sheet.
Sienna’s eyes snapped open and she jerked upright. “Oh no. Oh hell no. You’re not sleeping in this bed with me.”
“Wrong. I am sleeping in the bed with you and you’re just going to have to deal with it,” he said curtly. “I gave you way too much freedom last night and you abused it.”
“Oh, damn you, Warrick! You can sleep on top of the sheets,” she muttered and tugged the sheet back up to her chin. “If I even feel your leg touch mine—”
“Go to sleep, Sienna,” Warrick snapped. He shoved a hand through his hair, regretting the sharpness of his tone. “I won’t touch you.”
And, even though he was forcing them to share a bed, he damn well meant it. Bedding Sienna was never going to happen. Not six years ago, and not any time in the future. No matter that whenever he got within feet of her everything inside him itched to drag her into his arms and crush her pretty mouth beneath his.
Which is why sleeping in bed with her is a really shitty idea, moron.
Still, he tugged the sheet back on his side of the bed to prepare climbing in. It was probably a good thing his muscles ached and he could barely keep his eyes open.
Sienna’s eyes widened with fury, and if looks alone could wither his balls off, he’d be a eunuch.
He climbed into bed and Sienna made a soft noise of anger and began to sit up, but he caught her arm and pulled her back down, muttering a tired, “Relax, kid.”
“I said not to—”
“I heard what you said, and I’m ignoring it.” He reached above him and grabbed his pillow, fluffing it a few times, before lying back down and folding his arms beneath his head.
He closed his eyes and breathed in a calming breath. Then immediately regretted it. The soft feminine smell of Sienna’s skin assailed his senses. It had nothing to do with her perfume this time—she’d washed that off in the shower—but was the subtle underlying scent of her that mingled with the standard Ivory soap the house provided.
Even with his eyelids shut, he could see the way she’d looked this afternoon. The ribbed white tank top that clung to her breasts and the sexy smattering of freckles on her chest and shoulders. Since that evening she’d come on to him at her prom, he’d spent endless nights fantasizing about counting all those freckles as he anointed them with his mouth.
Get off this road, buddy, it’s taking you nowhere.
Forcing his mind on to a more somber path, he asked, “Who is Leonard Perkins?”
She seemed to stop breathing and he could feel the tension radiating off her.
“Why?” It was barely a whisper.
“He was identified as the man killed in the fire.”
Her anguished sob was quickly cut off and a moment later he felt the trembling of her body next to him.
So she knew this Leonard guy, but how? A friend? A lover? His gut clenched at the latter thought.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“We’ll get whoever did this, Sienna,” he promised, pushing the stab of unwanted jealousy aside.
“Retribution after the fact? It won’t bring Leo back.”
Leo . Again his gut kicked. Definite possibility they’d been close.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t answer for awhile. Leaving him alone with his own dark thoughts.
“You say ‘we’. Why is this your fight, Warrick?” she finally asked, her voice laden with fatigue now. “This whole shifter thing. Why are you involved? You don’t have a horse in the race, so to speak.”
He opened his eyes and stared at the dark swirls in the wood boards of the ceiling, chewing over how to answer that. “The shifter community can’t exist, Sienna.”
“Only they do.”
“Yes. But the people in today’s world aren’t ready to accept such a controversial and extraordinary race of species.” He sighed. “The P.I.A. is an organization that regulates how many humans can know of their existence. We also help keep order over the shifters and their community.”
“Okay. I guess that
Sienna’s eyes snapped open and she jerked upright. “Oh no. Oh hell no. You’re not sleeping in this bed with me.”
“Wrong. I am sleeping in the bed with you and you’re just going to have to deal with it,” he said curtly. “I gave you way too much freedom last night and you abused it.”
“Oh, damn you, Warrick! You can sleep on top of the sheets,” she muttered and tugged the sheet back up to her chin. “If I even feel your leg touch mine—”
“Go to sleep, Sienna,” Warrick snapped. He shoved a hand through his hair, regretting the sharpness of his tone. “I won’t touch you.”
And, even though he was forcing them to share a bed, he damn well meant it. Bedding Sienna was never going to happen. Not six years ago, and not any time in the future. No matter that whenever he got within feet of her everything inside him itched to drag her into his arms and crush her pretty mouth beneath his.
Which is why sleeping in bed with her is a really shitty idea, moron.
Still, he tugged the sheet back on his side of the bed to prepare climbing in. It was probably a good thing his muscles ached and he could barely keep his eyes open.
Sienna’s eyes widened with fury, and if looks alone could wither his balls off, he’d be a eunuch.
He climbed into bed and Sienna made a soft noise of anger and began to sit up, but he caught her arm and pulled her back down, muttering a tired, “Relax, kid.”
“I said not to—”
“I heard what you said, and I’m ignoring it.” He reached above him and grabbed his pillow, fluffing it a few times, before lying back down and folding his arms beneath his head.
He closed his eyes and breathed in a calming breath. Then immediately regretted it. The soft feminine smell of Sienna’s skin assailed his senses. It had nothing to do with her perfume this time—she’d washed that off in the shower—but was the subtle underlying scent of her that mingled with the standard Ivory soap the house provided.
Even with his eyelids shut, he could see the way she’d looked this afternoon. The ribbed white tank top that clung to her breasts and the sexy smattering of freckles on her chest and shoulders. Since that evening she’d come on to him at her prom, he’d spent endless nights fantasizing about counting all those freckles as he anointed them with his mouth.
Get off this road, buddy, it’s taking you nowhere.
Forcing his mind on to a more somber path, he asked, “Who is Leonard Perkins?”
She seemed to stop breathing and he could feel the tension radiating off her.
“Why?” It was barely a whisper.
“He was identified as the man killed in the fire.”
Her anguished sob was quickly cut off and a moment later he felt the trembling of her body next to him.
So she knew this Leonard guy, but how? A friend? A lover? His gut clenched at the latter thought.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“We’ll get whoever did this, Sienna,” he promised, pushing the stab of unwanted jealousy aside.
“Retribution after the fact? It won’t bring Leo back.”
Leo . Again his gut kicked. Definite possibility they’d been close.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t answer for awhile. Leaving him alone with his own dark thoughts.
“You say ‘we’. Why is this your fight, Warrick?” she finally asked, her voice laden with fatigue now. “This whole shifter thing. Why are you involved? You don’t have a horse in the race, so to speak.”
He opened his eyes and stared at the dark swirls in the wood boards of the ceiling, chewing over how to answer that. “The shifter community can’t exist, Sienna.”
“Only they do.”
“Yes. But the people in today’s world aren’t ready to accept such a controversial and extraordinary race of species.” He sighed. “The P.I.A. is an organization that regulates how many humans can know of their existence. We also help keep order over the shifters and their community.”
“Okay. I guess that
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