Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(38)

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Waking you. Sorry about that, but we fell asleep, and you were healing me," he mumbled, his lips moving against her nape.

She shivered, and desire flowed through her as if she'd poured heated wine into her veins. How was she half-nude in bed with the sexy shifter? "I was healing you while sleeping?"

"Yep."

All right. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, they had a connection. No way could she do that without something more than mere friendship or intent between them. Her mind slowly awoke. "Wait a minute. I was hit with a dart."

"Yesterday morning," he said. "You've been sleeping for almost twenty hours. How are you feeling?"

She stretched her legs and took inventory. Just one dart wouldn't have seriously hurt her. "Pretty good. Like I got hit in the head and had twenty hours to heal. I'm not harmed by just one dart."

"I know. Talked to Simone. How do you know that fact, by the way?"

Nessa swallowed. "I took a dart to the neck months ago while working for the Council. Didn't hurt me, but the theory is that several darts at a time would. So I've avoided that possibility." Her knees felt a little weak, but it might be from having a half-naked and very ripped male body holding her. He gave off warmth like a heater she had in her office back in Ireland. "Why are we in bed together?"



       
         
       
        

"I was tired, and you were snuggly." His heated breath brushed her ear.

That heat flowed through her, zinged around her chest, and landed between her legs. She bit back a moan. This type of need couldn't be healthy. She was far more dangerous than most people knew, and yet she might not have survived the fight without him. He'd saved her. Repeatedly. When the grenade had gone off, he'd covered her with his body. Protected her from the debris and fire and smoke.

She rolled over to face him, and he loosened his hold on her waist to let her. "Bear."

In slumber, he was all sexy male. Rumpled hair, whiskered jaw, relaxed body. But those eyes. Those primal eyes were bright and hot-lust filling them. As if he was just taking his time and deciding when to pounce. At his leisure.

That look. All male intent. She cupped his jaw, smiling when the whiskers scratched her palm. "Thank you for saving me."

His nostrils flared. "You owe me a truck."

"Aye," she whispered. She'd forgotten about his demolished vehicle.

"I had somebody fetch your possessions from the hotel after the police finished with the scene," he said. "Good thing you used an alias."

She didn't care about her job right now. Her gaze sought his lips.

Tension rolled from him. "What game are you playing?"

"No game." She'd been hit with an Apollo dart. If he hadn't jumped in the way when they were in the elevator, she would've been hit with five, and she might be dead. No sights, no sounds, no need-she'd be buried and gone. But she had lived. She was alive. And she was in bed with the sexiest, deadliest, most protective male she'd ever met. How could he be a bad guy? The intel had to be wrong. She just knew it. "Why did you save me?"

He swallowed, moving the cords in his neck. "I don't like being attacked."

"They weren't after you." She caressed across his jaw and down the strong muscles in his neck.

"They were after you and you were with me. That doesn't happen." His voice roughened.

Now wasn't that sweet? Slightly arrogant, but sweet, too. "You brought me back here. This isn't safe for your people. I'm in danger."

"Not here, you're not. I've upped our security." His arm flexed against her waist. "Your defenses are down; you need to go back to sleep."

And gentlemanly. In all the files she'd studied about him, not one notation had even hinted that a gentleman lived in Bear's rough skin. She smiled.

"Sleep, Nessa." Warning was clear in those clipped words.

"No." Oh, this was wrong on so many levels, and if he ever found out about her, who knew how dangerous he could really be? Having him for a friend wasn't exactly comfortable. Having him for an enemy would be disastrous. But for now, he'd saved her. She felt alive. Forget intrigue and reality. She wanted him-wanted to enjoy the fact of survival. So she cupped his neck and kissed him. 

His body jolted.

Power rushed through her. She slid against him, her body shuddering when her core met his hard erection. There was so much to him, and she wanted it all. Maybe just for this morning. That could be enough. Reality would return soon enough. Lifting her head, she let her lips wander over his.