Dancing With the Dangerous Prince

The War, Love, & Harmony Series: Book 2

Dancing with the

Dangerous Prince

By Elizabeth Lennox

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Breathing slowly, heart pounding, feet moving, chilly, moist air whooshing past her face and arms to cool her off….this was the best time of the morning.  Ciara felt her feet thump along the soft dirt, her body relishing the exercise of a good, long run.  There was nothing better than a run through the woods to clear one’s mind, get ready for the upcoming day.  The pace wasn’t always steady but this path she’d discovered never failed to make her body sing with the effort as she raced through the trees.

Whenever worries about the future, of what might happen when she had to leave this job at the end of the week started to filter into her mind, she pushed herself harder.  This wasn’t a time to worry about anything.  This was her time to just be a part of nature, part of the world around her. 

She was rounding a corner and saw the movement off in the distance, which was odd since normally, she was the only one out here this early.  It was predawn and the horizon looked almost silvery as the sun started to break through the early morning haze. 

The man she saw was…shocking!  He was so impressive that she actually blinked, just to see if perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her.  He literally stopped her in her tracks. 

Whoa, she thought, seeing his arm and back muscles bulge as he pulled himself up the cliff’s edge.  Ciara watched as….

Where had that stump come from?  Looking down, she quickly regained her footing then hurriedly glanced back up towards where she’d seen the man.  He was gone! 

Shoot, she thought.  Her eyes scanned the horizon but nothing else moved.  Where had he gone so quickly? 

Picking up her pace once more, she ran her usual route along the lake but she had a hard time getting back into the rhythm.  And it was all because of that man!  He’d been absolutely divine!  Never had she seen such a perfectly formed male specimen. 

Perhaps she’d just imagined him.  This was a pretty remote part of the woods.  The summer camp where she worked was careful about the surrounding area, going on hikes only in groups because of the potential of wild animals.  The kids were normally pretty loud, scaring off any bears or other animals, but one never knew and so the staff was always careful. 

But this man was out there in the distance alone. 

Shaking her head, thinking she had just imagined the man pulling himself up onto the cliff, she pushed herself harder, wanting to finish her run and shower before the summer camp kids woke up.  As a camp counselor, it took a lot of energy and focus to keep the kids moving in the right direction and teach them everything that the brochure promised to the parents.  Between the camping, swimming, archery, arts and crafts and all the other activities, her days were never boring.

Zoran stood on the cliff, looking down at the lake.  The silence and stillness of the hazy morning soothed the bitter stress of the past year.  Tensions were rising between his country and its neighbors, countries that had been friendly for decades.  But out here with the trees and the mountains, the soothing lake and the rising sun, things were peaceful and calm.  The world was kind and gentle when he looked out upon the valley.  He had one week to himself each year and he needed to absorb as much of the calm as possible before heading back to his responsibilities. 

The sudden figure of a slender woman running along the edge of the lake caught his eye.  She was a good runner, strong and smooth, keeping a steady pace as she dashed in and out of his sight through the trees.  He stood on the edge of the cliff watching her, fascinated by the steady fall of her feet against the earth.  And her body.  Yes, it was her body that had captured his attention.  That long, dark ponytail smacking her back, her strong legs, arms and…she turned a corner in the trail and his eyes feasted on pert breasts and a slender waist.  She was perfection, he thought.  From this distance, he couldn’t see her face, but he suspected that she would be lovely.  Though he soon lost sight of her in the forest, her image continued to dwell in his mind throughout the day.

“Ciara, you’ve got drawing class today.  Mike, you set up the swimming lessons.  Joanna….” The camp director called out the various assignments to each of the counselors.  Some of the instructors were hired for a specific camp activity such as lifeguard or cook.  The rest of them, like her, were shuffled around as the day’s focus changed.  Today, art was the big thing.  Puppet making, painting, drawing, wood carving…various art stations would be set up around the camp areas.  All of the kids would rotate through each of the stations. 

Twenty minutes later, her first group was trekking up the path into the woods, ready to learn how to draw.  It was still a little chilly, but the sun would heat up the day and it would be steamy by the afternoon.  Ciara didn’t mind, though.  She liked the heat.  Thrived on it, actually.  The earthy humidity she could do without, but just being outdoors, free from the normal stresses of her average day, was wonderful.

She looked around at the campers, understanding that drawing a bunch of trees might not be the most exciting station they would visit today, but she was going to make it as fun as possible.  “Okay, so pick up your charcoal pencil and just draw whatever you see.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, it can just be interesting,” she said.  The kids each grabbed a drawing paper, clipboard, and a charcoal pencil, found a perch on a rock or a log, and started drawing the trees.  Or each other, she noticed with amusement. 

She wandered to each of the campers, giving them tips on how to draw or sometimes helping them decide what to draw when they seemed to be looking around in utter confusion.  All the while, she encouraged each of them as she went. 

It was when she reached one girl who was sitting a bit further out than the rest that she saw him again.  Ciara was still facing the group but, as she glanced behind the rock where the girl was sitting, her eyes caught on…was that a naked man?

“Oh my,” she breathed as she watched the seriously nude man dive into the water pouring down from a waterfall.  The spot where he was diving wasn’t very deep and she was pretty sure that the water would be cold at this point in the morning, but goodness, it didn’t seem to affect him in any way.  In a few hours, once the summer sun had warmed up the air, the cool water of the waterfall and stream would be perfect.  But this early in the morning, she wouldn’t relish such a dip into the cold water. 

When he surfaced from his dive, his hand pushed his dark hair back and she felt faint.  She realized she hadn’t been breathing and took a large influx of oxygen as she continued to stare, mesmerized by the man and all of those amazing, delicious, bulging…muscles!  He was lifting himself out of the pool and moving towards the waterfall that now splashed down onto a flat rock.  She was only looking at his muscles, she promised herself but her eyes inadvertently drifted lower and she was…wow! 

