I blink up at him, unsure whether to be hurt or offended or both.
He reaches around behind me and opens the door. "I've had lots of humans, Layne. But none who made me lose control like you do. My wolf-I don't have enough control of it. I could hurt you, Layne. Badly. Possibly fatally. It's not safe." He pushes me out the bathroom and shuts the door, locking it.
A hysterical laugh bubbles out of my throat.
Sam curses on the other side of the door. It sounds like he's leaning against it. I put my hand on the wood, as if I could feel his body heat through it.
I swear I can.
"I'm going to take another shower," he says. "A cold one. Please don't leave or call anyone."
"I won't," I promise. And I mean it. I don't understand Sam yet, but I do trust him.
Sam
CHRIST, I am one kiss away from marking Layne. I swear, if I get my cock anywhere near that female, I will fuck her senseless and sink my teeth right into her neck.
It's that bad.
I literally couldn't keep my hands off her, even when my brain tried to pull back. Just like when I nearly lost my humanity, my wolf has too much power over me. I can't let him take the goddamn lead or I won't be able to finish Smyth and Data-X.
It's not just about revenge. I need to end this madness so no one else suffers. Christ, the Tucson pack's only female shifter was grabbed in Mexico by harvesters that link back to the guy Smyth was with at the lab this morning-Santiago.
I turn the water all the way to cold and step back in the shower. It does nothing to tamp down my erection. I swear, steam comes off me as the water hits.
Maybe we could just offer each other a little pleasure.
Did she actually suggest that? How in the fuck did I get so lucky? I'm definitely not worthy of Layne Zhao, a bright woman with an even brighter future.
When she said she couldn't be in a relationship my wolf wanted to shred the walls. But it can't be because there's another male, or she wouldn't have suggested we fool around.
A snarl leaves my throat. Fuck, I want her.
But I can't. The second I get my cock in her, my wolf will mark her. I can tell because my eyes change every time I get too close. My teeth elongate, preparing to deliver the mating bite.
Why in the fuck would my wolf want a human?
He's confused. Probably there's some underlying biology at work. I'm fully prepared to die bringing down Smyth. Some instinctive part of me wants to make sure I reproduce before that happens.
That can be the only explanation.
I'm tempted to jack off again to take the edge off, but what if it makes it worse? Touching myself last time I was in the shower did nothing to calm the mating frenzy.
I leave my cock alone, other than dousing him in cold water. When it's plain the water isn't helping, I shut it off and get out.
I towel off, pull on my jeans and examine the gunshot wounds in the mirror. They are already closed, the flesh knitting back together, cells regenerating. The shirt is too bloody to put on, so I walk out without one.
The scent of some kind of food hits me. Good, Layne helped herself in the kitchen. There isn't much fresh food, but I stocked the cabinets with canned goods when I rented the place last week.
I walk in to find Layne stirring a pot of Campbell's chicken noodle soup. She turns and her gaze falls to my bare chest. Her eyelids droop.
Fates, the chemistry between us is off the charts. At least I know she feels it too.
She clears her throat. "Hungry?"
"Always," I answer, which is true. Ever since I almost starved roaming the mountains as a wolf all winter, I eat at every opportunity. Too bad I'm still scrawny for my kind.
"I'll, ah, go find a shirt and be right back."
Because, yeah. If she keeps looking at me that way, I'm gonna tape her hands to this countertop for round two.
When I return, she's split the soup between two bowls, which she sets at the small table by the window. I spend a few seconds looking in every direction out the window before I concede we're safe and sit.
I pick up the bowl and down the soup in three gulps.
Layne stares at me like I have five heads and jumps up. "Want some more? I can heat another-"
"Please." I grab her wrist to stop her. "Don't serve me." Because the fates know if she keeps it up I'm going to pull her onto my lap and show her how much I like it. "Sit down. I have some questions for you."
A guarded expression clouds her face. "Like what?"
"Why do you work at Data-X?"
"They offered me the best opportunity to pursue my research."
"Which is?"
She looks away. "I study genetic diseases. That was the focus of my post doc research. Data-X offered me a chance to continue the course of study. They said-claimed-it was ancillary to one of their other projects, where they created super cells that were self-regenerating and disease resistant."
"And you believed them?"
"Not at first. But what I've been seeing-the super cells stand up to the test. Smyth was right."
"Tell me about him."
"I don't know much about him. He hired me. I was surprised that they'd appoint me head of the Omega project, but he said he'd been following my work, and knew I was driven. That I'd be a good fit for the project. That we'd help a lot of people, including-" her breath hitches and she looks down, studying her hands. "He knew just what to say."
"Why are you so driven?"
"My mom died of Barrington's."
"What's that?"
"A rare disease. An immune disorder where the body attacks its own cells. There's no cure." She takes a deep breath. "Not yet. "