Adalasia wasn’t going to show her disappointment. Sandu had made the last cave very nice for her. She just thought since Teagan’s home was so lovely, the guesthouse would be as well. Sending them off to a cave didn’t seem in keeping with Teagan’s idea of entertaining guests, even though the woman was Carpathian now.
The path leading up to that dark entrance in the large gray boulders looked like uneven ground, but when they walked on it, the stones felt smooth, easy to navigate, even in the dark of night. She was very aware of Sandu walking close to her. He had those wide shoulders and that broad, muscular chest, wild hair and eyes that could look so feral when red flames burned in them, like now. When he looked down at her, which he always seemed to be doing, a dark fist of lust knotted low in her stomach. Her sex clenched and her panties were suddenly damp. It seemed as if all she had to do was look into his eyes, and he could do that to her.
When had the physical attraction toward Sandu grown so strong until desire bordered on out of control? She wasn’t a woman who had reactions like the ones she was having. The more she was around him, alone with him, in his mind, the more she craved him. She was a little embarrassed that she couldn’t control the way her body reacted to the least little brush of his hand or his hip as they walked together.
Then he smiled. Her heart seemed to do a slow roll. She would follow him anywhere. It wasn’t just his looks. It was the intimacy they shared with each other. She felt him in her mind, connected to her in a way no one had ever been or would ever be again. He gave off a sense of calm even when everything around them seemed to be sheer chaos. She appreciated that trait in him.
“We’re here,” Sandu announced.
She had to stop staring at him. She really did. She forced herself to turn her attention to the cave entrance. They had stepped onto the gray and black stones right at the entryway. Adalasia couldn’t suppress her cry of delight. It wasn’t a cave at all, but a beautiful cottage built into the mountainside.
The front was a little round porch with two comfortable rocking chairs that faced the beauty of the forest. The floor of the tiny verandah was that same gray and black stone, as was the curving railing that surrounded it. The columns leading to the small overhead roof were stone as well, all blending into the mountainside, giving the illusion of being part of the boulders.
“It’s like some little fairy house.”
Sandu laughed at her expression. “Now you’re seeing Carpathian skills at hiding their existence right out in the open.”
“It’s like magic. I thought it was another cave. Not that I’m complaining about the last cave we were in. You made it very comfortable and beautiful for me.” She turned toward him and put her hand on his chest, not wanting him to think she didn’t appreciate what he’d done for her. The moment her palm was over his heart, she was aware of the way her heart tuned itself to his. It was such a strange phenomenon.
Touching his chest with her palm right through his clothing—that might have been a mistake—a big mistake. The moment she put her hand on him, the breath left her lungs, and there was no getting air. He felt hot. Scorching. Almost as if he were branding her palm, going through her skin straight to her bones.
She didn’t want to make a fool of herself. She was already swinging back and forth, so confused by their strange relationship. She’d wanted the fairytale, and that wasn’t anything close to the reality of their situation. Now, she was closer to the reality of the man that would be her life partner. Sandu. Man? Carpathian? Beast? Demon? All of those things? She didn’t know, only that he was more real than her fairytale, and she was so desperately attracted to him.
Sandu’s hand came up to frame her cheek. His palm was so large he cupped the entire side of her face. His thumb slid along her cheekbone in a little caress that she felt all the way to her toes. “I am so grateful to the universe that you are my lifemate, Adalasia. You are worth every moment of that seemingly endless wait.”
The sincerity of his tone, that truth she found in his mind, was heart-stopping. She knew when she looked at him, he would see her heart in her eyes, but she didn’t care. They had the intimacy of telepathic communication. It was rather silly to try to hide how she felt about him, nor did she want to.
His arm swept around her waist, and he lifted her like a man would his bride, carrying her across the threshold. He had done the same thing when they entered Andre’s home. When they entered Lucian’s home. She had her arms linked around his neck. Her small satchel had already been brought to the house, at least she was certain it had been.