He flashed me a crooked grin.
Oh yes.He most certainly was.
Chitahs possessed a healing agent in their saliva that could heal superficial wounds.I opened my mouth to protest, but as soon as he wet his lips with that pink tongue, curiosity overruled any objection.
Lucian’s nose brushed against my leg.He drew in a deep breath before his tongue glided up my thigh.I gripped the counter behind me, that luscious heat sparking incendiary thoughts.
While my brain knew that this was purely procedural for his species, my body knew no such thing when I saw his tongue sliding up my leg.Lucian unlocked a dark hunger inside me that needed satiating, and the second his golden eyes flicked up, my heart thumped wildly against my chest.
Lucian reexamined the spot and wiped his hand over the faint discoloration.My pain had miraculously vanished.His touch sent shivers down my spine, and the sensation of his tongue sliding up my thigh lingered long after.
I tunneled my fingers through his beautiful black hair.“Thanks,” I breathed.
Lucian shot to his feet, and when a purr rumbled in his chest, he stalked off.“Sorry.”
Sorry?He’s apologizing for unlocking a new fantasy I didn’t know I had?
Still feeling the phantom sensation of his tongue on my thigh, I collected my thoughts and realized that only a tranquilizer could slow my heart.
I haven’t been with a man in so long.
Years.
“Are you leaving?”I asked in disbelief when he gripped the screen door handle.
“I need to survey the house.”
“Well, I’m about to make lunch.If you’re hungry, come back inside.”
“I better not,” he replied, one foot out the door.
“It’s Chinese food, if you change your mind.”
Lucian poked his head back inside.“Did you say Chinese?”
“Stir-fry.I’ve got chicken thawed out and leftover rice, so…”
He chewed on his lip and looked torn.
“If it’s the whole Councilwoman thing, I’m off the clock.I’ll just warn you in advance—my dad says whatever’s on his mind, but mostly he’s full of jokes.You can’t take him too seriously.”I stroked the base of my throat, intimidated by the way he was watching me.“Well?”
“Maybe.”
“Hey,Shoe Bandit—pass me more of that rice before you eat it all,” my dad said to Lucian.
Lucian didn’t take my father’s quips seriously and passed him the bowl.
“Dad, I haven’t seen you eat this much since last Thanksgiving.What’s gotten into you?”
“Fresh air.That’s what’s gotten into me.”He dumped a spoonful of fried rice onto his plate.“So you’re gonna fix this place up like a jail.Is that right?”
Lucian swallowed his chicken stir-fry, and I couldn’t help but notice he had scooped all the onions out of the skillet and onto his rice.“That’s the plan.”
“A woman shouldn’t be a prisoner in her own home.Don’t you think?”My father gave me an admonishing look.
Before I could answer, Lucian countered.“Security isn’t a prison to keep you in.It keeps the jackasses out.”
My father chuckled.“Well, that’s one way to look at it.Eden, if you find a rich man, you won’t have to worry about this nonsense.”
