His denial was instant, the sudden fear cutting into his mind more than he could handle.
“No!” he snarled, eyes snapping open as he pinned her against her car once more. His bear roared its disapproval, its sentiments mirroring Murphy’s own. His fingernails lengthened into sharp claws, piercing through the metal of her vehicle. He wanted to rip this damned SUV to shreds, to do whatever it took to keep her from leaving.
Nessa’s hands went to his chest, a small buffer between them as she gaped up at him in shock. “Y-Your eyes are glowing, Murphy.”
“It’s my bear,” he ground out through clenched teeth, ignoring the agony clawing at his insides. Her fingers dug into the cashmere of his sweater, and his bear quieted, giving him precious room to think. To breathe. An anchor in the red haze. “You can’t reject me.Him. He won’t be able to handle it.”
He lied before he’d even realized it, and surprise whipped through him. It wasn’tjusthis bear that would be devastated by her rejection. Murphy instantly pushed that thought away, though, refusing to look at it too closely. Not while he was on the verge of losing control.
Nessa’s eyes softened. “Murphy, what if you get worse? I can’t stand the thought of being the reason you … If this is the only way I can help—”
“Rejecting me will just hurt me—my bear,” he corrected quickly. “I thought the separation would help him see reason, but if I’ve got mating sickness, it won’t just go away.”
Nessa swallowed thickly, the heat from her palms nearly undoing his threadbare restraint. “What do we do, then?”
“Come inside. We can talk more in there.” Was that a good idea? He didn’t know. Probably not. But it was better than keeping her outside in the cold. Plus, having her in his domain might help his bear calm down.
Her brows rose at his suggestion, and then she glanced over her shoulder to his claws digging into the frame of her SUV. “If I say no, will you let me leave?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly, and his bear began prowling back and forth within his mind in agitation. “Though I think my bear would urge me to chase after you.”
He would obey his bear, too. Murphy knew it. And he’d enjoy the hunt, as short-lived as it would be. And when he caught her …
“Okay,” Nessa answered softly. Then her eyes narrowed threateningly as they met his. “But if you freak out or start breaking things, I’m leaving. And if you try to stop me, I’m going to shoot you.”
He blinked at her slowly. When was the last time a human had threatened him? Hell, when was the last timeanyonehad threatened him? Years. And the last person who had, he’d killed. Her warning should have riled up his bear and pissed him off, but the damned menace only huffed in exasperation, still concerned about getting her ass inside.
Nodding in agreement, Murphy’s claws retracted as he snatched her hand up in his, all but dragging her back to his cabin.
Chapter 5
What the hell am I doing?Nessa thought as Murphy all but dragged her up the driveway, his steps long and purposeful as he led her to his home. She had no idea why she was letting him take her anywhere, especially after he’d chased her down less than ten minutes ago like a crazed animal.
He was definitely unstable, and after he’d initially scared her, that should have been all the motivation she needed to get the hell out of Dodge. Instead, her fingers tightened around his in response, the delicious heat from his hand warming hers, and she let him lead her further away from her SUV. From safety.
She looked down at their hands, still surprised that she was holding it and not freaking out.
He really does run hotter than a human.
The thought came unbidden, reminding her of their previous conversation, and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. He’d thought she was hitting on him and his first response had been tothankher. He’d sounded so nonchalant about it.
Did he have that many women hitting on him all the time? Glancing at his muscular back and broad shoulders, she could understand why that might be true. Murphy was one of the most attractive men she’d ever seen; of course, other women would think so, too.
A small, irrational flash of jealousy filled her, but she pushed the emotion back.
This whole encounter with the surly Alpha had been a catastrophe of epic proportions. Even though Nessa had known she needed to see Murphy herself after Hunny’s visit to her teahouse that morning, it had taken her hours to work up the nerve to come here. She’d dragged her heels, afraid of what she’d find.
What she’d experienced so far had been eye-opening, to say the least.
After months of dreaming of the big man, when he’d opened the door to his home, all but snarling in her face, Nessa realized just how poor her memory of him had been. Even spitting mad and clearly exhausted, if the red-rimmed eyes were any indication, Murphy was far more handsome than she’d remembered.
Taller than she remembered, too. The black sweater he wore hugged his muscular shoulders, outlining his broad frame perfectly, and despite how scared she’d been as he’d chased her down his gravel driveway, that fear had melted away immediately after he’d buried his face in her hair, breathing her in. Her trembling had stopped, the constricted feeling in her chest had eased, and she had relaxed into him.
Wasn’t that odd?
For years, she’d dreaded the thought of physical contact with a man. Not only that, but her anxiety these past few months after the incident had doubled, leaving her constantly on edge. Murphy touching her in any way should have been terrifying, given that he could shift into a freaking bear.
Apparently, her body hadn’t cared about that. It hadn’t cared about his brown eyes flickering a glowing golden color either. Or that his fingers had lengthened into thick claws, piercing the roof of her SUV while he’d kept her pinned between the hard planes of his body and the steel frame of her vehicle.
