Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) by Tina Folsom Page B

say for—”
    He bared his teeth. “Say it and I’ll bend you over my knee right now!”
    Her jaw dropped at his ridiculous threat. Would he really do such a thing? Like she was some naughty schoolgirl! She planted her hands at her hips and realized too late that this action virtually shoved her breasts against his chest.
    Aiden lowered his lids, and there was no doubt that he was checking out her boobs. Instinctively, she took a step back to bring some distance between them and to prevent her nipples from hardening if they rubbed against his hard muscles once more.
    The jerk responded with a self-congratulatory smirk around his mouth. “Backing off, Dr. Cruickshank? That’s so unlike you.”
    As if he had any idea what she was like! And he was still keeping up this ridiculous pseudo-formality of calling her Dr. Cruickshank , when she knew what he really wanted to say: bitch .
    She thrust her chin up, ignoring his mocking expression. “What do those demons want from me?”
    The word demons left a strange taste on her tongue. It felt so odd to say it when her brain couldn’t wrap around this data. As a scientist, she needed more than just somebody’s word. The existence of demons was highly unlikely and not supported by any testable evidence. Extraordinary claims required extraordinary evidence. Without evidence, all she had was a stranger’s statement—or a lie.
    “Do you really need to ask? I thought you were so smart,” he continued mocking her.
    She was about to retort when it suddenly dawned on her: there was only one thing precious enough that anybody could want to steal from her. Her research. Her chin dropped.
    “Ah, finally,” he said calmly. “Do you understand now why you have to stick with me? You’re not safe on your own. I’m here to protect you from them.”
    “If you think I would ever give my research to some demons, you’re sorely mistaken.” She would guard her data with her life. For her research she was prepared to do anything. This was her life’s work. There was nothing in this world anybody could possibly offer her to part with it.
    “Everybody has a price. Even you.”
    Leila shook her head. “You don’t know me. You don’t know me at all.”
    “I know everything I need to know.” He glared at her.
    For a long moment, she faced off with him. As she stared into his chocolate brown eyes, a thought hit her out of nowhere. What if he was a demon himself, and under the guise of wanting to help her, he gained her confidence and thus access to her research? She’d seen his preternatural skill of passing through solid materials. For all she knew, he could be a demon and not the immortal guardian he claimed to be.
    “What do these demons look like?”
    Aiden shrugged. “They are humanoid in appearance; only once they use their demon powers will you recognize them by their green eyes.”
    She swallowed. This wasn’t good. By his description, anybody could be a demon, even he. She had to get away from him. Now.
    “I need to take a shower.”
    ***
    Aiden watched as Leila wrapped her arms around her waist as if trying to cocoon herself, guard herself from the danger he’d warned her about. Maybe now she understood.
    “You took a shower earlier,” he said without thinking.
    Her outraged look confirmed that he shouldn’t have reminded her that he’d been watching her in her apartment. Another stupid move on his part.
    With a clenched jaw, she glowered at him. “I feel dirty.”
    Great! How had he screwed this situation up so quickly? It had taken him all of an hour to turn his charge against him. That had to be a record, even for him.
    But every time Leila had voiced a protest or asked another question, he’d felt like he had to defend his actions. Her combative nature was riling him up, and he felt unable to keep his temper in check when around her. It had started when she’d told him in the car not to touch her. Despite the fact that he deserved her rejection, her words had