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.She needed the rest.When she murmured, he nuzzled the hair near her ear.“Sleep.”Shifting her fully into his arms, he rose to his feet and started back to Jake’s.The dark night spoke with familiar whispers.Birds called, and the wind sang through the upper tree branches while a thousand scents assailed his nostrils.By the time he reached his brother’s house, the ache of desire had eased, driven off by a deeper contentment.The hills and forest around the Sanctuary had become the place he knew best, but never had he felt at home until Nadi came.The pain of choices made in youthful haste never left him, even in the quiet evenings, yet, with a white haired angel in his arms, the loss did not hold its usual power.Jake had turned the outside light on and paced the rough-hewn planks.When Ryan stepped onto the porch with his delicate burden, the smaller man reached for her but backed up after a subtle warning growl.“Open the door, little brother.”“What did you do to her? Why’s she so still?”“She’s wiped out.I told you to make her rest.”Grabbing the screen door, Jake swung it wide and stepped back.“Did you drug her again?”Refusing to dignify the smaller man’s worries, he entered the cabin and headed down the hall to the south bedroom where she slept.Laying her gently on the bed, he pulled a light cover over her naked body and brushed her curls from her forehead.She whimpered when he stood up, but he stroked her temple until she relaxed once more.His brother started to speak, but Ryan motioned him from the room and followed.Once in the kitchen, Jake turned on him, displaying more spunk than he’d ever seen from the kid.“What happened?”Ryan grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed another to his brother before dropping into a chair.“We took a run to the river, talked a bit, and she passed out.”“You didn’t touch her?”With a snort, he downed his drink and set the empty bottle on the table.“That, little brother, is none of your damned business.”“Meaning something happened.Do I need to kick your ass?”“You could try.” Irritation and understanding battled.He’d be just as protective if he were in Jake’s shoes…had felt much the same when Ja came into Kya’s life.“I’ll tell you what.I promise to never hurt her if you agree to stay the hell out of it.Deal?”“Even if she can never be with you—or any man?”An ache he didn’t want to deal with burned in his chest.He headed for the door.If he hurried, he could get in a long run and then take over the second part of his shift at the Sanctuary.He’d left Grant shorthanded too many nights lately.Once on the porch where the cool breeze could clear his thoughts, he turned back.“If she decides she doesn’t want a mate, I’ll defend her right to choose to the bitter end.However….” Words eluded him for a moment, but the questions in Jake’s stiff posture and rigid jawline demanded answers.“Once Nadi chooses, if I’m not what she wants, I’ll back off.Until then, I’ll do everything in my power to persuade her to see things my way.”Chapter SixRyan waited until Jake had left for his early shift at the Sanctuary before he knocked softly and slipped into Nadi’s room.He expected her to be asleep.Instead, she walked from the small attached bathroom, wearing nothing except a towel over her head and face as she rubbed water from her short hair.Moisture dotted her beautiful skin, trickling down to bead at the end of one nipple, hesitating before it fell away.He bit his tongue to suppress the need to lap up the remaining droplets.A hint of her approaching heat danced on the air, feminine and alluring, rousing his wolf.He would have left, but she dropped the towel before he could tear his gaze from her naked body.She dove for the covering, her squeak of protest alerting him to the deep shit he had floundered into.“I knocked.” Smooth, Jones.He lifted his hands in surrender to the shock rolling off her.“I wanted to show you something.”With a huff, she wrapped the towel around herself.“Looks more like you came to see something.”Answering her glare with a helpless smile, he put his hands behind his back and tipped his head to minimize any threat she might perceive from him.Her spirit had not deserted her despite the trauma she’d faced most of her life, and the combination of strength and vulnerability drew him.He strolled across the room to where she stood trembling with indignation.Her emotions ran high with rising hormones.In full heat, she would offer a spectacular challenge, one he couldn’t wait to meet.Not until she’s stronger.His human side lectured his wolf, but it snarled and strained to claim his female.Careful not to startle her further, he touched her short wet hair.“I like it this way.”“You like when I look like a drowned rat?”“No.” He chuckled low in his throat.Everything about her, even when she acted hissy as a wet cat, appealed to him.The scent of her fertility enhanced her attraction but did not account for it.No female had ever affected his inner animal in the way Nadi did.“Your hair looks good curling by your face.It emphasizes those stunning eyes of yours.”“Do you think if you flatter me enough, I’ll forget you walked in while I was naked?”Her moodiness didn’t lessen the fire raging in his blood.“You had no clothes last night.”“I had fur.”“Not by the pond.”She slipped around him.Gaze down, she hurried to the low dresser near the wall opposite the window.“That was a mistake.”“You think so?” The denial of her passion hurt unexpectedly.He caught her arm, so she couldn’t avoid him.“I disagree.”“It doesn’t matter what you think, Ryan.It won’t happen again.” She pulled away to jerk on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, hiding her fading bruises and her pretty little tits.His groin tightened.Before the day was out, her breeding instinct would overshadow her fears, and his ability to control himself would weaken accordingly.He’d ensure she was back in her room, safe and sound, by the time her heat reached its crest—with him and every other randy male locked outside.Until then, he’d play protector no matter how much he wanted her wrapped around his dick.“Take all the time you need to adjust to the idea, gorgeous.I’m in no hurry.”She lifted her head up with a defensive snarl.“You’re awfully cocky in another man’s house.”“Jake’s not your man.”“He’s my brother.”He fought a grin but failed.“Exactly.” When she scowled at him, he sat on the corner of her bed, no longer even trying to hide his smile.“Put some shoes on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]