“It’s money,” he said flatly.
“You know what I mean. You use this as bait to lure me to you, honey to attract the fly, only to spring the trap once I arrive seeking aid. Nothing is free, azhera.”
To Shay’s surprise, she didn’t flinch away when he extended his hand and hooked a strand of her hair with his claw.
He lifted the hair gently and took it between his fingers, rubbing it between their pads. “Make no mistake, terran—I want you so much that it hurts, but I’ll help you however I can whether I have you or not. I want you safe above all else. All the rest is up to you, but you have no obligations to me.
“I understand your suspicions, your indecision. I understand your reluctance to trust. But youcantrust me. All I need is the chance to prove it to you.”
He withdrew his hand—not without a hint of reluctance—and turned away from her, crossing the room to crouch over the items he’d placed on the floor. He returned the knife to its case before lifting his prosthesis. Rising, he moved the prosthesis into place. It clicked into its socket. He flexed his cybernetic fingers in the same way a person might’ve tried to work away pins and needles. And all the while, Shay watched him.
Drakkal twisted slightly to look back at her. Fire still blazed in his eyes, but there was something else there, too—a glint of sorrow, perhaps, or of hesitancy. It was as though he didn’t want to leave. “I’m available any time. Just call.”
That said, he grabbed his jacket and walked toward the door.
Before his hand reached the control, she spoke, forcing her name past her lips. “Shay Collins.”
He paused and bowed his head slightly, ears turning slightly. “What?”
“My name. It’s Shay Collins…but just Shay is enough.”
Drakkal looked at her over his shoulder. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile; the expression was so disarming, socharming, and it completely changed his whole face. The heat in Shay’s belly surged through her, quickening her pulse.
“Good to finally meet you, Shay Collins.” He faced forward again and pressed the control. The door slid open, and he didn’t waste any time in walking through. It closed a few seconds later.
The apartment felt suddenly colder, emptier, and larger with him gone.
And she didn’t like it one bit.
She didn’t even know him, not really, but he’d been so gentle…and he’d made such an impression upon her, had such a commanding presence, that she couldn’t help wanting him to come back. He’d turned up while she was sinking to what felt like a new low and offered her everything she needed. She knew it was too good to be true, it had to be, but the hope he’d instilled in her was undeniable. Despite her wariness, she’d felt safe with him near.
He seemed like an entirely different person than he’d been yesterday. She couldn’t shake the memory of his ferocity as he’d plowed through the crowd, but was there a different way to interpret what had happened? He’d been gentle with her when he’d taken her from Murgen, too. Even after she’d robbed him for his efforts. He’d seemed a bit frustrated, but notangry. He’d even flirted while she had a gun aimed at him. Hell, he’d had an erection!
Only because he’d been perving out on me while I was naked.
Hypocrite, a voice from the back of her mind shouted.
She’d taken her time studying his body after she’d had him strip. She was just as much of a perv as he was. She’d never looked at an azhera that way before. There were plenty of his kind on Earth, and she’d worked with a couple over the years, but she’d never had a sexual thought about any of them—not that she’d found anything wrong with their appearances. Shay had just been involved in a relationship—one that had lasted a couple years too long in its two-year existence.
So why did her body react so strongly to this azhera?
There were humans on Earth who were involved in interspecies relationships, but it wasn’t necessarily commonplace. Shay had just never personally seen the appeal. Drakkal was covered in fur, and some of it—especially around his shoulders and his chest—was downright shaggy. She’d never found body hair that attractive…
But it’s nothair, is it?
Part of her wondered if his fur was softer than it looked. She could picture herself running her fingers over it, through it, could imagine herself enjoying its feel against her skin, against her palms as she grasped it while they?—
Shay groaned at the insistent throbbing between her legs. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”
She needed to take her mind off this. Offhim.
With a frown, she looked at the credit chip on the tabletop and slid her fingers to it. She pressed the tiny button on its top. Her heart skipped a beat at the number on the display.
“That can’t be right,” she said breathlessly, pressing the button again when the display timed out. But there it wasagain. The amount was greater than all the credits she’d found in Drakkal’s pants combined.
Why would he do this? He’d said he wanted her, and she wholeheartedly believed that; he’d made no effort to hide his attraction for her. But she hadn’t agreed to anything. Drakkal had no guarantee that he’d have her. And what was the extent of his want, anyway? How deep did it run? Was he just after a quick rut to satisfy his curiosity?
Make no mistake, terran—I want you so much that it hurts, but I’ll help you however I can whether I have you or not. I want you safe above all else.