Page 14 of The Knotty Clause

“Yede?”

Her voice was soft as she tilted her head back to look up at him, her big green eyes full of warmth and promise. The space between them felt charged, dangerous. He yearned to cross that distance, to discover if her lips were as soft as they looked, but he couldn’t. He didn’t deserve to know.

“Goodnight, Gemma,” he said hoarsely, and started to turn away.

But then she reached out and placed her hand on his arm again.

CHAPTER 7

Gemma’s heart raced as she looked up at Yede. The hard muscles under the soft fur tensed under her hand.

“Thank you for letting Liam spend time with you today. It means more than you know.”

“Your thanks are not necessary,” he said gruffly.

“They are.” She leaned closer, drawn by the warmth radiating from his body. “There’s never been a male he could admire, that he could learn from. You’ve given him something he’s never had before.”

The space between them crackled with electricity. Before she could second-guess herself, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. For a heartbeat, he remained frozen and she was afraid she’d made a terrible mistake.

But then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against the hard planes of his body. His mouth moved against hers with growing urgency, and she melted into the kiss. Her fingers tangled in his mane as the kiss deepened, passionate and hungry.

Heat pooled low in her stomach as his hands slid down her back, drawing her even closer to him. She gasped against his mouth, overwhelmed by the intensity of her response. His silver eyes blazed with heat when she briefly pulled back for air, and then he captured her lips again in another searing kiss.

Too soon he broke away, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared down at her. Her lips tingled from the intensity of their kiss. He took a single, reluctant step back, his massive shoulders stiff, and she blushed as the reality of what she’d done crashed over her.

“I’m sorry.” She stepped back as well, wrapping her arms around herself. “That wasn’t part of our agreement.”

“The kiss wasn’t unwelcome.” His deep voice was even gruffer than usual. “But it’s not a good idea.”

He turned away and her heart sank. The thought of him leaving her made her chest ache with an unexpected loneliness.

“Wait.” The word slipped out before she could stop it. “Would you stay? Just to keep me company for a while?”

He paused, his broad shoulders tense. Finally, he turned back and gave a slight nod.

She followed him silently into the living area and they settled on opposite ends of the couch facing the hearth. The fire crackled softly, sending dancing shadows across the room, and she found herself relaxing despite the lingering arousal humming through her veins.

She tucked her feet under her and watched the fire, stealing glances at his profile. The firelight caught his silver eyes, making them glow with an otherworldly beauty that made her breathcatch. How could he make her feel so safe and so excited at the same time?

The comfortable silence stretched between them until he finally spoke.

“What happened to Liam’s father?”

She looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting together.

“We had what you would call a whirlwind romance. He was just passing through our village but we fell in love.” At least that’s what she’d thought at the time. “He said he wanted to stay there but he became restless very quickly. And then my mother d-died and there didn’t seem to be any reason to stay.”

“I’m sorry.”

A big hand lightly touched her shoulder and she put her hand over it in silent gratitude.

“We moved to the city but it didn’t work out the way he’d expected. He never was very good at holding down a job and we…struggled.” The flames blurred as tears pricked her eyes. “When I got pregnant, I thought things would change. They did, but not how I hoped. I saw less and less of him.”

Her throat tightened. “When Liam was two, Tom got a job on one of the trading caverns. They’re gone for long periods of the year.”

“He left his mate and child?”

The outrage in his voice would have made her smile under other circumstances.

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