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“I’m attached to you,” he told her. “I…I…”
Dammit, I fucking love you already. I can’t say that. That’s absurd. She’ll run for the hills. It’ll sound stupid. And I’m not even sure if love is the right word. You’re mine. No, that sounds menacing. How do I explain it?
“Remember the talk we had on the yacht?” he asked. “About paranormal stuff? About shifters?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Do you remember the tiger shark that circled around you in the water? The one who kept circling to make sure none of the others could get to you?”
She remained silent for a moment, and he felt bad forcing her to relive such a terrible memory. He hated himself for not knowing Evelyn’s intentions in time to prevent it from happening. He’d let her down, and now he was making her relive it all over in her mind.
“Yes,” she said softly.
“I was that shark,” he said. “I protected you. I should have gotten there sooner. I’m so sorry.”
He leaned down and kissed her hand, rubbing her fingers in his.
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated. “I should have known. I should have prevented it.”
“So, you did jump in to save me,” she said barely above a whisper. “I thought nobody cared.”
Letting her feel that way was something he could never forgive himself for. He stood and leaned over her bed, moving his face an inch from hers in the darkness. Her breath brushed his lips and he closed his eyes, living in the moment for a second. He wanted to climb into the bed and hold her that close forever.
“I will always care,” he said.
His lips touched hers, but neither moved for a moment. Her breath entered his mouth and his seeped inside hers. The raw emotion of being so close and refraining from the kiss was so strong. Finally, he could no longer hold back. Thane’s lips met Penny’s and he kissed her hard, working her lips between his, until her gasp invited him in. His tongue slid between her lips, found hers, and caressed it softly. Her mouth was so soft and his was so hungry. The two combined and their tongues were on fire.
Without meaning to, he pushed against her injured leg, and she whined inside his mouth, but he sucked the pain away, apologizing with his tongue, pulling another whine from her lips. She was his, and he was hers.
“Come with me,” he whispered into her mouth.
“Where?” she asked.
He pulled away from her, so he could look her in the eyes.
“Come with me to my island,” he said. “I will take care of you there. I can do things this hospital can’t. I’ll take care of you. I’m afraid if you stay here, you might be in danger. If you come with me, I’ll make sure you’re never hurt again.”
“I can’t leave here,” she said. “What about my friend, Sylvia?”
“Send her a text message saying you promise you’ll get in touch with her soon,” he said. “Tell her…I don’t know. Just make sure she knows you’re okay.”
“This is crazy,” she said.
“Let’s be crazy together then,” he said. “Trust me. I will take care of you.”
She closed her eyes and seemed to be savoring his words.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for someone to say that,” she said. “Are you sure you mean it?”
“More than anything else in the world,” he promised.
“Then I’ll go with you,” Penny said.
Chapter 7
Sneaking out of the hospital with Thane was the most invigorating thing she’d ever done. Penny was nervous, but she was excited at the same time. Not only had he revealed his secret to her, but he’d told her that he wanted her and that he wanted to take her home. She’d never had anyone talk to her the way he did. And that kiss. Every kiss prior had felt like it was only a step toward something else, more like a tool used to move her dates on to third base.
Not Thane’s kiss. His kiss was everything. It stood on its own two legs. His kiss was that, and that alone, it was an explosion of emotions, sensory overload, all in what must have only amounted to a minute. As he held her in his arms and carried her out of the hospital, she felt loved. She felt cared for. She felt protected.
