Bennett - Milly Taiden Page 0,29

of the day were a jumbled mess in his mind.

There was a woman. Dakota.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her long brown soft curls, her shining blue eyes, and the golden tan of her smooth, silky skin. And her lips. The full, pillowy pink lips of hers that tasted like the most delicious candy he had ever had.

He knew how she tasted, and he would always remember the way that she kissed. Her tongue was soft and demanding, all at once. Even through the haze of the pain burning in his body, he was aware that he had been fortunate before his luck turned toward death.

He and Dakota had been kissing in the lab when all hell had broken loose. Goons had rudely interrupted their passionate embrace to get to the serum.

That’s when he had been shot. Multiple times.

His entire body stilled at the memory of it. It had been the most painful sensation he had ever felt. The burning tearing of his flesh. Bennett didn’t want to move by fear that he would make his wounds ache. He had to be in the hospital. That could be the only explanation as to why he had survived the attack.

Before he decided to open his eyes, he let his mind focus on what he could feel. His body was tender, but he felt strong. He felt good. It was an odd sort of realization, and he chose to believe it was the morphine he was surely on that was making him think he was feeling good. The steady beeping of a heart monitor was a clear indication that he was indeed in a hospital.

He moved his legs slowly, testing to see if it hurt. He was sore, but nothing felt bad or dire. He shifted his left arm but found he couldn’t move it. Something was weighing down the limb. He knew he had to stay calm. He promised himself he would remain placid no matter what was causing his arm to be immobile. But he was very much afraid that he had a grievous injury.

He cracked his left eye open, thankfully it was his strongest one, needing a less intense corrective lens. He had fully expected to see a cast on his arm.

The very last thing he thought he would see would be Dakota, hugging his arm with both of hers as if she was latched onto him. It brought a small smile to his lips.

A huge wave of happiness overtook him.

He forgot to be sad about his injuries. All he could focus on was the woman tangled up in his arms. He could feel them connected, and not just by her embrace. There was so much more to it than that. Bennett felt like a deep part of him was connected to her. It seemed to be some kind of pull, making him desperate to touch her, to kiss her, to love her.

He had no idea where it was coming from, but he felt it’s primal tug. It was raw and pure. It was attraction and adoration. It was loving and sensual.

Those feelings had not been there before. He had been attracted to Dakota, of course. But this was different. He wanted to possess her. He wanted to be possessed by her. It was a deep-seated need he couldn’t ignore. He wouldn’t be able to. He was aware that he needed Dakota more than he needed his next breath.

Bennett had always believed that science was everything.

He was going to have to face down that belief now. The bond he felt deep in his soul didn’t feel like science. It was something else, and he would have to make sure he understood it before he made any sort of moves with Dakota.

He could feel something inside of himself calling out to her.

Bennett had never experienced anything like it before. He knew he had decided to take every situation with Dakota like he would a situation in the lab. He couldn’t do that at this particular moment.

Something else was happening.

Something else was controlling him.

There was a desperate need to possess her climbing up his spine, tearing at his lungs. Though she was lying on the bed with him, he needed her to be closer. He wanted to hold her, take in her scent.

Sweet lord.

What was happening to him? That caveman attitude that had struck him earlier was back. With a vengeance.

Mine.

The voice in his head was clear as a bell. He looked around, trying to see if someone, one