trapped.”
His dark, beautiful face tightened with regret. “By me?”
“By our relationship. By the rules at Valhalla,” she said, only now realizing that Mika had somehow blamed himself for her insecurities. Her fingers traveled up the back of his neck, tugging the leather band free so his hair could spill over his shoulders. “But it was just an excuse.”
A sudden heat glowed in his ebony eyes, a fine tremor racing through him as her fingers threaded through his hair.
“What was the real reason?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It seems so stupid now.”
His free hand grasped her hip, urging her closer to his hard body.
“Tell me.”
Disturbed by the unnerving perception in his gaze, Bailey dropped her gaze to the smooth, sculpted muscles of his bare chest.
She already felt like a fool.
She didn’t need to see it reflected in his eyes.
“I spent my entire childhood trying to compete with my parents’ career. No matter what I did, how hard I tried, I could never claim more than a small portion of their attention. Their true love was saved for the children they taught.” She sucked in a slow, deep breath, savoring the male heat that brushed over her skin like a caress. “I think I was threatened by your devotion to the Sentinels and your brothers. It felt like I was coming in second place. Again.” She gave a slow shake of her head, wishing she could go back in time. “So I deliberately sabotaged our happiness. How shallow is that?”
His thumb slid beneath her chin, tilting back her face so he could capture her wary gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his expression somber.
She gave his hair a tug. Trust Mika to try to take the blame.
Just another way of protecting her.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was,” he insisted, the heat of his skin branding her as his hand slid down the side of her neck. “I was battling my own fears, so instead of forcing you to talk to me, I kept letting you pull further and further away.”
She blinked. This man afraid? It seemed impossible.
Even as a young man he’d always been so composed. So utterly in command of his emotions. Unlike her flakey, impulsive self.
“What fears?”
“That I didn’t deserve you.”
She made a sound of disbelief. What the hell was he talking about?
“That’s ridiculous.”
“No, it truly isn’t.”
“Why would you say that?”
Her breath came out as a soft gasp as Mika reached out to wrap his arms around her, pressing her tight against his bare chest.
“You were so unbearably young and innocent when we met,” he breathed.
She circled his neck with her arms, her nipples hardening as the heat of his skin seared through the thin cotton of her sundress.
She swallowed a groan.
God. It’d been so long.
Years. And years.
To at last be back in Mika’s arms made her ache with need.
Unfortunately, they needed to talk. Didn’t they?
Her gaze drifted down to the sensuously carved lips, a flutter of anticipation making her heart skip a beat as she felt the hard thrust of his cock pressed against her lower stomach.
“I was only a few years younger than you,” she reminded him, her voice breathless.
He studied her flushed face with a brooding gaze. “You were a mere babe in experience, but from the moment we met I knew you were destined to be mine.” His hands rested possessively on her lower back, his gesture of blatant male ownership emphasizing his words. “Common sense warned me to give you the time and space you deserved to explore the world.”
“I’d already visited half a dozen countries before we arrived at the reservation,” she said dryly. “Trust me, the last thing I wanted was any more exploring of the world.”
“It wasn’t about distance,” he said, covertly beginning to urge her backward, herding her out of the kitchen. “It was about having friends and going to parties . . . dating boys.” His eyes flashed with barely leashed emotions as he continued to steer her across the
His dark, beautiful face tightened with regret. “By me?”
“By our relationship. By the rules at Valhalla,” she said, only now realizing that Mika had somehow blamed himself for her insecurities. Her fingers traveled up the back of his neck, tugging the leather band free so his hair could spill over his shoulders. “But it was just an excuse.”
A sudden heat glowed in his ebony eyes, a fine tremor racing through him as her fingers threaded through his hair.
“What was the real reason?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It seems so stupid now.”
His free hand grasped her hip, urging her closer to his hard body.
“Tell me.”
Disturbed by the unnerving perception in his gaze, Bailey dropped her gaze to the smooth, sculpted muscles of his bare chest.
She already felt like a fool.
She didn’t need to see it reflected in his eyes.
“I spent my entire childhood trying to compete with my parents’ career. No matter what I did, how hard I tried, I could never claim more than a small portion of their attention. Their true love was saved for the children they taught.” She sucked in a slow, deep breath, savoring the male heat that brushed over her skin like a caress. “I think I was threatened by your devotion to the Sentinels and your brothers. It felt like I was coming in second place. Again.” She gave a slow shake of her head, wishing she could go back in time. “So I deliberately sabotaged our happiness. How shallow is that?”
His thumb slid beneath her chin, tilting back her face so he could capture her wary gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his expression somber.
She gave his hair a tug. Trust Mika to try to take the blame.
Just another way of protecting her.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was,” he insisted, the heat of his skin branding her as his hand slid down the side of her neck. “I was battling my own fears, so instead of forcing you to talk to me, I kept letting you pull further and further away.”
She blinked. This man afraid? It seemed impossible.
Even as a young man he’d always been so composed. So utterly in command of his emotions. Unlike her flakey, impulsive self.
“What fears?”
“That I didn’t deserve you.”
She made a sound of disbelief. What the hell was he talking about?
“That’s ridiculous.”
“No, it truly isn’t.”
“Why would you say that?”
Her breath came out as a soft gasp as Mika reached out to wrap his arms around her, pressing her tight against his bare chest.
“You were so unbearably young and innocent when we met,” he breathed.
She circled his neck with her arms, her nipples hardening as the heat of his skin seared through the thin cotton of her sundress.
She swallowed a groan.
God. It’d been so long.
Years. And years.
To at last be back in Mika’s arms made her ache with need.
Unfortunately, they needed to talk. Didn’t they?
Her gaze drifted down to the sensuously carved lips, a flutter of anticipation making her heart skip a beat as she felt the hard thrust of his cock pressed against her lower stomach.
“I was only a few years younger than you,” she reminded him, her voice breathless.
He studied her flushed face with a brooding gaze. “You were a mere babe in experience, but from the moment we met I knew you were destined to be mine.” His hands rested possessively on her lower back, his gesture of blatant male ownership emphasizing his words. “Common sense warned me to give you the time and space you deserved to explore the world.”
“I’d already visited half a dozen countries before we arrived at the reservation,” she said dryly. “Trust me, the last thing I wanted was any more exploring of the world.”
“It wasn’t about distance,” he said, covertly beginning to urge her backward, herding her out of the kitchen. “It was about having friends and going to parties . . . dating boys.” His eyes flashed with barely leashed emotions as he continued to steer her across the
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