Page 43 of Possess Me

“How long did you date him?” he asked.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Maybe.”

“Don’t worry. It’s very much over. I thought for about two seconds we were in love. That quickly faded to some pretty nasty arguments. Then one day, we just agreed to be friends. Our relationship has worked ever since.”

“Amazing. I couldn’t do that.”

“No, I doubt you could since you’re the jealous type.” I popped one strawberry into my mouth and as soon as I did, my stomach growled. Vissarian’s eyes narrowed as I chewed, his chest rising and falling as the electricity sparked in the room.

Feeling little Bella’s paws as she jumped up on my leg reminded me this was all about caring for the starving creature. I took the bowl of chicken, dishing some out onto a plate while checking to ensure the meat wasn’t too hot. When I placed it down alongside the water bowl Vissarian had secured, he continued to watch me.

In turn, I tried to watch Bella, but continued to sneak glances at the powerful man.

After taking a deep breath, he moved toward the cart, grabbing the bottle of vodka. Without asking what I wanted, he moved to the kitchen, which was twice the size of the one in my cottage, grabbing two glasses.

Within seconds, the pup had inhaled the food, already jumping up on the cart to try to get more.

“Not yet, baby girl. We need to take it easy. Why don’t you take a nice little nap? Okay?” I snuggled with her, holding her close to my face. Her licks and kisses continued to keep the anger furrowing inside. Who tossed out a puppy without a second thought? I placed her on the couch, immediately grabbing a throw that had been artistically placed on the back.

He laughed when I tossed it over her. “She’s too excited to go to sleep.”

“Mmm… You don’t know puppies very well.”

“Oh, let me guess. You’re one of those.”

“Those what? Dog lovers? Animal rights activists? Angry females who eagerly track down and destroy anyone who dares hurt an animal?” Bella did try to jump off, but I shook my head. She wagged her cute butt, looking at me with those soulful eyes of hers. Finally, when she knew I wasn’t going to budge, she settled down. “Good girl.”

“One of those horse whisperer types.”

“Types?”

“You know what I mean. Someone who can easily communicate with creatures great and small.” He walked closer, holding both glasses in one hand. When he suddenly developed a strange look on his face, I glanced down at the pup. “She’s snoring.”

“Not all creatures, but I told you so.” I moved closer, wrapping my fingers around the glass. While his movement was subtle, the slight shift was enough and our fingers collided.

The same feeling of heat washed through me, settling deep within my core.

He took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes until they were completely hooded.

The shudder was visible, my entire body on fire from the simple touch. I didn’t move my hand at first, the hesitation giving him permission to brush the tip of his index finger back and forth across my knuckle.

For someone I’d been so determined to keep at arm’s length, I could barely breathe from being this close.

He was slightly disheveled, although his short, cropped hair still allowed a predatory appearance. There was no mistaking what was running through his mind, which shouldn’t surprise me since that’s exactly what I was thinking.

Pure sin.

I should no longer be thrown by how much his presence affected me, but the full minute of quiet was something that left me aching from the kind of desire I wasn’t used to experiencing.

So I could catch my breath, I backed away, even turning away from him.

“You’re good with animals. How about people?” he asked. His voice was deeper than before, even when talking with Mr. Hoffman. Yet this time, the tone was dripping with lust instead of anger.

“I prefer animals.” I rolled my fingers across Bella’s muzzle and without looking back, headed to his deck. It was also larger and a bit more luxurious than mine, but the view was just as spectacular.

I wasn’t certain what to expect from Vissarian, but the silence was killing me. I stood at the railing, staring out at the ocean as the sunlight slowly began dipping, leaving a gold halo of light shimmering across the water. As I sipped my drink, I realized that even with the harrowing rescue, I hadn’t enjoyed myself this much in a very long time.