Their eyes clashed.  He was still far enough away that she couldn’t see details, but she felt the impact of that gaze like a sudden punch.  It was like a laser beam of heat slicing through the cool mist of the morning, and she gripped the edge of the boulder underneath her hand as her body melted with his gaze. 

He wouldn’t release her, she thought.  Not that she was trying very hard.  She watched in utter fascination as he dove back into the water.  Frustratingly, he was once again submerged and she continued to watch as his strong arms started moving, pushing through the stream to the edge of the water. 

Before he started getting out again, he looked up at her, making sure she was still watching.  Which, of course, she was!  What woman in her right mind would be able to look away from such perfection?  When he assured himself that she was watching, he started to lift himself up again, out of the water onto a rock along the edge. 

He wasn’t going to do it, she thought frantically.  She would look away.  She absolutely would not ogle the amazingly well-put-together stranger.  But those eyes!  They were daring her!  Sure enough, he was getting out!  He was slowly pulling himself out of the water. 

Inch by inch, she watched as those shockingly huge arms lifted him out with agility.  Just as he’d done this morning, those muscles bunched up and he easily stepped onto the rock at the water’s edge. 

Standing up, he proudly revealed himself to her.  All naked male.  Protruding parts looking more than impressive!  Wasn’t there some sort of joke about what cold water did to the male…physique?  That must be untrue, because she knew that the stream water was cold and she now knew that this man’s…physique…was definitely not affected by that cold water. 

When he simply stood there, daring her to look at his body, she felt heat swamp over her.  Her breasts felt heavy and every muscle in her body tightened. Low in her belly, she felt the impact of his nakedness and she had the crazy urge to move forward, to meet him so that she could touch as well as see. 

“Ciara?” one of the campers called out. 

Ciara jerked backwards, her eyes moving to her students who were all diligently drawing the trees and rocks.  “Yes!” she gasped, shocked that she’d completely forgotten about all of her kids.  She glanced back, just one more look.  He was standing there, his hands on his hips, relaxed almost except for that…part…of him. 

She shook her head, trying to regain her focus, and moved back around the rock where she couldn’t succumb to temptation again.  She was working!  And with kids!  Goodness, if any of those kids had seen that man, gloriously naked, it would be the talk of the camp for the next week! 

“Okay, let’s see what you’ve done!” she called out.  The kids all looked up, probably because she sounded overly enthusiastic.  Was her face red?  Probably. 

The next group of kids was walking up the pathway and she was relieved.  Glancing behind her, she almost sobbed when she realized that the man was no longer there.  Where had he gone?  Was she upset that he was gone?  Or relieved?  She should be relieved, but the honest side of her accepted that she would definitely like another peek at that man.  She’d never seen anyone as well put together as he was. 

Zoran couldn’t believe that a slip of a woman could have this much of an impact on him and she wasn’t even touching him.  He stood at the edge of the water, demanding that she look at him, not allowing her to even glance away. 

He wanted her! 

And he could tell by her body movements that she wanted him.  From this distance, he could make out more details of her face.  Those cat-like eyes fascinated him and he wanted to know what color they were.  Her legs were long and muscular while her waist was tiny.  He couldn’t see enough of her breasts because of the loose shirt, and that irritated him.  He’d seen those beauties while running earlier today and he felt cheated now because they weren’t on display. 

She moved away suddenly and he wanted the heat from her glance back on him.  He felt angered by the fact that she’d disappeared. 

He was going to find her.  This was imperative, he realized. 

Moving easily over the rocks, he grabbed his clothes and hiking boots.  Dressing quickly, he stepped through the forest, his sense of direction leading him directly to her. 

Ciara felt the hairs on the back of her neck lift, sensing danger.  Looking around, her eyes scanned the trees for wild animals.  When she didn’t see anything initially, she glanced at the sky.  The threat wasn’t coming from the weather either. The sun was still shining, not a cloud in the sky. 

She looked around again and that’s when she saw him.  He wasn’t close, but he was closer than she’d seen him all day.  He was perched on a rock, once again looking relaxed.  Even as that thought occurred to her, she suspected that this man never relaxed.  The look in his eyes shouted out “predator”, but she didn’t run.  She stared for a long moment before one of the students asked her a question, bringing her attention back to her job.  It took her several moments to understand the student’s words, but she took a few deep breaths, trying to refocus her mind.

For the next hour, he sat there watching her, making her nervous but also…shockingly alive!  There was something about this tall, muscular man with the dangerous eyes that called to her.  Something that drew her closer, almost as if she were swimming around him in a circle, coming closer and closer but never too near for fear of being stung.  That analogy didn’t make any sense and she concentrated on showing one of the students how to draw branches more clearly.  Ciara chided herself since she wasn’t circling anyone and she definitely wasn’t getting closer to that man.  She kept looking in his direction to make sure he was still there and he hadn’t gotten closer.  But as the hour grew later, she realized that she wasn’t worried about him coming closer.  She was anxious about him leaving her again.  He’d disappeared on her earlier today and she didn’t want that to happen again.

Although, that begged the question – why not?  If he was so dangerous, why didn’t she want him to go?  She should be hoping that he would disappear back into the deep woods and leave her safely tucked away in the summer camp perimeter. 

When the last group of students made their way down the pathway, she stood there frozen in place, but every cell in her body seemed to be pinging around, alive and excited because she could feel him nearby.  He hadn’t left her!  He hadn’t disappeared!  Ciara knew that she should follow her students, should run down the pathway to safety.  It was time for dinner, she should be making her way down to the dining hall and helping with the dinner setup or ensure that the kids were cleaning up and heading towards the dining hall themselves.