Page 29 of Purrfectly Mated

Was that his Tiger?

Oh my.

Gulp again.

She watched him inhale the air around her deeply. His big body tensed, but he never broke eye contact. He watched her, like a cat eyeing a mouse. A mouse he wanted to eat.

Here kitty.

Clearing her throat, she took a step back. Hunter followed, nodding his head at the tub and shower stalls. She noticed the way he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Like he was trying to regain some semblance of control. She liked that. Knowing she threw him off balance was a rush. A totally hot one.

Elissa had never had that kind of power. She bit her lip, wondering how far to pursue this newfound discovery. It made her bold, daring thoughts filled her. Would it be wise to touch him? Was she allowed to?

“Please help yourself to a warm bath if you like. There’s soap and shampoo in the dispenser. Towels and a bathrobe are in the closet,” he pointed to a cabinet and went to the door.

“Hunter?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for taking care of you. It is my privilege.”

Well, day-um.

That was unexpected. She’d been prepared for the sexy, but not the heart melting sweetness. Elissa felt herself grow warm from the inside out.

Her damp clothes and the state of her hair forgotten. Were there even men left in the world who said things like that to women? Apparently, there was one. And if this was real, he was hers.

That is,ifshe believed Mr. Stregovich’s claims. Maybe she should, after all. What did she have to lose?

Only your heart, Lissa. Only your heart.

Before she could lose herself in her thoughts and nagging doubts, he spoke again. The sound of that deep, rumbling voice met her ears, and she sighed. She could listen to him all day long.

“Elissa, I know we’re strangers and this whole thing has been kind of sudden, but you can trust me. I swear, I will always tell you the truth.”

She swallowed hard. Might as well test him now and find out if he was trustworthy.

“Can I ask you something, Hunter?”

“Anything,” his voice was deep and low.

Glowing teal eyes raked over her body, she knew her top was clinging to her breasts because of the rain, and normally, she’d shy away from anyone who stared.

But Elissa liked his eyes on her. She enjoyed knowing the flare of his nostrils and licking of his lips was because of her. It did wonderful things to her self-confidence, knowing he wanted her.

Maybe she was foolish, but for the first time in forever, Elissa wanted to throw caution to the wind. Tired of always doing the right thing. The expected thing. The boring thing.

She wanted to take a leap of faith, like Uncle Uzzi had said. She wanted to jump right into the deep end.

With him.

“Hunter, what does it mean to be your mate?”

She took one step closer to him, then another.

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