CHAPTERFIVE
REX
Rex stood at the end of the stage, a wry smile on his face. Just a few hours ago, he would have been standing here looking like death itself. He would have found this entire event confronting and even disrespectful to his grief. The show of auctioning off men as if they were pieces of meat might have been downright insulting.
But now, his blood was on fire, and his mind was alive with bright, sensual images. Just seeing Gianna for the first time had fundamentally changed him and every moment that went by. He saw more hope in the world.
I could believe in the future … If she was sharing it with me.
He swept his gaze across the crowd at his feet, all the ladies who were bouncing and begging for his attention. He could see Gianna standing in the center of the audience, just watching him. She didn’t wave or shout, just regarded him with a quiet, steady appreciation. He loved how she stood out from the crowd, her poise, her patience.
They started the bidding, and he did a little strut. In the end, he paused and did a mock pose, curling his arms and bouncing a little. The girls in the front row screamed in joy.
Whenever he saw young people enjoying themselves, he inevitably thought of Melissa, and she came into his mind now. He did not push the thought away so it couldn’t intrude on his newfound happiness … he let it tug on his heart.
He was still going to feel this guilt. It was unavoidable. But he had something amazing now, something beautiful. He didn’t want to ruin it by dwelling on the past. He wanted to move forward into the future and try to honor Melissa with his happiness.
He looked down at Gianna again. She was calmly raising her hand every time the bid went up. It was steadily climbing past twenty-five grand. He was astounded at how high the bid
was going, as well as how determined Gianna was to win him.
For a few minutes, the bidding war was very intense. Everyone else had dropped out, and it was only Gianna, and a stately old widow left. She seemed determined to win him, but the old dame finally bowed out after the bidding reached thirty-five thousand.
There was a flurry of clapping and yelling, and music began to play. The auctioneer was saying something, but no one was paying attention. The bachelors all headed out to dance with their hosts, and Rex didn’t even bother with the stairs. He just leapt off the stage and landed close to Gianna, offering his hand in one graceful movement.
“Shall we dance, my dear?” he asked quietly. There was a hungry growl waiting in his throat, a sign of the predator within struggling against the man. He channeled that energy into himself without allowing his base instincts to override his good sense.
Gianna smiled and took his hand, stepping close to him. She blinked, her beautiful blue-violet eyes very wide. He knew she was picking up on his energy and that his primal urges were affecting her. Humans might not be fully aware of it, but their senses were sharply honed. Half of the miscommunications in this world occurred because humans tried to fight that instinctive knowledge.
He pulled Gianna close, feeling the heat between their bodies building. She smiled, her face relaxed and her body moving in tune with his. He let himself fall into her eyes for a moment, the intensity around them shutting out the rest of the world.
Rex knew she was his mate. There was no denying it. He assumed she was one of Gerri’s clients and had come here under her request just like he had. He knew he shouldn’t move too fast, but if they were both here for the same thing, why should he hold back?
“I came here to meet someone,” he said softly. She blinked and smiled, swaying to the music.
“Oh? Anyone in particular?”
You.
“I was encouraged to attend the event by Gerri Wilder. She hoped to find my perfect match here. I am assuming you are here for the same reason?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, I mean, I am here because Gerri invited me. I’m here to cover the event, though. For INN. I’m not here for fun.”
Rex felt the words like a blow to his heart. He was utterly positive that she was his mate, and Gerri knew it … she had arranged for them to both be here for that reason. His hands tightened on Gianna as they swung around the dance floor as if he were afraid she would slip from his grasp.
Humans don’t recognize their instincts the way we do. She can feel it. I know she can, but not with the same certainty that I have.
Rex wasn’t about to give up. The biggest problem right now was getting Gianna in touch with her heart instead of her head. Nothing else mattered. Maybe Gerri knew she was his fated mate, maybe not. Gianna knew, somewhere deep in her bones, she just couldn’t understand it yet.
I know. That’s all that matters.
He held her a little closer, flexing as they came together. He let his fingers grip her hand gently, his fingertips brushing across the back of her hand. He heard her gasp at the light, grazing touch, and he knew he was setting her alight. She was feeling something inside that she had never felt before.
You and me both.
She looked at their joined hands, then back into his eyes. His blood seemed to sing with the low, steady beat of the music, and he could feel her falling into sync with it, as well. Goosebumps tingled across his shoulders as he felt her hands warm up just slightly. Her lips flushed a slightly deeper red, and her sigh was a sound of absolute pleasure.
That’s the kind of sigh that can become a scream in the right circumstance.
