Night's Pleasure by Amanda Ashley Page A

performance. She didn’t understand why she felt that way. It would have been understandable if they were married or engaged, but he was little more than a stranger to her, someone who would soon be gone from her life. Maybe it was just because she had seen his act so many times through the years. Maybe it was because they had spent a few hours together the night before. Whatever the reason, it pleased her when the audience responded to his act.
    When he received a standing ovation, she rose with the rest of the crowd, then ducked out the side entrance that led to the dressing rooms. Her heart was pounding with anticipation when she reached his door.
    He opened it before she knocked. “Come on in.”
    â€œHow did you know I was out here?”
    He smiled, a slow sexy smile that made her heart beat even faster. Shirtless and barefooted, he was a feast for feminine eyes. She couldn’t help staring at him. He was so beautiful, it was all she could do to keep from reaching for him. Even now, her fingers itched to explore the broad expanse of his chest, to slide up his arms, to measure the width of his biceps, to tangle in his hair…
    â€œThere’s a bed behind the curtain,” he remarked. His voice was deep and sinfully rich, edged with wry amusement.
    She looked up at him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I…”
    â€œIt’s all right, honey. I like the way you look, too.”
    She didn’t know what to say, so she wisely said nothing.
    â€œI thought we might go dancing,” he said, reaching for a dark gray shirt. “That okay with you?”
    Savanah nodded, thinking it was a shame to cover up that beautiful chest, those broad shoulders, those gorgeous arms.
    â€œOr we could go to my place,” he said with a knowing grin, “and I could take it all off.”
    She would have said it was impossible, but her cheeks grew even hotter. What was the matter with her? She had never felt such…such lust, for a man. But then, she had never known a man who exuded such raw masculinity. His voice, his smile, the roguish look in his eyes…Shape-shifter or not, she defied any woman past puberty to resist him.
    â€œDancing sounds like fun,” she remarked.
    He pulled on a pair of soft leather boots, then grabbed a black jacket from the back of a chair. “Let’s go.”
    She couldn’t think of anything to say on the way to the club. She was acutely aware of the man sitting in the car beside her. His scent filled her nostrils, his nearness made her edgy in a way she had never experienced before. Every nerve ending seemed to be on alert, just waiting for the touch of his hand. The fact that he didn’t speak made her wonder if he was as nervous as she, though she doubted it. Besides being the sexiest man she had ever seen, he was also the most confident, self-assured man she had ever met.
    Rane slid a glance at the woman beside him. He didn’t have to rely on his preternatural powers to know she found him attractive, or that she was as nervous as a week-old kitten confronting a hungry tom. He couldn’t blame her. She was right to be on edge. He didn’t think she was aware of it on a conscious level, but he knew her instinct for self-preservation was warning her that she was in danger. He wondered if she sensed that he wanted more from her than a few nights of passion, that he wanted her life’s blood, and perhaps her life, as well.
    He pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later. Killing the engine, he turned toward Savanah. Under his gaze, her heart beat a little faster. The sound stirred his hunger. For a moment, he thought of surrendering to the need within him. It would be so easy to take her, here, now, to take it all.
    The scent of her fear filled his nostrils, arousing him still further.
    Muttering an oath, he got out of the car. After taking a couple of deep, calming breaths, he opened her door and