Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

accelerated and his body tightened. The impact of her watchful stare sank deep into his bones. A brand. Her brand. She left it on him so easily. He felt— home , whatever the hell that meant. Judith. Her name moved through his mind. The tenderness he felt shocked him. He hadn’t known there was such a thing in his makeup. He was in trouble—such trouble—and judging by that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on her face, so was she.
    She took a breath before starting down the stairs. He noted she was just as shaken as he was by the strange, compelling pull between them. He was damned glad he wasn’t the only one mired in quicksand. Her gaze never left his as she moved so gracefully down the steps, reminding him of a princess descending a throne.
    “You came.”
    Her voice wrapped him up in silk and satin. He studied her face. The need grew in her just as sharply as it did in him. She fought it, but she didn’t try to hide it from him.
    “I couldn’t stay away.”
    The stark raw truth stood between them. He felt the wind on his face like the promise of a kiss, like the touch of her fingers, the caress of her hair.
    Judith stepped closer to him, her dark gaze drifting over his face, touching on the fresh scratch. Her fingertip brushed over that small wound so gently he felt his heart move.
    “What happened?”
    He didn’t want to lie to her. “Better if you don’t ask.”
    He couldn’t help himself, he caught her wrist and tugged her a little closer, until he could feel the beckoning warmth of her body, unwilling—or unable—to let go of her. “I brought lunch.”
    A small smile tugged at her mouth, lit the dark sobriety of her eyes. “Did you make it yourself?”
    He almost denied the truth to give her a Thomas Vincent answer, but the truth slipped out. “Yes. I’m a good cook.”
    Her eyebrow went up, and a small dimple appeared in her right cheek. He couldn’t help brushing his thumb across that little dent. Her breath caught in her throat.
    “So it’s real.”
    He didn’t have to ask what she meant; he knew. He nodded his head, holding on to her gaze, unwilling to let this moment between them slip away. “I didn’t think it was possible for me after all this time.” That too was a Stefan Prakenskii truth.
    His heart clenched unexpectedly. Never in a million years had he thought it possible to feel the way he was. The euphoria should have gone away. The need inside him should have dissipated, not grown—and it was still growing. Being with her was like being caught in a dream world, a wild, impossible fantasy.
    “What are we going to do, Thomas? Because this can’t happen.”
    The little hitch in her voice, that innocent trust in him, the belief in her eyes that he was a good man, shook him as nothing else could have. She looked at him as if he could find a way to save them. There it was again, the need to be her white knight. His armor was tarnished a long time ago and he acknowledged to himself that he had no idea what he was going to do about their situation, but he wouldn’t walk away from her.
    His fingers curled around the nape of her neck and he pulled her another step closer. Thomas Vincent was long gone and Stefan Prakenskii was not about to give up this woman, not here, not now.
    “I’m going to kiss you.”
    She blinked rapidly. Those long feathery lashes knotted his gut and tightened his groin. His physical reaction to her remained terrifying and exhilarating, even stronger than the night before. This woman had a hold on him that was unbreakable. He was already lost, craving the genuine emotions she brought out in him. She opened floodgates. His needs poured out of him around her.
    “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Her voice was no more than a soft whisper, a caress that teased his cock into aching thickness.
    “No.” He knew better. He knew he’d be damned for all time. “But I’m going to kiss you anyway.”
    “It might be awful,” she pointed out with a brief flare of optimism.
    He had to smile. “Perhaps. We can only hope.”
    There was a small moment of hesitation. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, betraying her nerves. She nodded slowly, knowing just as he did, that it was a very bad idea. “Okay then.”
    He stared into her eyes for a long time. Forever would never be long enough for him to live there. Right there in her eyes. He saw inside of her, into something so beautiful it made his heart ache. She didn’t move, didn’t pull away, just