Just as he was about to pull her even closer, she stiffened and glanced over her shoulder. He made no attempt to get the magic back at first. He focused on his feet and his gentle hold on Gianna, interested in seeing how she would react.
He detected faint changes in her scent. A touch of apprehension, maybe even fear. Her eyes flickered away as if searching for something.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his voice low. Her eyes snapped back to his, her mouth curving into a quick, reassuring smile.
“Yes, sorry,” she replied. “I’m supposed to be working, so I’m just making sure I keep an eye on the party. I need to report on everything, you know?”
Something in her voice did not sound right, but Rex wasn’t about to chase it down right now. For a few minutes, both of their bodies had been communicating on a primal level. It was really magic, the only magic left in the world.
The lover’s song. Hearts, breath, mind as one.
He needed her to see it, to know it. Deep down, she did know it. He just had to crack through that wall of socially contrived nuance and open her mind up to her true nature.
“I know about need,” he answered, his voice soft. He squeezed her hands gently, urging her to look into his eyes. “There are all kinds of needs in this world. I understand the deepest, most primal need … The one that can be felt when your blood is hot, and your body aches.”
She looked deeper into his eyes with every breath. Her lips parted slightly. He felt her melt into his arms, all the tension leaving her as she was hooked on his words, caught by his tone, and drawn in by his heat.
“The kind of need a man has when he wants to kiss a beautiful woman,” he whispered. He leaned down, so their faces were almost touching. Tension sang through his body, and his heart pounded, sending hot blood flooding through his temples. He held his tiger in check, the force of his animal adding incredible force and magnetism to his energy.
“Me?” Gianna asked, shaking her head slightly.
“Yes,” he said, almost brushing her lips with his own. “You. I want to … I need to kiss you.”
She trembled in his arms, just a short but intense shiver that streaked across her skin in a wave of rapid chills. She blinked. Her huge violet eyes were like the deep hearts of the flower itself. He could hear her blood rushing, the increased pace of it echoed by the thudding beats of her heart.
A wonderful, deep scent rose from her, and his hands tightened on hers. He closed his eyes briefly as he immersed himself in the scent of her desire. She was longing for him, her whole body singing out for him. She wanted to be taken as badly as he wanted to take her.
She tilted her head up, leaning in for the kiss. He hesitated, just slightly, then he pressed his lips to hers.
Shock cascaded through him as if someone had just dropped a bucket of ice water down his back. He gripped her hands, tugging her against his body as his mouth explored hers. Even though his animal was raging free inside him, awakened by desire and frantic with need, he maintained his will and kept the kiss soft, light, and gentle.
When she slipped her hands around his waist, and he felt her curves press against him, he groaned, unable to hold himself in check any longer. He had never felt pleasure like this ever in his life … he couldn’t believe what he had been missing. Feeling her respond to his animalistic nature with her own fire made him completely lose his reason.
He pulled her into a dark corner of the dance floor. The second she had her back against the wall, she relaxed against it, writhing against him and letting him run his hands over her body. Their kisses were insistent, exploring, a wonderful mixture of hesitation, discovery, and raging hot desire.
Her hot tongue darted into his mouth, and he flicked his own against it, the heat almost igniting him. His whole body was getting hard, not just his cock. He had to remind himself where he was. Otherwise, he’d forcefully tear his own clothes to shreds.
The thin fabric between them felt like an insult to his hands. He traced across her chest, under her breasts, letting his fingers roam lower across her belly. He gasped as she kissed him even harder, one hand reaching up to grab his neck and pull him down to her. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, thrusting his hips forward. A tiny sound of protest passed her lips. He pulled back, looking into her eyes. One hand came up to cup her cheek. All the words he might have said were obliterated by the simplicity of her gaze.
She feels it. She knows we are meant to be together.
He felt triumph roll through him as he grabbed her upper arms and kissed her again. He pressed his mouth to hers, searching for her tongue. She writhed, her hands clawing at him as if she wanted to rip her fingernails right through his tailored suit. He was on the verge of letting her, even helping her.
Damn the rest of the room. They might learn something.
A moan burst out of her throat, and his tiger growled in response. She stiffened in his arms, and he realized he may have gone too far. He let go of her immediately. Her hair was tousled, her eyes bright. Her lips were incredibly red from their rough kisses. She shook her head.
“I can’t. It’s too much, too much too soon. I just …”
Her head whipped around as if she’d seen something out of the corner of her eye. She kept her face turned away from him as she gathered herself and sprinted away. He tried to follow but was quickly hampered by the crowd. Everyone wanted to congratulate him on winning the highest price in the auction, as well as ooze their private manipulations as they contrived to get close to him.
By the time he got free of the crowd, Gianna was nowhere to be seen.