long, especially after he'd propositioned her. Everything about Z was inappropriate and non-romantic and just plain... like some uncivilized caveman.
But he was right.
She wanted him in the worst way. She'd had this background ache for him almost from the moment he'd shifted for the first time in her kitchen. Although she needed someone to be gentle with her the first time, every fantasy that starred Z was rough and exciting. Everything about him was too overpowering. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to be swept up in it because being around him made her forget all her stupid fears - maybe because he replaced those fears with new, more immediate fears, but still. Why question what worked?
She'd ventured outside the cave to protect the pup. She couldn't have done that without Z coming into her life. Of course, she'd almost gotten killed in the process... and they'd lost the wolf...
Her mind flashed to muscled tan flesh stalking the leader of the witches. Z was a killer. He may or may not kill human beings regularly, but he didn't have a guilt complex about it. He showed no signs of having any moral trouble with what he'd done out there. No remorse. Wild animal was right. He did whatever he had to do.
Why was she so attracted to that? Because no matter what the birds said, Z is big enough and bad enough to protect what's his. He won't hesitate.
Where had that come from? As if being his were an option. She could tell he didn't care one way or the other about the pup. Even after having him for so long. He was relieved to be rid of the responsibility. What was she going to say to him: "So, Z... since you kidnapped me for babysitting help and since you just got free of adult responsibility again, maybe I could interest you in being my personal bodyguard."
Who was she kidding? He'd minced no words explaining his notched-bedpost philosophy of life. He wasn't boyfriend material. He wasn't true love material. He wasn't anything but a quick road to heartbreak. On the other hand, shouldn't she have more than one sexual partner in life? Was that what was normal now?
Maybe she could be more brave after this. Couldn't he just be her first without attaching expectations to it? He didn't have to be the one. He didn't have to be noble and wonderful or father material or husband material. All he had to be was an experience. She wasn't a teenager. She could handle this.
The sound of the shower startled her out of the mental cheerleading. Fiona was off the couch before she realized she'd moved. She wouldn't let herself think about what she was doing. This might be her one opportunity before she ended up back in her cottage watching men on TV. Was that what she wanted? To sit around her house alone, regretting how close she'd come to primal maleness and having a normal life experience, only to let it slip away?
This was a normal thing. And it was just down the hall. Well... a couple of steps away behind a door. The door creaked open when she turned the knob, and Fiona winced at the sound. She couldn't walk away without him knowing she'd been there.
Z's head popped out from around the shower curtain. His eyes glowed golden, and his nostrils flared.
She stood mere inches from him. "I thought you said I smelled bad." From the look in his eyes and the way he was sniffing the air, the opposite was the case.
"I said we both needed a shower. Besides, the other smell is overpowering the smell from the woods. Ditch the clothes and get in here."
Definitely not a romantic. What the hell am I doing? Was she going to let some cave-dwelling cretin bark non-romantic orders at her? Shouldn't he at least make some minor effort? Like she mattered in some miniscule way? For the moment she forgot about the fact that when it was between the pup and her, he'd chosen her. He'd risked his life for hers. That was the classic romance hero, swooping in all righteous to save the day. It was every movie she'd ever watched. But that moment had passed. Now they were left with this one. And somehow she doubted this was what happened later behind closed doors in those stories.
"This was a mistake." Fiona turned to leave.
"Oh no you don't. That was the last flip-flop you pulled