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"You’re a clearly sexual female I’m a male You want me I want you What’s the proble unit "Who says I want you?" She pointed the dripping spoon at him

He winced as a drop of hot chocolate hit his chest but didn’t et hot every time you see h her body wasPerhaps that explained the stupidity of her next words "Maybe I get that way for every half-nakedso very motionless that she felt like some tiny forest creature in front of a beast of prey "So you’ll have no probles forthe spoon very carefully on the counter, Talin picked up a er This calm distance left hiht as well have been Psy "Talin, look at me"

She picked the pot up off the stove and poured her drink into theHe waited until she’d put the hot object safely into the sink before grabbing her wrist Her skin was damp, cold "Talin?"

"What?" She looked at him, face serene in a way he’d never before seen Tally had too y, too much emotion, to ever be that quiet

His beast sniffed at her, found so "Talin, who a at his hand, didn’t display any of the reactions he’d already coo now?"

He frowned at the childlike question Her tone had shifted, as had her rhythm She sounded like a six-year-old version of herself "Tally, sweetheart, are you in there?"

"’Course I am, silly" She smiled and it was that sweet, innocent Tally so "I wantit to you"

She followed his gaze to the other end of the room "Is this your clubhouse?"

"Yeah" Cold fear squeezed his heart "Go on, baby"

S with absolute trust, she went to a cushion and sat, one of her legs tucked under her He picked up her drink and took it to her She accepted it with a smile "Yum Did ya learn to make hot choccie, Clay?"

His rational ressing, but all he could see was the look in her eyes He’d seen that look before, those eyes This was Tally as she had been over twenty years ago Raw terror made the leopard pace in bewildered circles inside hisevery ounce of tenderness he possessed in an effort to be gentle for her "Don’t you remember?"

She frowned at hilazed over She took a sip of hot chocolate, thennothing She didn’t , he wouldn’t have known she was alive

"Tally?" He touched her cheek No response Desperate, the leopard starting to panic, he cupped her face "Tally, wake up!" The last as a growl

She blinked Then again, as if it took great effort Her hands started to shake Grabbing thebefore she dropped it, he put it to the side "Tally, daht this second"

Lines appeared on her brow "Don’tgive hi off wet "Clay?"

"I’m here" He wanted to hold her but was terrified of her reaction "I’ht here"

Her eyes were scared when she looked at hied her words, jagged shards that bit into his skin

"So down in front of her with his legs bent at the knees, effectively bracketing her curled-up body

"An episode?" She reached up as if to push back her hair, stopped, curled her hand into a fist, and pressed it to her sto about?"

A pause, then a red flush high on her cheeks "We didn’t - " Her tone was reedy

"No!" he said immediately "No, baby It’s only been two or three minutes atinto her hands, needing to do souished look off her face

She closed her fingers around it, sighing in relief "Sos when I’m - " Her face scarred over with the e rooo to the clinics and make sure my vaccinations are all up-to-date, and the doctors look at me like I’m a whore" The last as a broken whisper<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>