“I prefer the term lycan.” He frowned and his brows slanted down, then he got up off the bed, reached for his T-shirt and tugged it over his head.
Had she hurt him? She hadn’t meant to. Everything was just happing so fast.
“I’m sorry, I just—”
“I get it. You don’t want to be tied to an animal like me. I don’t need apologies. But you can’t deny there is a connection between us. When I touch you, I feel it. I know you do too.” He clenched his jaw. “Get ready, and we’ll go.”
The flash of pain in his eyes was unmistakable. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, and she certainly hadn’t meant to give him cause to think that she thought of him as an animal. Yes, he’d kidnapped her. Yes, he’d kissed her and touched her, but he’d done nothing to harm her, and she enjoyed the kissing and caressing part, thoroughly enjoyed it. And now he was taking her back to her sister. She’d felt the effort it had taken him to keep his word when things had gotten heated between them, yet he’d refrained from touching her as he’d promised until she’d given him permission. He cared about her feelings. He hadn’t tried to coerce or push her into anything she hadn’t wanted.
In fact, he’d stopped almost instantly every time she’d backed off. He was a man of his word and hadn’t lied to her. He was a dying breed. Most 52
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men would have gotten angry, called her a tease, but he understood that she was not playing games with him. She was pretty sure he knew she was innocent where lovemaking was concerned. She was insecure and unsure, but those reasons didn’t lessen the fact that she wanted him. And truth be told, when he touched her, she didn’t feel insecure and shy. She felt like a siren, like a woman luring her man to a promise of pleasure so intense it would blow both their minds.
By the time she’d donned her clean underwear, finger combed her hair, and rinsed her mouth out since she didn’t have a toothbrush, she felt a bit more human. They had a long ride back to her sister, and she would explain to him that she’d never had such strong feelings for a man. They were confusing to her, but she’d decided she wanted to see where they would lead.
She cared enough for him to give him a chance—them a chance—if he was willing to take it.
She gasped when she saw him standing in front of the window. He’d opened the curtains, and snow fell heavy and fast outside.
“It’s snowing.”
“A lot.” He grunted.
“It’s too early for it.”
“Obviously Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.” He turned around and eyed her from head to toe. “It’s not that uncommon to have early snowfall in these parts.”
When he looked at her like that, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump him. His black T-shirt and jeans hugged him like a second skin, and she could see the outline of every mouth-watering muscle on his lean, hard body. He was so perfect that he could have been carved out of stone by the hands of a professional sculptor. His tanned skin and dark features showcased those golden brown eyes flawlessly.
“It’s coming down hard.” She eased closer to the window and him.
When she stood only a few inches from him, she could feel the heat emanating from him.
“We need to get going. It’s looking bad. If you want to make it back to your sister tonight, we’re going to have to make some good time.” She didn’t 53
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miss the way a frown marred his full lips when he eyed the snow from the window again.
“Will we be okay?”
“I’ll make sure you get back safely, Sherry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He shrugged and looked back to the bed behind them. “Or we could stay here and wait it out.”
“Let’s go then.” A huge part of her wanted to say hell with it and stay with him, but she couldn’t let her sister worry.
He looked disappointed by her decision, but didn’t say a word as he opened the door and waved her outside. She climbed into the Jeep and shivered. It was freezing. He got in the driver’s side, started the engine, and backed out of the parking spot. Within twenty minutes, they were on the highway heading back the way they’d came. The heat had kicked in and she turned the radio on only to turn it off after hearing more static than music. A few hours later, she was becoming alarmed.
The snow had increased, visibility had decreased, the wind had picked up, and a white blanket was quickly thickening over the landscape. They were in a remote part of Michigan, and she’d only seen one other car the whole time they’d been driving. The way Piers gripped the steering wheel only increased her anxiety.
“Piers?”
“It’ll be okay. See if you can find a local news station on the radio.”
She finally found one after several tries, but it was hard to hear through the thick interference. Only bits and pieces could be heard, but “blizzard,”
“whiteout conditions,” “winter storm advisory” and “hazardous travel” were a few words that came through loud and clear.
“I can’t see anything.” She could barely see a foot in front of them, and dread slid down her spine.
“I can.”
“But how?”
“Because I can see a whole hell of a lot better than you.”
“Oh.” She was trying hard not to flip out, but her nerves were winning the battle.
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“We will be all right.” Piers reached over and squeezed her hand. “I will keep you safe.”
An hour later, she wasn’t sure even he believed that they would be okay.
* * * *
Piers kicked the tire on the Jeep. The fucking thing had blown, and now they were in
