moved over his face. “Hello.”

She swallowed hard. Her pussy responded with a spasm and she had to focus on something, anything other than Kabril or risk begging him to fuck her against the rocky wall. “We should get back to camp. It’ll be getting dark soon and I still want to take a bath.”

Kabril perked up. “A bath?” He exchanged another long look with Sachin and nodded. “By all means, camp it is then.”

“You are so weird,” she said, laughing softly as she fell in line behind him. Rayna’s gaze landed upon his luscious ass and she closed her eyes. If gawking at the waterfalls didn’t get her killed, Kabril’s tight butt just might.