Lust-filled images Murphy had tried to suppress for weeks came rushing to the surface with a vengeance, and his dick hardened to steel, threatening to burst past the zipper of his slacks.
He kept his head bent, his face now buried in Nessa’s neck as he tried and failed to ignore the desire swirling inside him. The heavy beat of her pulse called to him, its allure too tempting to resist. His mouth slid over her smooth, tanned skin, and for the first time in weeks, his bear quieted on its own accord.
Murphy curled himself around her slight frame, his hands dropping from the car to around her waist, dragging her more firmly against him. Her pulse spiked, and she gasped, though he didn’t smell fear. Instead, her scent deepened, sweetened into a tempting aroma that had precum dripping from his tip.
He needed to taste her, to devour—
Small hands cupped each side of Murphy’s face, pulling him away from that tantalizing neck and preventing him from swiping his tongue over her pulse point. A low, dull rumble of protest began in his chest, though he allowed Nessa to lift his head back enough until their eyes met.
Almond-shaped with long lashes, Nessa’s eyes were such a dark shade of brown they were impossible to look away from.
“Did you just growl at me?” she asked in bewilderment.
Yes.
Murphy cleared his throat, hoping the distraction would help clear his head. “What are you doing here, Nessa?” he countered.
Howdid she even get here? She’d never been to his home, so not only had someone allowed her onto clan territory, they must have escorted her to him. Reluctantly, Murphy stood to his full height, craning his head to the left and right as he searched for the one responsible. No other vehicles aside from her SUV were parked nearby, though.
Nessa dropped her soft, warm hands from his face. The loss was so sudden, his bear shoved its way to the forefront again, snarling in fury as it swiped its claws at Murphy.
Pain sliced through his head once more, and he winced.
Agitation quickly replaced the pain, and he glared down at the pretty little human he’d spent the better part of two months avoiding. “You shouldn’t be here.” His voice cracked through the air like a whip, harsher than he intended. But the firm tone was very necessary.
All of his hard work, his determination to forget that he’d found his mate, his attempts to forget abouther… it had all been squandered in a handful of minutes. The first moment he’d seen her, nothing else had mattered.
Son of a bitch.
“I—” Nessa’s words died in her throat, her eyes widening as she stared up at him in confusion. Despite his resolve to forgetall about her, his gaze tracked over her, committing every detail to memory.
Her heart-shaped face was smooth, her small, upturned nose contrasting nicely with her full, wide lips; lips the color of muted coral that had his cock pulsing painfully in his slacks. Her brows were slightly arched and a deep shade of black, making him wonder just how dark her hair was when it wasn’t dyed an outrageous shade of bluish-green.
Would it be solid black, or would there be hints of dark brown enhancing the shade of her skin?
Murphy snagged a lock of her hair between his thumb and index finger, rubbing the thick, silken strands before he could resist the temptation to keep his hands to himself.
“Tank and Hunny came to see me,” Nessa began again, the tip of her pink tongue darting out as she licked her lower lip. “They’re worried about you.”
Murphy’s brows snapped down into a scowl. He should have known it was Hunny who’d led Nessa here. Clearly, she and his brother had been making the rounds, freaking everyone out over his ‘off’ behavior.
But to go to the one female he wanted to avoid and tell her he was struggling?
That was too much. He’d be having a talk with his sister-in-law as soon as possible. Hell, he’d tell his whole damned family to leave him alone.
“I’m fine,” he stated, his words clipped.
Some of the fire returned to Nessa’s eyes at his tone, reminding him of the first time they’d met, and his gut clenched in anticipation. He hated to admit that he enjoyed her biting comments and her sass. It had been oddly titillating when she came back at him, and so different from the reverence he’d come to expect from everyone but his younger brothers over the years. “Yeah, well, I heard you were sick, so …”
“Sick?” What the hell was that supposed to mean? First, his dad told him he was ‘off’ and now she thought he was ill? “I’m not sick.”
“Uh huh.” Nessa smacked her palm aggressively onto his forehead, holding it there. His head snapped back from the force, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as she studied him clinically. “You’re really hot.”
He blinked down at her, surprised by the compliment. “Thank you?”
Nessa’s lips twitched. “No, like your skin is really warm.”
Oh. So she didn’t find him attractive? He tried to ignore his disappointment. “I’m a shifter. We run hotter than humans.”
