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Surrounded By Temptation(32)



No one she could look at in the mirror…that was who.

She’d spent the last two weeks throwing herself into her work, finding the best combination of chemicals that she felt was the most efficient and would allow for time release so ill side effects like Jack had experienced could be avoided altogether. What was more exciting was that because she needed to find a way for Jack to take his medicine without Phenergan and without losing the potency of the original compound, she’d discovered a way to avoid the daily shots completely. She’d researched the natural herbs the necessary chemicals were derived from and had found a way that incorporating those herbs into their diets would create the necessary effect. If her calculations were correct, a none-too-tasty shake every three days would produce the same results as the daily shots. It was the least she could do after sending off their DNA for analysis without expressed permission. And it was in vain anyway. According to Krista, the results had shown no abnormalities, but at least she didn’t have to worry about any drug interaction issues due to genetic makeup.

And now Ariel was here at the Woods estate to discuss this new development. When she’d told Krista about it, she’d hoped her sister would be too excited to wait and would just go run and tell everyone else, keeping Ariel from having to make the trip. But no, her sister had insisted on her being here. Ariel wasn’t stupid. She knew it wasn’t just because she was the scientist and Krista was the attorney, as her sister had so lamely explained. Ariel knew Krista wanted her to confront Rob.

God, just thinking his name made her palms sweat. She’d wanted desperately to talk to him before she’d left here two weeks ago, but he’d been out running in his lion form. Krista had shown pity when she’d told her he wasn’t coming back in until Ariel had left. That had hurt her all over again. Not only did she have to face the trauma of an attack, the guilt of neglecting her test subject’s needs, and the shame of using them to further her career, but she also had to face the horror of letting down the man she was falling in lo—had feelings for.

You can’t even think the word love, can you? She sighed as she walked into the main house. Krista had buzzed her in, telling her to come on up rather than meeting her at the gate. The reason Krista had given her for not meeting her at the entrance was because they all wanted to stay in the same room as Jack and Rob once she arrived.

She stayed lost in her thoughts of Rob, life, work, and family as she walked to the den. Josh’s little bombshell that day of Mikaela’s pregnancy hadn’t left her thoughts either. Would Mikaela’s ability to shift have an effect on the fetus? Josh had been afraid of her shifting in that moment because she was pregnant. Was it just a precaution or had he actually known something?

When Ariel opened the door and walked into the den, her eyes grew. She knew people were standing around and she could see Jack in her peripheral vision, but it was Rob her eyes had sought. He and Jack were tied to chairs just like the first day of testing so many weeks ago.

“That’s unnecessary. Please remove the bindings.” She looked at Thomas. She’d intended on a pleasant greeting and not stating orders as soon as she’d walked in, but seeing Rob tied up like an animal made her go into immediate protective mode.

“I just didn’t want there to be any problems.” Thomas walked toward her, taking her hands into his. “I owe you an enormous apology. If I’d taken action, the events of that day would have never transpired. I want you to feel completely comfortable in their presence.”

“You’re not the only one at fault here,” she murmured. “And if you want me to feel comfortable, you’ll release them.”

Thomas gave her a sad nod, then turned to Josh. “Untie them.”

Toby assisted, untying Jack while Josh worked on Rob’s bindings. Once they were free, Ariel walked toward Jack. She needed to check them both out, but she wanted to start with the easier one first. The fact that he was the more aggressive of the two and had tried to rape her wasn’t lost on her when she’d considered him more approachable. She could deal with a little fear. It was the thought of being so close to Rob that she needed a little time to build up her nerves for.

“How are you feeling, Jack? Any more queasiness?” She looked at his skin for signs of discoloration and then looked into his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, so softly that she almost didn’t hear him. Jack had always been the hardest of all the Woods men, but at this moment, he looked so bleak that she had to resist the urge to gather him in her arms. At least she could help him deal with what had happened. She had some other news to share, and she hoped that it would absolve Jack of his guilt.