“Only my pride.” Then her expression turned confused. “Do you seriously like the smell?”
He smiled. “I do. Could that be because you injected me with the stuff?”
“Maybe. Or maybe you’re just weird.”
Maybe. He let his gaze linger on her face and he fell into the emotions that swirled inside him whenever he thought of her. “It feels like you’re my woods. When you’re around, the problems are external, not internal.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and she went statue still, but in the end, her lips softened. “You know that doesn’t make logical sense, right.”
“I know.”
“Yeah. And…” She blew out a breath. “I feel the same way about you.”
Warmth flooded his body at her words along with a healthy dose of surprise. “I need to shift,” he said. “I need to get healthy, so I can kiss you.”
She grinned. “I’m okay with that.”
Yeah, so was he. Except when he reached for the change magic, it wasn’t there. “I can’t do it.”
“Why not?”
He hadn’t the foggiest idea. “Could it be the serum?”
“It makes you stronger. Even after one dose, you should be able to shift more often, not less.”
“Even after it wears off?”
“Yeah.”
He grimaced. That eliminated a physical problem as the cause. Which meant his problem was all mental. He could have guessed that.
“Except for my night with you, I haven’t slept since Nanook attacked me.” He would have shrugged, but knew his side would punish him for the movement. “If you don’t count when I was unconscious.”
“What happens when you try to sleep?”
He tried not to remember even as he spoke. “My thigh gets shredded, two slugs hit me in the chest, and Nanook laughs.”
She shuddered. “That’s some grade-A trauma you got going there.”
His lips quirked. Trust Frankie to put it bluntly. “Guess so.”
“It’s a wonder you’re not in the corner drooling on yourself.”
He arched a brow. “I kind of am, aren’t I?”
She tilted her head as she inspected him. “No drool, so you’re okay there.”
“Good to know.”
Her face softened as she stroked his good shoulder. “I am so sorry for leaving you to face the police alone. I shouldn’t have bailed. We could have helped each other.”
“At least you know it now.”
She nodded. “But I don’t think your magic does.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Think about it. Everyone you trust has betrayed you. And then you find the one person who makes you feel like you’re centered again, and what do I do? I bail.”
