“I’m suggesting you’re still not a hundred percent and need to eat more.”
His expression said,I can take care of myself.
“I don’t need to read your mind or grasp your feelings to know that you are still recovering. The little bit that you drank from me last week is nothing, Becks. We both know blood packets aren’t enough. Maybe this isn’t working because you’re flagging.”
Beckham snapped his eyes to hers. “Flagging?”
“Yeah.”
His nostrils flared. “Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”
Reyna’s lips quirked. “Yes.”
“Explain.”
“I thought I’d see if heightened emotions worked. But yeah, no luck.”
He shook his head and rummaged through a bag that Reyna had completely ignored since they’d gotten there. It was full of food. She ate in silence, trying to figure out what the fuck they were doing wrong.
They spent hours staring at each other, boosting emotions and fighting, trying to get a reaction to make the powers work. Whenshe opened herself up to sensing him, it was there. But beyond that was a brick wall of nothing. A wall of air that separated her from him. Imaginary and frustrating as fuck.
Somehow it was worse than exercising. She was warm in the one room and felt none of the calm thinking power that Beckham claimed the cabin gave him once upon a time.
All she felt was frustrated, achy, and tired.
“Maybe we can’t do anything else,” she suggested.
“Perhaps.”
“This is all a waste of time. There are other things we could be doing.”
Beckham shrugged one shoulder.
“Aren’t you annoyed?”
“This was an experiment. As valid as any other.”
“Ugh,” Reyna grumbled. “Let’s try again tomorrow or something, because I’m tapped out.”
“I think we should keep—”
“I’m human, all right? I have limits.”
Reyna couldn’t help it. Her frustration was getting to her. She’d thought this would be an easy endeavor. That she’d magically be good at it, whatever it was. Like they’d been with sensing. But if she was capable of more, it wasn’t going to come easy. Not by a long shot.
“We don’t have much time.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh.
She turned and there he was. In her awareness, she’d walked right into his arms. They wrapped tight around her body, pulling her against him. She melted into the embrace. He held her as if she was adored, cared for, loved.
Her annoyance and frustration wasn’t directed at him. That it shouldn’t even be there. But she’d felt so useless for so long that sometimes it just exploded out of her. She loved that he knew what she needed.
His hands splayed across her back. She felt the urgency in his movements. And suddenly all the pent-up energy exploded between them.
Beckham pushed her back against the wooden cabin wall. He grabbed her hands and pinned them high above her head. Then captured her lips in a searing kiss. Her head spun with the intensity, the swift change of emotions.
“I need you,” he growled into her mouth.
