Part 7 (2/2)
But most of all, he wanted to hold another in his arms and know he was loved in return. That he was not merely a friend.Could Bella be the mate this tired werewolf had dreamed to find?
For a human, she impressed him with her acceptance, her teasing foray into discovering him. It was as if she dared herself to step over the cliff, to take the plunge into the unknown. He suspected she lived a neat, orderly life within her jungle of a loft. Yet she fed on adrenaline more than she realized.
He liked that about her. Any woman who got involved with him would need to be comfortable with the adrenaline rush.
Introducing chaos into her life would please him immensely.
But it worried him that Elvira and her mindless sycophants might be after Bella. If her friend Seth was involved with Elvira, it made sense that the female vampire would seek to remove all human connections the idiot boyfriend had. That's how the longtooth worked.
Severo growled in disgust. He punched a fist into his open palm with a smack. He cared little for the man. But no one would harm a hair on Bella's head.
It mattered little what she thought about him. All that mattered was that he had to follow this feeling of desire. If she was the one for him, he would not relent until she was his.
An hour before she intended to meet Seth, teacup in hand, Bella peeked out the window. Like clockwork, he again was sitting on the bus-stop bench. Silently stalwart. Clothed in leather and looking like something no fool would want to mess with. A force not to be overlooked.
A force whose black boxer briefs had hung like a blatant you've-been-naughty flag in her bathroom. She'd plucked them down and folded them neatly. How did she return such a thing to someone she hardly knew? Discreetly slip them from her purse and mutter, ”You forgot these”?
Bella rolled her eyes. Wasn't it usually the woman who slipped her underwear into the man's things? She bet Mr. Big Bad Werewolf would love to find her panties among his things. But not when he was dutifully guarding her from the other Big Bads.
She wondered about the relations.h.i.+p between vampires and werewolves. Severo had made it clear he didn't like vampires. But was that just him, or did they all battle and clash?
Either way, with vampires after her, she was glad to have a vampire hater on her side.
Although when he was around, no real sides existed. He had no respect for her personal s.p.a.ce. He got close enough to breathe her air, and she his.
Initially it had disturbed her. Now it felt...nice.
Had she really gotten close to naked with him in the pool?
She didn't think she'd ever touched hard muscles like his before. And his kisses...
There weren't words for the way his kiss made her feel. Instead, a sensual s.h.i.+ver whispered over her shoulders, reminding her of his power.
Clinking her spoon against the porcelain teacup, she wandered across the room. It was the perfect evening to sit outside on the lounge chair and watch the sun disappear on the horizon. Glamorous light glittered across the pool. But she wondered if her protector would have her back if she was out of view.
Surely he'd smell them coming a mile away, she realized, and decided outside it was. Three minutes pa.s.sed before her fence jumper appeared. Bella didn't even startle. She merely glanced over the rim of her teacup at the imposing hunk of male.
”You shouldn't be outside at night,” he told her.
”It's evening. The sun hasn't set.”
”Do you always correct people, Bella?”
”I-” She did. It was a bad habit. ”You can't keep away from me, can you?”
”I'm going to take that comment as an invitation. Mind if I join you?”
She slid her knees up on the lounge chair so he could sit on the other end. Naturally, he chose the middle, stretching his legs before him. A deft slide of his arm put her legs over his lap. He stroked her skin above the anklebone and grinned at her.
”Chai?” he asked.
”Good guess.”
”I could smell the cardamom, cinnamon and honey from the bench out front. Anise, too, I think. Or is that your clove perfume?”
”Okay, you've impressed me with your olfactory superpowers. Tell me something I don't know. You tracked me to my home?
So you can pick out anyone and find them if you have their scent?”
”Usually. Within a range. The suburbs are spread out, so the range is not so difficult. But in the city proper so many people are wedged into every nook, cranny, car and house that it takes a while to detect some.”
”But you followed me like a bloodhound to the bone, eh?”
”Something like that.”
He bent and kissed her ankle. The ends of his hair tickled the top of her foot. Bella curled her toes. Had she been thinking that long hair didn't attract her?
”You're more comfortable with my presence now.” It wasn't a question.
”Apparently. I may even invite you in to watch a movie.”
”I enjoy movies. But let me guess. A werewolf flick?”
”No, it's a romance I picked up the other day. Probably a tearjerker.”
”And you want me to watch it with you? I'll take a rain check.”
”Ah, I've uncovered a weakness. The man doesn't do emotional scenes.”
”This man prefers action, gun fights and explosions. Besides, I don't need a movie. I'm plenty entertained sitting right here, watching you sip tea. Your lips purse and look like candy treats when you sip. I'd love to nibble on that thick upper lip right now.”
”You'll spill my tea.”
”Set it down.”
”You're bossing me again.” ”And you're going to listen.”
He held his hand out for the teacup.
With but a two-second pause to consider her options, Bella set the cup on his palm. He set it on the patio.
The man's body glided along hers. His fingers raked through her hair and his mouth met hers in a soft collision. The throaty sound of his pleasure rumbled against her senses, bruising them, opening them to every soft breath, touch and sound. The air changed, as it usually did when Severo kissed her. It became light and heady and so unnecessary.
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