Predator's Kiss by Rosanna Leo Page B

could tear at her with his teeth and swallow her in one gulp. She bit back the hot tears threatening to fill her eyes and refused to cry, even though she wanted to shriek. She clenched her fists so hard she was sure there was blood on her palms.
    Her every fiber was shouting at her to run and never look back.
    She remembered his words then.
    I’m not going to hurt you. I promise .
    As much as a big part of her wanted to escape in the swiftest way, a smaller, more insistent part of her demanded she stay and bear witness to this bizarre act. Ryland didn’t move, as if concerned any sudden movements would send her packing, and his calm slowly vanquished her own sense of panic. She felt her hands begin to shake, but then he made a slight huffing sound, and there was a loosening somewhere in her body. The slightest feeling of relaxation. Surely enough, her trembling limbs calmed.
    As if he’d willed her terror away.
    For the first time since she was ten, Lia had the strange urge to pet an animal.
    With tentative slowness, she put her hand to his wet bear nose, as one might do to a new dog. For some weird reason, she felt the need to let him sniff her. Bear Ryland pushed his face against her hand, letting her know it was okay to touch him.
    So she did.
    As her breath came in halted, jittery intervals, Lia smoothed her hand over the coarse fur of his head, wondering at her bravery. It couldn’t be bravery; it had to be closer to insanity. And then she giggled as happiness infiltrated her being.
    She was petting an animal. A bear, of all things!
    And he seemed to be soaking it up. Bear Ryland closed his black eyes and made little noises of what could only be contentment. It was wonderful. She reached out her other hand and ran it gently along his face. He even let her touch his mouth and teeth. As much as she worried he might change his mind and snap at her, or God forbid, simply chew off a hunk of her arm, he remained placid. He dwarfed her, even as he sat on his big haunches, the most majestic beast she’d ever seen. The bears in the zoo back home never dazzled her like this. Fondling Ryland in his bear form, she’d never felt more in awe of any creature, real or imagined. She couldn’t have been more dazzled if she were making friends with a unicorn.
    The frightened ten-year-old girl inside her was no longer cowering in fear. In fact, Lia got the impression that little girl had just giggled and skipped away.
    They remained that way for at least fifteen minutes. It was so much fun. By the time Ryland was giving off signals they should wrap it up, Lia was ready to roll around on the floor with him and rub his belly. But then she remembered she wasn’t dealing with a Labrador puppy. Ryland was a predator, and he was being very gracious.
    He sat back and uttered a few short barks. She jumped at the noise, but then realized it was only his way of speaking to her. Somehow she knew he was saying, “Okay, playtime’s over.”
    She removed her hands from his coat and held them in her lap. Before she’d blinked twice, he’d shifted back into his naked form. Heat streaked into her face, especially when she saw that he was no less aroused. Ryland offered her a shy grin, and then reached over and began to put on his clothes. Neither of them said a word.
    However, by the time he was slipping his worn Timberland boots back on, she couldn’t remain silent. “Ryland,” she began quietly. “Thank you.”
    He stopped what he was doing and stared at her. He frowned. “Don’t mention it.”
    As Lia’s heart rate elevated, she couldn’t help wondering if the bear episode had touched him as much as it had touched her, his forehead was so creased. Or was he just mad at having to go to such lengths to soothe a silly human woman?
    But then Ryland’s gaze warmed and the glint in his black eyes heated her right through. “Now,” he purred. “This doesn’t give you permission to go around petting rogue raccoons. Those things are