anything like that."
"Are you trying to piss me off? Let me see it."
She huffed. Fine. If he wanted to go Neanderthal on her and then no doubt disappear again, she was going to get some enjoyment out of this too. She pulled her shirt off and hid her smile as he tried to look away. He might have actually pulled it off too, but she didn't delay getting her bra off. Whoa boy. Now she had his attention.
The sweat pants went next, followed by her panties. He seemed to have lost interest in her leg. He was totally focused on the triangle between them.
"That hurts too, but it's not injured," she quipped.
Woops. That might have been pushing too far. When he looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes were red. He gave a slight shake of his head and they went back to brown. He was back in control. She was sick and fucking tired of Dupree being in control.
"You have no idea what you're pushing for, Kara," he whispered.
How could she respond to that? Did he think she didn't know him? Didn't know how protective, how possessive, how commanding he could be? Didn't know he was killing himself fighting those instincts? The major problem was he still looked at her and, despite evidence to the contrary, saw a little girl.
She shrugged. "I think that's a choice I should be allowed to make on my own."
He just shook his head and with one large palm on her hip, contact that made her shiver, urged her to turn around. She looked over her shoulder and watched as he dropped to one knee. He lightly skimmed his palms over her flesh. His hands shook and it took her a moment to realize it was rage, not simple concern, that caused it.
"It's really not that bad, Dupree," she said, trying to make her voice calm and matter of fact.
"Bad enough."
He stood and lifted her into the bath. She hissed at the sudden heat as she sank into it. Then he rummaged in the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a small bag of healing salts. Dumping them in, he stepped away in almost the same movement. He pulled up the dainty vanity stool, sat down and watched her glumly. He looked defeated. It actually made her chest hurt.
"Look," she said, knowing her offer was going to lead to a half lived life but unable to stand seeing him like this. Sick of fighting for him when he wasn't interested in doing the same. "Just stay away from me. If it bothers you this much...stay away. Hell, I'll leave. Winter can find me a place in another region."
The change was instant. His entire body tensed up and his eyes glowed red. "You aren't going anywhere, darlin'."
She sank back in the water until it was up to her chin. The warmth felt like a welcoming cocoon. "There's not much point in both of us being miserable, is there?" she forced herself to ask.
The look on her face, resigned and resolute, combined with the pain in her eyes might kill him. The last thing Dupree wanted to do was hurt Kara. But what would hurt more? His keeping his distance or giving in to his desire to possess her? She didn't understand the depth of that desire. She didn't know that once he stepped over that line in his mind, he'd never let her go. Whether she wanted to stay or not, whether she continued to love him or not.
But God help them both, because he didn't have the strength to walk away anymore. The poisoning, the aftermath of it, had destroyed that chance. Lying in bed, weak and drained, he'd looked in Kara's eyes and knew she wanted him, knew she was his salvation if he took her. He'd also known it was only a matter of dwindling time before he gave in to the sweet temptation of her body. Her love.
She didn't deserve a monster like him in her life. He just hoped he could give her enough time to truly understand and accept what she was getting into. The irony was she had every intention of becoming the very same thing and there wasn't a damned thing he could do to stop it. Winter had already approved her petition. The edict was going to be lifted. At most he had weeks, but more likely just days, to
"Are you trying to piss me off? Let me see it."
She huffed. Fine. If he wanted to go Neanderthal on her and then no doubt disappear again, she was going to get some enjoyment out of this too. She pulled her shirt off and hid her smile as he tried to look away. He might have actually pulled it off too, but she didn't delay getting her bra off. Whoa boy. Now she had his attention.
The sweat pants went next, followed by her panties. He seemed to have lost interest in her leg. He was totally focused on the triangle between them.
"That hurts too, but it's not injured," she quipped.
Woops. That might have been pushing too far. When he looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes were red. He gave a slight shake of his head and they went back to brown. He was back in control. She was sick and fucking tired of Dupree being in control.
"You have no idea what you're pushing for, Kara," he whispered.
How could she respond to that? Did he think she didn't know him? Didn't know how protective, how possessive, how commanding he could be? Didn't know he was killing himself fighting those instincts? The major problem was he still looked at her and, despite evidence to the contrary, saw a little girl.
She shrugged. "I think that's a choice I should be allowed to make on my own."
He just shook his head and with one large palm on her hip, contact that made her shiver, urged her to turn around. She looked over her shoulder and watched as he dropped to one knee. He lightly skimmed his palms over her flesh. His hands shook and it took her a moment to realize it was rage, not simple concern, that caused it.
"It's really not that bad, Dupree," she said, trying to make her voice calm and matter of fact.
"Bad enough."
He stood and lifted her into the bath. She hissed at the sudden heat as she sank into it. Then he rummaged in the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a small bag of healing salts. Dumping them in, he stepped away in almost the same movement. He pulled up the dainty vanity stool, sat down and watched her glumly. He looked defeated. It actually made her chest hurt.
"Look," she said, knowing her offer was going to lead to a half lived life but unable to stand seeing him like this. Sick of fighting for him when he wasn't interested in doing the same. "Just stay away from me. If it bothers you this much...stay away. Hell, I'll leave. Winter can find me a place in another region."
The change was instant. His entire body tensed up and his eyes glowed red. "You aren't going anywhere, darlin'."
She sank back in the water until it was up to her chin. The warmth felt like a welcoming cocoon. "There's not much point in both of us being miserable, is there?" she forced herself to ask.
The look on her face, resigned and resolute, combined with the pain in her eyes might kill him. The last thing Dupree wanted to do was hurt Kara. But what would hurt more? His keeping his distance or giving in to his desire to possess her? She didn't understand the depth of that desire. She didn't know that once he stepped over that line in his mind, he'd never let her go. Whether she wanted to stay or not, whether she continued to love him or not.
But God help them both, because he didn't have the strength to walk away anymore. The poisoning, the aftermath of it, had destroyed that chance. Lying in bed, weak and drained, he'd looked in Kara's eyes and knew she wanted him, knew she was his salvation if he took her. He'd also known it was only a matter of dwindling time before he gave in to the sweet temptation of her body. Her love.
She didn't deserve a monster like him in her life. He just hoped he could give her enough time to truly understand and accept what she was getting into. The irony was she had every intention of becoming the very same thing and there wasn't a damned thing he could do to stop it. Winter had already approved her petition. The edict was going to be lifted. At most he had weeks, but more likely just days, to
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