He couldn’t understand the warped image she had of herself. Her lack of confidence dumbfounded him. She was perfect, beautiful, sexy, and she made him want her like no woman ever had his entire life.
He howled and sped up, trying to outrun his pain and anger. Surely he was not destined to a mate who would never see him as anything more than a monster? He had to find a way to make her see him as a man. He had to prove to her that he wanted her and found her attractive. He would woo her, and make her his if it was the last thing he ever did.
Chapter Nine
Janine was cooking dinner in the small, but well-stocked kitchen when she glanced at the front door for what felt like the hundredth time. Raze had been gone for hours. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, and had done a lot of thinking since he’d left. He was right. He was nothing like the men who’d kidnapped her. If they’d found out he hadn’t been doing what they’d instructed him to do to her, she was pretty sure he’d have been killed. She shivered. No telling what would have been done to her in that case.
He’d risked his life to save her, and she’d thanked him by calling him a monster. He was more of a man than most. In fact, she wasn’t sure another man existed who would have done what Raze had done for her. While she couldn’t deny her attraction to him or the fact that she wanted to make love with him, she was still unsure of herself and the situation she’d been dragged into.
Could she really accept that he was a werewolf? What would she do if he changed in front of her? She’d about had a panic attack when Damon had changed in front of her, and she’d barely caught a glimpse of it. The contemplation of him changing her terrified her on a level she couldn’t fathom at this point in time, although the thought of her leg being completely healed did hold some appeal to her. She’d suffered so much from her injury, and still did.
She mixed the spaghetti sauce and tasted it. “Mmmm.”
“Smells good.”
She dropped the ladle in the pot of sauce and spun around to find Raze leaning against the jamb of the open front door. “I didn’t hear you. How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to see that you were in deep thought. I didn’t want to interrupt.” He smiled and closed the door before walking over to stand next to her.
He looked down at the pot of sauce and licked his lips after sniffing at the contents.
She laughed when his stomach rumbled. “Want to try a bite?”
He nodded, and she dipped a spoon into the sauce and blew on it to cool it before handing it to him. Instead of taking the spoon, he wrapped his fingers around her hand and drew it to his mouth where he licked at the dark red liquid.
He groaned and closed his eyes. “That is so good.”
“I’ve made lots so I hope you are hungry.”
“I am.”
She put two plates and bowls on the table, and took the breadsticks from the oven. “It’s all ready. We’ll do it buffet style, if you don’t mind. Grab a plate and get what you want.”
“You first.” He gave her a mock bow.
He waited as she scooped some noodles onto her plate, covered them in the sauce, and took one breadstick. He piled enough on his plate to feed three people, added four breadsticks, and followed her to the table.
She grinned at him. “I guess you are hungry.”
They ate in silence, and toward the end of the meal, she felt compelled to apologize to him for what she’d said earlier. “Raze, I—”
“Let’s just forget about earlier, okay?” He put his fork down and watched her.
“Okay, but I just want to say I’m sorry.” He had a tiny drop of sauce on the corner of his mouth, and she imagined licking it off. She pushed the image from her mind and squirmed in her seat.
“Apology accepted. Now let’s move on.” He drank the glass of ice water she’d made for him and sopped up the rest of the sauce on his plate with his last breadstick before helping her clean up. “Would you like to take a walk?
It’s starting to get dark, but we have a little light time left. It might be the last night that will be safe for you to be out for awhile.”
She knew that it was only a matter of time until Damon found them, but she was certain that tonight would not be the night Damon caught up with them as Raze would never put her in harm’s way. “That would be nice.
Thank you.”
He held out his hand, and she hesitantly took it and let him lead her out the front door and toward a narrow path that led into the woods. She was glad that she’d taken the time earlier to take a shower, brush her teeth and hair, and put on a fresh change of clothes. When they’d arrived earlier, with everything else going on, she’d completely forgotten she had her bags in the back of the Jeep she’d packed for her ill-fated vacation. She’d gone to the car while Raze had been gone and carried the bags in.
She’d peeled the shirt, jeans, underwear and bra she’d been wearing for days off and had chucked them in the garbage. She never wanted to see the horrible outfit that reminded her of Damon again, but that outfit reminded her of Raze too. In the end, she’d decided she didn’t want any memory of Raze tainted by Damon and left the garments in the trash. As they walked deeper into the woods, the chill in the air made her shiver.
“Damn it. I’m sorry. I forget that you don’t run as hot as I do. We’ll go back.” He tugged at her hand.
“No. I’m okay.” She smiled when he looked down at her with a frown.
“Really.”
“You tell me if you get too cold. I don’t want you to get sick.” He sighed, put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her next to his side.
She sighed when heat radiated off him and soaked into her. He was like a furnace. She looked around at the enormous trees, and marveled at the beautiful fall colors of the leaves. Green, gold, red, and brown ones hung from the limbs and crunched under her feet.
“It’s beautiful. I’ve always loved the fall.” She liked rich colors and the cool fall air.
He stopped and leaned his back against a thick tree trunk. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re beautiful.”
She started to protest and he laid one long finger over her lips. “No.
Don’t argue with me. I’m many things, but I’m not a liar. If I say something, I mean it.”
She could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew they were burning red.
She looked down at the ground, and he pushed her chin up so she was looking him in the eyes. There was a slight glow to them, and after what he’d told her earlier, she knew what that glow meant. She sucked in a sharp breath. He wanted her.
He tilted his head slowly toward her, giving her all of the time in the world to stop him, but she didn’t want to. She wanted him to kiss her. All rational thoughts were chased away from her mind by the inferno he caused inside her when he reached for her. His lips touched hers, and he growled a low rumbling sound that turned her knees to mashed potatoes. She parted her lips and met his tongue with her own as it slid into her mouth. He tasted spicy, exotic, and wild.
He tasted of sex and all the forbidden things you shouldn’t want but did anyway. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed close to his hard body, and wasn’t embarrassed even a tiny bit when his erection nudged at her belly. He reached down and cupped the cheeks of her butt, and she actually felt tiny in his big hands.
He kneaded her rear, and she wiggled closer to him. She had a strange urge to climb him, but refrained from doing so. But, oh he was one mountain she wanted to conquer. He nibbled along her jaw and to her neck where he sniffed at her and growled again.