Page 40 of Brody
For a moment, neither of us spoke.The distance between us suddenly seemed both vast and nonexistent.His breathing had deepened, synchronized with mine without conscious effort.Heat radiated from him in waves I could almost see, the mate bond humming between us with dangerous intensity.
I cleared my throat and returned to my diagram, fingers gripping my pen with unnecessary force.“Well, then,” I said, pulling my hair back with hands that betrayed me with the slightest tremor.“Let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER10
ROZI
I sat peering through the SUV’s window into the inky darkness.The scent of sandalwood filled the confined space until each breath felt dangerously intimate.I drummed my fingers against my thigh, the only outward sign of the storm raging inside me.There was no tension between us, at least none that centered on our mission.We’d agreed to a singular goal—trek to the COL tomorrow to find a breakthrough cure for the pre-feral symptoms.
But the other tension?The one that made my skin prickle every time his gaze flicked toward me?That hadn’t gone anywhere.
“I can’t believe that the myth about the COL is real.And we’re going there tomorrow,” I said, trying to focus on anything besides the way his hands gripped the steering wheel with such controlled strength.“That was not on my bingo card, but damn, I’m excited.”
His husky laugh sent liquid heat pooling low in my belly, a sensation my cheetah savored even as I ruthlessly ignored it.“Finally, I got you excited.”
I swallowed hard.
“The existence of the COL would make any shifter jump for joy.”
“I forgot to ask,” Brody said, the timbre of his voice dropping an octave.“But do you have hiking clothing and boots?If not, we…”
“I’m all set.I’ve been on lots of treks through the wilderness,” I said, grateful for the change in subject.“I’ve even been to the Amazon rain forest.”
“I’m impressed.”He shot a brief glance at me, moonlight glinting off his eyes, eyes that lingered a heartbeat too long.“I guess not all researchers stay in the lab.”
“This researcher doesn’t,” I replied, unable to keep the pride from my voice.“For my experiments, I needed to get my hands on exotic, hard-to-find botanicals.”
“Couldn’t you pay someone to get them for you?”The question wasn’t dismissive.I caught genuine curiosity in his tone.
My fingers instinctively sought the small scar on my wrist, a souvenir from a particularly stubborn vine in Peru.“I’m a hands-on kind of woman because I only use botanicals that were harvested ethically.”The passion slipped into my voice without permission.“I want to ensure the long-term health of plant populations and ecosystems while respecting the environment and local communities.There are just too many researchers using botanicals who don’t understand which plants are safe to harvest, where to forage responsibly, or believe in taking only what is needed while leaving enough behind for the plant to regenerate.”
The SUV slowed as we approached the B&B, its white clapboard siding ghostly in the moonlight.Brody’s expression had shifted, softened somehow.
“Your ethics make you the ideal person to be shown the COL.”His voice had that sincerity that made my defenses wobble.“It doesn’t hurt that your research is renowned among the Others’ communities.”
“So is my last name,” I replied, the bitterness escaping before I could trap it.
He parked in front of the B&B, darkness shrouding everything except the warm yellow glow from a single upstairs window.When he turned to look at me, the intensity in his gaze stole my breath.
“I can see past the stigma of the Dhahabu name,” he said, each word deliberate and heavy with meaning.He paused, gaze caressing every inch of my face as though memorizing it.“I see you, Rozi.”
The way my name rolled off his tongue, like a prayer, like a promise, sent a shiver racing down my spine.He traced a finger across my cheek, the simple touch igniting a fire beneath my skin.My body betrayed me, leaning into his touch of its own accord while my inner animal purred, desperate to luxuriate in the feel of his skin against mine.
I swallowed hard, jerking away like his touch had burned me.Maybe it had.
I scrambled to unbuckle my seat belt, fingers suddenly clumsy.He reached across, the heat of his body washing over me as he unclicked my belt, his proximity flooding my senses.Hand on the passenger door, I nearly fell out in my haste to escape the suffocating intimacy of the vehicle.There was no way in hell that I was falling into his dick trap.
He got out, coming around to stand in front of me, his tall frame silhouetted against the night sky.The silver moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face, turning him into something carved from marble and shadow.
“Rozi, I?—”
“Thornbern—”
We both stopped talking.Something in the air felt… off.
The night sounds had gone silent.No crickets chirping their endless symphony.No rustling leaves whispering secrets in the breeze.Even the distant hum of activity from Main Square had faded to nothing, like the world was holding its breath, waiting.
My cheetah slammed against my consciousness with a snarl of pure alarm that turned my blood to ice.Danger.Predators.Run.
