Thirst
Page 34
But for the time being, the only thing she had going for her was her gun and her knowledge of how to kill an otherwise unstoppable machine.
Still, as a woman cop she’d had to face down men who were stronger than her and her training wasn’t that lax. She simply had to refresh herself. Take it more seriously again.
“I think you know that’s not true,” he said, absently stroking his goatee. He lowered his hand and met her eyes across the room. “You need me and I’m not going to let you down. I will protect you, Renee.”
She shoved her hands into the pockets of her pants, pulling at the fabric a little anxiously. “I don’t like the idea of having to look over my shoulder everywhere I go.”
“I’ll be with you,” he said, getting up and crossing over to her. He reached out and touched her face gently. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“You can’t be with me every minute of every day,” she said with a frown.
“Can’t I?” he asked.
Then he took her chin in his hand and leaned forward. His lips touched hers and she jerked back a little, her heart racing. The touch had been electric, like a static charge. He followed her withdrawal and took her mouth again. This time her whole face seemed to bloom with static energy. But this time she did not pull away. Instead she let him kiss her, feeling the warmth and forbidden excitement on a visceral level.
She felt his electric touch as it glided over her jaw, around her ear and down the side of her neck. The sensations were overwhelming and like nothing she had ever experienced before—save the kiss of the night before. But this kiss seemed somehow stronger than that one. It was more open and honest with no secrets between them.
His tongue touched her lips and she opened her mouth for him, gave him ready entry. Her breath quickened as he stroked that exciting electric sensation against her tongue. He kissed her deeply, their mouths becoming more and more heated. Her hands went to his chest. She felt dizzy and off balance, but he was there, pulling her in tight to his body, supporting her weakened knees. His strength radiated into her. He was so very fit beneath his clothes. Not overly muscular, but strong and solid. She felt the play of muscle beneath her fingertips. His body was hard and male, everything that would attract her had he been a normal man.
But he wasn’t normal.
The thought brought her out of the mesmerizing heat of the kiss and she pulled away from him. He stepped forward as if to follow her, but her hand on his chest held him at bay. Her other hand came up to press a warm finger to his damp lips.
“Please,” was all she said. She implored him with her eyes, begging him to understand. She wasn’t ready for the way he overwhelmed her. She didn’t know if she ever would be. She wasn’t the type of woman who flung herself into out-of-control relationships. She was very thoughtful about whom she was with.
Still, her body was singing with the craving to get closer to him again. She missed the contact with him almost instantly, feeling as though she were depriving herself of something.
“Of course,” he said then, taking a step back. “You have experienced a great deal tonight. I didn’t mean to compound your feelings of—”
“No. It’s all right. I…I enjoy kissing you very much. I would love to lose myself in it. But I can’t do that. I can’t afford to jump into this willy-nilly. There’s too much at stake.” At the dejected look in his eyes she stroked her fingers from his lips to his jaw. “I’m not saying that I will ignore the way you make me feel. I-I just need time.”
“Yes. I understand,” he said. But she could tell he wasn’t satisfied with having to put distance between them. “Still you should know I’ll try to kiss you again…and often.”
She smiled at that. “All right,” she said.
He then, quite suddenly, put an arm around her waist and jerked her forward into his body. Their breastbones clashed and his mouth swept down onto hers. He kissed her breath away, sweeping her up into the maelstrom of his emotions and desires, picking her up like a tornado and shaking her loose. Her entire spine seemed to disappear from her body, making her limp in his hands. So it was with some difficulty that she found her feet and balance just as he suddenly thrust her away. She was clinging to his arm, panting for breath when he said, “All I ask is that you do not deny there is something hot and irresistible between us. I won’t let you lie to yourself about that.”
“I…I won’t lie to myself or to you about that,” she promised him. She brushed a shaking hand through her still damp hair. She was aware of just how hot her body was, her temperature having risen by a couple of degrees.
Or at least that was how it felt. And it was like nothing she had ever experienced before.
“I am going to stay close to you. I am going to protect you. I promise you that.”
“That isn’t necessary. I just need to remain in the presence of others. Surely they won’t attack me in a room full of people.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. But you will not always be in a roomful of people.”
“I will be safe at the precinct. I will be surrounded by cops. No one can get to me there.”
“And when you are in the field?”
“I won’t go anywhere alone. I will have my partner with me at all times.”
“That isn’t good enough. He has no idea what to expect or that you are even in any danger. No. There is a better way and I will find it. As for tonight, I will stay here.”
“That isn’t neces—”
“It is necessary,” he cut her off firmly. “I refuse to leave you alone.”
“And it doesn’t matter what I want?” she asked, her temper irked.
“Renee,” he said on a sigh, “I’m not trying to curb your wants, desires, or freedoms. I am trying to keep you safe and alive.”
His words cooled her temper, leaving her touched by how much he obviously cared about what happened to her. She supposed he could have easily left her out in the cold. All of his choices, even those that went against the tenets of his people, had been for her benefit. Had been an effort to protect her. He was willing to face whatever sanctions there might be just to allow her to keep her memories and her awareness. She should be thanking him, not giving him a hard time about it.
