Blinking away the haziness in her mind, she found her voice.
"So. Uhm. What did you have in mind tonight?"
He shrugged. "Dunno. I didn't get that far. I just didn't like the idea of you being alone after classes tonight."
"Oh." She hadn't expected that.
"Yeah. So..."
A soft spot within her seemed to open up as she watched him. How could a huge man, someone that looked like he could take down just about anyone, look nervous? Maybe she needed to let him in, get to actually know him. Nothing about him was what she'd thought about shifters. This man in front of her may have seemed like the tough alpha, controlling and hard, but that wasn't all of him.
He stood there, they were alone and the way his shirt pulled, she could imagine running her hands over every single muscle. Her heart had forgotten the darkness in her past. He took a step closer to her, the scent of his soap swirled around her as the air carried it to her. The scent of a man.
"So," she whispered.
He didn't look away from her, his focus on her and only her. Her skin tightened as the thought of his fingers grazing her bare skin. As if he could read her mind he raised his hand, a feather-light touch running down from shoulder to arm, to her wrist. She shivered.
"The lights," she said.
A quick nod of his head and she started towards the other side of the room. Each foot step calculated as she tried to pretend like she was someone else, someone he'd want to watch walking. A glance over her shoulder and she saw that he had followed her. She clenched the muscles between her thighs as her body seemed to beg for him, he steps faltering.
Raine passed through the maze of heavy bags and reached for the switches to the main lights. As she flicked each switch, a small illuminating backup light cast a glow around the space.
She turned around and saw Kian, his hand resting atop one of the bags, his stance blocking the opening directly in front of her. She rubbed a bare foot over the top of her other foot, nervous energy looking for an escape.
"You are sexy. You know that?"
Her breath caught. "I. So are you."
He chuckled.
"Oh. I mean. Well..."
His lips pulled into a subtle smirk. "What? You seem nervous. Am I getting to you?"
She took a step forward. He unnerved her and she liked it. "Maybe."
His eyes seemed to widen with each step she took towards him. One. Two. Three. She stopped toe to toe and tilted her head up.
She could look for a thousand years and she'd never find a man who touched her soul to the point of erasing everything but him and her.
Licking her lower lip, Raine let her eyes forged a trail from the emerald of his gaze down the slightly imperfect angle of his nose to his very perfect mouth. She lifted her hand to the perfect skin of his cheek. She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. The way he smiled as she explored him made her chest tighten and had her pulse fluttering like a hummingbird. Dragging her finger down, she flattened her hand against his chest taking in each rise and fall.
"Tell me Kian. Why are you here?" the words so quiet she didn't know if he'd heard.
He dropped a hand to her waist, the other snaking behind her and pulling her close.
"I need you." The rumble of his lowered voice sent a wave of need through her.
She sucked in her top lip, dragging her teeth over it as she tried to fight the muscles contracting between her legs and the sudden ache consuming her.
"I need you, Raine."
He closed the space between them pulling her close enough not even air remained between them.
"I'm starting to think I need you too." She paused. "Maybe we should just take things slowly."
Standing on tip toe, she moved by instinct and need. An invisible rope wound its way around her pulling her to him. She rested her palms on his shoulders, hesitantly moving her arms around the back of his neck.
"What do you need from me Kian?”
She let out a nervous laugh before she made her next move. Pushing away rational thought she reached behind her and grabbed his hand, pulling it to rest on her heart. An invitation to more if he wanted. Maybe he thought that she was his mate, but he was going to have to convince her that he was worth her time.
His eyes flashed gold. She squeaked in surprise as he leaned into her, forcing her to backpedal in surprise until she hit the wall behind her. He pinned her against it. Raine's own instinct settled in, but instead of reacting in fear she was nervous. Sweeping her leg around his leg, she took him off balance, taking the control from him.
He toppled like a massive tree taking her with him. He pulled her leg up, his hand locking her against him as they rolled over. On top of her, she looked up into his face an inch from hers. Their bodies were so close she felt each and every breath he took.
"Is this what you wanted princess? Me on top?" He smirked.
She squirmed and gave up under him. She started the game and he wasn't going to let her win, not unless it still resulted in her naked with him inside of her.
He watched her features. Her breathing was more rapid than his own, she'd exerted more energy trying to knock him down. The thought had him laughing. "I'm not sure what you were expecting, but you can't beat me," he said.
Kian and his cougar didn't like easy prey and like it or not, Raine was their ultimate prey.
The muscles in his neck strained as he resisted doing what his body
