“I think that’s long enough. I will apply a soothing lotion now.”
He placed her on her feet and began toweling her off before she recovered enough to object.
“You don’t need to do that. I’m quite capable of drying myself.”
She might as well have been talking to a brick wall—a large, furry brick wall—as he ignored her and continued running a cloth gently down her back. The thin material didn’t resemble a normal towel, but it removed the moisture from her skin with almost magical ease. She tried to pull away again, but he held her in place by the simple expedient of tucking her against his body.
Her front was pressed to his chest, and as her breasts rubbed against the damp silkiness of his chest, her nipples tightened. It’s just a physical reaction, she told herself as the soft fur teased the small peaks to aching hardness, determined to ignore the sensation. He spun her around and started drying her front, and she almost moaned when he passed the cloth over her now sensitive breasts. His movements slowed, and he lingered, making careful circles around her breasts and gently teasing her nipples.
“Are all human breasts this large, even when they are not with child?” he asked, his voice a low growl, and she could feel his cock hardening behind her. “And are their nipples this sensitive?”
As he spoke, he rolled each tight nub between his fingers. Her body was a confused mixture of desire and trepidation. What he was doing felt good, so good, but she hadn’t chosen this. She wrenched herself away from him, and either she caught him by surprise or he willingly let her go.
“What is wrong?” he asked.
“I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”
“Your body was responding.”
Grateful that he would not be able to see her blush with her skin still flushed from the sun, she raised her chin. “That was just a physical reaction. I can take care of myself.”
“You do not need to take care of yourself. You are mine to care for now.”
“I’m not yours,” she said fiercely.
“I fought for you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“Would you rather I had left you to Hvach or Goolig?”
“No,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you own me. You…”
A sudden wave of weakness washed over her, and she swayed dizzily. Baralt swore, and then she was back in his arms.
“You will let me take care of you,” he said firmly.
She wanted to argue, but her arms and legs felt almost too heavy to move. As much as she hated to admit it, having him take care of her was oddly comforting.
“I will finish drying you now.”
“All right,” she said reluctantly. “But no more funny business.”
“Funny business? What is humorous about this?”
“I meant don’t play with my breasts.”
“I was only drying them,” he said innocently.
She snorted, but her urge to protest had vanished with her weariness. Instead, she lay quietly in his arms as he finished drying her and then smoothed a soothing lotion over her skin. He might have lingered a fraction longer between her legs and on her breasts than was strictly necessary, but it was too slight for her to call him on it. Her eyelids kept trying to close as a great lethargy swept over her.
She had a brief moment of panic when she found herself being placed on a soft surface, but Baralt’s deep voice rumbled reassuringly in her ear.
“Go to sleep, Isabel. You are safe.”
Before she could open her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t tired, she was asleep.
Chapter Six
A wave of heat washed over Izzie, waking her from her slumber. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, but it was an oddly erotic heat. Her nipples throbbed and ached, and there was a pulsing beat between her thighs. Her hand slid instinctively to her clit and found the small nub swollen and hot to the touch. She moaned as she circled it, her body slick and ready.
“What is wrong? Are you in pain?”
Her eyes flew open at the sound of the deep male voice, but the room was too dim for her to see anything. Where was she? Just as she started to panic, she felt the soft brush of fur against her side and recognized Baralt’s musky scent. A second wave of heat rushed through her system, and she moaned again.
“Isabel. Do I need to call for a medic?”
“No!” She had already been subjected to one humiliating medical exam. She wasn’t about to agree to another, especially with her heightened state of desire.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she panted, trying to force herself to pull her hand away from her needy clit, but even that small movement made her moan again.
“You are not fine,” Baralt insisted, and then she felt his big hand cupping her face. “Your skin is very hot.”
“I know. But it’s not painful. Exactly.”
“Your scent has changed.” His voice deepened, almost growling. “Are you in heat?”
If the fire running through her veins weren’t so intense, she would have laughed.
“Humans don’t go into heat,” she managed to say, but despite her best intentions, her fingers were drifting toward the throbbing ache between her legs again. Thank goodness it was too dark for him to see what she was doing.
He leaned closer, and the soft fur covering his muscled chest pressed against one of her beaded nipples. She arched her back, anxious for more contact, and groaned with relief as their bodies pressed together.
What am I doing? The question floated through her head, but it didn’t seem as important as the need for immediate relief.
“Do you need me to touch you?” Baralt asked.
She opened her mouth to tell him that of course she didn’t, but instead… “Oh yes.”
With the growl that she could feel vibrating through his chest as it pressed against her, he obeyed. A big hand
