Honor spotted the open doorway to a balcony and headed out. Fresh air would clear her head.
She leaned against the carved stone railing and looked out. The place had an almost medieval feel to it. The sprawling house was made of a luminous gray stone and made her think of castles. In the distance, she saw the shadows of the mountains and two moons high in the night sky.
It had a certain kind of beauty. Something wild. While she’d expected the Markarian way of life to be extremely low-tech, it was surprising how much of it wasn’t. She’d listened tonight about how they farmed and mined, utilizing their nanami. It was really quite extraordinary.
She had to admit she didn’t miss seeing neon lights everywhere, or buildings packed close together, and transports clogging the sky. She breathed deep, absorbing the fresh air. She’d grown up on a mega-city world for a while, after which they’d moved to an agricultural one. She’d never known the verdant fields of her homeworld, but her father liked to talk about it.
“Do you find Markaria too barbaric for your tastes?”
The rumble of the deep voice behind her made her turn.
Colm appeared out of the shadows, his bronze skin glowing in the moonlight.
“I was actually just thinking how beautiful it is.” She didn’t want to look at him, but her gaze drifted over his muscled chest, his strong arms. She lingered on those interesting bands circling his thick wrists and the tufts of gray fur. “Wild, rough, but intriguing.”
His teeth flashed white in the darkness. Behind him, the sounds of laughter, talking, and music spilled out into the night. He moved forward.
He crowded her against the railing. Honor felt her body tense, but she didn’t move. When he reached out, she went still. She knew she should push him away, but damn, the raw power and heat of him left her warm inside.
He touched her hair. “It looks like gold.”
“It’s just hair.”
He rubbed it between his fingers. “Markarians all have dark hair and bronze skin…this is fascinating. And your skin looks like the color of the sky at sunrise.”
Honor sucked in a breath. She’d had men who liked her hair and skin…it was the rest of her they couldn’t handle. “Is that all you notice, barbarian?”
He must have detected something in her voice because he let her hair go, and she felt his gaze on her face.
“That is the least of what I see in you, Honor Brandall. I will admit, the way you fight is…compelling.”
She grinned, the tension of the moment broken slightly. “Even though I beat you?”
“I was holding back, of course. I would never injure a guest. And it was a draw.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right.”
He touched her face, his thumb stroking down her cheek. “Yes, as soft as I imagined. Do you know what I noticed most about you?”
Flutters were overtaking her stomach. The electricity in the air sparked back into life, and her skin tingled. He was so big and it made her feel so small. “What?” Her voice was a tiny bit breathy.
“The challenge in your eyes. I suspect whatever you do, you try to do it the best you can. I admire that.”
God, the man had barely touched her, and she felt like she was melting.
Then he leaned down, his mouth an inch from hers. She felt his warm breath and smelled the spicy ale on his lips. She swallowed. She knew she should push him away. They had to work together.
But she stayed there, staring into his deep, brown eyes.
His mouth touched hers. Just a nip, then his tongue stroked across the seam of her mouth. She sucked in a sharp breath. She’d expected his kiss to be rough and hard and fast. This gentleness was surprising. And unnerving.
Then he kissed her.
He pulled her closer, and Honor’s hands went to his wide shoulders. His tongue pushed into her mouth in a bold demand. Oh, the man could kiss. She kissed him back, her tongue sliding against his.
She lost herself in the pleasure. The scent and taste of him flooded her senses. Her Predian abilities were wide open, and she drowned in all the gorgeous sensations. He was so big, so strong, and he surrounded her.
A thick thigh pushed between her legs, moving just enough so that the sensitive place between her thighs rubbed against him. A flare of heat arrowed right to her core. She moved, desperate for more.
He pulled back. “Come to my rooms, Honor.” His voice held a hard, hungry edge.
Cool air hit her face, and along with it, a splash of reality.
He was a stranger—an attractive one—but a stranger she had to work with. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” He pushed his hips forward and the very hard and very large bulge of his erection brushed her belly.
She swallowed a groan. “Barbarian—”