“I want to talk.”
“Then talk.” And get the hell out of my life.
Her thoughts again. In his mind. “It’s not fair that you’re clothed while I’m not.”
Her eyes widened as she took a hasty step back. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why?”
“You’re either crazy or—” She sputtered, but regained her composure too soon for his liking. “I’m spitting mad at you, but what I don’t understand is why you’re practically vibrating with energy here.”
If it were any other time, he’d have laughed at the way she worded her curiosity. “Layman’s terms please?”
“Duh. Don’t act dumb. You’re angry at me.”
He could’ve denied it. He could’ve shrugged her statement off. “Yes.”
“This. This is exactly what I’m referring to. Just because I stopped you—”
“Hold your horses. I am angry not because you held me back before I did something unreasonable, but because you didn’t trust me to be reasonable in the first place.”
“Only after I put my foot down did you lend me an ear. You didn’t see your face then, the anger emanating from you—even in your shifter form.”
He did feel distinctly at a disadvantage here—being naked and all while her gaze darted between his eyes and his groin, but he willed his cock down, not wanting to alarm her further. He had some serious groveling to do if he hoped to stay more than the night. “Glad to see you felt the effect I was aiming for.”
“Excuse me? We aren’t playing the good cop, bad cop here. I’m just trying to prevent another bloody battle with our neighbors.”
“I know, Karin.” He lifted his hand, wanting to touch her, reassure her of his sensibilities. She cringed and he stayed put. “I totally understand. And I am sorry.”
“Sorry? That’s it?” She came close enough to poke at his chest. “What if the other jaguar had attacked first and asked questions later? He was younger than us. Fine. But his strength is no less than ours.”
He sensed the underlying concern in her words. She was concerned regarding him. Beneath her frustration, her fear was for him. The realization humbled him, made him ache to hold her close. How could she not recognize the mirror emotion in him?
“All right.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I admit my mistake. My first instinct was to protect you at all costs. Even if it meant ripping the intruder to shreds. But the instant I shifted, I realized my mistake.”
She gasped. “It’s easy to say that now.”
“I listened to you, didn’t I?”
That shut her up. For a second.
Before she opened her mouth to give another verbal lashing he fully deserved, he cut in. “I was initially afraid for your safety, but after shifting, the terror swamping me was not my own. I felt what you felt, Karin. The fear, the urge to protect our pack from another war. It took me a while to realize those thoughts weren’t my own. I was confused and hence the delay before I shifted back.”
“Oh.” Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, reminding him of her heat, her arousal that hadn’t really waned after all they’d done together.
He could take her into his arms now, show her they belonged together. But not while the fight still remained in her. She was still battling the same realization he had a short while back. Her mind and her body had to accept him wholly. And she still hadn’t given any indication of wanting more than this night.
“I am a jaguar first. My instincts cannot be denied, but I know where to toe the line, Karin. I realize what a war costs—for both sides, but I’m not going to roll over and play dead, inviting another pack to sniff around and take over.”
She still looked unconvinced, but he pressed his point, wanting her to understand his intentions. Understand him.
“I’m not going to attack without provocation, but I’m sure as hell going to bare my claws and my teeth at anyone who dares encroach my—our pack’s space.”
“And you didn’t think that staying human while the other shifted himself puts us at an advantage?”
He shook his head. “Blame it on lack of practice in facing down a potential threat. But I’ll learn.” The incongruity of his last statement gave him a jolt. “I hope I’ll have a chance—” Some place, some time.
She frowned, but he didn’t give her much chance to ponder on his words.
“Plus, I expected you to be a little more wary before warming up to a stranger.”
“That’s what kept you angry until now.” The wistfulness in her voice punched him worse than their earlier arguments.
He narrowed his eyes, wondering if she was restating the fact or finally believing him. And then another truth smacked him. How had he been so oblivious to the fact staring at him in the face? Her defensive behavior wasn’t directed at him.
“My cousin did quite a number on you, didn’t he?”
She grimaced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He wasn’t one to speak ill of the departed and he understood her reticence. But she’d made him hope for more, gave him the courage to reach out for his dreams. He admired her stubbornness and yet, when push came to shove she gave it her all. And he’d royally fucked up the only thing he’d ever wanted—winning her trust.
“I’m not such an asshole, Karin.” I’d hoped you’d have understood that by now.
She blinked and shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts—his thoughts.
“Just tell me to leave right now and I will. Without questions, without making a fuss.” He gestured to the digital clock. “There’s still a good hour or two left depending on what you consider morning.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and she glanced at the time and then at him. He cocked his head, waiting.
“No.” She started, surely as surprised as him by her answer.
The air charged between them. His cock twitched and swelled, finally having gotten the permission. He didn’t want to waste a second of their time together. Catching her wrist, he pulled her close. The baby-soft sweater hid her beautiful breasts and he ran his fingers over the teasing neckline before dipping his hand into her cleavage. His dick settled into the V between her thighs, her jeans providing a painful contrast to the softness he’d come to expect.
“As much as I adore you in clothes, I’d rather have you out of them.”
Her eyes darkened at his admission. She stepped back, her gaze holding his while she stripped, all the while believing he’d fuck her one last time before getting out of her life.
She pivoted suddenly, facing away from him. But not before he read the panic in her eyes, felt it in the answering thump of his heart.
He could make her soar again, get her body to dance to his tunes, wring out her pleasure until she cried his name long after he left. And she’d keep those pretty lips of hers pressed together, not uttering a word, allowing him to walk away.
What use was that to either of them while their hearts lay bleeding? Here he was, assuming she needed him as much as he needed her.
He wished she’d share what went through that sharp-as-a-tack mind of hers.
There was only one way to know. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer, praying he was making the right decision.
“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” he said, hoping she understood he meant it in more ways than one.
The soft rumble of words from behind her raised the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Unable to pretend she didn’t care, Karintha swiveled around.
Her anger had long ago melted under the truth of his statement. She lifted her chin. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“I realize a lot more than you care to admit.” He didn’t step nearer. Didn’t twitch a muscle. “If you want something from me, all you need to do is ask.”