She frowned and her free hand landed on her forehead. What the?
He looked up at her face. She swallowed hard, then started to shake her head vigorously and pushed down on his shoulders, trying to get him off, “Listen, man…”
“Shh,” he said, “Don’t fight with me right now. Just let me hold you. Please? Just for a minute.” He gripped tighter around her waist.
Obviously he was accustomed to women melting into a trance when he stared into their eyes or told them to do something. She was damn close to doing the same irrational thing even if what he said was true and she wasn’t entranced by him. His behaviour was so, so…disarming. He climbed up onto the bed and lay down beside her, pulling her to lie down. He pulled her close to him and closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. She could feel his heart thumping against her chest and it was racing. Now hers was racing.
Kyla tried to pull the shirt down as it was once again riding up and showing everything she had from the waist down.
“I refuse to lay here and cuddle with you, Trist..you…” She wasn’t about to say his name again now, “Let go of me.” She pushed at his shoulders.
“Shh, just let me…” he stroked her back and feathered kisses on her forehead, her nose, her eyelids, her cheeks.
She was exasperated but was too dumbstruck to do anything about it. Finally, she asked, “Would it be too much to ask you to get me something to wear, please?”
He chuckled and flashed dimples. Dimples? Where did those come from? She hadn’t seen those before.
Shit. Dimples, blue eyes, tall, dark, and movie-star beautiful? The man was almost totally constructed out of kryptonite. Almost. The fangs? Yeah, not so much…
“Why’d you stop yourself from saying my name?” Mischief rang in his voice. He nuzzled into her bare throat on the opposite side of where the bandage was.
“Pff.”
“Say it and I’ll give you something to wear.”
“Eff you. We know what’ll happen if I say it.”
“It’s gonna happen anyway,” he teased in a husky voice, running his nose up and down her throat and then kissing behind her earlobe, then sucking her lobe into his mouth.
Then abruptly he sat up and pulled the blanket out from under her quickly, like that trick where the magician pulls the tablecloth out without disturbing the place settings. Then he lay back down and covered her and got underneath with her, “I have a better idea. We both get naked.” He raised his eyebrows, reached over and yanked the front of the shirt and several buttons popped off. He flicked it up, over her head and then it slid off her arms, leaving her totally naked again.
She hugged herself and squeezed her eyes tight, beyond exasperated. He pulled her close and closed his eyes. She tried to pull away but he said, “Don’t; please. I just need to hold you for a minute.” She was shaking; her head was beginning to throb.
He let go, pulled his t-shirt off, and arched his back to slide his jeans down his hips and then kicked them off. An ache bloomed, deep in her belly, something that felt like longing. He pulled her to his warm chest and nuzzled her neck. She winced. He held her tight and rubbed her back, “Stop shaking. It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you."
“Lie,” she whispered. He smelled like apple pie.
He blinked a few times at her and caressed her cheek.
“You’ve already hurt me.”
“I know. I’m sorry about that,” he whispered.
She shook her head.
“I am,” Tristan whispered against her lips.
“Then let me go.”
“Can’t,” He mouthed this right against her lips.
“Can’t? You mean won’t.”
“I mean can’t.”
“But, I won’t tell anyone,” she whimpered.
He didn’t reply. He kissed her.
“And you’re wrong, I think you must have me in a trance. Just tell me to forget and I bet you I will.” She tried to back up. His lips touched hers again.
“I don’t want you to forget,” he whispered, “And no. You’re not. I promise. If you were, you’d never have tried to run from me or hit one of my guys. And you wouldn’t look at me the way you do. And you’d never have called out my name like that while I fucked you.” His voice was even huskier now, “You wouldn’t get wet for me, even.”
She tried to ignore the feelings that stirred in her, “If I was in my right mind I’d never have stopped fighting, I’d fight to the death. And if you won’t let me go then what’s gonna happen to me?
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Wait for what? For you to get bored with me then kill me?”
“That’s not likely,” he whispered, “I’ve never had this. Never had anyone like you in my bed.”