Reclaimed

“You could stay here. On the couch, I mean. If you want. I’m kinda freaked out,” she said. He stared at her, and she shifted on her feet at his scrutiny. Maybe it had been a mistake to invite him to stay. Something was going on here, something bizarre. And he was smack dab in the middle of it. And yet, she’d invited him to spend the night?

A loud bang sounded outside the window, and she jerked at the noise. She raised her hand still gripping the knife and started toward the window in determination. She’d had enough of this shit, already. Isaac stretched out to stop her and chuckled.

“Sheath the knife. It’s just the wind. It must have kicked up some debris.” He reached forward prudently to extract it from her rigid grip.

Over his shoulder, she saw a shadow move in the darkness. “I just saw someone out there. Whoever you chased away is back! I’m calling the cops.” She whirled on her heel and grabbed the knife back from him in one smooth gesture. She sprinted to the kitchen, knife in hand.

“First of all, let’s take this before someone gets hurt.” He snatched the weapon back from her once more.

“Hey,” she protested. She held her hand out with an impatient wave, and put the other on her hip. “Give me back my knife.”

“Absolutely not.” He ignored her furious intake of breath. “Second, please put down the phone. There’s no one out there anymore,” he declared.

“But, I saw—”

His finger pressed against her lips silenced her.

“Trust me, okay? You’re safe tonight. I’ll spend the night here, on the couch, if it will make you feel better. I’ll hear if someone comes. It’s almost a sixth sense of mine.” He grinned and pulled her into his arms and kissed her nose before he buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

“You smell so delicious.” He breathed into her ear.

Oh please, if he thought she was easily distracted, he had another think coming.

“Nice try, but I still say we should call the—”

“And you taste even better.” He groaned as he nibbled on her ear. Her head fell back against his arm, and he kissed a path across her neck and to her lips. His lips latched onto hers with a desperation that called to her very soul. Right here, right now; he needed her. And, God, she needed him.

He leaned her against the wall, and his hands roamed from her hair, down her back, to cup her buttocks before he pressed against her and moaned deep in his throat. She rubbed against him, and she heard his swift intake of breath before he pulled away. His eyes burned in need, and it took all her willpower not to yank him back into her arms.

“It’s been a long evening. Perhaps we should say goodnight.” He looked obviously reluctant to let go of her. His hands and lips hovered over her for another few seconds as he seemed to fight an inward battle.

Lightning flashed beside him, silhouetting half of his face in absolute perfection, and leaving the other half in shadows. The desire burning inside him appeared painfully obvious to her eyes. But, he spoke true. Damn it, she knew he was right. She’d never climb into bed with a guy she’d met two days ago. But…this guy felt so perfect.

Numerous times, she’d written about people being so caught up in passion that nothing else mattered to them—not their families, their jobs, even their lives. It had always been fiction for her, up until today. Now, she knew it existed.

And she had to be grateful to him for being such a gentleman to realize she didn’t remain sensible in his arms, to realize her weaknesses and manage not to take advantage of it. And, damn it, it made her want him even more.

“But what about the noises outside?” she insisted. Though he’d distracted her, she hadn’t forgotten.

He groaned and rubbed his temples. “I swear there’s nothing out there anymore. I know it sounds weird, but you just have to trust me, okay?”

She snorted. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just believe that simply because you say so?”

“Yes, it would be spectacular.” He grinned.

“Yeah, not gonna happen.” She scoffed. “Besides, if there isn’t anything out there, there’s no harm in me looking, right?”

He sighed, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the door. She followed him until he opened the door. Skidding her feet against the floor, she called out, “Wait!”

She ran to the table, grabbed the knife, and nodded to show her readiness. She ignored the slow shaking of his head and the look he threw upward, as if praying for assistance from above, and glared at him.

They walked outside, and she stepped closer to him as she sought out any signs of danger. Nothing lurked in the bushes, or in the forest beyond the house. Nothing hovered in shadows, or rushed toward them at their entrance outside. She hesitated on the stoop, unsure of her next step.

Nothing moved; no huge beast loomed over her.

“Satisfied? Or do you want to walk around the back, too?” he questioned in her ear.

She turned to him and studied his face. No signs of anger or sarcasm. “I’m satisfied now, I guess. Still want to sleep on my couch?”