And she was trapped! She couldn’t run.
“Why didn’t you tell that freaky blue bastard to take a hike?” he asked tightly when he’d fallen into step beside her.
Asifshe’d invited him to take a walk with her!
She jolted to a halt and stared up at him, struggling with the question. “That’s why you summoned me to talk to him?” she asked finally. “You expectedmeto … be ugly to him? Right there in front of everybody? Embarrass him?”
His lips tightened. “He asked. I summoned you. I damned sure hadn’t expected what did happen or I wouldn’t have.”
Abruptly, Belle felt like crying.
She didn’t have a clue of why, just that she did. “You don’t know me,” she responded finally, swallowing with an effort against the lump in her throat. “And I don’twantto know you. Marcy isn’t the first psycho that targeted me because she thought I might be competition. You attract crazy girlfriends in swarms and I don’t feel like getting my ass kicked for somebody I don’t even want!”
That time when she tried to snatch her arm free of his grip, he tightened his hold and caught her other arm, snatching her up against his length. “That isn’t what you told me while ago,” he said coolly.
Belle gaped up at him blankly.
Because she’d totally forgotten what she said the minute the words left her mouth.
Contrary to what she’d expected, his touch was gentle, coaxing.
He dipped his head towards hers, captured her lips, and sucked lightly.
A heady, intoxicating heat flowed through her the very moment her body detected his scent and essence. Her heart thundered in her ears while he nibbled at her lips, pierced the boundary of her lips and stroked his tongue along hers in a restless caress that touched off harder sparks of fire in her blood.
It took a supreme effort to gather her wits when he lifted his head at last and stared down at her, his expression harsh with need. “I want you. And I don’t believe you’re indifferent to me.”
It surely didn’t help her feelings that he seemed to have noticed the effect he had on her. “Well,” she said when she managed to gather a little of her wits, “practice makes perfect, I’m sure. I appreciate the offer of a sample, but I don’t actually need to get fucked … over. Or fucked up. Or just fucked.”
He released her abruptly, struggling with his temper.
That unnerved her.
“You’re right. You don’t know me.” He hesitated for a long moment. “But you will.”
Belle stared after him when he left, headed back toward the commissary, thoroughly rattled by the ‘promise/threat’ although she did her best to just dismiss it on the grounds that it was just that he was pissed off and didn’t mean a thing.
Her stomach growled.
She wasn’t even almost tempted to follow him and get food, though.
Instead, she turned and surveyed the campground and finally crossed it toward the far back corner … as far away from everyone as she could get and at least somewhat hidden/private.
Hopefully, the bitch, Marcy, was inside and not watching her or she’d get her ass kicked, probably, instead of the peace of solitude she was hoping for.
* * * *
Connor tried to tell himself that the sick feeling roiling in his belly was fury--because he knew,knewBelle was going to pick the fucking alien.
It didn’t help that he also knew, or at least suspected, that it was his own damned fault.
Hehad fucked up.
Because he’d kept his distance when he shouldn’t have--when it could have made a difference.
He thought he’d always meant to have her--certainly from the time she’d begun to bud into a mature adult.
The problem was that he’d been aware of her from birth.
