She kept pace with him. “Oh no. You just don’t want to admit that I’m right.”
“If that’s the way you want to see it.”
“Bullshit. It isn’t about how I want to see it. That was a howl. And I bet it was let loose by the wolf who took my Nike.”
“Jesenia, I already told you there aren’t any wolves in Ireland.”
“And I’m telling you that I did research. There used to be an overpopulation of wolves here. So much so that the government declared them a threat and paid people to kill them.”
Dorian jerked to a stop and faced her. The muscle in the side of his jaw twitched as he sucked in a deep breath through his nose.
“Whoa. There isn’t any need to get that pissed off. I’m just reciting history.” His mood had drastically changed, and she wasn’t sure why.
“History,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “Right.” He started walking again and Jesenia stumbled as he pulled her along behind him.
She yanked her arm free of his hold as they came to a stone staircase that led up the turret. “Hold the hell on. What the fuck has you so pissed off?”
“If there was a wolf out there, what would you mean to do about it? Hunt it down and kill it? I hate to tell you, lass, but I don’t see you being able to accomplish that.”
“No. I was actually thinking if there was one out there it would be considered an endangered species. Maybe I could find a way to save it.”
His eyes opened wide and he stared at her, stunned.
“What? Just because it nearly ate me doesn’t mean that I don’t have a heart. I do things for non-kill animal shelters all the time.”
Dorian shook his head and pointed up the staircase. “If you go up that way there will be a door that leads into the castle.”
“No. You don’t get to walk off. What did I do to piss you off so much? And not that you apparently care, but it pisses me off that you think I’m crazy and that I don’t know what I saw.”
He sighed. “Jesenia, it’s been a long night. How about we just part ways here for now?”
A huff of laughter that contained no mirth left her lips. “Whatever, Dorian.” She marched up the steps, her temper fuming. What the fuck was his problem anyway? Really, it was about par for her luck. Find a sexy-as-hell man who could make her body sing and he had to have some weird chip on his shoulder about the local wildlife. Who does that?
Partway up the steps sat a large wooden door. Jesenia gave it a shove and it creaked open on rusted hinges. Apparently this wasn’t a commonly used entrance. She marched through the opening and secured the door behind her. A soft glow coming from oil lamps mounted on the stone wall illuminated the spiral staircase. Irritation riding her hard, she stomped up the steps.
So much for the sex loosening her up. She was every bit as frustrated as before. Damn men. Why did he have to ruin what had been the best night of her life? Hell, she couldn’t even write sex like that. It had been rough but sensual. And his dominance? How hot was that? The memory of him pinning her to the rock and gripping her hair had her pussy tingling again. She’d always thought when it came to bondage and dominance that she would rather do without them, but after tonight she found herself wanting to be tied up. She groaned. Even while pissed at him, she was still having sexual fantasies.
She pushed open another door at the top of the stairs. Her thighs were burning, giving testament again to the fact she really needed to go to a gym regularly. Bright overhead light greeted her as she stepped into a hallway. When she pushed the door shut, a splinter entered her finger. “Damn it!”
Her fist closed over the hurt digit and her gaze lowered. The splinter was quickly forgotten as she stared at the red stains on her hands. “Oh shit.”
Was it blood? Her mind whirled. Dorian’s clothes had been sticky. Was that why he went into the water? Had he been hurt? She couldn’t remember any wounds on him. Yeah, he’d had her turned away from him while they had sex, but she had watched him in the moonlight on the shore. But what if she missed something? What if he was still outside bleeding?
She turned on her heels and darted back the way she’d come. Her hand paused on the second door handle for a moment as she contemplated the risk of running into the wolf again. But if Dorian smelled like blood would that draw the animal closer? She yanked and the door swung open. Her sandals clopped on the stone as she hurried down the last few steps.
At the bottom she swiveled her head, looking for Dorian. Near the edge of the woods she caught sight of his large frame and darted off in that direction. She thought about yelling his name but reconsidered, not wanting to draw attention from the wolf if it was still in the trees. Why in the hell was he going in there in the first place? Did he think to prove her wrong?