Chapter Eight

It was hard to breathe. Her simple admission did things to him no one in the world had ever done. She did so anyway, but that one word, that single word…made it so much more. “Why? You know I won’t hurt you.” Kori smoothed some hair back from her face. He was addicted to touching her and couldn’t seem to stop. Her skin was so soft and her hair like silk. “I would never do that, mo anam.” I could never do that.

“Not intentionally.”

He stared at her. “Not at all.”

“You make me feel things I’m not sure about. You know I don’t like being close or being touched, and yet, when I’m near you, that’s all I want to do. And it scares me.” Lera nibbled on her lower lip. “I’ve tried, you know, tried burying my memories so I could experience what my friends talked about. The supposed amazing experience of sex.”

Kori forced himself to remain immobile and not react. It killed him to imagine her looking for another male to sleep with, to share the pleasures of her body with. He wanted to maim every single male who had looked at her with lust.

“Twenty-five years,” she mumbled, as if unaware he stood right there listening. “I just wanted to know what was so good about it. But I can’t.” Her voice caught. “I can’t. I’ve barely tolerated guys putting their arms around me, much less a kiss. Not a good way to be. In college, I was dubbed ‘The Ice Queen.’ So then it was a test to see if they could be the ones to crack the ice.”

He pressed against her, letting her feel his hardness. Holding her gaze, Kori trailed a finger down the smooth skin of her cheek.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, mo ghrá. Nothing at all.” Up and down, his fingertip moved.

“There has to be,” she said with a whimper that tore through him. “I always froze up and hated them for touching me.”

“You’re not frozen now, Valera. Do you hate me for touching you like this?” he asked, continuing to stare at her. Refusing to release those pools she called eyes.

Lera shook her head. “It’s different with you, Kori. That’s why I have to keep away. As hard as it is for me to not know what they talk about, it would be worse to experience it with you and then be thrust back into the cold world I’m in now.”

Of course it’s different with me, Lera. You belong with me. “Who says you’d go back to a cold world, Lera?”

“The day you found your mate would make you off limits to me. I’m better off not knowing.”

I have found my mate. You, Valera. And I’m never letting you go. “I don’t think so, Lera.”

“You make my insides feel funny. Make all the walls I’ve erected crumble.”

“And?” He delved his hand into the hair at the back of her skull and nuzzled her neck. Her fresh scent poured new life into him. How the hell did I manage without you?

“And I don’t like being out of control.” Her body shuddered.

Kori kissed her lightly. “Okay, Lera. Ball’s in your court. You want something from me, you take it.” Another light kiss. “Let me tell you something, though. There is nothing wrong with you. Not at all. But if you want to ride, do so. We’ll leave for the bar this afternoon.”

He stepped back, ignoring every instinct screaming within him to make her his. This woman wasn’t like shifters he knew. One, she wasn’t even one, and two, her past made him need to tread even more cautiously for, if he moved to fast, he could lose her forever.

Lera blinked a few times before looking back into his eyes. “You know something, Cormac MacLochlainne?”

“What?”

“You’re going to be a great mate to someone. If only…” She trailed off and slipped by him to grab her jacket.

Kori faced the wall until he heard the low hum of her bike. His head rested against the coolness of the wallpaper. Deep, harsh breaths were taken in as he fought for control. His cock ached and pressed against the material of his jeans, and the wolf was howling to escape. Not someone, Lera. You! Only you.

“Fuck!” he uttered, slapping the wall before spinning around and flopping over on the bed, burrowing his face into the pillow which still had the faint scent of Lera on it. All of his iron control, all of his emotionless actions faded the second she was involved. Suddenly, he was overly possessive and feeling very predatory toward anything near her.

He closed his eyes and prayed for the strength needed to make it through this.