Her kiss was insistent. And maybe a little angry. She was trying to prove to him that there was nothing between them. He got that.
But once again, she was lying.
Desire had a scent, at least to his sensitive nose, and she was sending it out in waves. She wanted him, plain and simple.
The spell had created tiny little ignition points of need inside him. Now, the heady perfume radiating from her caused all those sparks to flare like Fourth of July fireworks, setting him ablaze.
A deep growl built in his throat, and he decided to show her just how much of a liar she was. He kissed her back. She was warm and willing and the most perfect combination of hard muscle and soft woman. He lost himself in the moment. In her.
His fingers dug into her hips, pulling her closer. A rumble spilled out of her, deep and throaty and needful. It spoke to his wolf. The beast lifted his head and took notice.
The woman who’d been off-limits was now well within bounds.
But Jenna was no woman he’d ever experienced before. Although he didn’t really remember any other woman besides Zoe. It had been too long.
This was a damn fine way to break that dry spell.
The thought made a laugh bubble up, breaking the kiss.
Jenna pulled back, flushed and looking like she’d just ridden through battle. He liked that look. It was wild and a little reckless but undeniably strong.
She heaved out a breath. “Why are you smiling?”
“Why aren’t you? That was pretty amazing.”
She shook her head. “It was just a kiss. To prove that there’s nothing between us. You can turn off that glow in your eyes now and settle down.”
“My wolf does what it wants.”
She made an amused face. “Right. Your wolf. Well, then, get him a rawhide and tell him to chill.”
“The creature inside me is a wild animal. Not a domesticated house pet. If you think that side of me is so easy to control, you’re wrong.”
Her expression said she wasn’t taking this seriously, but she’d learn. If she was around him long enough.
He took a deep breath, which didn’t help, because all he could smell was lemons and sunshine and desire. “You’re also wrong if you think that kiss proved your point. If anything, it proved the opposite. We definitely have chemistry. Sorry if that’s a problem for you, but if we’re going to deal with this spell, better to be honest about what’s happening rather than to pretend nothing’s changed.”
“You want honest?” She squared her shoulders. “I’m not interested in you.”
Sure. She was so uninterested, she’d kissed him. “Tell yourself whatever you need to. Doesn’t matter to me. But don’t confuse what you want, or don’t want, with the truth. We’re attracted to each other. Admitting that will help us get through this.”
She lifted her chin ever so slightly. Her cheeks were still flushed and her bottom lip slightly swollen from the kiss he couldn’t stop thinking about. “I’m not attracted to you.”
He rolled his eyes. “All right, valkyrie. You go with that.” He turned and walked back toward the house.
“I’m not,” she repeated. Then a second later, she followed him. “Just show me the guest room, and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Just so long as you’re not more than a hundred feet away.” He went inside, holding the door for her only as long as it took for her to get a hand on it.
He could practically feel how confused she was. He believed very much that she didn’t want to be attracted to him. But she was. He knew that. Everything about that kiss, that amazing kiss, had said otherwise. So did her scent. The flush of her cheeks. The size of her pupils. The thump of her pulse.
She was struggling with what she was feeling. Obviously, he wasn’t her idea of the perfect mate.
Truth was, she wasn’t his either. But he also knew life didn’t always turn out the way you expected it to. Zoe was proof of that.
He grabbed Jenna’s duffel bag from the kitchen, then went back down the hall to the guest room. She kept up behind him.
Did valkyries even have mates? They must. Her sister, Tessa, married Sebastian Ellingham, so that was proof right there that valkyries had relationships. Was Sebastian Jenna’s idea of the ideal man?
If that was the case, no wonder she wasn’t interested in him. Titus didn’t come close to having the kind of wealth and power that Sebastian had. He never would either. Didn’t want it. His life was just fine the way it was. He had a job he was good at, a great family, great friends.
He tried to ignore the obvious missing link but couldn’t.
He had no family of his own. He’d failed there. Zoe had chosen her parents over him. He didn’t blame her for it. They needed her. Needed someone to take care of them. And she’d stepped up.
It was admirable, really.
But losing her had left him broken.
He pushed the guest room door open. “Here you go.”
Jenna took the duffel bag from him and went in, looking around. “It’s very nice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She turned, looking very much like she had something more to say. “What, uh, time do you want to run?”
“After dinner. Right around dark.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
There was more. He could feel it. He leaned against the doorframe, waiting.
She swallowed. “I’m sorry about the thing in the garage.”
Well, that was a little vague. And he wasn’t in the mood to let her off easy. “You mean you’re sorry about kissing me?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “Yeah. That. I really thought it would prove something.”
“Oh, it did.”
She sighed. “Can we just have a truce and get through this? I was wrong to kiss you, okay? I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m not mad about the kiss.” Mad he wasn’t getting another one,
