“I put him in the hospital. Also the three guys who tried to pull me off. They didn’t have a chance against me. Not when I’m like that. And the only reason I stopped, Alyssa? Theonly reasonis because I made the jump shot.”
“I got that. You made your goal, so you stopped.”
“And because the girl I wanted sucker punched me until I hit the ground.”
She snorted. “Hooray for girl power.”
“I’ve touched that place other times in my life. Once in Afghanistan when we were pinned down. The only reason I stopped then was because I was shot and unconscious. Once on leave when I was jumped by muggers in Turkey.” He felt his jaw clench, but he forced the words out. “I killed them.”
“They sound like reasonable choices, Simon.”
He touched her cheek. “It’s a scorched earth place in my head, Alyssa. When I go there, everybody dies.”
“You didn’t kill everyone yesterday.”
“Because you stopped me. Because you pulled me out of it.”
She shook her head. “Don’t put that on me. I didn’t do anything but…” Her voice trailed away as her cheeks flushed. Any other time he would have found the expression adorable. This time he just touched her fingers, stroking his thumb over her knuckles.
“You centered me. When I fought, Alyssa, it was to protect you. When I killed Nanook, it was to keep you alive. And when I risked your life against that drug dealer…” His voice cracked but he forced himself to continue. “It was to impress you.”
She blinked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s not a logical frame of mind.” While she absorbed that, he told her the rest. “Then you stayed by my side as I cemented my position. And last night…” He took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of sex that still lingered in the room. “You understood what I needed, where I was without me having to explain. I needed to be an animal but not killing. I needed to be a man with a woman, and not playing power games.”
Did she understand how important that was to him? That she could keep him within the bounds of decency? And she’d known what he needed without him explaining. He might be the scariest shifter around, but she held the power over him. And that made him vulnerable to her in ways that terrified him. It also gave him hope that he wasn’t alone and that was the rarest gift of all.
Did she understand that? Did she know?
No, she didn’t. Because all she did was stretch up on her toes and press a kiss to his lips. And when he would have deepened it, she pulled back. “I guess you answered my question. They’re all you. Animal, man, determined, and sexy. It’s all you.”
“It’s not. It’s pieces of me—”
“It’s you. Different moods, different needs, but they’re all you.”
Maybe. And maybe it didn’t matter because whatever part of him dominated, they all centered on her.
He dropped his forehead to hers and breathed her scent again. He’d never tire of that. And he’d never forget it. “Come back to bed, Alyssa. We’ll explore every aspect of—”
She kissed him, deep and so giving. He drank it all in, soaking up the passion that was Alyssa. And when he lifted her up in his arms, she wrapped her legs around him. He was naked and she wore yoga pants and a tank. She helped him strip it off her. And he pinned her against the wall while he suckled her breasts.
And when he would have plunged inside again, she gripped his ears. “Condom,” she gasped.
This time he understood. He carried her into the bedroom and opened the bedside drawer. She helped him put it on while he stripped her pants away. And when she would have stroked him to completion, he pushed her backward on the bed. He spread her legs and pushed slowly inside.
He wasn’t in that primal place anymore. He wasn’t a beast mating in the woods. This time he was a man and he used his mind to make it good for her. He pressed his thumb to her clit and held it there. Then with every thrust, he added an extra stroke. A little more spice, he thought, until she was on fire.
And when she was gasping and clutching at him, he let his body take over. He stroked her one last time, loving the sound of her climax. And then he pounded into her. Harder and faster until his mind whited out and his body exploded.
He released into her so many times while her body greedily milked him for more. And when they were done, he pressed his lips to hers and nearly said the words out loud. They came to the tip of his tongue, but he held them back.
It was too soon to tell her. It put too much on her when they’d only known each other for a short time. And he didn’t want to admit to feelings that meant he would center on her for the rest of his life. That was too scary a thing to say out loud.
So he held them back and stopped himself from even thinking the word, “love.”
And this time when he woke up from his doze, she was still in his arms. She lay sleeping tucked up against him and he pressed his nose to her skin right below her ear. And he stayed there until she finally stirred. And even then, he held her, pressing kisses to her neck until she murmured.
“Is that my cell phone?”
