He moved his hands to the arms of the chair, his fingers clenching on them as he gritted his teeth in fury. How often had he tried to touch her, yearned to feel just the softness of her flesh against his fingertips, or the warmth of her body against him? More times than he cared to count, and in every instance she had flinched or moved carefully away from him. Each time he had been denied.
“Kane?” Sherra’s voice outside his bedroom door had him frowning darkly. You know where to find me if you need me. He had made the offer, so why did it grate now that she had come?
“It’s unlocked. ” He didn’t move from his nude, sprawled position in the chair. He lowered his head, watching as the panel swung open and she stepped carefully inside.
Chapter Fourteen
Damn, she looked like an angel. All that blonde hair, thick and lustrous, framed her face and fell down her back in a skein of pure white silk. The emerald-green caftan flowed over her body, whispering over her breasts, hips and thighs and falling to her graceful feet. Her eyes widened at his aroused, nude state. Swallowing tightly, she closed the door and slid the lock home.
Kane narrowed hi
s eyes on her then. She looked…uncomfortable. Her hands still gripped the doorknob, her eyes were dark with both arousal and trepidation. And something more, some emotion he couldn’t put his finger on, couldn’t define. Hell, she was probably going to tell him to take a flying leap and fuck himself. She had done it often enough in the past few months. God knew there were days he wished he could. When he wished he could effect the distance she had forced between them and ignore the needs that ate at his gut like acid.
“It’s a boner not a monster,” he growled, waving a hand to the erection her gaze continued to flicker back and forth from. “You’re watching it like you expect it to bite. ”
“It looks angry enough. ” A nervous little smile touched her lips before it fell and she watched him somberly. “You look angry enough. ”
He breathed out roughly in frustration. “I’m dead tired, Sherra, and horny to boot. If that’s why you’re here then come on. ”
He rose to his feet, eager to fill her, to still at least that part of his pain. She bit her lip, her gaze flickering to the bed.
“That wasn’t all I wanted,” she whispered, her gaze meeting his, breaking his heart with the vulnerability he glimpsed there.
He rubbed at the back of his neck wearily. “What else could there be?” he finally asked. “I’ll be honest, baby, my control and my patience are worn thin tonight, so this isn’t a good time for a fight. ”
“But it’s okay to fuck?” There was no heat in her voice, only that shattered soberness that made him ache clear to his soul.
God, he wanted to touch her. He wanted to just brush his fingertips over her cheek, nuzzle her jaw. He was worse than the frigging cat boys running around the damned place.
“Yeah. ” He swiped his hand over his hair. “It’s okay to fuck. ”
It was better to fuck, his dick was screaming.
She lowered her head, nodding hesitantly though she made no move to either undress or head to the bed.
“Sherra, why the hell are you here?” he finally growled. “You’re obviously not in any hurry to do the nasty here with me, so why not tell me what you do want?”
She bit her lip and he wanted to groan.
“I want to know why you’re so angry,” she finally said, lifting her eyes to him as she twisted her fingers together in front of her. “Why you walked out of my room and why you’re acting more like an asshole than normal. I want you to talk to me, Kane. ”
He snorted, grimacing at the plea. “I’ve been talking to you for months now, Sherra, and you haven’t bothered to listen. Why now?”
She glanced away before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“You haven’t walked away from me before, Kane. ” She sounded confused, as though the very act of him doing so had thrown her little world out of kilter.
Kane snorted a half laugh as his lips curved mockingly. He had chased after her like a lovesick dog after a bitch in heat, and the reason she was taking notice was that he had suddenly walked away. It was pissing him off.
“I told you I was here if you needed me. ” He finally shrugged as he moved to the bed, stretching out on it suggestively, his hand gripping the base of his cock as he watched her. “This is all you need from me, isn’t it, baby? Come on and get it. It’s all yours, anytime. ” He hated the fury throbbing in his chest, the need to shake her, to make her see once and for all everything she was throwing away. She stared back at him in indecision, her expression filled with grief, with a pain that broke his heart.
“I don’t know what to do, Kane,” she whispered, the desperation in her voice echoing around them. “I don’t know how to fix this, how to fix myself. ”
His clenched his teeth together at the helpless pain in her voice.
“I want you. I need you. I accept you as my mate. What more can I give you that you don’t already have?” She stared at him, her voice ragged, confusion and anger filling her voice. Her love. He sighed roughly. “I’m not asking you for anything more, Sherra,” he finally said in resignation. What right did he have to ask her for shit? “Not anymore. ”
She moved slowly away from the door, stepping closer to him before stopping again.