“You don’t get it!” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair in agitation.
“No, I don’t.” It dawned on me that I didn’t want to argue with him. There wasn’t anything to argue about. Normally I would have been all, “Screw you, pal, and the horse you rode in on,” but I just wasn’t feeling it. More than that, I was confused. What was he really mad about? That was the part I was missing.
“Dammit! Was it rational to attack a man almost three times your size when you didn’t have a weapon or any training? I saw the guy, Taylor. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I have some training,” I protested, but more as a muttered aside, because I was still trying to figure out what was setting him off. Again, that seemed the wrong thing to say, because his exasperation became almost tangible.
“Your gym class with Rico isn’t training. The heavy bag doesn’t hit back.”
“I tagged you out, didn’t I?”
“Only because I didn’t want to hurt you! You’re a menace to yourself,” he bit out. “Here comes danger, and there you go running for it!”
He was mad because I hadn’t been cautious? His concern was me? My personal safety? That was the missing link. He was...maybe...starting to care for me? And just maybe, it had freaked him out to imagine the worst that could have happened, and maybe he just needed time to calm down and everything would be all right.
Was there really anything worth getting mad about? Could I be mad that he’d worried about me? No. I decided to try something new. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my legs up and sat cross-legged. Maybe we could just...talk.
“Ryder, will you please come here? Sit with me?”
He glared at me warily a moment, and I wondered if he was going to ignore my request. Then he closed the gap between us with one step and sat ultraclose, facing me on the bed. There were mere inches separating us. His voice quieted. “He had a knife on you, Taylor. He was going to fucking kill you.”
“But I’m okay.”
“You were supposed to let Cynthia alert security. They would have been there in seconds to handle the situation.”
“It’s over now.”
“You don’t understand. I had to watch you lie there, unmoving, for five hours. I didn’t know if you were sick or hurt. No one could tell me why you were catatonic. I kept checking to make sure you were still fucking...breathing. There wasn’t a fucking thing I could do. It was like you were...” He bit off his words, looking off to the side as emotion seemed to close his throat. I saw it working as he tried to swallow.
Emboldened by the knowledge that he’d been so worried about me, I reached up a hand to cup his whiskery jaw, compelled to touch him, soothe him. His eyes met mine with fierce emotion, remnants of anxiety keeping his muscles revved. Leaning forward, I pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his mouth and looked up at him. His breathing slowed. I kissed the other side of his mouth. His pale, green eyes burned brightly, and he turned his sinful lips to my palm, pressing a kiss into it, which sent lovely tingles up through my nerve endings.
“What is it?” I whispered, still puzzled as to why he was so anxious. Not even Cynthia had been all that concerned. “I don’t understand. I’m not hurt. Everything is fine.”
In a quietly gruff voice, he said, “You were out for five hours. Not moving. It was like you were—” he paused a moment to take a steadying breath, scowling, “—dead. I couldn’t reach you. I tried to find you in sleep, but you were just...gone. I couldn’t feel your energy anywhere. I couldn’t find you.” He looked briefly tortured, and my hand slid down to stroke his chest soothingly, wanting to take away that look from his face.
“You were trying to find me?”
“I needed to know you were okay.”
He released a breath of air, like he was letting go of some of his tension. Then his arms snaked around me fiercely, pulling me tightly into the warmth of his body. His hands ran up and down my spine in a way that seemed more to soothe his peace of mind than anything, which was all I’d really wanted all along. My body sighed into his as he shoved his face into my neck and took a deep breath. It was like he was grabbing a lungful of me. There had never been a time when I’d affected someone in this way. I liked it.
“I’m okay.” I stroked his back, tracing fingers along the muscles in his shoulders. It was so hard to believe that this was the same man who’d so coldly told me he was going to take me to high court for torture earlier. Frowning, I felt some of my pleasure dim.
Yes, he was that same guy.
But then he distracted me, and I forgot my line of thought.
He nuzzled my neck, rubbing his whiskers gently over the soft skin there. Oh... The rough, prickly hair along his jaw set off little nerve-ending explosions that made my blood thicken and my breath catch. “Ryder,” I whispered.
“What are you doing to me?” he said roughly. “You make me...fear.” His lips took lingering, sensual kisses from my neck, the act making me feel weak and languorous. I couldn’t stop the soft sigh from escaping my lips. Butterfly wings set to flight in my stomach, and heat spread gently like warm molasses.
“I don’t know, but it’s happening to me too,” I admitted in a hushed tone.
His lips dragged up my neck, prickly whiskers marking the way with burning tingles of sensation. Our eyes connected for the space of a breath, a heartbeat, green into blue, smoldering. I could feel my energy reaching out to his, intertwining, and I was drawn helplessly into the delicious abyss of need.
“Ryder, please,” I murmured, not sure what I was asking for specifically.
“I love hearing you say my name.” His deep voice turned husky. It vibrated on the air between us.
Caught in his spell, I could only watch his lips descend to mine with tingling anticipation. I needed to feel them on me. I’d been thinking about them, remembering them, wanting them. They paused a hairbreadth from touching, teasing me with a promise, but I didn’t have to wait long.
His lips took mine, and the heat sparked a breathy cry from my soul. It was so hot. I was on fire. Ryder swept my mouth with his tongue, slanting his lips roughly, taking possession like a master, owning me, and the fire burned out of control. I was burning up. My womb spasmed, and I moaned with the wonderful, primal feel of it. I didn’t want it to go away.
I wanted more. He’d teased me last night with a deep, hot kiss, but today, I would take.
Feeling bold, I got up on my knees and fisted my hands in his hair, to hold him where I needed him. My tongue lightly lapped at his lower lip in warning, loving the hot feel of him, before pushing inside, tangling with the heat of him. He groaned deep, which was a totally sexy sound that got me freaking wet. His hands ran down my spine and found their way under my shirt, sliding up my sides, branding my skin with his touch.
A knock sounded just outside the room. I pulled away abruptly, my eyes clouded with desire, my lips swollen and heated from his kisses. I was back to shallow breathing. Ryder tightened his grip on my waist to keep me from pulling away any farther.
“What is it?” Ryder snapped over his shoulder, but he still looked down at me hungrily.
“High council needs you. They won’t be put off any longer,” Nick said firmly, not the least bit intimidated, though he remained respectfully out of sight.
Cursing sharply under his breath, Ryder replied, “I’ll be right there.”
I did have at least one sane voice left in my head that was telling me this interruption was a good thing. Taking time to think and consider what was happening was smart. My sex kitten hissed at my sane person, and I had to ignore both voices and just breathe.
Ryder looked up at the ceiling with exasperation, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as though he needed to get a grip. He exhaled and ran his hands over my arms, gently.