Predator's Kiss (11 page)

“And if it growls?” she asked, unable to tear her gaze away from his bared skin.

Ryland offered her a crooked smile, and the sensuous curl of his lips made him appear more playful than she’d ever seen him. “Oh, if a bear growls, you know you’re in trouble.”

His gaze hooded now, he dropped his boxer briefs and stepped out of them. Lia swallowed, praying God would give her the strength to keep her eyes above Ryland’s waist.

Clearly God was occupied with other things at the moment and not inclined to answer her halfhearted entreaty.

She blinked and that little action sent her gaze plummeting toward Ryland’s crotch. Her lips fell open. He was as enormous as she’d suspected. Her eyes twitched as she looked at him, she was so taken by the sight. It took everything in her power not to reach out and clasp his thick member in her two hands.

Rather than stand there, Ryland crouched in front of her and got down on all fours in front of her. “Now,” he said gently, but assertively. “I’m going to shift. And I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. Do you understand?”

She barely understood what time of day it was, with him naked in front of her. She forced herself to nod and clapped her mouth shut so she wouldn’t drool.

“Good girl,” Ryland whispered, grinning.

Lia watched as he sucked in a breath and as little black hairs began to sprout all over his body. It all happened in seconds, and before she knew what was happening, his face had exploded into fur and muzzle. His huge, muscled form took up way more space before the fireplace and Lia began to feel her head sway with the fear that always assaulted her. He was an animal, a beast possessing power to rip her to shreds. A creature who could tear at her with his teeth and swallow her in one gulp. She bit back the hot tears threatening to fill her eyes and refused to cry, even though she wanted to shriek. She clenched her fists so hard she was sure there was blood on her palms.

Her every fiber was shouting at her to run and never look back.

She remembered his words then.

I’m not going to hurt you. I promise
.

As much as a big part of her wanted to escape in the swiftest way, a smaller, more insistent part of her demanded she stay and bear witness to this bizarre act. Ryland didn’t move, as if concerned any sudden movements would send her packing, and his calm slowly vanquished her own sense of panic. She felt her hands begin to shake, but then he made a slight huffing sound, and there was a loosening somewhere in her body. The slightest feeling of relaxation. Surely enough, her trembling limbs calmed.

As if he’d willed her terror away.

For the first time since she was ten, Lia had the strange urge to pet an animal.

With tentative slowness, she put her hand to his wet bear nose, as one might do to a new dog. For some weird reason, she felt the need to let him sniff her. Bear Ryland pushed his face against her hand, letting her know it was okay to touch him.

So she did.

As her breath came in halted, jittery intervals, Lia smoothed her hand over the coarse fur of his head, wondering at her bravery. It couldn’t be bravery; it had to be closer to insanity. And then she giggled as happiness infiltrated her being.

She was petting an animal. A bear, of all things!

And he seemed to be soaking it up. Bear Ryland closed his black eyes and made little noises of what could only be contentment. It was wonderful. She reached out her other hand and ran it gently along his face. He even let her touch his mouth and teeth. As much as she worried he might change his mind and snap at her, or God forbid, simply chew off a hunk of her arm, he remained placid. He dwarfed her, even as he sat on his big haunches, the most majestic beast she’d ever seen. The bears in the zoo back home never dazzled her like this. Fondling Ryland in his bear form, she’d never felt more in awe of any creature, real or imagined. She couldn’t have been more dazzled if she were making friends with a unicorn.

The frightened ten-year-old girl inside her was no longer cowering in fear. In fact, Lia got the impression that little girl had just giggled and skipped away.

They remained that way for at least fifteen minutes. It was so much fun. By the time Ryland was giving off signals they should wrap it up, Lia was ready to roll around on the floor with him and rub his belly. But then she remembered she wasn’t dealing with a Labrador puppy. Ryland was a predator, and he was being very gracious.

He sat back and uttered a few short barks. She jumped at the noise, but then realized it was only his way of speaking to her. Somehow she knew he was saying, “Okay, playtime’s over.”

