Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Her laughter erupted, just like he knew it would. “How am I supposed to control that?”
He wanted to kiss her again. Instead, he inspected the wound. It was healing, but still looked a little nasty to him. Any wound on her was sacrilegious as far as he was concerned. The doctor had assured him the infection had subsided. If Wraith could manage to wait a couple more days, they would be okay.
Gorya studied her as she got ready for bed. She tried to cover up the fact that she was hurting, but he could see it. Not only did he watch her every move; he was also in her mind. He had Rogue and Wraith watching her as well. She didn’t realize how valued she was by all of them.
She had been so careful to protect Wraith as well as Gorya and Rogue. The only one she hadn’t protected was herself.
“Stop persisting in thinking I’m so nice.” She laid her palm against his jaw as she leaned against the sink. Her long lashes feathered down. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d argue with you and point out that I nearly killed your cousin just for touching me.”
“But you didn’t. He was being an ass and he deserved it, but you didn’t.” Gorya once more cradled her against his chest, carrying her into the bedroom. Placing her carefully on the bed, he found he couldn’t just leave her. He should go back to his guests, but instead, he curled his body protectively around hers and snapped off the lights. “Go to sleep.”
“What are you doing?” She didn’t open her eyes, but she smiled, her hand reaching for his.
He threaded his fingers through hers. “What I do most nights. Watching you. It’s my favorite pastime.”
“That’s creepy. And kind of weird.”
He brought their joined hands to his lips. “I am creepy and kind of weird. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
Her voice dropped to a mere thread of sound. So low that had he not been leopard, he wouldn’t have heard. “I think you’re the most beautiful, amazing man in the world. I’m the luckiest woman in the world because you’re mine.”
11
Maya woke with her body on fire. Every nerve ending. Every single cell. The fierce burning between her legs was pure hell. Alarm spread through her. Instantly she was aware of Gorya’s male body wrapped tightly around her. Pure muscle. She couldn’t stop moving. Writhing. An erotic slide over the sheets, her body gliding sensuously against his no matter how much her brain screamed at her to stop.
“I can’t stop it. I can’t make it stop.” She tried rolling away from him before she did something unimaginable, like lick up from his belly to his chest. She couldn’t have sex. She couldn’t. She couldn’t lead him on. That would be the worst. She wouldn’t do that to him. He was so good to her. He’d been so patient.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Wraith was distressed, calling out to her. I tried as hard as I could. I can’t stop it, Maya. I’m so sorry.
It wasn’t her leopard’s fault. Maya detested that she made her leopard feel ashamed of what should be a wonderful, exciting time for her. Ordinarily, a female shifter didn’t even know if she had a leopard until her reproductive cycle and the leopard’s lined up together. If they did, the leopard would rise to the surface and eventually emerge fully. She could then be claimed by her mate.
It took extraordinary circumstances for a female leopard to ever show herself prior to that occasion. To save Maya’s sanity, Wraith had revealed herself to her human counterpart and later emerged when Maya was a child. The leopard had always been there for her. She detested that she was letting her down this way.
You’ve done nothing wrong, Wraith. You’re supposed to rise. Don’t try to suppress your nature. I’m the one that’s sorry.
She was. She couldn’t cope with even the thought of sex, let alone feelings this violent. Her body was completely out of control. No matter how hard she tried to overcome the screaming in her head or sudden terrible vision of her childhood memories, her body continued to crave the man lying beside her.
There was no way to stop the flames coming in waves, rolling through her veins and burning low. She couldn’t stop moving along the sheets. She hadn’t known material could inflame her further, but the friction against her nipples felt like electricity sparking.
No matter how much she might want to have sex with Gorya, no matter how much she wanted to do the right thing for her leopard, she knew she would fail them. The screams in her head grew louder right along with the vicious images from her childhood.
“I can’t. I can’t. I want to. But I can’t.” She could barely get the words out. Her voice was no more than a thread of sound, vibrating with shame and horror and even reflecting terror.