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“You should probably think about this.”Shut up!Ignoring the voice inside him, he plowed on. “Your entire life is in upheaval. You were attacked. Your emotions are all over the place.” Look at him being all understanding and shit. A real poster boy for the “modern male.” It would be funny if he didn’t hurt so damn much.
His wolf growled his displeasure, not the least bit impressed with him.
Neither was Zoe if the deep frown lines between her brows were any indication. “Are you implying I don’t know my own mind? Don’t understand the difference between gratitude and attraction?”
He might not have ever had anything resembling an actual relationship, but he wasn’t an idiot. “Not under normal circumstances. But, babe, these are anything but normal times.”
She blinked. “Did you just call me babe?”
Closing his eyes, he prayed for patience. Not easy when his balls were trying to crawl into his body. When she was warm and soft, every inch of her pressed against him. Her breasts pillowed against his chest. He’d glimpsed them last night—full, firm mounds that begged for attention.
“I’m sorry.” She huffed out a breath. “Jeez, I’m doing what too many men are accused of—pressuring you. Chalk it up to this madness. I assumed your erection meant you were attracted to me, instead of a normal bodily reaction to waking with a woman sprawled on top of you.”
When she started to roll away, he was almost too shocked to catch her. Thankfully, his fast reflexes came to his rescue, and he managed to hold her in place. “Let’s get one thing straight.” He pushed his groin more firmly against hers. “There’s only one woman I want.”
“Is that so?” Her reply was breathy. The scent of her arousal teased his nostrils.
“That is so. No one else would’ve been able to end up on top of me without my knowing.” It was beyond comprehension that she believed he had a hard-on simply because she was available, that any woman would elicit the same response.
Resting her forearms on his chest, she levered herself up slightly, shoving her sex against his dick. They both moaned, but hers was tinged with pain. “How badly are you bruised?”
“I don’t know. And that’s as honest as I can be until I look. It hurts to move, but it’s probably the best thing for me. Otherwise, I’ll stiffen up.” Her eyes took on a teasing light. “And one of us is already stiff enough.”
“You had to say it.” He groaned and shook his head. The twinkle in her eyes, the softness of her body against his, her willingness to be with him, to treat him as a normal person instead of the killer he was, enchanted him.
Giving her time to object, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her down until their lips were almost touching. This was insanity. Enemies were hunting for them. Even if there weren’t, Zoe was human. Maybe if he was a normal wolf they could manage a relationship, but he was a lone wolf. There’d always be a target on his back, one that would extend to her if they were together. He cared about her too much to put her in harm’s way. This stolen time was all they’d have.
He hadn’t asked to be a lone wolf any more than he’d asked for Zoe to burst into his life like sunshine after a storm, but if this time was all he’d have, he planned to make the most of it. He’d have to live on the memories for the rest of his life.
“Be sure.” If they took this next step, there wasn’t any going back—for either of them.
Rather than reply, she closed the tiny gap. The kiss was almost chaste, a mere touching of lips. Unlike the last time, she was aware of what he was. It was barely the tip of the iceberg, but she understood he wasn’t fully human, that he was a killer. No, she knew he’d killed to protect her, not that it was his vocation.
“Zoe.” He should slam the brakes on this.
“Shut up.” She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and then eased inside. His scalp tingled. Heat radiated from him. He was a hairsbreadth away from coming. Her softness, her acceptance, was a balm to his tortured soul.
He hadn’t understood the depths of his loneliness until he’d met her. He could almost hate her for that. She was human, her lifespan limited. His was never-ending, unless someone managed to behead him. Or he chose to see to it himself.
Their lives couldn’t be more different. His world was too dangerous for her to live in. Caring about her was a weakness, one his enemies would happily exploit.
She tasted like fine wine, a decadent delight. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth and mapping the hot depths. The more he took, the more he wanted.
Zoe Galvani could be the death of him, but he no longer cared.
Chapter Eleven
Her toes curled as the most delicious warmth enveloped her. This was madness. He’d been right to question her motives. Everything in her life was topsy-turvy. He was the one solid thing in it.
Was she using him so she didn’t have to face reality?
There was no denying the physical attraction that sizzled between them, but what did she know about him? He’d killed to protect her and wasn’t human, not fully. Then there was the whole magic thing, which she didn’t understand at all.
It was all so surreal, but reality was a bitch that wouldn’t be denied. It had all happened—the stalking and the attack, the wolves fighting, the blood and death, her injuries. She was lying in bed, partially naked, with a guy she barely knew.
None of it seemed to matter, not when he was kissing her. And, boy, what a kiss. It wasn’t frantic or demanding but slow and sweet like thick honey. The discomfort from her bruises vanished beneath the onslaught of pleasure sweeping through her.
His bare chest seemed to go on for miles, all of it hard and muscular. She’d expected it to be hairy—because…werewolf—but it was a smooth and tanned expanse, broken only by a tattoo in the shape of a sickle. Done all in gray ink, the curved blade and short-handled weapon rested directly over his heart. It was reminiscent of the grim reaper’s scythe, but a smaller version. It was a tool. It was also an instrument of death.