She removed her hands from his coat and held them in her lap. Before she’d blinked twice, he’d shifted back into his naked form. Heat streaked into her face, especially when she saw that he was no less aroused. Ryland offered her a shy grin, and then reached over and began to put on his clothes. Neither of them said a word.

However, by the time he was slipping his worn Timberland boots back on, she couldn’t remain silent. “Ryland,” she began quietly. “Thank you.”

He stopped what he was doing and stared at her. He frowned. “Don’t mention it.”

As Lia’s heart rate elevated, she couldn’t help wondering if the bear episode had touched him as much as it had touched her, his forehead was so creased. Or was he just mad at having to go to such lengths to soothe a silly human woman?

But then Ryland’s gaze warmed and the glint in his black eyes heated her right through. “Now,” he purred. “This doesn’t give you permission to go around petting rogue raccoons. Those things are nasty.”

They both laughed and Lia realized she’d never felt quite so at ease with another person, and yet so deliciously ill at ease at the same time.

“Hey, are you hungry?” he asked. “Because I brought a bunch of food back to my room.”

And as Lia noticed the way his black hair grazed his brow, the way his eyebrow angled at her and the particular curve of his sexy smile, she realized she was hungrier than she’d ever been in her life.

* * * *

They got back to his room without incident, but Ryland couldn’t help admitting he still felt a lot better once she was on his turf again. He just felt more secure having her at the lodge, where there was always a fellow shifter in easy distance should the need for backup arise.

His “touch the bear” experiment seemed to have worked wonders, which was amazing. On the way back from the woods, Lia had only jumped a little when a squirrel flew from one tree branch to another nearby. Then she’d smiled at him, making him feel taller than he ever had.

She’d allowed herself to trust him and it hadn’t ended in total disaster. Plus, he couldn’t deny how good it had felt to have her run her hands all over his muzzle, head and shoulders. It had felt a little too damn good, which was why he’d had to call an end to it. If he’d let her touch him like that much longer, he would have done something unforgiveable, like maul her in raging lust.

Once back in his room, he made a couple of quick calls while Lia freshened up in the bathroom. He called Security, and they confirmed the stranger from reception had gotten back onto the ferry headed to the mainland and hadn’t tried to return. And he checked back in with Soren, and was relieved to know his little brother was back in Cabin 12 watching old Hawaii Five-O reruns. Soren apparently hadn’t seen anything untoward on his Rambo reconnaissance run either, or perhaps he just got tired of doing something that wasn’t drumming or diddling the nearest woman. Ryland wasn’t sure if he ought to be relieved or worried by the current lack of info, but chose to be relieved for now.

Lia was with him and she was safe. Even still, Ryland took care to shut the curtains against the darkness outside and to lock the door.

“I’m famished,” she called from inside the bathroom. “I can’t wait to get some of that food inside me.”

So help him God, if only he could be inside her.

Jesus! Where did that come from?

Banishing the pornographic images messing with his head, he listened as she ran the tap and washed her hands. As she finished up, he laid out the food items he’d brought back from the kitchen so they were displayed on the long table at the foot of his bed. Bread, meats, and apple crumble were all arranged to the best of his ability. He looked inside the picnic basket to see if he’d left anything behind, and saw the plastic jar of honey. He put that out too. Maybe she’d like to spread some on her bread.

Then he could spread it on her.

Oh, fuck. He clapped a hand to his dry mouth. He’d never wanted a woman so much in his life. The thought of her leaving over the next day or so was causing him physical pain. Was that one of the reasons he’d played Winnie-the-Pooh with her? To make her like him so she’d stay?

He grabbed the table to steady himself. All of a sudden, he was the one shaking! It would be completely Soren-ish to try to seduce her so early in their acquaintance, and yet he couldn’t see straight for needing her so badly. She just had to look at him, and his body responded with violent lust.

And the worst part was he somehow suspected his heart would shatter if Lia got hurt or left. The thought was so repugnant, so damaging, Ryland didn’t ever want to imagine it again. It made no sense. And a part of him acknowledged it wasn’t just about sexual attraction either. There was something about her. When they’d shared those few moments, her stroking his bear face, he didn’t think he’d ever felt such an affinity with another being. It had been the most resplendent, perfect moment of his life.

