Free Dark Ice by Connie Wood Page B

was about to be bombarded with yet another foreign emotion, and it was the scariest of all. Hope.
     
    ~* * *~
    Lea’s hand was engulfed in Dane’s, massive grip. The strength of it gave her pause. The moment his fingers closed around hers, the tension seemed to leave him and he relaxed his hold a fraction..
    “Come,” his deep voice vibrated through the hall. “I’ll take you home.”
    She nodded, and his hand gripped her tightly as he led her toward the door, their footfalls echoing through the silence. Lea paused on the flagstone edging leading up to the steps of the massive front door. Dane stopped immediately, confusion creasing his brow.
    “Just a minute.”
    He released her hand instantly and she turned back toward the hall. Rin stood in the same spot and she walked toward him. His hand still gripped the sword at his side and he released it as Lea came to face him.
    “Thank you for looking after me.” She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek gently. A barely audible growl emanated from Dane, which she chose to ignore.
    Rin nodded curtly, but a small smile twitched at his lips. Lea returned his smile, hoping it conveyed all her gratitude.
    Lea turned back toward Dane and her breath quickened as her chest squeezed tight. His large frame was silhouetted from the light above the door, sending him into shadows. He was massive, powerful and the aura that radiated from him sent cool molten lava through her veins. How could she be drawn to him and almost afraid of him at the same time?
    The walk back to him felt like an eternity. She knew all the men in the hall were watching her. But the only gaze that bore into her was the deep black one that she knew in her dreams.
    She reached his side and was dwarfed by him and yet somehow elated. He smiled down at her, slight trepidation evident in his face. In an instant, his gaze shot up above her, to her left and she felt something fly over her head.
    Dane raised a hand and caught a set of keys.
    “Thanks, Cousin,” Dane said to Darius.
    Lea spun around and she saw the other man nod toward Dane. He caught her gaze and she baulked at his translucent blue eyes. He winked and she had to stop herself from stepping back into Dane. He had a similar aura of dangerous power as his cousin and hesitation flittered through her mind and she wondered once again what she was getting herself into.
    “Come,” he almost whispered to her and she couldn’t help the shiver that racked through her body.
    The night air chilled her skin, in stark contrast to the warmth of Dane’s hand against the small of her back. He led her toward a car. The car was warm and plush and Lea snuggled against the leather seat as Dane closed her door. He slid behind the wheel with some effort, his size giving him trouble. He seemed too big for something like a modern sports car. Too animalistic to be doing something so civilized as driving. He looked out of place, like he belonged in the wide open space. Somewhere his presence wasn’t so overwhelming.
    Lea looked at his profile and swallowed. It was one thing to have a realistic dream and quite another to be actually physically sitting next to Dane.
    “Do you know where I live?” Lea asked.
    “Yes,” he replied.
    “How?”
    “There are a lot of things I know.”
    “I’m sure you do,” Lea replied.
    He turned and looked at her, trying to gauge her meaning. Heat suffused her face as he continued to gaze at her. Finally he smiled and the heat twisted in her belly. She was quite sure this man knew many things. If he was a man. In her dreams he was both a man and a beast. But this was reality. This man was real, he was driving a real car and taking her home.
    Rin had said Dane assisted them the night of the club massacre. Was this the man who rescued her? Was the man real and the rest a dream? She looked across at him again. He certainly seemed real. But then again, Rin also said Dane was a polar bear.
    Lea shut her eyes, the second guessing and over