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he had known. She was a baby in comparison. But she was also his mate. She wanted to
be more. She wanted to be strong enough to stand by his side, strong enough to fight
with him. She couldn t do that if she allowed either of them to hide from the truth.
She would let him protect her to an extent, but after that, she needed to stand beside
him, to ease the man who fought for supremacy over his DNA. The man who needed to
love, to find at least a safe haven for his soul.
He hadn t told her he loved her, but she would deal with that later. One step at a
time, she thought. One growth at a time. She would get there eventually, but first things
first.
 Cats have barbs, Roni said lazily, her fingers playing gently through the long,
silken strands of his hair.
He had been purring. It amazed her. He had tried to stop, had even laughed at
himself earlier because he couldn t, though she had seen the worry in his eyes that it
would disgust her. Quite the opposite. She now knew how to tell if her lover was
pleased, happy, content. Destroying that contentment for even a moment was
something she hated to do. But it was something they needed to clear up.
He tensed in her arms. His head still lay against her chest, but rather than the sated
relaxation that had filled him, a watchful tension now moved over his body. The soft
vibration in his chest had stopped, though her fingers had never ceased the slow caress
through his hair.
 Yeah, they do. His hold tightened only marginally.
 People think because I m young, I m completely dumb. She laughed softly at this.
 Even before you marked me, you always handled me with kid gloves, never doing or
saying anything that you thought would upset me. Letting me face life isn t going to
break me.
134
The Man Within
 It was never because I thought you were dumb, Roni. He sighed as he moved
from her arms, sitting up so he could stare down at her thoughtfully.  I wanted to
protect you. That s all I ve ever wanted.
And she realized how true that was. She had known it when she had been only a
child, and she saw it now. A part of him had to protect her, otherwise, he would never
be content, never be secure.
 I don t want to be protected from everything, Taber. She turned on her side,
moving into the embrace he created by opening his arms and pulling her close.
Her head lay against his chest now as he breathed out roughly. She could feel the
protest building in him and knew he would always try to protect not just her body, but
her emotions as well. She didn t want to be protected from growth.
 I don t want you hurt, he whispered against her hair.  Not in any way, Roni. It
makes me crazy, thinking of it. It always has. The world can be dark, baby. Scary as
hell. I never wanted you to see how bad it could be.
The dark magic of his voice couldn t hide the bitter memories running through it.
 That won t work, Taber. How can I be anything to you if I can t understand the life
you ve lived? Do you think I don t know some of the evil out there? For God s sake,
how many times did you have to come rescue me from Reginald s enemies, from men
who called and told a teenager how many different ways they were going to fuck her in
exchange for her father s betrayal? She had never told him the full extent of the terror
that had her running to him through the years. The true measure of the fears she had
faced. She had known he would confront Reginald, and she had been terrified of the
consequences. How could she have lived if he was harmed because of her?
His arms flexed, bunched in anger.
 I would have killed him if I had known, Roni. I may kill him yet, he swore.
 You re better than he is, she sighed.  And he s not worth the complications. He s
not worth the stain on your soul. She rose up, staring him in the eye.  I know what
you are, Taber. I know what happens when you come inside me. You don t have to hide
me from life. All I need is to know you ll be beside me.
 I always have been. He shook his head in confusion.  Why would I leave now,
Roni? You re mine. I told you that.
She rolled her eyes impatiently.  Taber, I don t belong to you& 
 The hell you don t. Stubborn male arrogance lit every word.  I warned you
before, baby, and I m telling you now. Once I had you, it was too late to re-think the
issue. I won t play games with you. I won t lie to you. And I ll sure as hell never let you
leave me.
 Good thing I m content to stay. For now, she muttered as she plopped back down
on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a frown.  Must be the animal coming out in
you. Though I never knew cats to be possessive. You re going against type, Taber.
135
Lora Leigh
He grunted mockingly as he stared down at her, a brow lifting with an expression
of superiority.  Really? he drawled, his voice deepening.  Says who?
 Wild Kingdom, she snapped without heat.
 Wild Kingdom needs to research a bit more. He laughed as he settled down in the
bed beside her, drawing her close to the warmth of his body as he pulled the sheet over
them.
 I don t know. She yawned.  They seemed pretty sure of it. You sure you can t
mate anyone else? That one worried her, more than she wanted to admit. She would
hate to have to kill him after getting used to this crazy situation he had thrown her in.
 Don t know. And I sure as hell don t intend to find out, he grumped.  Mating
you is about to kill me. I doubt I ll be able to walk straight when I get up in the
morning. Which isn t far off. Go to sleep. He reached over, extinguishing the light on
the small table by the bed.
Silence filled the room. Weariness dragged at her body.
 You should make him leave, Taber. She voiced the fear about Reginald that she
couldn t seem to rid herself of.  He s dangerous.
Once again silence stretched between them for long moments.
 We ll watch him, Roni, he promised her.  Remember. Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. Reginald will show his hand eventually. When he does, one
of us will be there to stop him.
She sighed wearily. She couldn t push the suspicion of her mother s death from her
mind. Someone had killed her. She had known the mountainous roads in all conditions.
She would have never gone over that cliff on a perfect summer day.
 I ll protect you, Roni. His confidence washed over her like a comforting wave of
warmth.
 I don t doubt that, Taber, she sighed.  It s not my safety I worry about. It s
yours.
 Go to sleep, baby. He tucked her closer, his arms, strong and warm, sheltering
her.  Tomorrow is soon enough to deal with it.
She closed her eyes, her hand moving from the bed to her abdomen. She could feel
the change in her body. The desperate heat was cooling, leaving only a more natural
desire now. A comforting warmth. Would it happen so soon, she wondered?
 Sleep. His hand covered hers.  Tomorrow is soon enough.
136
The Man Within
Chapter Thirty-One
 Okay, listen up kitties. Kane strode into the large kitchen like a hard wind bent
on shaking up whatever previous safe zone had been established.  Get your noses out
of the cream, we have problems here.
The morning ritual of after-breakfast coffee had run smoothly the few days Roni
had been there. But it wasn t a ritual Kane had partaken of until now. She had seen
Merinus older, taciturn brother only once in the past days since her arrival. He watched
everything and everyone suspiciously.
He was handsome, with his dark hair and striking blue eyes. He was tall, not as
broad as the Feline Breed males, but exuding a powerful grace that drew the eye. This
morning he was dressed in jeans that conformed to every muscle in his long legs and
emphasized his tight, hard stomach. A black T-shirt was tucked into the waistband that
was cinched with a plain, leather belt. On that belt he wore a holstered gun with such
casual confidence that it seemed to be an extension of his body.
 He s going to call me a kitten one time too many, Sherra muttered with low [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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