“All right. You can stay. In the guest bedroom,” she said firmly.
Still, as a woman cop she’d had to face down men who were stronger than her and her training wasn’t that lax. She simply had to refresh herself. Take it more seriously again.
“I think you know that’s not true,” he said, absently stroking his goatee. He lowered his hand and met her eyes across the room. “You need me and I’m not going to let you down. I will protect you, Renee.”
She shoved her hands into the pockets of her pants, pulling at the fabric a little anxiously. “I don’t like the idea of having to look over my shoulder everywhere I go.”
“I’ll be with you,” he said, getting up and crossing over to her. He reached out and touched her face gently. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“You can’t be with me every minute of every day,” she said with a frown.
“Can’t I?” he asked.
Then he took her chin in his hand and leaned forward. His lips touched hers and she jerked back a little, her heart racing. The touch had been electric, like a static charge. He followed her withdrawal and took her mouth again. This time her whole face seemed to bloom with static energy. But this time she did not pull away. Instead she let him kiss her, feeling the warmth and forbidden excitement on a visceral level.
She felt his electric touch as it glided over her jaw, around her ear and down the side of her neck. The sensations were overwhelming and like nothing she had ever experienced before—save the kiss of the night before. But this kiss seemed somehow stronger than that one. It was more open and honest with no secrets between them.
His tongue touched her lips and she opened her mouth for him, gave him ready entry. Her breath quickened as he stroked that exciting electric sensation against her tongue. He kissed her deeply, their mouths becoming more and more heated. Her hands went to his chest. She felt dizzy and off balance, but he was there, pulling her in tight to his body, supporting her weakened knees. His strength radiated into her. He was so very fit beneath his clothes. Not overly muscular, but strong and solid. She felt the play of muscle beneath her fingertips. His body was hard and male, everything that would attract her had he been a normal man.
But he wasn’t normal.
The thought brought her out of the mesmerizing heat of the kiss and she pulled away from him. He stepped forward as if to follow her, but her hand on his chest held him at bay. Her other hand came up to press a warm finger to his damp lips.
“Please,” was all she said. She implored him with her eyes, begging him to understand. She wasn’t ready for the way he overwhelmed her. She didn’t know if she ever would be. She wasn’t the type of woman who flung herself into out-of-control relationships. She was very thoughtful about whom she was with.
Still, her body was singing with the craving to get closer to him again. She missed the contact with him almost instantly, feeling as though she were depriving herself of something.
“Of course,” he said then, taking a step back. “You have experienced a great deal tonight. I didn’t mean to compound your feelings of—”
“No. It’s all right. I…I enjoy kissing you very much. I would love to lose myself in it. But I can’t do that. I can’t afford to jump into this willy-nilly. There’s too much at stake.” At the dejected look in his eyes she stroked her fingers from his lips to his jaw. “I’m not saying that I will ignore the way you make me feel. I-I just need time.”
“Yes. I understand,” he said. But she could tell he wasn’t satisfied with having to put distance between them. “Still you should know I’ll try to kiss you again…and often.”
She smiled at that. “All right,” she said.
He then, quite suddenly, put an arm around her waist and jerked her forward into his body. Their breastbones clashed and his mouth swept down onto hers. He kissed her breath away, sweeping her up into the maelstrom of his emotions and desires, picking her up like a tornado and shaking her loose. Her entire spine seemed to disappear from her body, making her limp in his hands. So it was with some difficulty that she found her feet and balance just as he suddenly thrust her away. She was clinging to his arm, panting for breath when he said, “All I ask is that you do not deny there is something hot and irresistible between us. I won’t let you lie to yourself about that.”
“I…I won’t lie to myself or to you about that,” she promised him. She brushed a shaking hand through her still damp hair. She was aware of just how hot her body was, her temperature having risen by a couple of degrees.
Or at least that was how it felt. And it was like nothing she had ever experienced before.
“I am going to stay close to you. I am going to protect you. I promise you that.”
“That isn’t necessary. I just need to remain in the presence of others. Surely they won’t attack me in a room full of people.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. But you will not always be in a roomful of people.”
“I will be safe at the precinct. I will be surrounded by cops. No one can get to me there.”
“And when you are in the field?”
“I won’t go anywhere alone. I will have my partner with me at all times.”
“That isn’t good enough. He has no idea what to expect or that you are even in any danger. No. There is a better way and I will find it. As for tonight, I will stay here.”
“That isn’t neces—”
“It is necessary,” he cut her off firmly. “I refuse to leave you alone.”
“And it doesn’t matter what I want?” she asked, her temper irked.
“Renee,” he said on a sigh, “I’m not trying to curb your wants, desires, or freedoms. I am trying to keep you safe and alive.”
His words cooled her temper, leaving her touched by how much he obviously cared about what happened to her. She supposed he could have easily left her out in the cold. All of his choices, even those that went against the tenets of his people, had been for her benefit. Had been an effort to protect her. He was willing to face whatever sanctions there might be just to allow her to keep her memories and her awareness. She should be thanking him, not giving him a hard time about it.
“All right. You can stay. In the guest bedroom,” she said firmly.
