“Aiden,” she drawled mockingly as she leaned against the doorframe. “Is it a burden being such a prick or does it just come easy for you?”
He breathed in carefully, forcibly restraining himself to keep from touching her. From jerkingher into his arms and pushing himself inside her tight, hot pu**y he knew was waiting for him.
“Actually,” he snarled. “It comes real f**king easy.”
She sighed regretfully as she shook her head slowly. “I was afraid of that. Oh well…”
He moved in on her before she could finish, backing her into the house, then against the wall of the foyer. She stared up at him in surprise, fighting the arousal that sang through her blood as his dominance reflected in the savage features of his face. The Native American cast to his features had always enthralled her, now more so than ever.
“Charity,” his voice was a hard, rumbling growl. “You can only push me so far. You can only deny me so long. Combine the two, and your time will shorten immeasurably. Do you understand me?”
She looked up at him through her lashes, her lips quirking teasingly, mockingly. “Beg me, baby, and we’ll see.” She threw his words back at him.
His fists clenched. If he touched her, he knew he would never release her. It wouldn’t matter if she cried. It wouldn’t matter if he hurt her. Some instinctive, primal need howled out its demand, making his body tremble as he fought to deny it.Just a while longer.Just until she was healed. Just until he knew he wouldn’t physically hurt her.
“You are playing a very dangerous game,” he breathed in roughly as he jerked back from her. “Be careful, Charity, that it doesn’t backfire on you.”
He stomped to the door once again.
“Will you be back for dinner, darlin’?” she asked him mockingly, stopping him in his tracks. His chest seemed clenched, something inside him screaming out for a tender voice, gentle words. He was a fool and he knew it.
He looked back at her, smiling slowly, confidently, his eyes going first to her hard-tipped br**sts then to her seductive gaze. He watched her smile dim as her gaze dropped to the near lethal canines.
“I guess, mate,” he growled. “It’s all according to what you can come up with for dessert.”
He gave her no time to respond but stalked as far and as fast from her as he could. He could feel the perspiration breaking out on his body as he fought for control.Fought the wild need to f**k, to mate, to have her beneath him screaming in cl**ax as he thrust repeatedly inside her. It was a fight he was rapidly losing.
Chapter Ten
The next afternoon, Charity hobbled through the connecting living room to the kitchen in search of food. She had slept away most of the day before, and long into the night, only awakening as Aiden checked on her after he returned. The arousal pulsing through her body was ever present, tormenting her dreams as deeply as it did her waking hours.
She was his mate. She knew that herself from the tests she had taken months after the episode in the Labs. Her body had begun changing then.The uncomfortable, ever present arousal.The surges of heat and irritation that seemed to linger just under her skin. Later, blood and saliva tests showed the presence of an unknown hormone that varied in strength according to the state of arousal she was in. She had hoped it would go away. Had hoped it would slowly diminish. She hadn’t counted on the scientists learning her secret, or finding a way to advance the changes her body was trying to make. She hadn’t anticipated a damned blood transfusion, something even the scientists hadn’t been able to use. The hormonal virus running through his blood was too potent for her body to fight.
But her heart and her mind disagreed. Nature was precise; it didn’t make mistakes, not with something so basic as a mating instinct. Nature didn’t deal with the heart, or anything as fickle as emotions. It dealt with biology, chemical reactions. A chemical reaction wasn’t enough for her. Her heart, her soul, demanded more.
Charity eased her way to the stove and the pot sitting on the back burner as she made her way to the kitchen. Lifting the lid, she inhaled the scent of vegetables and beef, and a rich broth that made her mouth water.
Within minutes she was sitting down to the warm soup, and a cold glass of milk. As far as meals went, she figured it was as close to ambrosia as she was going to get. She couldn’tremembering anything tasting as good in years. The milk was bitingly cold and eased the terrible dryness in her throat, while the food eased at least part of the cramps in her stomach.
She had just finished the small meal and placed her dishes in the sink to wash when a light knock sounded on the door and it opened slowly.
“Charity?”A female voice called out, and Charity watched in surprised as two women walked into the front room.
“Hope.Faith.” Amazement filled her. They were older, filled out and more mature, but smiling in welcome as they rushed into the kitchen.
“Charity.Oh God, I thought you were dead or something.” Faith reached her first. Laughing, almost crying, Charity allowed the other woman to embrace her tightly, ignoring the sharp, burning protest from her flesh. Faith was a bittaller, her once long, auburn hair was cut shorter now, but there was no mistaking the pretty features or her laughter filled voice. Even in the Labs, after Faith got past her initial wariness, she had been filled with humor and a love of life. As Faith moved back, Charity watched Hope quietly. Hope had hated all the scientists and Lab personnel after Wolfe’s escape. The few times Charity had tried to contact her she had been rudely rebuffed.
“Thank you,” Hope said quietly.“For Wolfe’s life and his escape.”
Surprise shot through her. “How did you know it was me?”
Hope’s lips quirked into a grin.Her features were vaguely Asian, compliments of her Chinese mother. She had taken her slender height and blue eyes from her American father, though.
“I made it a point to find out, after Wolfe found me.” She stepped closer, hugging Charity briefly, though warmly. “Come on now, get off those sore feet and we’ll talk.”
She hobbled back to the open living room, collapsing gratefully on the wide, well-cushioned couch as Hope disappeared into another room that Charity hadn’t noticed earlier.
“Let’s check your feet.” She came back moments later carrying a first aid kit. “Dr. Armani will be around later this evening, but I’m sure they’re starting to get uncomfortable again.”