And he knew if she’d allow herself to give in, to truly give herself to him, she’d feel the same way. She already felt it. He was convinced. It was all there in her eyes, in her delighted expression as she’d shared that intimate moment with him.

Ah, who was he kidding? Lia was a nonshifter woman, the same sort of woman who’d betrayed him in the past. Sure, at first, Karen had seemed open to him, but when push had come to shove, she’d proven she couldn’t be trusted. And weren’t women all the same anyway? Out for themselves. Always looking for the better prospect.

A thin bead of sweat broke out on his upper lip and he gave it an angry swipe with the back of his arm. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was hyperventilating. As he stood still and listened to his unsteady breaths, he realized he was on the verge of hyperventilating. God, he’d been with women before. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he keep his shit together?

Okay, he acknowledged bears were generally solitary creatures. Sure, bear shifters weren’t quite the same, for their human sides would always crave companionship. Still, this whole courting thing was a big deal for someone like him.
Was
he courting Lia? Whatever he was doing, he was doing it piss-poorly.

The bathroom door opened. Lia emerged. She’d changed, Ryland noticed, swallowing hard. She was now wearing a cute little nighttime T-shirt and some silky lady boxer shorts. His gaze traveled the curve of her braless breasts through the shirt, down over her hip, and followed the seductive trail of her sexy legs to where they culminated in big, woolly socks.

Damn. Even the sight of those socks made him hard.

She blushed. “Hope you don’t mind, but I was getting really tired of those jeans. I guess I should have grabbed a few more outfits when I was playing ‘run from the stalker.’”

Ryland kept staring, feeling his engorged dick slamming against his jeans. He didn’t say a word, and couldn’t seem to find any words to say.

One thought raged through his brain, eliminating all other coherent thought.

Maybe that jar of honey will see some action tonight
.

*

Lia observed Ryland through a suspicious eye. He looked stunned and was holding a jar of honey. His Adam’s apple was bobbing up and down in his throat and he was staring at her legs. What was all that about?

Okay, she knew she wasn’t dressed in her finest, but she didn’t have much choice. She couldn’t stay in those jeans another minute. They were so uncomfortable and she could swear she’d put on a couple of pounds since she’d arrived. Her temporary refuge at this lodge was fattening her up.

And now Ryland had put out another fine, albeit rustic, spread, and seemed to be offering her honey of all things. Only the look on his face didn’t suggest he wanted her to eat it. It suggested other things she couldn’t even contemplate because the mere insinuation of sex made her want to explode.

He thrust the honey jar onto the little table, as if trying hard to get it out of the realm of his reach. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he indicated the edge of the bed. “Wanna sit?” He stammered. “Or, uh, I can pull up a chair.” He looked into the other room, where there was a small dining area. “Damn. I have no idea why I didn’t set the food on the dining table. I don’t really have a lot of visitors here to eat.”

“What
do
your visitors come here to do?” She blushed, unable to resist asking the cheeky question.

He stared at her, abashed, and then they both started laughing. He opened his mouth once or twice, as if unsure how to continue.

She put him out of his misery. “It’s okay, Ryland. I’m all right on the bed, as long as you don’t mind crumbs.”

He mumbled something, and she could almost swear it was something about him not minding her crumbs at all.

Oh, she was careening into dangerous territory.

And she was supposed to sleep here tonight! Yes, Ryland had already set himself up a spot on the couch, offering her the bed, but how was she supposed to close her eyes under the same roof as him? Especially when everything in her body was sighing and saying, “Open your eyes and drink that tall glass of water down!”

Okay. It’s just a meal. He hasn’t offered himself up on a plate. Down, girl
.

She sat at one edge of the bed, curling her leg up under her bottom, and surveyed the spread of food. “This looks really good.”

He smiled, and seemed more relaxed talking about the food. He perched on the opposite edge of the bed, far away from her. “We have a couple of awesome cooks here. Take as much as you want. I seem to recall you having a good appetite.” His boyish grin once again transformed his usually serious face, rendering him just about irresistible.