by Celeste Hall
Chapter Nine
Morgan braced trembling hands against Leo’s bare chest and pushed, hard.
He released her with some reluctance, emerald eyes searching her face for answers and finding them. With a husky sigh he shook his head and took a slow step backwards, giving her the space she was desperately needing.
“I thought you were one of the good guys,” she accused, throwing out the very words he’d used to comfort her the night before. “You’re supposed to be protecting me, not trying to get into my pants.”
“I am a good guy,” he frowned, tightening his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching for her again. “I could still protect you if we were intimate, Morgan. One thing doesn’t negate the possibility of the other.”
“Yes, it does,” she argued, turning her back so she wouldn’t be forced to see the hurt on his face. “At least it does for me. I don’t think clearly when I’m in love. I do stupid things and then I get burned.”
“That’s only because you’ve been falling for the wrong guys…” He started, but she wasn’t about to let him finish that argument. There was a ring of truth to it that she wasn’t ready to accept. It was hard enough denying the way that she felt for him, without fighting good reason as well.
“Like a man who spends half of his life as a cat and doesn’t own a single pair underpants,” she cut in before considering how offensive the accusation might sound to someone cursed to a life where he was always on the run and never knew where his next meal or bed might be.
When he didn’t answer, she winced and turned back to face him, expecting to see a black cat vanishing out the bedroom window. Instead, Leo stood tall and firm behind her, arms folded over his chest and a hard look in his eyes.
“Sorry sweetheart,” he rumbled darkly. “Whatever you might think of me, I’m not the kind of guy that runs away when someone he cares about is in trouble. If you want me to leave, you’ll have to tell me so. Otherwise, I promised to protect you, and I will.”
Shame and regret filled her chest making it difficult to breathe. She cared about him too, but she was too afraid to let him get close.
“I’m sorry.” Due to the sudden lump in her throat, the apology was hardly more than a ghostly whisper, but Leo’s expression softened considerably.
“I know and it’s okay to be afraid, Morgan.”
She made a face at him, managing a small smile despite the darker emotions which still lurked in the shadowy places of her heart.
“Just promise you won’t kiss me again, okay?” It was too hard to convince herself that she didn’t want him when he was kissing her like that.
Leo shook his head.
“I’m not going to make that promise.”
She blinked, finding herself honestly surprised by his answer.
“But… you just… we just… what do you mean?”
He gave her a smile that could have melted the panties off even the most devout of nuns.
Morgan was helpless against it. A fresh wash of desire and longing flooded through her body, forcing her to look away or she would have thrown herself into his arms and begged for things she knew she couldn’t have.
“I won’t promise not to kiss you again, for two very good reason,” he explained. “First, I don’t think we’ll ever convince Craig that we’re a couple if you are afraid or unable to show affection for me while in his presence.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her.
“Secondly,” he continued. “I have some pretty strong feelings for you. You kind of grew on me over the last few days.”
Stealing a disbelieving glance up at him through her lashes, she found him grinning like the devil and quickly looked away again.
“Ever since that first night, when you were too afraid to chase me out of your room,” he admitted, his voice dropping slightly with amusement and something that sounded a little like nostalgia.
She blushed as she recalled that he had watched her undress and bathe while hiding in his feline form.
“Pervert.”
“Male.” He corrected. Then he sobered, walking slowly back to her side so that he could tenderly stroke the edge of her jaw with his fingertips. The gesture devastated her senses and challenged all of her reservations.
“It wasn’t seeing you naked that won me over,” he admitted in a low tone that spoke directly to her soul. “It was seeing you with your friends and watching you confront the invisible demons that Craig left in your library. It was your strength, your courage and your heart that made me love you.”
Love.
That word scared her even more than his kiss.
“Please don’t…” she gasped, feeling herself weakening once more. “I don’t want to be hurt again. And I don’t want you to be hurt either.”
“I will never hurt you, Morgan.”
His voice was so filled with confidence and determination that a faint spark of hope and desire crept into her breast, filling her with a gentle flood of warmth. She really wanted to believe him, but it was so hard to let herself trust again.
Summoning up all of her courage, she lifted her chin to meet his gaze, and felt those faint embers burst into flame.
She’d never seen such tenderness and consideration in a man. It touched every aspect of his face and glowed in his eyes.
“We’d have to take it slow,” she murmured, feeling her heart begin to race as she fully realized what she was agreeing to.
He gave a slight nod as his hands touched hers, then began a slow slide up her arms, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
She shivered as he reached her shoulders and gently pulled her back into his arms, one hand moving up to cradle the back of her head and guide her cheek down to rest upon his chest.
There was nothing sexual in the way that he held her now, yet she found herself once more craving his lips. In all of her life she’d never been held so gently by a man and it awakened a depth of longing unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Maybe Leo was right. Maybe this time it could be different.
“I’m going to kiss you again,” he warned.
“Not now,” he soothed when she jolted up to look at him, a powerful tremble rippling through her body. “Tomorrow when we go to the jail to confront Craig, I plan to kiss you again, in front of him. Consider it part of our escape plan. I don’t think he’ll really believe that we’re together if I don’t.”
“That’s what you meant before… before you kissed me.”
“Yeah, but I never meant to scare you.” He shrugged broad shoulders in embarrassment. “After last night, I thought there was something more between us. I guess I misunderstood how you felt about me.”
She thought about how warm and safe she’d felt when she’d awaken that morning in his arm, but she wasn’t yet ready to admit how much she did actually care for him.
“Would you like some breakfast?” She asked, stepping hesitantly towards the door, eager to move their conversation to a less dangerous path. “Knowing how much Heidi eats, there’s probably enough downstairs to feed a small army.”
“As I already have a towel, I believe I’ll shower first. I’ll join you in a few minutes, but save me some of that bacon, it smells amazing.”
Relieved, Morgan beamed and headed down the stairs. In her eagerness, she never noticed the shadow of pain and anger that flashed across Leo’s eyes the moment her back was turned.