“Who is it?” he called warily.
When he heard the soft reply, his eyes flared, then narrowed. With a lazy smile and slow deliberation, he dropped the towel he’d just knotted loosely about his waist.
“No holds barred tonight, ka-lyrra,” he murmured, too soft for her to hear. He’d not thought to see her until dinner. But she was here, outside his door, outside his bedchamber. She might as well have strolled up to the lion’s lair, nicely basted in fresh, warm blood.
His mouth was suddenly fiercely dry, his breathing harsh and shallow.
Would she be wearing them? Was she ready to admit? To take him? This woman who’d been raised on the worst tales of him, some of which were completely true?
And she knew that. She knew he’d razed the Highlands after Morganna; he’d seen the look on her face when she’d asked him about the date Morganna had died. She knew that, for all the things that were inaccurate in her Books, there were some that weren’t. She knew that in nearly six thousand years he’d done a thing or two to merit some of the bad press he’d received. Gabrielle was no fool.
Had she seen past it? Had she seen him?
Would she have those damn diamonds on? He was almost afraid to open the door and see, so badly did he want her, given completely, without reservation, tonight, now, this moment. He needed it. Felt like he’d been waiting six thousand years for it. Christ, what was happening to him? Had he ever felt like this before?
He realized he was glaring at the door and had no idea how long he’d been doing it. He shook his head, muttering a curse at his idiocy. For Christ’s sake, he was Adam Black. Not some bumbling mortal lad.
“Come in,” he called, and if it came out a little more guttural than usual, he deigned not to notice. He stood at his full height of six feet four and a half inches, legs splayed, arms folded over his chest, wearing nothing but the ancient gold adornments of his royal house.
The door opened slowly—he felt like it was opening in slow frigging motion—but then there she was, and he felt as if someone had slammed a fist into his gut.
He was pleased to see she appeared to be suffering the same sensation.
She froze, her lovely green-gold eyes flying wide. “Y-y-you’re . . . n-n—” she sputtered. Tried again, “Oh. Heavens. My. Goodness.” Wet her lips. Took a deep breath. “Holy shit, you’re naked. And oh—OH!” Her gaze dipped then flew back up to his face, and her eyes went even wider.
A smile of pure masculine triumph curved his lips. “Ah, yes,” he purred. “And you, my sweet Gabrielle, are wearing my diamonds.”
Gabby stood in the doorway, her heart hammering wildly.
Two-hundred-pounds-plus of gorgeous naked man stood before her, and he was so savagely, intensely beautiful that she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Had to remind herself that oxygen was good for a girl, so breathe, O’Callaghan. She looked up and down, up and down again, little breaths slamming together in her throat.
Abruptly, she knew that after this night she was never going to be the same again. Nothing was ever going to be the same. Oh, yes, the man could define himself as the dawning of an epoch if he wanted to. There was, quite simply, before Adam and after Adam.
He stepped forward, moving with sleek animal grace, a predatory glint in his dark gaze. He was hunter and she was food. And from the look in his eyes he was going to devour her.
He stalked to her, towering over her, staring down, reaching out to lightly touch the choker at her neck with his fingertips. “You know what this means,” he said softly, intensely. “Mine. You accept it. You’re mine. No, shush.” He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say a word. Just let me look at you. I’ve been waiting to see you in this dress.”
Circling behind her, he pushed the door gently closed, and she heard the metallic clicking of tumblers as he locked it. He padded slowly around her.
“Christ, you’re beautiful, Gabrielle. Do you know how badly I want you? Do you know what fantasies I’ve been playing through my mind about you? Do you know how many times I jacked off, trying to get rid of this bloody eternal hard-on? Knowing that the only thing that was going to help was you?”
He padded another slow naked circle around her. “And now here you are. In my chambers. Locked in. And you’re not getting out until I say you are. And I may never say it.”
He paused behind her, leaned close, front to her backside, rubbed his cock against her ass in that sexy dress. The dress looked every bit as good on her as he’d known it would, clinging to every lush curve. Felt good too. Breath hissed between his teeth at the contact; it was so excruciatingly pleasurable that it burned. He sucked in a sharp breath and yanked himself back, knowing that if he touched her again like that it would be all over.