Rose faced him. “Those are supposed to be private. How can he get at them?”
“He’s rich and has his ways. Just like all the Dubrovsky brothers.”
“Nuts.” She stared at the floor, hand on the counter. “He’ll figure it out then, won’t he? Undiagnosed pain since turning two. He’ll know she’s not…normal.”
“Unfortunately, he’s smart. He’ll put the pieces together.” And any hope of keeping his daughter’s secret indefinitely went out the window. He’d known he couldn’t keep her from the tiger community, but part of him wanted to.
“How much time do we have?”
“It’ll take a while for them to find this cabin.”
“Didn’t take you long.” She held his gaze.
“My brothers won’t get the location from your parents, like I did.” Without thinking about what he was doing, he edged closer. “They have a lot of places they’ll have to search. That’ll take time.”
She didn’t move away, despite the fact that he was now invading her space. She tilted her head back a little to meet his gaze, almost defiantly. He’d always loved that about her. So damned fearless. He’d never known anyone quite like her.
“How long?” she said again. But this time her voice was husky, deeper.
The sound went right to his cock. He inched as close to her as he dared, close enough that a deep breath would brush his chest against hers. He kept one hand on the counter and one hand at his side, not touching her despite the temptation, but the anticipation of touch was overwhelming.
“A week. Maybe more. Long enough to make sure Zoe can control her tiger.”
“If Alexis gets here soon.”
“Either way. If I have to, I’ll start teaching her. I can afford new clothes.”
She smiled a little and all his attention zeroed in on her mouth. She wet her lips, leaving them glistening and ripe for kissing. He dipped his head closer, just a little, still not touching her, but he was oh so tempted.
When she didn’t back down or tell him to stop, he came closer. Her breath was warm on his face and her scent washed through him, leaving his head spinning with need.
“Vlad…”
Too much. The sound of her sexy voice, his name almost a plea…it was too much. He couldn’t resist her anymore. He closed the last breath of space and kissed her.
He’d intended the kiss to be just a gentle brush of lips, nothing too serious, and nothing too hard to pull back from. He failed miserably. The instant he tasted her, he needed more. He took hold of her shoulders, pulled her tight to him, and deepened the contact. To his overwhelming satisfaction, she returned his kiss, open and bold.
This had always been one of his favorite things with her. Not his only favorite thing, but the feel of her generous lips, the dance of her tongue against his, the taste of her… He could kiss her for hours and never get tired of it.
He wrapped his arms around her back so he could feel the press of her breasts against his chest, and she moved into him, leaving no distance between them, her hands coming up to his waist, clenching at his shirt. He considered stepping back to rid himself of the offending garment, but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.
Then she moved her hands up under his shirt, her palms hot against his skin, and destroyed any rational thoughts he had left in his head. He slid one hand up to hold her head in place, tunneling his fingers through her thick hair. He stroked his other hand down to her ass and squeezed, irritated with the material keeping him from her soft, luscious skin. He caressed her butt and hip over the area where her sugar skull tattoo used to be and wondered if it was still there.
He was so focused on the idea of finding out, he didn’t feel her pushing him at first. Then she shoved him hard and the message finally got through the foggy haze of lust swamping his brain. He instantly dropped his hold, moving away as fast as if she’d burned him.
She blinked and had to hunt for him at the opposite side of the kitchen because he’d retreated faster than her human eyes could register. “Dios, you can move. Or did my brain break?”
He shook his head, trying to laugh, but he was breathing so hard, his voice came out huskier than he intended. “Your brain is just fine. Shifters move very fast.”
She nodded. “Vlad, I…” She shook her head and let loose a chuckle that sounded more pained than amused. “I want you a little too much.”
How the hell was he supposed to resist that admission? “I can’t help the way I feel about you either. I can’t stop wanting you.”
“I should send you to sleep somewhere else. I’m not going to. But this is getting…more difficult.”