“Seriously?” She whipped around to face him. “Are you kidding me? You show up on my porch, get kidnapped, admit you were in my group under false pretenses, take off for Montana, and then return without being able to explain why? Oh, I don’t think so. Either you start talking right now or you get the heck out of my house.” The place already seemed smaller and somehow safer with him in it, but she knew better than to start depending on him. He’d be gone again soon.
His eyes flared in a way that didn’t even look human. “I’m out of here the second we find this guy.”
Yikes. Okay. That hurt a little bit. She’d thought she’d gotten an interested vibe from him a couple of times, but maybe she’d misread him? He was the sexiest man she’d ever been this close to in real life, so maybe he went for perfection like Tabi Rusko? Mariana was fine with her curves and looks, but maybe she’d overestimated Raine’s interest when he’d thrown Johnny Baker up against the wall after the kid had insulted her. “I think you should leave.”
“No.”
Heat flashed up her spine to tingle at her nape. “No? Are you joking?”
“No.” He cocked his head, watching her.
She had the strongest urge to punch him again, but her wrist still ached from last time. The guy had abs of solid rock. “I don’t think you’re understanding me,” she gritted out.
He moved toward her without warning, pivoting and putting her back against the wall. “You’re not understanding me.” His big body loomed over her, and an unexpected heat rolled off him.
She cleared her throat, forcing herself to stare him right in the eyes. “I don’t go for the alpha-male act, dickhead.”
His smile was slow and held enough warning that she stopped breathing. “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t play games with me, and don’t lie to either one of us. You’re as aroused right now as I am, and you should definitely understand that this isn’t an act.”
What was happening? He’d gone from distant to right in her space without a hint. Confusion and desire clouded through her, mixing into a potent blend that sprang her nerves wide awake and alive. “Back up.”
“No,” he said, even softer this time.
Her head jerked. “You can’t say ‘no.’”
“I just did.” He waited patiently, danger stamped hard on his face. “Are you done with the nonsense?”
Who the hell did this jackass think he was? Yeah, he was sexy and somehow turning her on, but enough was enough. “I think you’re stuck in the dark ages, buddy,” she gritted out, acutely aware that tingles were still spreading throughout her body.
“You have no idea,” he agreed, humor lighting his eyes to a seafoam green to mix with the desire glittering there. “Whoever kidnapped us is now my enemy, and your safety is my utmost concern anyway. So I stay here until you’re safe. Period.”
She wanted to be safe. She also wanted to be in control of this situation, and he’d grabbed it with both hands. “I don’t like being bossed around.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said quietly. “Are we good now?”
“No.” She crossed her arms, so warm from his near body that she wanted to slide right against him. “Why am I your utmost concern?”
He stepped back, taking his warmth with him. “That’s a good question and a fair one.”
She rubbed her now chilling arms. “Then answer it.”
For a moment, he looked like he really wanted to tell her something. Then that darn veil dropped over his eyes. “It’s better if you don’t know.”
“That’s stupid,” she exploded. “And confusing and it doesn’t make sense.”
“I know,” he said, crossing his arms. His very cut, ripped, and muscled arms.
She couldn’t stop looking at those muscles. “Right when you got back, you seemed pale and, well, smaller.” His two weeks away had somehow seemed to make him ill. How had that happened? “But you look fine now and right back to full strength. Are you on medication that you stopped taking when you went to Montana?” It was the only thing that made an iota of sense.
“Kind of,” he allowed.
“Why would you stop taking your meds?” What was wrong with him? She hated secrets.
He sighed. “Because taking my meds leads to danger and complications.”
Oh. She took a deep breath. The changes in him had been physical, so what could that be? “I’m not saying you can stay here, because I haven’t decided. But if you do, you have to level with me about your condition. I need to know what it is, what I can do, and what the side effects are for the medication you seem to be taking again. Start talking, please.”
He sighed. “No.”
* * * *
The woman socked him right in the abs again and then looked stricken. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” she whispered. “I forgot you have an illness.”
“I do not have an illness.” He frowned. “I didn’t even feel your punch. Is your hand injured?”
She shook it out. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“Now you know how I feel,” he returned, grasping her hand and turning it over to see her knuckles already bruising. “You are a delicate one, now aren’t you?”
She pulled away. “No. Tell me what’s wrong with you, or I’m going to take my chances with the sheriff. I don’t want to go that route, and I’m sure you agree, so start talking.”
Right. If he told her he was an immortal vampire with a hint of demon in his lineage, she’d call the sheriff in two hot seconds to have him committed. Oh, he could prove it to her, but what then? He sighed and ran a rough hand through his thick hair. “Can’t you just trust me?”
She frowned and reached for his hand. “When did you get a tattoo?”
The second he’d met her, actually. He looked down at the M marking on his right palm—M for his last name, Maxwell. The Maxwell crest was jagged and rough—showing both Celtic and Nordic ancestry and the dangers of having both. The barbs extending from the brutal ‘M’ showed his strength…and his curse. After finding out about her, he’d instantly headed to Dallas for just one look. Then he’d stood close to her in a silly coffee shop, and the branding mark had instantly appeared. “It’s a long story,” he murmured.
“Isn’t everything with you?” She leaned over for a better look at his brand, and the damn thing started to heat to a temperature that drummed energy through his veins.
Oh, he’d watched her and fallen hard. She had a sharp wit and a kind heart to go with an obvious beauty that hit him square center. The muscles bunched down his back with the hunger to take her to the floor. The female had no idea what she was unleashing by just touching him. “Mariana? That’s just a family crest and nothing else.” He nearly choked on the lie. The brand darkened before his eyes, so near to her flesh. To her soft, silky skin that he could possess with the rest of her. The vampire, or maybe demon, strength in his body soared to the surface, let free once again. For now.
She pressed her thumb to the brand and nearly dropped him to his knees.