Page 13 of Tamed By Her Touch

“No, but it does make me right. I should be allowed to use your equipment for the good of both our research.”

Kaelus's jaw tightened, and Clair folded her arms over her breasts, waiting to see what he would say next.

“Well?” she demanded.

“Well what?” he growled.

“You know what.”

“I do not.”

Clair gave him her sweetest “bless your heart” smile.

“Yes, you do, sugar-booger.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Do not call me that. I have done research on what it means and I do not wish to be called the human word for dried mucus found in the nasal cavity.”

“Fine, then say it,” Clair told him.

He shook his head.

“Say what, exactly?”

“Admit I was right,” Clair challenged him. “Admit that my using your equipment led to a break-through neither of us would have reached if I hadn’t put my specimen in your analyzer.”

Kaelus looked as though she'd asked him to swallow broken glass and Clair waited, tapping her fingernails pointedly.

Finally, the big Hybrid turned toward the display again.

“The results are…interesting,” he rumbled at last.

A grin spread across Clair's face.

“Oh, no, you don't. You're not getting off that easy,” she told him.

He frowned.

“I have acknowledged the significance of your findings. What more do you want of me?”

“You haven't acknowledged anything,” she shot back. “You said they were interesting.”

“Well, they are interesting,” he protested.

“And who found them?” She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting.

Kaelus gave her a long, pained look but Clair just smiled sweetly.

“Go on, big guy. You can say it. I believe in you.”

His fangs flashed as his upper lip curled.

“You did.”

His voice was a guttural growl that would have scared her if it came from any other male. But Kindred were known not to harm women, she reminded herself. Still, it was a little scary to hear such an animalistic sound from a seven-and-a-half-foot tall Hybrid with glowing golden eyes and fangs—she had to admit that. Not that she would show even the least speck of fear to Kaelus.

“I did what?” she prodded.