This happened so fast. Maybe too fast. They only got to know each other in the last week, and here she was, already falling in love with him. That alone would be enough to worry any woman, but add in the fact that she knew nothing of how to love someone, and it turned downright terrifying.
Almost like he could sense the turmoil inside her, his arms tightened around her and pulled her in closer. Warmth suffused her chest, spreading throughout her body. If she was going to fall in love, she couldn’t imagine a better man to do it with than the one with his arms wrapped around her, purring in her ear.
Seth walked out of the barn to grab more lumber, casting a glance at the house. The last place he wanted to be was out here working while Amelia was inside. He wanted to be where she was, but he didn’t want to smother her. Besides, he was close to finishing up her barn, and he wanted to get it done.
He’d worried about finishing it before things between them were settled. Finishing the work he was doing would just be getting her one step closer to leaving. But then he thought he could probably talk her into letting him work on the house. Anderson let it get rundown, and he was sure she’d see the value in letting him fix it up.
Based on his estimates, that would add another month or so of time while he worked on it. Especially if he dragged the repairs out, which he had every intention of doing. And it had the added benefit of working so close to where she spent her days. It was a win-win in his eyes. He just had to convince her it was something she needed.
The other fighters had the day off, so it was just him working today. All the boards had been replaced, and all that was left inside was to fix the bleachers. Tomorrow they’d start on the roof. Walking back inside with an arm full of lumber, he stopped to gaze at the ring. Yesterday he had his best and most satisfying victory right there in the hard packed dirt of the ring.
When the fight began, he was sure it would end in either disaster or defeat. After the vile shit Zane said, Seth’s leopard wanted to take control and end Zane. He thought he’d be fighting to keep his human skin the whole time, unable to give the fight the attention it needed, but he managed it with ease once he got his cat calmed down. And that made him wonder if he could have ignored his cat that easily all these years. True, his cat didn’t taunt him last night as he did most times, but maybe he could have ignored him better in the past.
You wish. I let you win last night. I faded to the background because I wanted to. You couldn’t ignore me if you tried.
Shut up, he told his leopard mildly. As much as he wanted to be annoyed, he only felt a small amount of annoyance with his cat. And he wasn’t sure if it was because of the high he was riding from his win and night in Amelia’s bed, or because he really was getting better at handling his cat. In the end, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t letting anything bring down his mood.
Defeating Zane had made his day yesterday, but it was nothing compared to being with Amelia last night. That was the single most amazing experience of his life, even though she basically tried to unman him. He shook his head, a smile quirking his lips. He could laugh about it now, but at the time, it felt like his sexual life was passing before his eyes.
She could be so amusing, with the things she said and did. He had a feeling she didn’t often blunder, and was embarrassed by it, but he found it endearing. Doing what she did for a living, being as smart as she was, was intimidating, especially to someone like him. But all that made her feel normal to him, more accessible.
Finishing up with the last set of bleachers, he decided to double check the roof so he could make sure they had everything they needed to fix it tomorrow. Anxious to get this done so he could get back to Amelia, he walked quickly to the ladder and began scaling it. He was just finishing up his inspection when he noticed Amelia coming out of the house, hips swaying gently, hair blowing in the breeze as she walked.
Heart clenching and breath hitching at the sight of her, he carefully made his way down the ladder and met her at the bottom. Immediately pulling her into his arms, he kissed her gently, fighting to keep it slow and easy. He wanted to devour her, but he couldn’t stay much longer today, so he regretfully pulled back.
“I could get used to a greeting like that,” she said breathlessly, a gorgeous pink flush to her cheeks.
“I’ll always have one ready for you,” he replied, pulling her hips tighter into his.
Breath hitching, she paused for a moment and cleared her throat before speaking. “Yes, well. How’s it looking?”
Taking a moment to switch gears, he said, “It’s not in bad shape. Shouldn’t take long to get it fixed once the guys are here.”
Disappointment flashed briefly in her hazel eyes. “Oh, well, that’s good.”
Lips quirking at the blatant lie, he threw his arm around her shoulder and squeezed as he turned them toward the house. “Could I get a glass of water?”
“Oh, of course! I should have thought to bring you something. It’s getting warm and you’ve been working out here all morning.”
She picked up her speed as they walked to the house, and when they got to the kitchen, she bustled around, getting him a glass of water. She was so beautiful, just doing this simple task, and he felt his heart warming as he watched her.
Tell her what you are. Tell her about me.
It’s too soon. She’ll run.
No, the cat said imperiously. She will love me. How could she not?
Seth nearly snorted, grateful Amelia was busy and wouldn’t catch onto this little quirk in his personality.
You’re as pompous as Zane. Superiority complex much?
His leopard hissed, and Seth smirked even as he rubbed a hand over his chest where the cat was shredding him over the comparison. But it was worth it to shut the animal up for once. Amelia turned and headed toward him with the glass of water, and he dropped the hand from his chest, fighting to look normal.
Accepting the glass, he chugged the cool water down quickly, realizing he really had been thirsty. When he was done, he set it on the counter and pulled her close, placing a soft kiss on her lips. But it quickly turned to more, and when fire was racing up and down his skin, he pulled back, panting.
“I’d love nothing more than to spend all day here with you, but I need to get back home. I have some custom orders I need to work on.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” she said with a bright smile that couldn’t hide the flash of disappoin