Devin finally understood the expression ‘if looks could kill’. He’d only been locked in the car with Lena for five minutes, and the tension was too much to ignore. She stared out the window with a scowl on her face and fire in her eyes. Every so often she’d work her jaw as she ground her teeth, and her nostrils would flare.
Yep, she was angry. But about what?
“What’s wrong, Lena?”
She smiled—well, bared her teeth. “Nothing.”
That word again.
He pulled into the parking lot of a defunct store and turned off the car. “Don’t give me that. You’re angry. Tell me why.”
She blew out an exaggerated breath, stirring tendrils of her hair. “Oh, where to start.” She paused as she tapped one slender finger against her chin. “Maybe it has something to do with learning that a shifter plans to move me into his house without my permission. Or now, let’s see…”
More of that finger tapping had him gripping the steering wheel as his cats paced, upset by her mood.
“Maybe I don’t like being played!”
He stared at her for a moment, then frowned. “How did I play you?”
“You fed me those lines about us having a connection.”
“We do have a connection.”
“Lust is not a connection.”
He leaned over her and pressed his parted lips to hers but didn’t kiss her. He shared air with her, an intimate show of affection only the closest of lovers engaged in. Desire built, but it wasn’t the only emotion settling over him. The rightness only his mate could offer him gripped him too.
“It is more. Can’t you feel it?”
Brows turned down and confusion in her eyes, she turned her head. “Stop. I don’t want to hear any more lines.”
“Fine, don’t listen. Feel.”
He kissed her.
Lena resisted for only a moment before she twined her tongue with his, welcoming the raw kiss with abandon. He’d always considered kissing a waste of time when there were other things he could be doing to a woman. Lena, though? He couldn’t get enough of her. She tasted of sin and candy, her flavor bordering on ambrosia, and one he feared he’d already become addicted to.
With one hand holding her head, he delved deeper. He needed to be a part of her life, not just hover in the shadows. He wanted her to call him mate. He refused to lose the one female who’d succeeded in picking up the pieces of his shattered mind and building them up around her.
He pulled back and stared into her soft brown eyes. Peace settled over him. His breaths slowed. A different kind of hunger rose, one that made him want to worship Lena, his gift, forever.
He brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “Let me love you.”
She turned her head. “Back off. I do not sleep with men who are already involved with someone else.”
Her rebuttal didn’t make sense to his foggy brain. He picked apart each word and considered its meaning before finally stringing them back together. Then it clicked, but he couldn’t understand why she’d accuse him of cheating. He’d have to be in a relationship before he could sneak around.
“I’m not involved with anyone.”
“Then who’s Mira?”
He laughed and sat back, relieved he could put her mind at ease. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the photo album until he found the picture he wanted. He handed the cell to her. “That’s Mira.”
Lena’s brows scrunched. She glanced from the photo to him. “Mira’s your twin?”
“Yeah, she’s really pretty too. Don’t you think?”
With the phone in hand, Lena studied the picture intently. “She’s beautiful.”
She scrolled through a few more photos of them at Rafe’s mating celebration. “Your friends are all very tall.”
He shrugged. “Shifters generally are.”
She paused on a picture of him with the wolf sisters, Anne and Jill. They’d become his lovers over the past month, and their shared intimacy was obvious from the photo. Anne had her hands in his hair while she kissed him. Jill’s were down his pants.
He’d forgotten Kade had taken the photo. They’d both enjoyed the wolves that night. He hadn’t deleted the photo because it had reminded him of an extremely enjoyable encounter. No longer. Guilt landed hard in his gut. He shouldn’t feel bad for what he’d done. He’d just met Lena. But, yeah, he felt dirty.
Cheap.
Lena handed the phone back without saying another word. He wasn’t sure what to make of her dismissal. Although he’d scented her anger, she’d smelled agitated since Mira’s phone call earlier.
He focused on Lena’s profile. No expression to judge her mood, but a tic had developed along her jaw. He rubbed his.
“Anne and Jill are just friends.”
She folded her arms. “Okay.”
The word slashed him. He straightened in his seat.
“They don’t mean anything to me.” He grimaced at how cold that sounded. “I mean, they’re my friends. Well, technically they’re my lovers, but the sex doesn’t mean anything.” And yeah, that made him sound like a jerk. “I mean…”
Lena tilted her head and peered at him from under spiky lashes. “You don’t owe me an explanation. I don’t care who you sleep with.”
And why did that sound like a blow-off? “Anne and Jill are wolf shifters who like to have a little fun. They—”
“Seriously, I don’t care. There’s nothing wrong with having a few friends with benefits.” She looked out the side window. “Can we just go? We’re wasting time.”
While he didn’t want to drop the conversation when he didn’t think Lena understood him, she was right. Finding Molly and Gwen had to be their main priority. After that…well, he’d make sure she understood his intentions because his decision was made.
He wasn’t giving up on them. That meant more than just Lena finding something about him to love. He would prove he was worthy of her.
Only problem—he wasn’t.
Wasn’t going to stop him. He’d find a way to be the male she needed. Lena wasn’t going to leave him.