An Excerpt from Samara King's Flirting with Danger

The war between desire and duty was one Quentin De Leon had battled since the day he’d first met Aries. He watched her from behind the palm trees, mesmerized by her lush curves. The sound of water roared in his ears as he watched Aries step into the outdoor shower area of her hotel room.

Common decency dictated that he make his presence known, only the raging need to fuck her until she cried his name consumed him more and dulled all common sense.

He couldn’t think clearly; a dangerous position for a vampire. Enemies laid in wait for one moment of weakness. She was his one vice. Loyalty to his mission couldn’t stop his lustful thoughts as he watched from the shadows. Seeing her again left him feeling unsteady.

Quentin thought of his homeland, a lush isle off the Southern Coastlands. It was his job to protect the people of Astyria. He was a Seastnan, a royal guard of the Scepter of Seven. He liked to think that the Seastnans acted as the balance between good and evil. But the hollowness in his soul often made him doubt just what difference he could make.

There was growing division between the Vampire Nation and many rebels who would stop at nothing to overthrow the Scepter of Seven, the ruling Elders of the Nation. Every precaution must be taken to ensure their safety. Worrying about Aries’s safety would only distract him from his responsibilities, yet he couldn’t stop.

Duty was what kept him sane. Being in Aries’s arms made him hungry. Quentin shifted, the heaviness of his hardening cock serving as a rigid reminder that he couldn’t ignore the attraction between them.

He’d temporarily been reassigned once word of his affair and pending marriage with Aries had been reported. His devotion to the Scepter had forced him to walk away once. Anger surged within him as he thought of Aries being with another man ‑‑ his enemy, at that. He closed his eyes, pushing the image away, and reopened them to stare at the woman who’d burned every part of her essence into his being.

Aries’s life was in danger. Her safety was the priority, not the past. Though the pain he’d caused her had never left him. Once again, he was put in charge of her safety. As his gaze swept over her body, he doubted any risk he’d face would be as dangerous as the rush he felt around her.

She had the kind of legs Quentin visualized wrapped around his waist as he drove deeper and harder into her creamy pussy. Her rich skin reminded him of the color of coffee mixed with cream. She tasted so damn good. Her facial features were a mixture of her bicultural heritage: African-American and Caucasian. Full lips the color of fresh raspberries; hazel eyes that had more flecks of gold than green, like those of a big cat and just as mysterious.

Aries.

Quentin’s gaze followed the trail of her wavy hair that laid in a heavy mass of brown curls against the slick flesh of her back. His eyes settled on her full hips. His hands clenched. He imagined standing behind her, pounding his cock into her slick core until she screamed out in pleasure.

Quentin couldn’t help himself. He was a man, after all. A vampire with a lust for a mortal that withstood all reason and defied every rule he had about getting personally involved on a mission. That line had been drawn and broken long ago.

Three years of guilt assailed him. Time seemed to have stood still; the temptation to touch her burned through him. Quentin’s body shook; hunger that he’d tried to squelch with his iron-willed control raged fiercely. He’d sworn that he would not taint her life, her vitality with his demons. Yet, he stood hard as a stone, ready and more than willing to fill her mesmerizing heat with his cock.

Her wicked nature and knee-jerk way of handling the world was what had brought him to the islands. The moment Revin had told him of Aries’s plan to take on Isaias, he had sworn that not one hair on her beautiful head would be harmed. It mattered not whether she wanted him as her protector. He was here to usher her back to safety before Isaias or a member of his clan found her.

He growled and watched the water slide down her slick skin under the evening skies. She knew he was near, and was teasing and torturing him for his betrayal. Would he always crave the scent of her pussy?

The memory of the sweet flavor of her sex on his tongue was enough to make him explode. Quentin closed his eyes, trying to rein in his passion. He thirsted for Aries. Sweet heavens! He remembered her calling his name into the wee hours of dawn. He could not contain the lust, the need to have her in his arms. He walked closer to the shower.

Aries turned slowly, smiling devilishly up at him; her gaze devoured him but not before a thin shield of ice flashed within those shimmering, hazy-brown depths.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you to break down.”

“Hello, Aries.” Quentin was oblivious to the drenched T-shirt and jeans molded to his body. He pulled her into his arms, groaning inwardly as her soft curves melded against his hard flesh.

“I don’t remembering asking you to join me.” She moaned as their bodies pressed intimately against each other’s.

“I feel your heat, Aries. You can’t hide from me.” She was his forbidden angel. “You never could.”

“Funny, that’s exactly what I thought when you walked out on me. I was tempted to kick your ass.”

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“Duty has a way of doing that to people.” She rolled her eyes, pushing against his chest. “What do you want, De Leon?”

Quentin groaned. Did she have to ask such a tempting question? He’d missed her. The pain in her voice stirred him from his lustful thoughts. It shone intensely in her eyes; the one place he could always find the answers he sought. “I’ve never forgiven myself.”

“Good, nor have I.” She looked away. “I didn’t think men like you looked back.”

Quentin grinned, his gaze traveled lower. “You’d be surprised.”

“I don‘t believe in surprises. Everything happens for a reason.”

“I’m here for you, Aries.” He pressed her closer, his arms shielding her, drawing her even closer against him. The strong sexual currents shifted, vibrating like electricity. His cock nestled between the wet crevices of her legs. “Didn’t you miss me just a little bit?”

Her body sure felt as if it had. He could feel it throbbing. Her lips parted; her eyelids were half-closed. Her heart raced as she pretended to look unfazed. The heat between them would only intensify the more they stayed like this.

She narrowed her eyes. “Hell, NO!”

He grinned. “Thou doth protest too much, my lady.” He pressed his cock closer to her slick folds and shuddered when he felt her tremble. “Sure feels like you’ve missed me.”

© Samara King, June 2007
All Rights Reserved