"My boss handed me twelve folders. Inside were photos and information about each of Jontee's harem.” He slid his hand around her waist and tugged her towards him, crushing her close. Heat pooled where his fingers pressed, where their bodies met.
"So you could have chosen anyone?” She briefly closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the night, and the way the air conditioning brushed her skin with fleeting moments of coolness. Enjoying the caress of his fingers across her spine and the way his body seemed a perfect match for hers, touching all the right places with heated hardness.
"Twelve beautiful women and I had to choose only one.” His lips were so close that his breath whispered across her lips, making them tingle, ache, for the touch of his. “But for me, there was only one choice."
Her gaze rose to his again. “Why?"
With his free hand, he caught several strands of the wig's short black hair, tugging on it lightly. Amusement ran fleetingly across his luscious lips. “Because I loved the look of your hair. And because there was something in your eyes that spoke to the wildness in me."
"It was just a photo."
He nodded. “A luscious photo of a nymph on a balcony."
"So it was lust at first sight?"
He hesitated. “What else could there be?"
What else indeed, she thought. And even though she'd known what his answer would be when she'd asked the question, his words still scraped old hurts. “Then why agree to the moon ceremony?"
He shrugged. “I wanted you to be mine, and only mine. At least as much as possible without endangering my mission there."
"And there was nothing more than desire and an alpha's need to possess behind your decision?"
"There was no time for anything else."
They'd had two weeks together—which was more than enough time if everything felt right. It had for her. “And if we'd had the time?"
He shrugged again. “Who knows?"
"Then you would have continued seeing me, if things hadn't happened the way they'd happened?"
"If you hadn't disappeared off the face of the Earth, you mean?"
"I mean, if you hadn't abused my trust the way you did."
He snorted softly. “I only read your mind. Hardly an abuse of trust."
She pulled out of his arms. The night felt cooler without his touch. As cool as his expression. “You really have no idea, do you?"
He reached for her again, but she slapped his hand away. He sighed, a sound filled with annoyance. “An idea of what?"
"Are your parents or pack telepathic?"
"I cannot believe we keep coming back to this.” He crossed his arms. “And no, none of my immediate family is telepathic. What has that got to do with anything?"
"Nothing, other than the fact no one has taught you common courtesy."
"I'm an IIS officer. Part of my job is carefully entering the minds of others to read them. I've done it lots of time, and believe me, even when I've read other telepaths, they've been none the wiser."
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Those other telepaths being the people who've trained you?"
"Yes. And what difference does that make?"
"They were ready for you, Cade. Had to be, because believe me, when a telepath raids another telepath's mind, it's never pretty and it's never easy."
"Unless you have the training."
"Training?” She gave a short, sharp laugh. “I was raised in one of the strongest telepathic wolf packs there is, for Christ's sake. Even my low-end shields are stronger than the average telepath's. What you did was nothing short of brutality."