Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,45

Heat flooded her cheeks. They’d done this before, in the bed only a few feet away.

She dropped her eyes to hide the sting of hurt. He’d kissed her senseless and then left her wondering what went wrong.

Trying to keep her voice steady, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“You may have been kicked down, but you don’t stay down. You dusted yourself off and figured a way out of every situation you’ve been thrown into. Those bears? You got the hell out of town and made something of yourself. Jasper? You got out alive. Others facing those same circumstances would have let their fear consume them.” He ducked his head to make sure their eyes met. “I think you’re incredible.”

“Seth…” His eyes dropped to her mouth when she darted her tongue out to wet her lips. Lilah curled her fingers against his chest. Unfair. So unfair. He shouldn’t be allowed to be so flawlessly sexy and tempting. Especially when he worked her up only to let her down. Especially, especially, when he lied about who he truly was. “We can’t do this. You’re... you. Not-shifter—”

“Shiftless,” he corrected.

“Shiftless. My bodyguard. And...” she sucked in a breath. Admission time. The biggest one of all, if she was honest. “You already pulled away once. I don’t want to play games or wonder if you’re with me.”

“I didn’t think you’d accept me. I want this, Lilah. I want the crazy woman willing to spike a drink to save her skin. I want the fearless woman who refuses to stay down for long. I want the caring woman I saw today cuddling a cub to her chest.” He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb over her cheek, small smile grazing his lips. “Do you trust me?”

“I...” she trailed off, looking away. Trust was important to her. There weren’t any secrets in trust. Secrets hurt.

Shifters hurt, too. And he was one of them.

A lump formed in her throat, but it wasn’t her typical fear. She was as much to blame for the secrets between them. More, in fact. She asked far too much if she expected him to come clean about his otherness when her first words accused him of trying to murder her.

No, the lump was over the selfless man who stuck by her side even when she tried to drive him away. All his pretty words described a woman she didn’t know, but wanted to be. He didn’t deserve the trouble she laid at his feet.

A finger under her chin turned her face back to Seth. “It’s a yes or no question, Lilah.”

The dark pools of his eyes begged her for an answer.

“Yes,” she breathed.

His lips crashed over hers.

Chapter 17

Seth skimmed his fingertips over Lilah’s cheeks. He sipped at her lips, forcing himself to go slow. Stay gentle. As much as he wanted to strip her down and dive between her thighs, she wasn’t there. Not yet. He had to keep himself contained.

A growl leaked out of him the moment he slid his tongue between her lips. She tasted as delicious as before, which had been even better than he’d imagined. He wanted his last memory before closing his eyes at the end of the day to be the feel of her mouth on his. His morning wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t reach for her before his eyes even opened.

Something stroked against his mind. His lion. The beast couldn’t be bothered to show himself during all his years walking the planet, but Lilah drew him out. The sensation fed on her scent and the beat of her heart. He’d fed it punches and victories in the ring, but that hadn’t been what the creature craved. The woman in his arms?

His.

Theirs.

Mate.

Another growl. Another reminder to keep steady. He didn’t want to scare her off. She’d been through so much. Too much. He wanted to make up for every hurt she’d ever suffered.

Lilah wound her arms around his neck and leaned into him with a sigh of her own. Then she took a little step backward and dragged him with her.

Neither of them fit where they’d been placed, like puzzle pieces added to the wrong box. He’d struggled with belonging, the same as had been thrust on her, but she erased all the wrong. She made him feel whole.

Maybe it was buried instincts. Maybe it was simply her. Didn’t matter in the end. He wanted to keep her for the rest of his life.

His hands landed on her hips and he backed her through the