Dancing With the Dangerous Prince (2 page)

But she didn’t move.  She couldn’t move. 

When the last of the campers turned the corner in the pathway, she spun around, intent on climbing up to where he was perched.

But as soon as she turned, he was there!  Less than five feet away! 

This stranger who had popped in and out of her day was no longer hiding.  He was there!  So close! 

And goodness, he was taller and larger than she’d thought.  She’d only seen him from a distance, but up close, he was more amazing than her imagination could have created.  His eyes were dark and deep set while his cheekbones were more prominent and his jaw promised determination.  The combination of the handsome, hard features and the rock hard body was… spellbinding! 

“You’re here,” she whispered, her eyes traveling back up to his black gaze. 

“You didn’t leave,” he came right back. 

She wanted to glance back down the pathway, to make sure that none of the campers saw this man, but his eyes wouldn’t let her look away. 

“They’re gone,” he confirmed.  Hazel, he realized.  Her pretty, cat eyes were hazel.  Almost green, but not quite.  With a bit of yellow, making him think of dragon eyes.  Soft, sweet, nervous dragon eyes.  A contradiction, he thought. 

How had he known what she was thinking?  And more importantly, why was she standing here?  Why was she not running away, back to safety?  How many times had her father or her bodyguards warned her that strangers were to be avoided?  Everything about this man screamed dangerous predator and the image of a rabbit popped into her mind.  She was the rabbit and this man, with his dark eyes, black hair and his tanned skin holding in all those bulging muscles, was the ultimate predator.

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

She blinked, and tilted her head back slightly.  “Stop doing that,” she told him, wanting to back up but refusing to do it.  She wouldn’t show this man how scared she was.  But was it fear?  Or something else? 

A dark eyebrow went up with her command.  “Stop doing what?”

She swallowed, her tongue darting out to moisten her painfully dry lips.  In the back of her mind, she heard the leaves rustling overhead, the birds chirping happily and, even farther away, the laughter from the summer camp.  “Stop reading my mind.”

He smiled slightly and those marvelous muscles in his arms tightened even more.  “I’m not reading your mind.  Your eyes were about to dart away from me.  You’re a camp counselor.  It stands to reason that you were trying to ensure the safety of your charges.”

Slowly, her head nodded.  She was still impressed even though the things he’d said were probably pretty basic assumptions on his part. 

His eyes moved down her figure, clad in shorts and a tee-shirt.  “And you’re a small woman.  I’m a stranger significantly larger than you are.  It stands to reason that, when I move closer, you would want to run away.” 

She thought about that, her eyes moving down his magnificent body.  He was wearing a brown tee-shirt, but the material in no way hid the muscles that were underneath.  In fact, the fabric strained to contain all of those captivating muscles. 

“I don’t.”  She suspected she should clarify, explain that she didn’t want to run away.  But when his eyes looked back into hers, she realized that he’d understood perfectly. 

He looked down, his eyes focusing on her lips.  “Good.  I won’t hurt you.”

Her lips quirked up into a smile.  “Said every serial killer,” she teased.

His eyes reflected her laughter.  “Good point.  Who are you?”

“Ciara,” she told him, not bothering with her last name because it required too much effort. 

“Zoran.” 

“Very pleased to meet you Zoran.”  In the distance, she heard the dinner bell ring.  “I have to go.”  She immediately started to move away, but when she felt his rough fingers touch her arm gently, she stopped and looked back up at him, startled by his touch. 

“Come back after dinner,” he commanded.

Ciara was tempted, but she shook her head.  “I can’t.”

“You’re afraid of me,” he stated with rising frustration because, for the first time, a woman fascinated him and he wasn’t sure how to approach her without terrifying her.  He didn’t want her to leave.  He needed to see her, to touch her.  Hell, right at this moment, with those perfect, full breasts pressing their pointed nipples against her tee-shirt, he wanted to devour her.  He didn’t think she would appreciate the intensity of that need at the moment. 

Ciara took a deep breath and looked back up into the coal-dark depths of those eyes.  “Should I be?”

Zoran thought about it for a long moment, tried to put himself in her shoes.  With all of the news reports of women putting themselves in danger, he could understand why she should run far and fast away from him.  He nodded slowly.  “Probably.”

His honesty was refreshing and, despite the fact that he was telling her she was probably better off never seeing him again, she actually felt safer.  Laughing, she relaxed ever so slightly.  “Thanks for the warning.”  Unfortunately, the bell chimed again.  “I really have to go.”

She was just about to turn around and head down the pathway when his words stopped her again.  “Do you always do what you’re told?”

She smiled because, yes, she did.  Her father was quite dictatorial – although she knew that he loved her very much.  “Yes,” she finally said, turning to head towards the pathway again.  Her forward momentum was stopped though, when he said, “Good.” 

She glanced back at him, her startled eyes taking in his large form and the change in his tension. 

She wasn’t sure what to do.  She desperately wanted to stay, to get to know this man, but she had responsibilities in the camp and she didn’t want to put herself in danger by remaining in the woods with a man she didn’t know.  Goodness, her guards would be furious with her just for the short period of time she’d already spent in his company.  And her father would be livid at all she’d seen of him earlier this morning! 

“Come back.  I won’t touch you.  I just want to talk to you, Ciara.”

She heard his words and a part of her was disappointed.  She wanted so much more than talking, but she wasn’t sure what that was. 

Zoran saw the look in her eyes and his body reacted.  He had a critical need to connect with this beauty, wanting to possess her in the most elemental way.  But he also realized that he was scaring her.  That look, that need was there in her eyes as well but she was banking it, suppressing it because this was a crazy situation.  Never would he have thought he would find a woman like her in the woods.  “Come back here after dinner.  Or whenever you’re off duty.”

