Toxic Game

She'd learned to live in the present a long time ago, to enjoy every moment she had. Time was a luxury, something she knew she could run out of very quickly, so she made sure each minute counted for something.

Draden drank in his surroundings with both appreciation and sorrow. The beautiful path led to a village that should have been thriving. Instead, it was now a path to certain death.

My peony," he emphasized. "And it's only for us, no one else." He liked the intimacy of having a special name for her no one else knew but the two of them.

He was set on having her for the rest of his life, no matter how long or little that was, but he could see, if she agreed, he was going to have his hands full.

Draden was hers. The one. The only. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did know that nothing in her life was truer.

She had to know, soon or later, that he was no saint and never would be. He loved her, but if she was going to stay with him, she had to know the worst of him. He wanted honesty between them.

He had the impression of Shylah pouting, and that made him happy. Just talking to her made him happy. The fact that she would circle around, hunt and find the man watching from the forest, was a complete turn-on. He liked that this woman would be his partner.

I’m totally susceptible to good looks. On the other hand, I don’t like bossy men, so if you want worshipping from me, you’ll have to keep your mouth closed and let me boss you.

Come on, ghost man. You want this. You want to live. I know you do. Breathe for me. Take a breath.

Draden didn't move, staying as still as any predator with his gaze fixed on his prey. No muscle moved.

I don’t want the world, Draden. I just want you. Here. Now. Whatever we’ve got in the time we have left.

Holy cow, Draden. You should be outlawed. If those guards were women, you would just have to look at them like that and they’d worship at your feet.

He was either right or wrong. Worrying didn't make it any better. She let herself drift off with the scent of him in her lungs, with the knowledge that she was loved in her head and heart.

It was wondrous. Almost unbelievable. Like champagne bubbles, but in her soul. She felt effervescent. And so in love.

I don't think I've actually seen you smile before, " Wyatt observed. "This woman must be the real deal to teach you how to smile.

I detested that people who already had everything they could possibly want would step on others who had nothing. Would use them and crush them. I'd lived my life mainly in the streets and found out the hard way that people who could have helped just hurt us.

He had never trusted a woman-or anyone, for that matter-to sleep close to him, let alone in the same bed. And yet, already, he was completely relaxed with her. He couldn't imagine being without her, and now, if they survived, it was a very real possibility.

They had tied their lives together in a way that meant she would never be alone. They belonged together, to each other, and had a bond for all the world to know.

She saw him, that man who kept himself isolated, so separate from the rest of the world. She saw him for who he was, and she liked him anyway.

She didn't want any contact with Whitney at all. He was the boogeyman. He'd held absolute authority over her for her entire life. Defying him was difficult. It said a lot that Shylah was willing to die-that she would choose a horrific death rather than go back to him.

I love everything about you. I told myself that was what it was. All those parts, separately that I loved them. I watch you. I'm inside your mind. I see who you are. I've decided it isn't about loving everything about you. It's simply about loving you.

I'm letting myself fall for you. All the way. I want that. You're definitely the kind of man I want.

Shylah was like Nonny. She would stand with her man, carving out a home and fighting by his side when necessary in the worst of circumstances.

She had captured his heart and he didn't ever want it back.

I'm not trying to push you away. I'm trying to save your life. I want you to live. You're extraordinary. The world needs you.

The words, sliding into his mind, were vibrant with her emotions. Dripping with sensitivity. Weeping with her reaction. Intimate beyond measure. Because she murmured forgiveness into his mind, she gave more of herself away to him.

The woman was sexy, lethal and very confident. The sound of her laughter was enticing. Intriguing. It played along his nerve endings and sent an electrical current running through his bloodstream. He was on the verge of death and he'd never felt more alive.

I don't mind you in my head. I refuse to be embarrassed for thinking the truth. You have to know how good-looking you are. Fortunately for you, you seem to have brains and humor to go with your looks.

Peonies are beautiful perennials. A classic, really. Every garden should have them. They're dependable, have a timeless, elegant beauty and will bloom with very little attention." He was silent for a moment while she switched branches and he followed. "Like you

She hadn't expected the intamacy of his voice in her head. It had a smoothness to it that gave way now and then to gravel.