Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,38

keep from rolling her over and licking and nibbling his way up her neck and across her jaw to claim her mouth, then retreat once he had her gasping. Retreat, but not surrender. He had more of her to explore than what he’d touched in their little make out session the night before.

With the suddenness of falling in the middle of a dream, he jerked back to the cold reality. The woman in his bed was in danger. She’d been frightened, hurt, and nearly killed. As soon as whatever concern pushed her close wore off, all her walls would snap back into place. He had her for a moment, only.

For the best. What could he offer her? A shitty single room that smelled of horses? Lions who’d somehow stayed on their best behavior, but were bound to snap in a bigger, more savage brawl the longer they held their shit together? She didn’t belong in his world, the same as he didn’t belong in hers.

The door rattled with another knock. Motherfucker.

“Who’s that?” Lilah murmured.

Seth eased his arm out from underneath her. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, lingering long enough to draw her citrus and lavender scent deep into his lungs. “I’ll check. Go back to sleep.”

He rolled out of bed carefully, frowning when the bunching and stretching of his abs didn’t send pain shooting through his nerves. Seth padded toward the door, ignoring the itchy discomfort that took hold under the bandage. No time. He wanted to be out the door before another round of knocks jolted Lilah out of sleep.

He threw one last glance over his shoulder. He liked her in his den and snuggled in his bed. Knowing he’d be losing it as soon as she woke made leaving difficult. He wanted to brand that image in his mind for the days after she left.

Seth yanked open the door right before Dash’s knuckles connected. Indignant anger on behalf of the woman still inside narrowed his eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled as soon as the door closed behind him.

Dash grinned. “Someone stay over last night?”

He glared at his brother maybe a little harder than he intended. His stomach itched under the bandage, adding to his frustration. “None of your business.”

“Uh, it is, actually. Hailey sent me to check up on you.” Dash held up a baggie of supplies. “She wanted to make sure you haven’t bled out. I’m just obeying orders.”

Seth snatched the care package out of the man’s hands. Another bandage took up the bulk of the contents, but there were tubes of ointments, too. Maybe one of them would help the itch that was slowly building in intensity.

Fuck, if he’d just stayed asleep. He hadn’t wanted to peel his skin off while in bed, with that gorgeous woman curled up against him.

He cleared his throat. “Any updates from last night?”

Dash hesitated. “Don’t worry about it. We can handle things until you’re back on your feet.”

Seth gestured to his legs. Feet firmly planted, knees locked, he looked pretty damn upright.

“There was one scent,” the other man admitted with a scowl. Each word sounded pulled from an unwilling source. “They didn’t get close enough to make any trouble.”

A growl rattled in Seth’s throat and he spun around to face the double doors at the end of the barn. He wanted to demand to be taken to the spot they’d caught the trail, then run down the poor fool who thought it a good idea to come for Lilah while she slept. The need rode him hard enough that he pulled up short when Dash shoved him back a step.

“Easy there, tiger,” his brother laughed. The noise sounded weak and nervous to Seth. “With any luck, it was just someone from town out on a run.”

“Because we’ve been so lucky before?” Seth snarked back.

With a herculean effort, he kept his legs still. And like a punishment, the itch along his stomach doubled in intensity.

Seth dragged a finger along the edge of the bandage, then pressed his palm over the center. What he wanted to do was rip the whole thing off and go to town with sharpened claws, but he bet Hailey would twist his ear until it popped clean off his head. When she was done, Trent would probably have a word with him for upsetting his mate, and take the other ear.

Dash eyed him sharply. “You okay?”

“Fine,” he growled. He gave in and scratched a little deeper at his