Kadan swept her wet hair aside and pressed a kiss into the hollow of her shoulder, the side of her neck, and then his lips whispered over her ear. "You're so beautiful, Tansy, you make me ache." His hand slipped down the contour of her back to shape her bottom. "And your skin is even softer than it looks."
"Don't seduce me." She leaned back into him, feeling helpless under the onslaught of molten lava pooling low and wicked in her body. "Not now. I've got to sort things out."
His lips skimmed her ear again. "I don't want you thinking too much. You'll realize I'm a poor prospect as a husband and run."
His words, or maybe it was his mouth, caused a shiver of awareness. Her nipples tightened and she felt liquid heat gathering. She'd never considered having a husband. She'd never thought she could ever be touched-or touch.
"Take a shower, Kadan." The words came out strangled. There was no way to hide what he was doing to her.
He nipped at her shoulder, felt the tremor that rocked her body. He wanted her to know that she belonged to him, that he could seduce her if he chose. Her eyes told him she knew it already. Satisfied, he brushed a kiss along the corner of her mouth and gently stood her back up straight. "A shower it is," he agreed. "Don't go into the war room without me."
"I really do have a brain." She made a little face at him. "Evidently I haven't shown it to you yet, but it's there."
Tansy found her way to the kitchen. Every door had a strange device across it, and she suspected the device was some sort of bomb. Thin wires ran along the windows. She picked up the phone and found no dial tone. He'd done something to prevent her calling out. Frowning, she went back into the bedroom, to her backpack. Her cell phone should have been inside, but it was gone as well.
She stomped into the bathroom. "Where's my phone?"
The shower door was transparent glass. He turned toward her, giving her a full frontal view. Even anger didn't stop the surge of excitement at the sight of him. She swore under her breath, close to tears that she could be so stupid. He'd made her virtually a prisoner. He looked at her very calmly, his expression remote, his eyes cool, and that only added flames to the flash of temper and panic surfacing. The two emotions were twisted so tightly together she didn't recognize either one.
"I thought it best to keep it for a while, until I'm certain you aren't going to lose your mind."
Her breath hitched. The door in her mind creaked. Whispers filled her head. She barely registered his changing expression as she jerked around and back out the door.
"Tansy!" Kadan shoved the shower door open and caught up a towel as he ran after her, water flying all over the floor, his bare feet slapping as he raced through the house toward the front room. Stop! You cannot move. He drove each word like a nail into her mind, fear knotting the muscles in his belly and his voice unrecognizable.
Tansy halted just ahead of him, one hand outstretched toward the door, her body frozen in place. He crossed the distance in a single jump, taking him over furniture and her head, to land solidly between her and the door. He dragged her into his arms, right off her feet, cradling her body against his chest, breath coming in ragged gasps. "Damn it, Tansy. You could have fucking died. What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do that?"
His lungs burned for air, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. She was doing it to him again. In under two seconds she could destroy the control he'd spent a lifetime building. He sank down onto the sofa and caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet the ice in his eyes. "You ever do anything that stupid again, I swear I'll beat you within an inch of your life."
Even as the harsh words left his mouth, he was raining kisses over her face, down her cheeks, following the path of tears, and all the while he rocked her gently back and forth. "I'm sorry, Tansy. My word choice was poor. I don't believe you're going to lose your mind again, and I know that's what you're thinking. I didn't trick you into coming. I didn't seduce you into coming with me. I would have let you go."
"I can't go back to that place."
She could barely choke out the words. The fear of the door in her mind splintering, allowing the killers to escape, terrified her. For a moment she had thought he'd lied to her about the exercises, about his ability to help get her through the solving of the murders. If he believed her mind would fracture again, she had no hope left.
He felt her terror, heard the increase in the sound of the whispers. She was so fragile, and he'd brought her into this mess, and now her parents were in danger as well. "Listen to me, baby. If you can't handle the investigation, you're done. That's it. We'll sideline you immediately before anything goes too far. I'll be with you every step of the way, buffering your mind. If you work on the exercises, they'll also help strengthen your barriers. Know this absolutely. Before anything or anyone else, I'll protect you. Look at me, Tansy." He forced her gaze to meet his. "Understand I'm telling you the truth. The one thing in your life, from now until the end, is that you can always count on me."
She searched his face. He knew what she saw couldn't be that reassuring. He wasn't a handsome man by any stretch of the imagination. Several scars had added to the menacing appearance. His jaw was strong, his mouth hard. He'd long ago learned to keep his face without expression, and his eyes were as cold as the ice water running in his veins. As a rule, he felt little to nothing, until Tansy. He couldn't explain that to her, because he didn't fully understand it himself. Beneath the ice seemed to be a volcano that only erupted around her.
"Don't handle me, Kadan. I don't like to be handled."
His eyes flashed with something raw that made her stomach flip. She reached up to trace his mouth. There was always such a cruel edge there, as if he was capable of terrible things, yet one small movement, just a slight turn, and he could appear incredibly sensual. The look in his eyes held a dark lust that just intensified when he held her like this. His arms felt like steel, his body both protective and possessive. She turned soft, melting against him, into him. She lost herself in his steely strength.
His hand slid over the curve of her bare hip, those incredible fingers, hard yet velvet soft, brushing against her skin erotically. His head dipped lower to find her ear again. "I think you're lying to me. I feel your need beating at me, Tansy. You like the way I handle you."
"You weren't supposed to seduce me."
He bent his head to her neck, his teeth nipping, first the hollow of her shoulder and then her earlobe. "Look into your mind, Tansy. You seduced me, not the other way around. How could I possibly resist you?"
She closed her eyes, knowing he was right, knowing she was enticing him, stroking at his mind with hers, enhancing his needs because she so desperately wanted to be held. To belong somewhere, with someone.
His teeth bit down, flashing pain through her body, then his tongue swirled, taking away the sting. "Not someone, Tansy. Me. You belong with me."
Her eyes met his and her stomach flipped.
"Say it."
She wanted to resist him, but she couldn't resist her own needs. "I belong with you."
His fingers smoothed up the inside of her thigh, teased her soft, damp mound. "Open your shirt." The fingers continued their journey, sliding into her, curling and teasing, stroking and circling her sensitive bud.
Again, she wanted to resist, just for pride's sake. She didn't altogether trust him. He was too cold, too able to turn off emotion, and she wasn't entirely certain she could trust that he would be all the things he said to her. His hunger for her was absolute, but there was a driving need in him for complete possession. She didn't understand what he wanted from her. He confused her. She confused herself, craving him desperately, wanting to escape the way he mesmerized her.