The Dragon Legion Collection(7)

“How can I be of assistance, sir?” she asked, trying to work a last bit of clay from beneath her fingernail.

He said nothing, although she felt his presence. The skin prickled on the back of her neck, her memory of Alexander coming uncomfortably to the fore. Katina frowned with impatience at her own whimsy. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

She pivoted to face the client, a polite smile curving her lips.

It faded at once.

For Alexander did stand on her threshold.

Katina stared. Alexander had changed and not changed. She would have known him anywhere, that was for certain. His hair was still ebony and wavy, so unruly that she longed to push her fingers through its thickness. It was a bit shorter than it had been, but looked tidy and crisp. It suited him. He was tanned to a deeper shade of brown and his clothing was odd, presumably because he had traveled far. She ached at the weariness in his expression and the lines of exhaustion around his mouth. He was still tall and broad and seemingly immovable, a man who might have been a statue—save for his eyes. Her heart clenched with painful force, then began to pound when she saw the heat in his dark eyes.

The passion burned there, the passion she’d never been able to resist. When he looked at her like this, Katina had been certain they were destined to love each other for all time.

“Alexander!” she whispered.

He smiled a little. “You remember.”

“Of course!” she said, then voiced her fear. “I thought you had forgotten me.”

Alexander shook his head, looking so sad that she wanted to hold him forever. “We were so lost, Katina, but now I am found.” His voice was husky with a rare display of emotion, one that brought tears to her own eyes. “My Katina.” Alexander lifted his hand toward her and it was all the invitation she needed. Katina threw herself into Alexander’s arms and lifted her mouth for his kiss, just as she had done a hundred times before. His arms closed around her, unmistakably real and heartbreakingly familiar.

His mouth locked over hers, his kiss as potent as she recalled. He kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he would make up for every lost moment on this very day. Katina tasted her own salt tears in their kiss but didn’t care. She wound her fingers into his hair, running her hands over him, arching her back so that she was pressed against his muscled body. She wanted to feel the lean strength of him against her, and she wanted to feel the heat of his skin pressed against hers. As always, Alexander’s kiss kindled a passion that Katina couldn’t deny and didn’t want to. His touch could make her forget everything except the desire between them, and in his embrace, Katina felt warm for the first time in years.

It was a long, slow kiss and one that left her blood simmering.

Alexander finally lifted his head, his regret obvious, but didn’t release Katina. He studied her and smiled. Katina knew she wasn’t the alluring virgin she’d been when first they met, but Alexander clearly liked what he saw. He wiped her tears from her cheeks with his thumb and arched one brow. His dark eyes twinkled, as if they were filled with stars, and Katina smiled back at him.

“In the courtyard,” he teased and she blushed, knowing they’d been so impetuous more than once in the past.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she replied and his smile broadened.

“How you tempt me, my bold Katina.”

His tone was so affectionate that she impulsively kissed him again. “Still?”

“Still,” he said with conviction, his gaze slipping over her face as he surveyed her closely. She knew he did not miss a single change, and also that he loved her all the same. “Always,” he murmured and her heart leapt.

“I would tempt you more,” she whispered wickedly. “But the slave girl...”

“Will be glad to have gossip to share,” Alexander said with that lazy confidence Katina had so missed. There was something so steady about him, a rocklike conviction that made Katina’s world seem secure.

How she’d yearned for his return.

He glanced down at her hand, smiling with real pleasure when he saw his ring still on her finger, and Katina’s heart skipped with joy. Alexander brushed his lips across hers, then let his mouth hover over hers as he held her gaze. As always, he gave her the choice, which only made him more irresistible. “Or maybe you didn’t miss me in this way?” he murmured, clearly knowing she had. When he teased her, his eyes sparkling and his manner playful, Katina wanted him all the more.


“Of course!” She laughed at him, then caught his head in her hands, pulling him down for another kiss. This time, she was purposeful and passionate, intending to leave no doubt in his mind of his welcome. Alexander caught his breath when her tongue slid between his teeth, then hauled her even closer, kissing her with crushing intensity. His erection strained against his clothing, so large and hard that Katina had no doubt of his desire.

It was intoxicating to know that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She met him touch for touch, loving the sense of communion   she felt in these encounters. Alexander groaned, then swept her into his arms. He strode across the courtyard, never breaking his kiss. Katina wound her arms around his neck, wanting all he had to give.

It had been so long.

His touch felt so right.

In fact, nothing had felt right without him. Katina was on her back on her bed, her belt untied and Alexander’s hands beneath her tunic before she opened her eyes. He kissed her again, the intoxicating leisure of his kiss making her forget everything but the magic of his touch. She could think of nothing but this man she loved with all her heart, this man she had feared to never see again.