Surrounded By Temptation(24)

He just wished she thought of him as a man and not a beast.

He put down the chainsaw he’d been using to clear debris for a new trail and hopped on his wheeler. He had to go much slower than he wanted because he didn’t want to startle her when he neared or actually hit her when he was upon her. When he rounded the last bend en route to the burnout hole, he slowed even more when he spotted her. She was such a sight for sore eyes. He knew he missed her, could still smell her when he was by her cabin, and got whiffs of her in the main house, but just seeing her again would’ve brought him to his knees if he were standing. She turned and watched him approach and it was all he could do to calmly pull up beside her and kill the engine.

“You shouldn’t be out here, angel.” His voiced sounded raw even to him.

She stepped closer and damn if he couldn’t move away. He was trapped on the all-terrain vehicle. She put her hand on the bar beside his, not touching.

“Hi to you, too.” She was smiling at him and his giddy heart started pounding. Too fucking bad.

“You need to head back inside or at least away from the wooded areas of the property. You know we do work out here. It’s not safe for you to be lurking around.”

“I’m not lurking. I’m looking.”

“What are you looking for?”

Her pinky moved next to his hand and gently grazed his skin. Just that simple touch made him want her even more if that were even possible. He already ached for her night and day.

“You.”

“Shit, Ariel. Why?” Oh God, please say it’s because you want me.

“I owe you an apology, I think. You jumped to the wrong conclusion when we were together last, and you left before I could explain. Come to think of it, I think that means you owe me an apology.” She chuckled.

“You’re speaking in circles, angel.”

“I asked about the pregnancy possibility after the no-condom scare because I’m not ready to be a parent. It had nothing to do with you and your ability to shift. Any young woman in my situation would feel the same way.”

“Your situation being that you’re fucking a man who turns into an animal?” Was she just here to pour salt into his wounded heart? If so, he’d stand here and take it, but God, he’d be crushed all over again.

She moved up to him quickly and rested her hands on his chest, the heat of them scorching through his shirt. “No, Robbie,” she whispered. “My situation being that I’m not on birth control. The medicine makes me ill, so I stopped taking it after Will and I stopped having sex. There wasn’t a point in suffering, and I haven’t given it any thought because I had no intention of engaging in sexual intercourse with you. I did plan on testing your sexual limits, but I did have limits of my own that you barreled over. I just didn’t plan on it being an issue until we were faced with what we’d done.”

“So you don’t think I’m some kind of monster?” Why the hell did his voice crack? And why was he watching her as if her answer held the key to his very existence? Yet, he knew the answers to those questions. He now had a sliver of hope. Hope that maybe she did accept him for who and what he was, and he was terrified that the hope he felt would be crushed.

“No, I don’t.”

He moved then, clutching her hands at his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself. I-I thought—”

“I know what you thought, and I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to confront you before now. I did try to call—”

“I’m sorry. I know. I just couldn’t answer. I was worried I’d start yelling at you and I didn’t want to hurt you, no matter how much pain I was in.”

She leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her. He felt a rumble in his chest and he didn’t worry that his purring would freak her out. She just held him back and stroked his arm.

“There’s something else I think you should know,” she mumbled against his chest.

“What’s that, angel?”

“My relationship with Will left me scorned. I haven’t believed in love in a long time. I’m still not convinced it exists, and I need you to know that.” She moved out of his embrace and wrapped her arms around herself for protection. “I’m not saying whatever is happening between us is like that, or…or even more than some casual fun…mixed with work. I just need you to know so you won’t expect something from me that I cannot give.”

Rob slung his leg over the wheeler, stood up, and walked toward her before he’d even registered fully what she’d said. She felt she wasn’t capable of love? Bullshit. There was no doubt in his mind she had a kind, loving soul. But she also looked timid and ready to run. He needed to handle her like he would a scared kitten.