Free Blood Knot by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page A

look presentable no matter how long I wear them.”
    “ Then the tights cannot be tights…” Nial murmured, his fingers pausing in their circling.
    “ No,” she said with a smile. “They’re stockings, Nial.”
    “ Ah…” he breathed. “Be still, my heart.” And contrariwise, his heart thudded heavily. His fingers crept higher towards the hem of her skirt.
    “ I really do need to eat,” she warned him, lifting another forkful of salad.
    “ I’ll behave. For now,” he promised, his fingers flirting with the hem of her skirt.
    But the teasing flickering of his fingers was having an effect on her anyway. She tried to ignore the rising beat of need in her and finish her meal, but Nial’s silent appraisal and his stroking fingers made that impossible.
    She put her fork down, her plate unfinished, defeated.
    “ Sip the wine,” he encouraged her. “Let me smell it.”
    “ You can lift the glass and sniff for yourself.”
    “ But I want to watch you do it. Then it’s not simply teasing.”
    She lifted the glass of ruby red wine and inhaled the bouquet. “Oh,” she said, surprised. “It smells very good.” She tipped the glass and drank a mouthful and let it slide down her throat. “Gorgeous,” she declared as the full extent of the excellent wine registered on her tongue.
    Nial kissed her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth and collecting the residue of the wine. She felt his pleasure and arousal mingle and it reinforced her own.
    “ Nial,” she breathed. “You are only teasing me. It will make the flight unbearable if you leave me in such a state.”
    He leaned back just far enough to look at her. “Who said anything about leaving you this way?” His hand smoothed its way down her thigh to her knee. “Silk stockings with lace tops. You know how to travel in style, I’ll give you that. Now I’ll show you how to travel in luxury.” He gave a small smile. “As much luxury as is left in this day and age.”
    They were called for their flight barely ten minutes later and Winter caught her first hint of what Nial meant by ‘luxury’. They were shown to adjoining suites on the top deck of the 747, by a hostess in the dun colored uniform and the bright white head scarf. She introduced herself as Hanifa and their personal assistant for the first leg of the flight to Hong Kong. Hanifa pulled aside the dividing wall between the suites, turning them into a single large suite, and explained all the controls for the digital and entertainment equipment. She glanced at her watch. “I understand that you arrived in Los Angeles from Montana, so it is past midnight by your personal time. I am guessing you will want to sleep very soon. Would you like some sort of night cap, and the seats arranged into beds?”
    Winter took a deep breath and tried to hide the silly grin spreading across her face. “That would be lovely,” she said. She could see Nial’s smile from the corner of her eye and fought the need to either look at him or ram her elbow into his side. She could almost hear his silent “I told you so.”
    Her whole body seemed to tighten and pulse with possibilities.
     
    * * * * *
     
    They served Winter a decaffeinated coffee laced with brandy at the bar while their suites were prepared for sleep. Like he had in her basement, Nial sat on the bar stool and stretched out his legs. He seemed to be getting huge amounts of amusement out of her unfamiliarity with this level of first class travel and her enjoyment of it.
    When one of the other businessmen introduced himself to Nial, Nial shook his hand and used the name on the passport he was travelling on and Winter could actually see the shield drop down behind his eyes. She put her coffee cup down, some of her enjoyment evaporating, and pushed her thigh up against Nial’s leg to get a reading from him.
    He was wary. Guarded.
    At her touch, he picked up her hand and drew her between his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist as he continued the