He cleared his throat. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I don’t. Not really. And you don’t know me.’ He paused. ‘I have not spoken to a female ineleven turns. I have never so much astouchedone since the last hug my grandmother gave me. What I feel for you may have begun from nothing more than instinct, than fascination. But regardless of how it started, Anna, I can tell you how it will finish.’
I swallowed. ‘How?’
‘If you let me, I will pledge you my loyalty. My trust. My support. My fidelity.’ His eyes were black pools and I had the uncomfortable notion that I was drowning in them. ‘Scytha will have my head, but I will promise you my heart.’
‘It’s too soon to be talking about hearts,’ I protested weakly. Mine was thudding in my chest, its beat much too swift.
‘Is it?’ Alcide cocked his head. ‘What are the human rules?’
‘No hearts on first dates.’
He grinned, and my breath caught. The food was forgotten on the table; my world narrowed to Alcide and his smile. Despite the differences between us, his smile was almost human, his canines only slightly more pointed than my own. ‘What about onseconddates?’
I shook my head. ‘Not until at least the third.’
‘The third,’ he said musingly. ‘I’m not sure there are three places on the ship I could take you.’
‘You’ll think of something,’ I said. My breath hitched as his gaze dropped to my lips. He leaned forward, and suddenly we were a whole lot closer than we had been before; I didn’t think I was imagining the sudden heat pouring off his body, and Idefinitelywasn’t imagining the throb between my legs.
‘Anna,’ he breathed, and I found myself swaying forward, unconsciously trying to bridge the distance between us.
He sat back, breaking the spell, then stood to refill my water. I put my hands under the table to hide their trembling. His own were steady as he took up the carafe and then my glass; my back stiffened at how close he was. My fingers itched to reach out and touch him, to brush across the exposed skin of his strong wrist.
But I didn’t.
Living with your grandmother in a tiny apartment and working nights didn’t exactly lend itself to dating easily. It had been years since I’d touched someone, years since I’d been kissed. And while I wasn’t a virgin, the sex I’d had in the past didn’t exactly make me want to rush out for more.
I didn’t know what I was doing.
‘Anna, you’re shaking,’ Alcide said softly. He looked down at me, then stepped back, awareness dawning in his expression. ‘Oh, dread gods. You’refrightened.’
‘No,’ I protested. ‘No, Alcide, that’s not –’
He strode to the door and opened it. ‘I will never harm you,’ he vowed. ‘Never. I know you have no reason to trust me – not after what we did – but I swear that you will never be harmed. Not while I draw breath.’
‘Alcide –’
‘You don’t need to explain, Anna. I understand.’
‘You don’t,’ I said hotly. I stood, my fingers bunched by my sides. ‘I’m not afraid of you. I know you won’t hurt me.I’m not shaking from fear.’
His face took on a bemused expression, so at odds with his fierce appearance that I almost laughed. ‘Why else do humans shake?’
I want to see you soar.
I bit my lip and gathered my courage. The steps between the table and the door seemed like an insurmountable distance; every second like an eternity. Somehow, though, I made it there, made it to Alcide, stepped close enough to see his eyes widenin surprise, hear the exhale when I placed my hands on his shoulders.
I felt him tremble when I rose on the tips of my toes and brushed my lips across his.
I’d expected them to be different for some reason, but they were as soft as mine. I brushed over them again, hesitantly, closing my eyes as shivers spread from my mouth down my body.
Alcide’s hand came up; he cupped the nape of my neck, loosely holding me in place. ‘Do you shake because you want to be kissed?’ he murmured.
I shivered.
He nuzzled my cheek, so softly my knees went weak. ‘I need ayesor ano, Anna-love.’
I swallowed.Why was it so damn difficult to ask for what I wanted?I thought of Maeve, and tried to channel her fearlessness. It still came out as a whisper.
