Her pulse pounded. Arousal stirred low in her belly. He crossed the room and stopped mere inches from her, the scents of fresh pine and citrus wafting around her. Scents, she suddenly realized, she’d smelled before.
When he’d rescued her in the woods? She wasn’t sure. And right now she couldn’t think. Because this close, he was bigger than she’d first thought. Broader across the shoulders, more muscular everywhere, so tall she had to tip her head back to look up at his face. And hot. His body heat sizzled across the distance between them, seeping into her skin until that arousal slinked lower and her thighs trembled.
She didn’t fight the arousal this time. Told herself it was because her arousal would produce pheromones that would draw him in. And drawing him in meant she could finish this job, maybe tonight. But something in the back of her consciousness knew that was a lie. She wasn’t fighting it because he excited her. Because a wicked place inside her wanted to know what it would feel like to be devoured by a savage like him.
He stepped forward, and though Daphne wanted nothing more than to feel his skin brush hers, she moved back. Two steps were all she had until her butt hit the bookshelf behind her. The Argonaut lifted both large hands, and her stomach caved in, waiting for his touch, wondering where he would start. But instead of his skin grazing hers, he rested his hands on the shelf near her head, boxing her in.
His mismatched gaze skipped over her features. Heat surrounded her as he leaned in, jacking her arousal up even higher, making her forget the Sirens, her reason for being here, even her own name.
Her body instinctively swayed toward him. Her eyelids lowered. She lifted her head toward his, her lips trembling in pure anticipation.
He stopped millimeters from her lips and whispered, “Can’t sleep, huh?”
His warm, minty breath brushed her sensitive skin. Her mouth watered, desperate for a taste. Without even realizing it, she eased even closer. “No. I’m not the least bit tired. I think I may need help with that.”
“Help, huh?”
His words were a throaty purr, his massive legs so close they skimmed her own, making her sex ache. It was all she could do to keep from reaching him, but Sappheire’s voice—something she didn’t expect—whispered that he needed to make the first big move so she knew she could completely draw him in.
She didn’t want to think about Sappheire right now. Didn’t want to think about the Sirens or her mission. She just wanted to be taken. By this savage? Oh yes... She didn’t even care what he’d done anymore.
He leaned toward her ear, his warm breath fanning her neck, sending tingles straight down her spine. His lips just barely brushed her lobe, and her eyes slid closed. “Here’s your help, little nymph,” he whispered. “Lock yourself in your room where it’s safe because if I see you out here again, I won’t be held responsible for my actions. I’m unpredictable. And not in any way you want a male to be.”
A tremor ran down Daphne’s spine, dimming her arousal. Cool air washed over her as the Argonaut drew back. Slowly, she opened her eyes, but the instant she looked up, she knew the Argonaut wasn’t the least bit turned on like her. His jaw was hard, his eyes icy and cold. And when she heard the wood crack behind her where he still gripped the shelf, she realized what she’d missed thanks to her stupid excitement.
He was every bit the savage Athena had claimed him to be. His eyes were wild. His skin flushed. And it wasn’t just arousal dragging him to the edge of control. It was something else. Something she knew instinctively she should be afraid of.
“I’m no hero, nymph. Don’t invade my space again.”
He let go of the shelf, turned, and exited the room without another word.
Daphne sagged back into the bookshelf and drew in a shaky breath. But fear didn’t come. Because as soon as she was alone, she realized what she’d missed moments before.
He hadn’t been icy until just the last moment. When she’d obviously tried to seduce him. Before that, when he’d been watching her and she’d been her silly, rambling self, his expression had been one of noticeable interest, just as it had been when he’d looked at her downstairs in his gym.
He was attracted to her. Very attracted. He just wasn’t attracted when she used her Siren skills. That meant straight up seduction wasn’t going to work. She needed to finesse the situation, make him trust her. She just wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.
She pushed away from the bookshelf and remembered Silas. Silas could help her. She’d talk to the half breed and figure out the best way to get close to Aristokles.
Then she’d finish the job she’d come to do. And forget about the sexy savage who made her body ache.
*