By the time we're back at the cabin, my shoulder feels a lot less tender than it did moments before, and so does my face.
But before I can tell Kier that I'm no longer in pain, well, not as much as I was before, he sits me down at the edge of the bed and his eyes go to my shoulder. Although a bruise has started forming, I know by morning it will be healed.
Crouched in front of me, Kier observes my shoulder in silence. I hesitate about making any jokes since I can tell his control is hanging by a thread. Now doesn't seem the time to antagonize him, so I don't.
Without warning, he rises from his crouch and takes a few steps away from me.
I stare at his back, wanting to say something, but knowing anything I say will make him lose control. That or he'll growl at me. While it was cool when he did it to threaten Frank, I'd rather he didn't growl at me like that.
As time goes by, the tension in his back and the energy that I can feel building in the room doesn't dissipate. I'm eyeing his hands formed into tight fists when he speaks, making me jump.
"Strip."
I don't speak for a long time as I try to work out why. Then I remember our argument, which led to the destruction of my top. "Uh, so I can shift and run back to town?"
He swings around, and when I see his eyes are fully wolf, I'm not afraid to admit that I get a little nervous. "Hallee," he barks and again I jump before rising to my feet, feeling like I should be standing for this confrontation.
"Okay, fine," I snap, getting angry. "I'll go, okay? Never mind that I was here to help you-to protect you-clearly, that doesn't mean anything. There's only so much a girl can take of throwing herself at a guy and getting rejected. So fine, you win, I'll leave."
Kier blinks. "Hallee…"
"No, I'll go. Then you can carry on acting like some kind of… superhero dealing with this messed-up pack on your own and go back to living like some mountain Alaskan guy. Or a serial killer. Depends which movie you're watching."
Kier gives me no warning. He's just suddenly there, gripping me by my hips and kissing me silly.
After a moment of utter surprise, I kiss him back.
A second passes before he lifts his head. "You have let no opportunity pass to get naked, talk about being naked, or bring up the subject of wet panties. And now, the moment I ask you to get naked is when you decide you want to leave."
I lick my lips. "You didn't want me to strip so I could leave."
His hands stroke my hips as his eyes focus on my lips. "No."
"You want me to strip for another reason?"
"Yes."
Now his burning eyes make sense. He wasn't angry at me; he was excited. "For sex?"
He lifts his eyes from my lips and stares at me.
I huff. "I'm just trying to be clear about what's going on here, okay? It's not like you're a chatty guy, so more often than not, I'm having to read between the lines."
A smile teases his lips. "For sex."
"With me and you?"
This time Kier doesn't bother speaking. He releases his hold on my hips and grips the hem of my crop top before easing it up. I lift my arms to help him, only to wince before he can get the material over my head. Immediately he stops.
He frowns. "Maybe this isn't-"
I glare at him. "No. Just when Operation Fluffy Handcuffs has proven successful is not the time for you to back out. We're doing this, Kier."
"Operation Fluffy Handcuffs?"
I pull my top over my head, tossing it aside before unbuttoning my jeans. "Yeah. It was designed to-"
"Get me into bed?" Kier nudges my hands out of the way and goes to his knees as he takes over undressing me.
Before he can pull my jeans down my legs, I curve my hand around his jaw, drawing his attention. "No. Make you realize you're not alone. That I care, and I always will," I tell him softly.
He gazes up at me. "You care, huh?"
I nod. "A lot."
We gaze at each other for several seconds. It's not an uncomfortable silence, it's just different.
I've never hidden my attraction to Kier, and when he's not trying to push me away, he hasn't hidden his from me either. We've just never reached the point in our relationship where we've spoken about deeper feelings. They're there. I know they are. I feel them, and I know he must feel them too.
"I care too," he admits quietly. "Enough that we shouldn't be doing this with you hurt."
My fingers stroke along his jaw. "I need you," I say, just as quietly. This is new for me, exposing myself like this, because telling someone you want them doesn't make you feel as vulnerable as admitting you need them.
Another moment passes in silence before Kier nods, as if he's made his mind up. I don't have to ponder for too long what decision he's made, because in the next moment he's easing my pants down my legs.
"You're lying on your back," he says, his voice firm as he lifts my legs to tug my jeans off, one leg at a time. "And you are not lifting your arms or complaining about not being on top. You hear me, Hallee?" He glares up at me.
I nod. "I promise."
He doesn't look like he believes me. "And the second. The very second you hurt anywhere, we stop. You understand?"
I smile. "I like it when you order me around like this."
He refuses to be distracted. "Hallee. I'm being serious. I can't have you hurting. Not for a second and not because of me."
My smile falls away because I can see that he means it. "Then don't push me away. That hurts me more than any punch on the shoulder ever could."
His eyes soften as he rises to his feet. Framing my face with his large warm hands, he gives me such an achingly sweet kiss that it makes me want to cry with sheer feeling.
Sooner than I want, he lifts his head to study me. "How did you get so deep inside of me?" he murmurs.
I don't have to wonder what he means because it's a question I've asked myself more than once. "I don't know."
He lowers his head and kisses me as I wrap my arms around his hips. Although I'd love nothing more than to grip his powerful shoulders, I am still sore, and I don't want anything getting in the way of me and Kier being together.
Slowly, before I'm even aware of it, my back is touching the bed as Kier comes down on top of me. It happens so smoothly, without him putting the least bit of pressure on my shoulder, that I'm more than a little impressed.
As I'm about to break the kiss so I can tell him it's his turn to strip, someone bangs loudly on the door. I try to hold on to Kier because now that I've got him where I want him, the last thing I want is for him to use this interruption as an excuse to stop.
I fail, and Kier gets to his feet after giving me one last hard kiss.
I start to sit up, but when my shoulder twinges, making me wince, he glares at me until I lie back down again.
After crossing the cabin, he yanks the door open.
It's Frank. I pick up his scent before Kier even has the door open. But before Frank can say one word, Kier has him by the throat and dangling above the top step.
"Interrupt us again and I'll rip your head off. Do you understand?"
My mouth falls open and my eyes widen because Kier sounds like he'll do it. I glimpse enough of Frank through the open door to tell he's nodding, evidently taking Kier at his word.
Without another word, Kier straight up shoves him away, closing the door before I can hear where Frank lands.
But I no longer care because Kier's eyes are on me as he tugs his flannel shirt over his head, exposing his muscled chest and the forearms I find far too sexy.
"Now," he growls. "Where were we?"