Page 20 of Hot Zone

His mouth curved up almost cruelly and his eyes went as black as sin. “Maybe you should.”

His hand slipped behind her neck, under her hair, and slowly drew her toward him. He was too big and strong to bother fighting with. He would just toss her over his shoulder or pin her with a wrestling move.

But by way of passive resistance, she kept her eyes open, staring up at him. Disconcertingly, he stared back as their mouths drew close. Sparks flew between them—of challenge, of friction, of incendiary attraction.

She commented dryly, “Let me guess. This is the part where you kiss me senseless, and I’m supposed to swoon with desire for you and give in to whatever you want.”

His lips curved in a sinful smile. “Yes,” he murmured. “It is.”

Okay, so give the man brownie points for honesty. And for making her knees go weak, dammit.

He closed the last few inches between them. Their lips touched.

He groaned under his breath, and her knees nearly buckled under her. It was all there again. The driving need, the overwhelming pull between them, the tingling electricity racing across her skin.

Out of the corner of her eye, she actually thought she saw colored lights dancing around them. Last night hadn’t been an anomaly.

She was in serious trouble, here.

Surprisingly, it was Rustam who broke away first, panting like a racehorse, a fine sheen of perspiration glistening across his bronze skin. “You seduce me as easily as a courtesan giving a green lad his first kiss.”

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, an irregular flutter that was totally unlike her. “I think you’ve got that backward,” she managed to retort.

Their gazes locked, startled. Mutually alarmed, even. She had all kinds of logical reasons to avoid this man. But darned if she didn’t want more of that electricity zinging between them.

“We need to talk,” he rasped.

“About what?” she asked reluctantly.

“The court. You are as a lamb to slaughter within it.”

Okay. Not where she thought he’d been going. “How so?”

“’Tis a serpent’s nest of treachery and plots. You must proceed with utmost caution. Drawing the attention of Artemesia and her ilk can only lead to disaster.”

Tessa couldn’t agree more. But she was perplexed as to why he felt compelled to warn her. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Just have a care, all right?”

“All right.”

“Beware in particular of Artemesia. She is highly intelligent and schemes to advance her own cause by climbing upon the shoulders—or corpses—of any who stand in her way.”

“That’s the impression I got of her.”

“Tread lightly with her. Never insult her. Never appear more beautiful. And never, ever, demonstrate more intelligence than she.”

“An alpha female, huh?”

He nodded soberly. “Territorial. And vicious when crossed. Don’t get me wrong. She’s loyal to friends and can be grandly generous. But she’s ambitious.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

He nodded.

Silence fell between them, as close to companionable as they’d managed so far. She took the opportunity to cast her mind out across the valley at her feet, seeking any hint of the elusive bronze medallion piece. The signature—if it actually was the correct one—was incredibly faint. Which meant it was distant.

Odd. She should’ve time-jumped very near to it. She tried to sense what direction to travel to reach it. But every line of energy she sensed led directly to the man next to her.

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