He shook his head.
“So, um, you want me.” God, how embarrassing to say these things aloud, and yet she couldn’t stop herself. She had to know if this was just biochemistry. And if it was, why weren’t women leaping onto shifters in every corner of the city? Because, she was not a libidinous woman. She wasn’t! But right now she wanted nothing more than to have him press her up against a wall, lift her leg, and thrust right inside. “And, um, I think you can tell my reaction. You can smell it, right?”
He nodded again. Another quick dip of his chin.
“But you don’t know me. I don’t know you. You just abducted me a few hours ago. Why are we like this?”
This time he didn’t answer at all. Not by a twitch of his eyebrow or a jerk of his hips. Which left her with nothing but a pulse between her thighs that shocked her.
“I’ve never felt lust like this before.” She swallowed. “It has to be biochemical.”
His eyes narrowed as he thought. He was clearly processing her words, sorting through the facts. She recognized the expression from her own mirror whenever she was faced with a difficult puzzle. And then he suddenly moved.
She tensed, wanting him to come to her. Wanting from the core of her womb for him to do what she was picturing. Up against the wall, clothing ripped from her body, his hands on her breasts as she raised a knee to skate it over his hips. And then the penetration, deep and thick. God, she wanted it. She wanted him.
But he didn’t come to her. He passed within touching distance, but he didn’t touch her. He crossed to his clothes and pulled on his jeans. Commando. She wondered if shifters disliked clothes like tighty-whities. Maybe they were just another layer to get in the way when changing into an animal. And seriously, who wanted to look at a big scary black bear wearing tighty-whities?
Her mind disintegrated into silly images. It was the only thing she could do to deal with the cutting, horrible knowledge that he wasn’t going to touch her. She wouldn’t be able to kiss him or feel him between her legs. And honestly, she didn’t want him to, right? Right?
But she did. And she hated herself for the irrationality of her own desperate hunger.
So, she turned away. She had bodies to examine, right? Things to figure out. A whole world of science to explore and a dangerous flu to end.
And then suddenly she felt him. His heat along her backside. His breath right beside her neck. Her hair prickled to attention, and her skin tingled from his nearness. She didn’t know if she was imagining this, but damn it, it felt so real. She didn’t want to turn and find out it was all in her head.
Then he spoke, his words soft and so gentle, it brought tears to her eyes.
“You’re exhausted. When was the last time you ate?”
Why did she want to cry? What was happening to her that she was this emotional because he was indeed standing right behind her. Because he was gentle as he asked her a caring question? Because he’d noticed she was drooping with fatigue.
Get a grip!
But she couldn’t. Her mind and her emotions were shattered beyond retrieving. And suddenly, it was too much. She gasped, humiliated because she was crying. Crying! Why? Because he hadn’t kissed her? She didn’t even know him!
“You’ve been hit with a lot today. You discovered shifters, and that’s never easy. And then the attacks. It’s almost four in the morning, and I’ll wager you haven’t slept much since coming to Detroit.”
She hadn’t.
“Let me take you to bed.”
Her body tightened at his words. Her breath caught on a sob and she wanted to beat herself for it. Sobbing? WTF? Because she knew he hadn’t meant the words the way he said them? Because he meant taking her to bed to sleep. Could she be more humiliated? She’d told him she wanted him. And all he’d done was not touch her and be kind.
Kind!
When she wanted him to rip of her clothes off, to force her to submit to him, to penetrate her like they were both animals in the jungle. Raw, passionate, unfettered by rationality.
She pressed a fist to her mouth as the desire pumped through her veins, roared through her head, and squeezed her insides like a vise. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant either. It was raw and intense. The kind of passion that ripped her mind away until she felt like an exposed nerve.
“Cecilia?” His voice was thick with worry, then suddenly with the sharp bite of fear. “Dr. Lu!”
She didn’t know what was happening. The world was moving in a way it wasn’t supposed to. Then he touched her. She wanted to cry out,Not like that!He was supporting her. Her knees had gone out, and he was picking her up like he would a child when she wanted something entirely different.
She wanted passion to match her lust.
He gave her gentleness as he lifted her into his arms.
She smelled his masculine scent. She felt the strength in his arms as he threw her slightly up in the air so he could readjust his grip. She felt the hard ripple of his abdomen as he braced her against him. And she felt the power in his legs as he turned and began walking up the stairs.
