Pleasure shot from the base of his balls and straight out his dick. When Kenzie swallowed his essence, it made him come harder. He pulled her on top of him. As much as he wanted to demand she mark him and complete the mating that instant, it was important that Kenzie made the choice off her own free will. He would need to tell her she was his savior and mix their mating with guilt or obligation.
He squeezed Kenzie in his arms, not wanting the moment to end. Any minute, Saint would be finished negotiating and planning Sasha’s transfer, and then he’d be setting his sights on Kenzie. Jaxx needed to know the answers first. If she had any connection to Delmac he would pack his shit up and flee, taking his female with him. In his arms, Kenzie tensed and pulled back a little. “Thanks, but I… I don’t know what came over me.”
Jaxx did. It was a part of the mating bond designed to draw them together. It hadn’t helped that he’d already laid claim. Until they completed the mating, their chemistry would call to one another. He supposed it was nature’s way to stop males becoming rogue. Tucking her wild hair behind her ear, he said, “You’re beautiful.”
She flashed him a quick smile before her face turned serious. “You have to understand, I don’t normally act like this.”
Kenzie moved, and he let her go. She stood and backed away, spinning down the hall. He watched her ass sway as she headed directly for his room.
He sighed. As much as he wanted to draw out this moment, he needed to let her know what was happening. “We need to talk.”
Following her, he shouldered the doorway and watched her rifle through his drawers. She pulled out a white shirt and quickly pulled it over her head, then chucked him some black sweats. “I have a rule. Conversations that begin with ‘we need to talk’ requires clothing first.”
He snorted and shoved the sweats on. “I need to ask you some questions.”
Her eyes tightened around the edges. “Okay. I can’t guarantee I’ll have the answers.”
Before he delved into anything about mating, he needed to find out what he was up against. If Saint thought her a risk to Shadow Moon, he’d toss her to the curb, along with Jaxx, if it meant protecting the pack. “Were you involved in any way on the experiments conducted at Delmac?”
Her eyes rounded, as did her mouth. “How could you even ask me that?”
Anger peppered the air, and he hated he’d been the cause of it. It was best he knew before Saint. “I’m sorry, I have to ask.”
“As you saw, I was a part of the experiment.”
A fact he’d never forget. “And I’d make those bastards pay every single day if I could.”
Maybe he was looking at the situation through rose-colored glasses, but as far as he could tell, Kenzie had been a victim. “How did you end up in a place like Delmac?”
She tensed and turned her back to him. “Three men broke into my home and took me.”
He bit back a growl, imagining how scared his female must have been. Kidnapping humans at random seemed risky business. “Had you ever seen the males before? Think carefully, it’s important.”
“Never.”
Truth. He could smell it.
Saint wouldn’t be able to fault her responses. The easy part was done. Now he had to get through the hard stuff. “There’s something else we need to talk about. I have to explain something… about before.”
Facing him, her gaze flickered to his crotch. “I get it. I’m not looking for attachments either.”
His brows pulled tight; that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Hopefully, he could change her mind once he’d laid everything out on the proverbial table. “No. You don’t understand. The bite I gave you.”
“I know.” She walked to his bed and sat on the edge, giving him a tight-lipped smiled. “It came with consequences, I remember.”
Her eyes swirled with emotions, far too many to place, and he’d give anything to know her thoughts.
He dragged his teeth over the corner of his lip. “Yes, that’s right—there are consequences, and if things don’t go right they can be bad.” No. He didn’t want to start with the negative aspects straight up. He shook his head. “What I mean to say is, there are good and bad consequences… ” That didn’t sound any better! He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, puffing out a breath. He was