"You are not staying here."
She snatched up her skis. "If you force me to leave, so help me, Liam, I will go after Beth myself."
His nostrils flared. "What?"
"I will go out of my way to find her, to bait her. I will do whatever I can to draw her out, as long as it means they're safe. Do you understand me?" she demanded.
He tried to grab her, but she took a hasty step back. His eyes flashed dangerously again.
"I may belong with you, but that doesn't mean you own me!” Sera declared. “I still have a mind of my own, and whether you like it or not, I am staying. And right now, you're pissing me off!"
She slammed her skis into his chest, spun on her heel, and stormed after Kathleen and Danielle. Liam fumbled awkwardly with her skis, too shocked to do much more.
"Well now, it seems like Kathleen isn't the only one you shouldn't wave a red flag in front of," Jack chuckled.
Liam glowered as he thrust the skis at him. "Shut up."
Jack laughed as he caught the skis. "You really pissed her off; bet you're glad you'll be spending eternity with her now!"
Liam cast him a furious look as he spun and headed toward the lodge. His friends echoing laughter only served to infuriate him further with each step he took. He made his way through the small crowd gathered in the main room of the lodge. Sera's anger was like a homing beacon as he left the main room and strode down a hallway.
He found her sitting on one of the leather couches in a small sunroom at the far end of the lodge. There was no one inside as she stared out the multitude of glass panes making up the entire back wall of the room. Potted plants and trees filled every available nook and cranny. Deer heads hung on the wall by the small fireplace.
He crossed the small blue throw rug to stand beside her. She didn't turn away from the window as she watched the skiers coming down the hill. The setting sun washed over her in soft rays that lit her porcelain skin and highlighted the vivid violet blue of her eyes. He took a minute to admire her delicate beauty.
"You don't own me, Liam."
He turned to watch another group of people coming down the hill. "Sera, you belong with me."
"I know that just as well as you do, but you don't own me, and you can't dictate my life."
"If your life is in jeopardy, then I can, and will, dictate it!"
Her chin thrust out as she finally turned to look at him. "No, you won't. You will talk to me about it, and we will decide together, but you are not going to order me around. I won't have it, especially not in front of your friends."
Liam ground his jaw as he tried to keep a firm hold on his fraying patience. "I will not let you be injured, and if that means I have to tell you what to do, then you are going to do it."
Sera launched to her feet, her hands fisted as she rounded on him. "No, I won't!"
"You're just obstinate now." He was staggered when her eyes flashed with red.
She couldn't believe he was treating her like this, that he was saying this to her. "I am not being obstinate. I'm telling you that you will not treat me like some possession you can walk all over and tell what to do. I am my own person, Liam, and so help me God if you keep this up, I will go find Beth, and—"
Sera was cut off in mid-tirade as he seized hold of her arms. She started in surprise; she'd never even seen him move. He lifted her, so she was eye-level with him. "I'm telling you right now you don't want to finish that sentence. You will stay away from Beth, and as long as there is any threat to you, you will listen to me!"
"Liam—"
"No!" Torment filled his eyes. "If something were to ever happen to you..."
He broke off as she laid a hand against his cheek. His eyes instantly returned to their brilliant emerald color.
"Nothing is going to happen to me," she vowed. "But you can't treat me like this, Liam. I won't live like that forever." His eyes flashed again as his jaw clenched. "Talk to me, don't order me."
He dropped his head to rest against hers. "Sera, when it comes to this, I can't help but order you around," he admitted with a ragged breath. "I am the one who will protect you and keep you safe. I have to."
Some of Sera's resentment melted as she realized he wasn't trying to be cruel, or unkind to her, he just couldn't bear the thought of losing her. When it came to the issue of her safety, the beast in him was just below the surface, and able to break free at a moment's notice. "All right," she relented. "But could you at least try and talk to me instead of treating me like I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot, you're infuriating," he groaned.
Sera frowned at him as he lifted his head to smile at her. "I am not!" she protested.
He lowered her back to the floor. "You're infuriating... aggravating... tempting... and utterly irresistible."
He punctuated each of his words with a kiss. By the time he was done, Sera's anger vanished, and her body burned with desire. She twined her arms around his neck as she smiled seductively and pressed her body against his.
"And you are just as infuriating, aggravating, tempting, and irresistible," she whispered as she brushed her mouth against his.
His lips seared into hers, melting her clear down to her toes as she sighed in contentment. Her fingers stroked the nape of his neck as she
