his good-bye to her, he realized. And he was running out of steam, so he hurried his last words.
"You're a female of worth." He hung his head. "And I know that you'll find..."
A mate, he finished to himself. Yeah, a female like her would most certainly find a mate. In fact, there was one in this very house who not only wanted her, but was right for her. Phury was just around the corner, as a matter of fact.
Z looked up, intending to beat feet out of the room-and jerked back against the door.
Bella was right in front of him. As he caught her scent up close, his heart went jackrabbit on him, doing some kind of flutter thing that got him light-headed.
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"Is it true you cleaned up my house?" she said.
Oh, man... The only answer he had to that was too revealing.
"Is it?"
"Yeah, I did that."
"I'm going to hug you now."
Z stiffened, but before he could get himself out of the way, her arms wrapped around his waist and her head came up against his bare chest.
He stood in her embrace without moving, without breathing, without returning it... All he could do was feel her body. She was a tall female, but he had a good six inches on her. And even though he was thin for a warrior, he carried at least seventy pounds more on his bones than she did. And still she overwhelmed him.
God, she smelled good.
She made a little noise, like a sigh, and burrowed into his body even more. Her breasts pressed against his torso, and as he looked down, the curve of her nape was too damn tempting. Then there was the it problem.
That godforsaken thing was hardening, swelling, lengthening. Fast.
He put his hands up to her shoulders, hovering just above her skin. "Yeah, ah, Bella... I've got to go."
"Why?" Closer. She came closer. Her hips moved against his, and he gritted his teeth as their lower bodies made full contact.
Shit, she had to be feeling that thing between his legs. How could she miss it? The stiff was pushing into her belly, and it wasn't like the flipping shorts could hide the bastard.
"Why do you have to go?" she whispered, her breath brushing over his pecs.
"Because..."
When he let the word drift, she murmured, "You know, I like these."
"Like what?"
She touched one of his nipple rings. "These."
He coughed a little. "I, ah... I did them myself."
"They're beautiful on you." She stepped back and dropped the towel.
Z swayed. She was so damned beautiful, those breasts and that flat stomach and those hips... And that graceful little slit between her legs that he saw with shattering clarity. The few humans he'd been with had had hair there, but she was of his kind, so she was utterly bare, achingly smooth.
"I really have to go," he said hoarsely.
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"Don't run."
"I have to. If I stay..."
"Lay with me," she said, easing up against him once more. She pulled the tie in her hair out, and dark waves spilled all over both of them.
He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, trying not to get buried by her scent. In a gritty voice, he said, "Do you just want to get fucked, Bella? Because that's all I've got in me."
"You have so much more-"
"I do not."
"You've been kind to me. You've taken care of me. You've washed me and held me-"
"You don't want me inside of you."
"You already are, Zsadist. Your blood is in me."
There was a long silence. "Do you know my reputation?"
She frowned. "That's not relevant-"
"What do people say about me, Bella? Come on, I want to hear it from you. So I know you get it." Her despair was palpable as he pushed her, but he had to snap her out of whatever daze she was in. "I know you must have heard about me. Gossip reaches even your social level. What do they say?"
"Some... some think you kill females for sport. But I don't believe-"
"Do you know how I got that rep?"
Bella covered her breasts and stepped back, shaking her head. He bent down and handed her the towel, then pointed to the skull in the corner.
"I murdered that female. Now tell me, do you want to be taken by a male who could do something like that?
Who could hurt a female like that? You want that kind of bastard on top of you, pumping into your body?"