143
" He strolled through the store to the back room.
Leah sat at a desk, staring at a computer screen that displayed a spreadsheet of some sort. “Give me two minutes,” she mumbled, her tone distracted, “then I’ll be done.”
Seth leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. She wore glasses tonight. He had never seen her do so before and wondered if she needed them for reading and close-up work the way many humans did once they reached their forties. The frames were black, reminding him of those that had been popular in the sixties. Her long hair was pulled back in a slightly disheveled bun. The jeans and blazer she’d apparently changed into before going back to work hugged her beautiful figure.
She had, as Sheldon would say, a real sexy-librarian thing going on that heated Seth’s blood. The longer he watched her, the more he wanted to touch her, to peel that blazer off, loosen her hair, and—
“Finally,” she announced with a sigh. Closing the file, she removed her glasses and spun the chair around to face him. When she looked at him, her eyebrows flew up. “Hi.”
“Hello.”
She studied him for a moment. “Something on your mind?”
Aside from a deep desire to strip her naked? "
― Dianne Duvall , Death of Darkness (Immortal Guardians, #9)
156
" Jak’ri nodded toward the cliff’s edge. “Shall we?”
“Not if you give me time to think about it.”
He flashed his teeth in a boyish grin. “One-two-three, jump!” he called and took off running, pulling her after him.
Ava’s eyes widened and her heart thudded hard in her chest as she ran alongside him.
Their feet hit the edge at the same time, and together they leapt off.
Jak’ri whooped as they plummeted toward the ocean, the sound so wonderfully carefree and appealing that Ava found herself grinning big even as she shrieked and squeezed the hell out of his hand.
He hit the water a split second before her. Cool liquid closed over their heads. Bubbles surrounded them as if they’d just jumped into a vat of club soda. Then he looped an arm around her waist and propelled them both to the surface.
“That was crazy!” she blurted, unable to stop smiling as she swiped water from her face.
“Crazy but fun?” he quipped, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Maybe,” she hedged. “But not as fun at this.” Propelling her upper body out of the water, she planted her hands atop his head and dunked him. As soon as she released him, she began a lazy backstroke.
Jak’ri surfaced with a sputter and a laugh. When his silver eyes found her a few yards away, they acquired a devilish glint. “Oh, you’re going to regret that, little Earthling.”
Ava shrieked when he dove for her. Rolling onto her stomach, she took off, swimming in earnest.
Jak’ri’s fingers closed around one of her ankles. “Caught you!” She swam harder, getting absolutely nowhere, breaking into giggles as he issued dire threats in a villainous voice.
When was the last time she had honest-to-goodness giggled?
She yelped when he gave her ankle a yank.
Then she was in his arms and he was grinning wickedly at her.
“Think you can get the best of me, do you?” he taunted. Tucking his hands under her arms, he kicked his feet.
Ava laughed as he tossed her up out of the water. Through the air she flew, landing on her back several yards away. The water again closed over her head. When she surfaced, she quickly bent her head to hide her smile and rubbed her eyes. “Hang on a sec,” she mumbled.
Jak’ri immediately stopped laughing and swam toward her. “I’m sorry. Did you get something in your eye?”
“No.” She grinned at him. “I just needed to lure you closer.” Then she swept her arm through the water in front of him, sending a cascade over his head.
Sputtering, Jak’ri dove for her.
Laughter abounded as they played, even more so when he started sharing tales of his exploits with his brother.
Clunk.
Ava jerked awake. Damn it! She really hated to wake up. She and Jak’ri had been romping and playing like children. Having to come back to the reality of this cell and the assholes who’d put her in it sucked. "
― Dianne Duvall , The Purveli (Aldebarian Alliance #3)
157
" Jak’ri had admired how she’d handled captivity, the way Ava had conquered her fears again and again, the sense of humor she hadn’t abandoned in favor of despair. He’d been grateful for the reprieves she’d granted him from his own captivity in dreams, treasuring the moments of freedom they’d shared at Runaka Point. And he respected the intelligence she had repeatedly exhibited both back on the ship and here on this alien world.
He studied her from the corner of his eye. She’d pulled her long hair back in what she called a ponytail that slid this way and that across the top of her pack. Little tendrils had escaped and danced around her pretty face as a faint sheen of moisture glistened on her forehead.
Jak’ri’s heart thudded in his chest. Since becoming an adult, he had wondered periodically what having a lifemate would be like, if experiencing that depth of emotion and caring would change him in some way.
His parents’ union was a loving one, full of laughter, affection, and teasing. Throughout his life, his mother and father had shared a closeness that he’d begun to wonder if he would ever find himself, since past lovers had failed to engender those emotions in him.
But now he knew. Now he understood. "
― Dianne Duvall , The Purveli (Aldebarian Alliance #3)
