Page 12 of A Velvet Kiss After Dark

He did as she bid. He hadn't looked forward to something this rousing in a long time. And that was the truth. He nearly smiled. Nearly. He knew better than to give any tells away. Hiding one's feelings was a necessity in his line of business.

Then why did you tell her you liked her?

It was a fair question. One he didn't have the answer to. In fact, the more he dwelled on it the more he realized he'd given away numerous tells to her. Had she even noticed?

All he did know was that he missed her when he went periods of time without seeing her. And the scent of her—that dizzying intoxicating scent—made him want to bear his fangs and, like a pup, and take her throat with his bite. Her body would be plastered against his. Molded to his form like a second skin. His body hardened at the thought. Muscles tightened as the fantasy took hold. He'd take her lips again. Tongue slinging against hers. Would she lap at him? Would she cling to him or thrust him away from her with disgust?

No more gentle kisses as he'd given her before. That had been but a taste compared to what he craved. A sampling. An appetizer. No, that wasn't what he wanted at all. He wanted oh so much more from Tabitha Burke. Her shouts as she came on his tongue, his cock, his fingers—all of it.

He just didn't know why.

And after last night's rendezvous in the hallway, after she'd stolen from him so soundly, he knew he had to find out why he felt this intense attraction to her immediately. Why did he think about her at all? Was it because he wanted to bed her? But he'd had numerous other women and none had ever lingered in his brain the way Tabby did.

Judging by the way a mere look from her could send his cock beating against his zipper, he clearly knew the answer to that. That answer was a resounding hell yes! Yet he knew there was more between him and the human than just wanting to bed her. Though that was definitely an action he planned to luxuriate in. When the time was right. Or as soon as possible. Whichever came first.

Yet his instincts told him there was more to than sex. That wasn't why he kept sniffing around her. After all, he could have already bedded a score of willing females who'd happily welcome him into their beds. So why the shy, tentative human with poor vision, a sharp mind and quick wit?

He'd already been exerting energy behind the scenes to protect her. That was another oddity. Why this need to protect her? He believed it must be some sort of guilt over the fact that she'd been attacked because of his affiliations. That simply had to be it. And nothing else.

He'd already killed all those involved with her attack. Swiftly. Coldly. But he had more enemies. Those who'd attacked her had been children compared to some of old enemies he had who'd pay a fortune to have his head lopped off.

She had yet to put on her tortoise-rimmed, purple eyeglasses yet. He could see her {COLOR} eye color so much clearer this way. She had arresting eyes. They shot out from her face like laser beams. At least when they weren't hidden behind plum-colored eye wear.

She set a final plate of sausage links on the table and heaved a sigh as she took a seat. Wit ha napkin she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Finally! I've been in there cooking for an hour at least."

He eyed the food as a starved man might a feast. Which is exactly what he was. "You didn't do all this for me, did you, Tabitha?" His voice was pure seduction.

She'd been mid-sip of her juice, which she choked. Her reaction fascinated him and called for him to study her more closely in the future.

Face red, she hacked unladylike as she struggled to breathe. She shook her head profusely. "Never."

His jaw clenched. "Never?" She would never be so kind as to make him breakfast? Why did that rankle his nerves? And make him want to punch a building down with one fist?

As she spoke, she looked away, busily piling her plate with an impressive amount of food. His eyebrows rose higher and then higher when she added six more pancakes. Next he looked over at her small waist and thin wrists. How was this possible. What magic did she use?

"You surely don't intend to consume all that food?"

She chewed slowly over a bite of pancake with a hunk of sausage in the midst somewhere. Nodding, she swallowed carefully before speaking. "See those boxes over there?"

Guilt flared once again at the fact that she was forced to move because of him. "I'm well aware you're moving," he said between tight lips.

He already planned to find out where she moved to. Immediately. For her protection, of course.

"Well, I wasn't planning to take my entire fridge of food. So, I'm actually glad you're here to eat some of this. Oh! The milk!" She ran and pulled a gallon of milk out of the fridge and set it soundly down on the table. "Drink up!"

His satisfaction at the meal deflated like a popped balloon. Here he'd thought she'd fixed him a meal, thinking of him. Cooking for him. Like a lover might.

Hunkering over his plate, he ate silently, hardly tasting a thing. Meanwhile he spied her from the corner of his eyes. She wore a ruby-red dress with a vee cut down deep into her ample cleavage. Violet and indigo flowers covered the dress. It was typical for her. Bright, happy, cheerful. Just like her colorful personality.

When she glanced over at his plate, she jolted. "That's all you're eating?" She looked affronted.

"I find I'm not so hungry after all." Complete lie. He was starving.

Her crestfallen look tugged at something in his chest. He rubbed the spot, confused.

She set down her fork carefully and straightened in her chair. Something about her change in demeanor set him on edge. One of her little brown eyebrows rose ever so slightly as her mouth tensed.

"The average werewolf consumes between seven thousand to ten thousand calories a day. After injury and healing rejuvenation, a male werewolf may require as much as fifteen to twenty-five thousand calories per day to fully heal and recuperate to his previous power." She let that sink in. "Now, does that look like you've eaten the minimum calories required after I've slaved in the kitchen for the last hour?"

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