Total pages in book: 172
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Sevastyan had gotten up quickly and left the room, showering and dressing in the master bedroom downstairs. Flambé’s scent still lingered there, surrounding him, entering his lungs every time he took a breath, driving him nearly insane, yet he’d managed to control himself and kept his hands off of her by staying a distance from her.
He rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. “You should have felt cared for. I don’t make a habit of depriving myself.”
She stared down at his thumb for such a long time he didn’t think she was going to answer him. Then her head tilted back again until her eyes met his. “I was being cared for?”
“Yes, you were. I am never gentle, Flambé, no matter how much I might want to be. Your body needs time to recover.”
Her gaze once more jumped to the front seat as if afraid their conversation might be overheard. No doubt it could be, given that leopards had excellent hearing.
He caught her chin and firmly held it. “The only one who matters to you is the man sitting right here. No one else.” He wasn’t going to tell her about the crazy sex he’d tried not to hear when Mitya and Ania had been so out of control numerous times thanks to their leopards. He was certain it wasn’t going to be much better for Flambé with Sevastyan.
“We’re talking about something very important. Sex is extremely important between us. We have privacy screens in our cars for a reason. Right now, if you need sex, or want it, we just raise the screen and we do what we want.”
“With other people in the car?” Her eyes went wide.
“What happens when your leopard rises? We need them because there’s no other choice when a female leopard goes into heat. And sometimes, Flambé, I’ll just want to fuck you because I can’t wait five more minutes. That’s going to happen.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Is that exciting to you? Or upsetting? Tell me the truth.”
Her long lashes fluttered, veiled her golden-green eyes, and then she looked directly at him. “It’s exciting,” she conceded in a low tone. “Scary, but exciting.”
She was courageous enough to be honest, which was why she was the perfect partner for him.
“The scary part is why it’s important that you trust me to take care of you.”
She nodded, but stayed silent. He kept his hand cupping the side of her face, refusing to allow her to turn away from him. Sex was a good subject to keep him distracted, but it wasn’t the real problem. There was something more. He pressed the pad of his thumb over her lips and brushed back and forth, staring into her eyes, completely focused. Not blinking. He had that stare down. He was a shifter. An alpha. He was completely dominant. He didn’t ever need to raise his voice to bring anyone in line.
“It’s never good to attempt to hide anything from me, Flambé. You may as well tell me the rest. What is it that has upset you?”
He kept his thumb brushing across her lips gently, watching her eyes change color. She was upset. Her little leopard was worried. Flambé shifted restlessly in the seat beside him. Again, her hands rubbed along her arms and thighs as though putting out a fire. For a long moment she looked as if she might defy him. She tried to look away, but she couldn’t manage, shaking her head twice before closing one hand into a fist.
“I overheard something this morning that bothered me,” she admitted. Reluctance edged her voice. She tried to look away from him again, but couldn’t.
He knew from experience that he was capable of keeping other alphas held captive with his stare. She didn’t have that kind of experience and her leopard was too submissive to break free. He tried to encourage her by gently using his other hand to press her palm deeper into the heat of his thigh. Her heart was beating rapidly, almost as if she was prey and he was the predator. He could hear the sound and it bothered him, but he couldn’t let this go. It was too important.
“Anything that bothers you should be given to me immediately, Flambé. I thought we’d established that.” Her eyes had gone to that gold with emerald flecks. “Whatever you heard didn’t just bother you. You’re extremely upset. You’re doubting me. Us. My motives for being with you, aren’t you?”
He didn’t raise his voice or betray the fact that the ever-present rage that sent crimson sheets banding across his vision and had Shturm rearing up, raking and clawing at him, just as enraged at the thought that they might lose the only thing keeping them both sane, was surfacing.
She didn’t respond, but her eyes searched his as if she could read his mask. Read what everyone else had failed to in years of trying.