She smiled softly, feeling wanted.  His eyes screamed out his desire for her and she liked it.  “I’ll be back in an hour.”

He nodded his head.  “I’ll be here.”

She turned and almost ran down the pathway, nervous once again, but for a whole different reason. 

Dinner with the campers and counselors that night seemed to go on forever!  She kept glancing at the clock, trying to figure out when she would be off duty.  When the kids finally started their cleanup duties, she practically jumped out of her chair to help them, wanting the process to move more quickly.  There was a campfire each night where the kids would sing songs or tell stories. Sometimes they put on a skit.  But she wasn’t required to be there for that.  As soon as the dining hall was cleaned up and emptied, she was off duty for the day. 

When the gong finally sounded for the campfire to start, she herded the kids out to the wooden benches, but stood off to the back, not wanting to become a part of tonight’s activities.  The other staffers who weren’t on duty slowly faded backwards as well.  Many of them would congregate back in the kitchen, chatting over a final cup of coffee.  And normally, she would join them.

She looked at the kids, happily singing along with the camp fire songs, then back at the dining hall where the other staffers that were off duty were already migrating.  She wasn’t going to the dining hall tonight.  She watched until the door to the hall closed and then she slowly backed away from the fire light.  When she reached the darkness, she was gripping her flashlight tightly, more than ready to slip into the night and find her stranger-man. 

She didn’t have far to look.  She was on her way back up the pathway when she spotted him, feeling nervous about the enigmatic combination of nocturnal stillness and intermittent sound.  He wasn’t at the top of the pathway this time.  In fact, he was right at the edge of the woods, waiting for her. 

He held out his hand for her and she hesitated for only a moment.  Putting her hand into his, she almost jerked it right back out, startled by the heat of his touch.  At the first sign of her reluctance, he tightened his fingers reassuringly and pulled her closer. 

“Don’t be afraid of me, Ciara,” he coaxed softly so that no one else could hear them.  “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Her breathing increased and she looked up at him, wishing she could see his face.  There was so little light here and she wanted, needed, to see his eyes.  She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.  It was almost as if she were hypnotized by this man, the mysterious quiet of the night and the cocooning nature of the darkness. 

“How about if we just sit here and talk?” he offered.

She breathed a sigh of relief.  “That would be good,” she replied, finding a moss covered log to perch on.  She then sat there awkwardly, not really sure what to talk about.  This man didn’t seem like the type that would want to trade shopping stories, not that she shopped all that much either. 

“Tell me about what you do at the camp,” he asked, trying to help her relax and show her that he wasn’t a threat.   

They talked for hours, she realized later.  Not about anything in particular, but just the sort of conversation that two people have when they’re getting to know each other.  She hadn’t realized how much time had passed until she was laughing about something he said and her eyes flashed over to the camp grounds.  It was almost completely dark!

“Oh my goodness,” she said, jumping up and looking around.  “It’s late.”

Zoran stood up as well.  “I’ll walk you back,” he told her, taking her hand in his. 

“That’s not necessary,” she told him, trying to pull back.  The darkness was isolating now.  It made their words seem much more intimate. 

“I will not allow you to walk back to your cabin in this darkness.”

She looked up at him.  “How are you going to get back to your camp site?” she asked. 

He faced her, pulling her closer.  “Are you worried about me, Ciara?” he asked gently. 

She swallowed, trying to figure out what was running through her mind.  It was hard though, with his hands now on her waist.  ‘Yes,” she finally admitted.  “It’s dark and there aren’t a lot of paths that will get you back to where your tent is.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her, thinking of the military training he’d gone through, most of which took place at night, trying to break through enemy lines.  “I’m pretty stealthy.  I won’t disturb any of the bears while getting back to my tent.”  He didn’t bother to tell her that his backpack, along with his tent and all of his gear, was only a few feet away.  He hadn’t really established a camp site, preferring to move around instead of coming back to the same place each night. 

He walked beside her until they reached her cabin. 

“This is it,” she whispered, not wanting to wake up anyone else in the campground. 

Zoran lifted his hand, pushing the wisps of hair back from her face.  “I’m going to kiss you,” he warned her. 

Ciara smiled tremulously.  “I would like that very much,” she whispered back.  She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and wondered if he could hear it.  As he lowered his head, her whole body started trembling with fear and anticipation.  And when his lips touched hers, gently at first, tentative, probing tenderly, she thought she might just go up in flames.

When her arms moved around his neck, Zoran deepened the kiss, wanting more, wanting to lift her up and carry her away so that he could make love to her properly.  He wanted all of her.  He wanted to possess her! 

He settled for kissing her with everything inside of him, showing her the depths of his desire.  When he pressed her back against the wall of her cabin, she moved against him, showing him that she was no longer afraid, that everything he was making her feel had overridden any fears that might have lingered after their long conversation. 

She tilted her head, wanting the kiss to go on forever!  When his lips were touching hers, she felt like she was flying, soaring high above the ground.  She loved the roughness of his tongue as it invaded her mouth and she arched against his body, wanting so much more! 

He slowly lifted his head as he gently pulled away and she was relieved that his breathing sounded as harsh as hers. 

He could see the desire in her eyes but knew that it was too soon to act on that feeling.  He’d have to pull back even though everything inside of him wanted to feel her wrapped around his body.  She was so soft and beautiful.  “Tomorrow.  Meet me back at the tree line,” he commanded. 

His hand lifted up, touching her skin and she pressed her cheek against his palm.  “Yes,” she whispered.