Page 11 of Reign

I'd slept a little better, if not soundly, and I'd started to put some weight on, my breasts were fuller, and my hip bones weren't sticking out so sharply anymore.

My father had been true to his word and had let Jed spend time with me every day. I knew why he was pushing Jed and me together, but I couldn't really blame him. He hadn't had a son, and he had no one to leave his company to. Jed told me everything would go to me, but I knew as well as they did that I couldn't run a global corporation, and Jed said he had no desire to run Rex's business interests; he was happy with being head of security.

Jed grinned and gestured to the panoramic view of the ocean. “Sure, this view’s the best thing in the world.”

I laughed and dipped my hand in the pool, flicking water on him. “So, do I have you all day, again?”

He smiled, his eyes sparkling as he cocked his head and studied me. Damn, he was a good looking son of a bitch. I could appreciate that even if I didn’t feel anything deep for him. “You sure do.”

I smiled back. We had enjoyed each other's company recently, but I still didn't know him, not really. Every time I steered our conversation deeper, he'd deflect it back to me and how we were going to fill our days or how my memories and headaches were improving. It made me suspicious and made me question why he didn't want to share himself with me.

"That's great. Let's go and get some lunch at that little cafe on the quay, and then you can take me shopping. And while you drive us down into the town, you can tell me why you, an American, work for my father. You can tell me about what you do as his head of security, and you can tell me again how we met." I stood up, deliberately holding the towel around me. I don't know why I felt suddenly self-conscious under his intense gaze. After all, he was my fiance, but his continued rejection of my need to get to know him bothered me more every day.

He grinned at my obvious attempt to cover myself and stalked closer. Instinctively, I lifted my chin. I wouldn’t back away. Instead, I faced him and placed my palm flat against his t-shirt covered chest. Heat seeped into me, stirring a warmth low in my belly. “And you can also tell me why every time I try to touch you, you pull away.”

He sighed, his eyes turning deep and stormy, the hazel flecked with deep brown. He gripped my fingers but didn’t retreat. “Because I know how much it hurts you when you have contact with me.”

I lifted my chin. “It doesn't hurt,” I lied.

“Em—I mean Sarah, yes, it does. I see you wince, and I know you well enough that I can tell when you are hurting.” He ran his other hand through his hair. “Do you think I like causing you pain?” he asked quietly, his shoulders tense, his muscles rock under my touch.

Damn, I was a selfish bitch. I’d never considered that it was my pain that stopped him, or rather us, being together. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about having sex with him, but unless we kissed and touched, I’d never know how I felt about that kind of intimacy. Maybe once we started, my headache would settle. Perhaps it was just the tension of being turned on that was the problem. Or perhaps...

I slid my hand up his chest and cupped his defined jaw. "No. I don't think you want to hurt me. But I need to understand your feelings if we are going to try and work things out between us. Don't you find me attractive anymore? Is that the problem? Obviously, you and Tina have a...thing going on, so if you don't want me, I totally understand. I mean, you are definitely fit and have needs, and I am not really ready and…."

A deep chuckle made me raise my eyes to his and halt my sudden babbling. He was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes back to a glittering hazel. "Oh, honey, you are adorable." His big hands cupped my face, gentle in a way that seemed impossible for such a big man. My gaze snagged on his as if he compelled it to be there, and I couldn't look away. My heart raced, thudding against my chest wall. It was confusing not to know if my reaction was desire or fear of the headache that would follow his touch.

"Listen to me. You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I've ever met, or probably ever will meet. Tina is nothing to me. We shared a bed once, well before I met you, but not again. Before you, I only ever slept with a woman once and then never saw her again. I didn't have time for entanglements or commitment." He brushed his thumb lightly over my mouth. "Getting to know you all over again is consuming my thoughts." He swallowed hard, and a line appeared between his brows. "And it's...confusing."

“Confusing?”

His face relaxed, and he smirked a little. "Yes, confusing. You confuse me with this beautiful face." He released his hold on me only to brush his fingertips over my forehead and cheeks, and mouth. "These beautiful eyes and this kissable mouth."

Well, if I wasn't turned on before, his husky voice and those godsdamned words certainly stirred something inside me. I'd have to be made of stone for them not to. He inhaled, and his gaze darkened, his hands caressing my neck.

“But most of all, I’m enjoying all the time I get to spend with you just having fun. It’s not something I’ve done before.” He shrugged a little, resting his hold loosely around the base of my neck, his fingers curling over my shoulders.

“Oh, so it’s not me then?” It was an awful sensation to have such a lack of self-confidence but I was so unsure of everything in my life.

A growling sound came from deep in his chest. “No, it's not you, not in the way you believe, anyway.”

Was that even an answer? The pain started as a dull throb at the back of my head, but I ignored it, fed up with it dictating my life. I needed to find out if I felt anything real for this man. "So why don't you kiss me, then?"

His grip tightened, and he leaned in. "Be careful what you offer...Sarah." Warning rang in his words, but set on my course of action, I stepped closer, slipped my other hand around his toned waist and gently kissed the base of his neck. He stiffened but didn't pull away this time. With the next brush of my lips, I moved a little higher. His taste wasn't unpleasant. I licked my lips. Salt, and a deep scent of...wildness...My head pounded with a vengeance as something angry stirred in my blood. I gritted my teeth and pushed it away, kissing the underside of his jaw.

I slid my hand into his hair and gripped onto the silky strands. My lips continued to trail a path up his neck and jaw. Standing on my tiptoes, I reached the corner of his mouth and kissed him tentatively. He was inflexible under my touch, my lips. My heart sank at his lack of reaction—and mine, but I wouldn't give in completely. "Kiss me," I whispered against the softness of his lips.

With a loud groan, he gave in. He grabbed my hair and angled my head so our mouths could fuse together. And boy did he kiss me. He kissed me until I was gasping for air, and my head was spinning, but then I heard it. A distant mournful howl. The pounding in my head changed to a sharp, vicious pain as Jed's hand found my breast, gently pinching my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. I arched into his touch, but the howling in my head became so loud I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

“Sarah?”

Jed's voice came from too far away. All I could hear was that mournful howl. Damn, there was a bloody wolf stuck in my brain! Or that's what it sounded like. I groaned and held my head. My skull was going to explode..."Ah! Shit!"I hissed. The pain was too much… I cried out and gripped my hair, wanting to yank the damned noise from my skull. "Please, Jed….Please. Make. It.Stop!" I screamed my last word.

Jed picked me up and ran. I didn't know where we were going, and I didn't care. He lowered me to a soft mattress. The howling in my head persisted as if whatever made the noise was getting stronger.

“Here! Open your mouth.”

Jed’s barked command was the only thing that seeped through the pain.

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