Page 73 of Kai's Hunger

I swallowed down my reservations and stayed still while Kai stroked me with his heated gaze. “Maybe you could undress,” I teased. “You know, so it’s fair.”

“Being with me isn’t the same as being with a human,” he warned. “I need you to accept me. All of me.”

“What does that mean?”

He shifted from one foot to the other, as if nervous all of a sudden. “I want you, Lily, as my mate.”

“Mate,” I repeated the word, unsure exactly what he was saying. “Like for life?”

“Yes,” he growled. “When we make love, it will seal the bond between us. Tying us together.”

“I think I need more information,” I said hesitantly.

Kai nodded, then stepped away. The hurt in his gaze couldn’t be hidden, though. “I’ll help you wash, then we can talk.”

“Kai, I—”

“It’s okay, my love,” he assured me, smiling for emphasis. “I’m in no hurry. When we come together, it’ll be because you ache for me the way I do you. Because you need me the way I need you.”

I reached up, cupping his unshaven jaw. “I do need you, but I’m kind of in the dark here. Your world is new to me.”

“And you need time to adjust. For now, let me tend to you. I only want to make you feel better.”

“And we’re not going to let Patterson intrude. Not here. I don’t want to think of that monster. I only want to think of you. Feel you. There’s only us. No one else.”

“Only us,” he repeated, his voice wildly sexy. A twinge in my back tore me from my erotic musings. The pain was another reminder that I needed time to heal and come to grips with what I’d endured. I needed to be whole, for Kai. And for myself.

I stepped away from him, then got into the shower. Warm water sluiced over my skin, soothing the aches. Kai stayed outside the tub, my ever-present guardian, keeping the monsters at bay. The thought filled me with love. I closed my eyes and let the water wash away the pain.

Chapter Fourteen

Kai

The room seemed to crackle with an electric charge as I watched Lily settle into bed, her body stiff, gaze fixed on me with curiosity. The shower had revitalized her, cleansing away the remnants of her ordeal, but now it was time to cleanse the connection between us. Too many lies. Too many half-truths.

“Feeling better?” I asked, my voice a low rumble, hinting at something deeper.

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