Despite himself, his lips twitched. “And you’re an expert on brooding?”
“I’m an expert on you.” The words came out confident, almost flirtatious, and her cheeks immediately went pink. “I mean I’ve been watching you. For research purposes.”
“Research purposes?”
“Yes. Very important research into the habits and behaviors of the mysterious mountain Vultor.”
Something warm unfurled in his chest. He should shut this down. He should retreat behind his walls and remind her thatthey were not friends, that this arrangement was temporary, and that he was not the kind of male she should be researching.
Instead, he heard himself say: “And what have you learned? From your research?”
Her eyes sparkled. She set down her satchel and ticked off points on her fingers.
“One. You pretend to be grumpy, but you’re actually very kind. Two. You make excellent porridge, although you’d never admit to being proud of it. Three. You like Dani, even though you try to hide it. Four. You have a surprisingly good sense of humor that you only show when you think no one’s looking.”
She paused, her expression softening.
“Five. You’re lonely, even though you chose this life and built all these walls around yourself. You’re lonely, and you don’t have to be.”
He flinched as if she’d struck him. For a moment, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t even breathe. He could only stand there, frozen, while this small human female laid bare the truth he’d spent five years trying to bury.
Lonely.Gods, yes. So lonely it was a physical ache sometimes, a hollow space in his chest that nothing could fill.
Until now. Untilher.
“Jessa.”
Her name came out rough and ragged, but she didn’t look away. She just stood there, chin lifted, eyes steady, daring him to deny what they both knew.
“You’re not alone anymore,” she said softly. “You know that, right?”
Something snapped.
He couldn’t say who moved first. He didn’t know whether he reached for her or she reached for him. All he knew was one moment they were standing apart, and the next she was in his arms, her back against the rough bark of a tree, her startled gasp swallowed by his mouth.
Heat and softness and a taste that was uniquely, devastatingly Jessa. Sweet and warm and intoxicating, like the first sip of water after a drought.
His hands were in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, a primal satisfaction vibrating through his entire body.
His tongue swept into her mouth, and she met him stroke for stroke, her inexperience evident but her enthusiasm undeniable. She kissed with the same fierce determination she applied to everything else—wholeheartedly, without holding back.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. Her body arched against his, all soft curves and yielding warmth. A small sound escaped her throat—a whimper so desperate and needy that his beast roared with triumph.
Mine,his beast snarled.Ours. Finally, finally, finally?—
He was losing control.
With a snarled curse, he tore his mouth away, resting his forehead against hers. His chest heaved, and he could feel the frantic beat of her heart against his. Both of them were breathing like they’d been running, and the air between them crackled with an energy that made the fine hairs on his arms stand up.
“Tarek?”
Her voice was breathless and confused. Not afraid—never afraid, this impossible female—but uncertain.
“Shh.” He couldn’t look at her. If he looked at her, he would lose what little control he had left. He buried his face in the curve of her neck instead, inhaling her scent, letting it wash over him. “We can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
He finally forced himself to take a step back. They stared at each other, both breathing hard, both flushed and disheveled. Her lips were swollen, her eyes wide and dark. Her pulse was hammering in her throat. He could see it, could practically taste it, and gods, he wanted to lean in and put his mouth right there, wanted to mark her?—
