Free Lawked Flame by Erosa Knowles Page B

Although it pleased her to know she still had the capacity
to feel more than anger and disappointment when it came to the
opposite sex, she refused to act upon those feelings. That case had
closed and she was moving on.
    “ Alayna?”
    She whirled at the sound of her name on his lips and
stared at him. His turquoise eyes shook her. The thick
goldish-brown mane on his head reminded her of a Lion, except for
the two long beaded braids alongside his face. Recognition kicked
in. Good Lord, it was the hottie from the store. “How do you know
my name?” Of all the things she could ask, that was the safest.
    “ I was told your name by Lorenzo.”
He stared at her face and then looked at her leg. “There is a
bruise.”
    Alayna looked down. Like Adam in the garden after
his taste of the fruit, she gasped at her nudity. She was naked,
just as when she went to bed, but not how she’d be wandering around
a forest. She ran toward the trees and hid.
    “ That was stupid,” she murmured,
closing her eyes tight against the pain in her leg. “Now he’s seen
your ass bouncing everywhere. Might as well have stayed
put.”
    “ I agree.”
    Alayna opened one eye and then the
other. The Lion of a man stood in front of her, arms resting at his
sides, staring curiously at her. She had the feeling he saw
everything she tried to hide, and that roused her anger.
    Tipping her chin upward, she asked, “And you are?”
Proud she kept the waiver from her voice as she ate him up with her
eyes. Even though she was on sabbatical from relationships, she
still appreciated works of art and this man was in the top-of-the
line category. Definitely not in her emotional category, which
consisted of quickies.
    “ Khayden.” He spoke the word with
such finality, she wasn’t sure if it carried authority or
arrogance.
    “ Why are you here, Khayden?” The
moment she said his name, his eyes blazed like blue fire. She
blinked, uncertain if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.
His eyes were different, more royal blue than before. His nostrils
pinched as he inhaled deeply, yet he never released her from his
stare. She shivered under the blue storm brewing in front of
her.
    His eyes narrowed a bit before he spoke. “I am here
because you are here...Alayna.”
    The way he said her name sent a shaft of pleasure
running through her. The heat from his voice coated and curled
around the rough edges of her mind. Her woman’s core throbbed in
anticipation of...no! Stop. Back this up.
    She stepped away. Her eyes slid to
the copse of trees behind them and then to the calm waters of the
pond. Think. Think of other things. Think of your brother. Not
going there. Think of your ex, Ricardo. Men cannot be
trusted. Who needs trust? This is just
sexual hunger and relief, her body
reminded her.
    He stepped closer. His fingertip touched her chin
and tipped her face up to him. The warmth of his breath brushed
against her cheek. His eyes had darkened to an incredible purplish
blue. “What are you thinking?”
    Mouth dry, she swallowed to speak. “I don’t know
you.” Her voice cracked under the weight of this fierce attraction.
For some reason her body ached to touch him. Moisture pooled
between her legs in preparation for his taking.
    “ Yes. You. Do.” He punctuated each
word with a kiss on her face, touching every place except where she
wanted it, her lips.
    “ I don’t.”
    “ You know me where it matters.
There is a connection, do you feel it?”
    “ I’m not sneezing. It must mean
something.”
    He smiled—a real one that reached his eyes. A surge
of warmth suffused her with the knowledge that she brought him real
pleasure.
    “ You are right. I was concerned
about that.” His large hand cupped her cheek.
    As though it was the most natural thing in the world
to stand naked in a forest, she rubbed her face against the
calloused palm. Additional warmth spread through her body, coaxing
a tingly response. “Khayden, that’s a different name. Does it