This admission seemed to please Rixen. Greatly. A smile played around the corners of his powerful mouth as he stood and pushed the plate of bread closer to her. “It makes me happy to see you eat food I prepared. Please keep going.”
Morgan watched Rixen move about the kitchen, his tight, thick butt muscles moving underneath the worn denim of his jeans. God, he really was extraordinary. The original man. Built to fight off dinosaurs and fend for his kin. Before she knew it, Morgan had picked up the camera and started taking snaps of him at the kitchen sink, his forearms flexing as he washed a pan. It took a few minutes for him to notice what she was doing. His double take was comical. He pressed a finger to his broad chest as if to say, who? Me?
She sighed. “You really don’t realize how unique you are, do you?”
His confused expression made her chest hurt. Words rose in Morgan’s throat. Reassurances of his appeal, despite his ferocious size. She also had a few names to call the women who’d been mean to him in town—wherever the hell this place’s version of “town” was. But before she could speak, she remembered how easily he’d nixed her college plans, as if they didn’t matter. As if the only thing that mattered now was being his live-in booty call.
His gift.
“Every subject is unique in its own way,” she said in a rush, lowering her camera.
When he dropped his head in disappointment and went back to straightening the kitchen Morgan wished with all her might she could take it back.
Chapter 6
Rixen
Rixen couldn’t stem the flow of pride in his chest as he guided Morgan through the bayou. Sure, no humans were around to witness them walking to his brother’s house, but every time she tucked into his side or gripped his hand, he wanted to pound his chest with satisfaction. Mine. It didn’t matter that she reacted out of fear to every rustle in the bushes or chirp in the trees, she was seeking comfort from him. And that was a start.
Just a start, it seemed. Morgan might have let Rixen own her body in the dark last night, might have agreed to be his in her sweet, breathy voice, but she was back to being hesitant this morning. Could he blame her, though? He might have spent every day of his adult life waiting for Morgan, but she clearly hadn’t done the same for him. That was hard to accept when he needed her so fucking badly, but he would accept the challenge. There was no other option, because letting her go would be tantamount to death, now that he’d spent time in her presence, tasted her skin and mouth. Witnessed her spirit.
He looked down at Morgan where she sidestepped a dead plant in her insubstantial sandals. Flip-flops, she called them. She needed boots. Pants. Protection from the elements. But he was too scared to leave and procure these much-needed items for her, fearing she would run. No, not fearing. Knowing. And if they traveled to town together, his courageous girl would tell everyone he was holding her against her will.
He was, wasn’t he? He was keeping a woman prisoner, whether he was being nice to her or not. That reality weighed heavily as they neared his brother’s home, the smell of a wood fire reaching and filling his nose. What if Morgan never came around to the idea of remaining with him? Would he hold such a beautiful free spirit in the swamp forever?
“What’s the frowny face about?” asked Morgan.
Rixen forced his brow to smooth. “I was thinking you should be dressed in finer clothing,” he hedged, the lie singeing his tongue like acid. “The weather is unpredictable here and you’re clothed for the beach.”
Morgan looked down at her jean shorts and tank top. He’d done his best to launder them, but after he’d ripped her bikini to shreds last night, her tits were free to bounce around at the neckline, her nipples all but visible through the sheer material. He couldn’t even think about her bare pussy inside the shorts without panting, his cock lifting and getting caught in the waistband of his jeans. Bringing his woman around other men without her body covered to his liking was going to prove extremely difficult, but he’d been left with little choice. His clothes draped around her like a nightgown and she’d only scoffed when he’d suggested it.
“When we reach my brother’s house, I will ask if you can borrow some clothes. Just until I’m able to make a trip to town.”
A tree rustled above and Morgan jumped, throwing herself into his side. “You had everything else ready. An extra toothbrush, scented lotion, your sexual expertise. Why no clothes?”
Rixen’s face colored. “I thought you would arrive more prepared.”