Rell’s touch was careful as he laid his hand at the back of her neck. The warmth of his palm settled against her skin, and she found herself holding her breath, waiting to see what he would do.He moved slowly, fingers tracing upward with a feather-light touch, slipping into the tangled mess of her hair. The second his fingers scratched against her scalp, her whole world shifted.
A strange, consuming warmth flooded through her body, like she’d swallowed liquid sunshine. She blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected sensation.
Oh.
Oh, that felt…reallygood.
Almost embarrassingly good.
Her mind attempted to keep up with what her body was experiencing, but the slow, delicious pressure of his touch sent tingles down her spine, melting something deep in her muscles that she hadn’t even realized was tense. Everything inside her went soft, dissolving like sugar in hot water.
Her body reacted before she could control it, a reflexive surrender to the feeling. She leaned into his touch.
Rell let out a soft chuckle. “Well, well. Look at that.”
“What?” she asked, though her voice came out more like a low rumbling sound in her chest.
His hand stilled. “Are you…” He leaned in slightly, his voice filled with pure, unfiltered delight. “Are youpurring?”
Her eyes snapped open. Shewas.
She was purring.
Her face burned. Mortified, she stammered, “I—I—”
Rell let out a laugh. A real, full laugh.
She growled at him, fangs bared, but the sound came out more like a petulant grumble than an actual threat.
Rell was grinning like a damn fool, clearly enjoying this way too much. “Youarejust a big cat, huh?”
Her claws twitched. “Shut up.”
But the problem was…
His hand wasn’t moving anymore.
And shewantedhim to keep going.
Her instincts overrode her embarrassment as she leaned into him, nudging her head against his palm. A silent plea.
Rell’s expression flickered, something soft flashing in his eyes. His smirk gentled, and he resumed scratching.
Elora practically melted.
Somewhere, in the very, very back of her mind, she acknowledged how ridiculous this was.
But she didn’t care.
Not when it feltthisgood.
Rell’s fingers suddenly stilled, and she almost let out a sound of protest before he leaned back, smirking.
“Now, now,” he drawled. “That doesn’t exactly prove my theory, Sunshine.”
Elora blinked, still caught in the haze of lingering pleasure. “What?”
“Iamvery good with my hands,” he mused, flexing his fingers in front of her. “So, how do we know if it’s just your shift making you enjoy it? You’d have to change back to be sure.”
