His voice had dropped an octave lower, sliding over her skin like the touch of fingers, and she shook her head. The problem was, Eli was a very sensual man and right now, she was finding she liked sensual. She even craved it. So Eli was somewhat irresistible to her.

“I need a few more supplies from town.” Changing the subject was the only safe thing to do. “For cooking. A few more spices, just some things.”

“You like to cook, don’t you?”

She shrugged. “I told you I did.”

“Make a list, I’ll get you whatever you need. I like the fact that I get to reap the benefits, especially if you’re in the kitchen in one of my shirts.”

She glanced sideways at him and realized he was teasing her. She took a breath. Oh, God. She shouldn’t for one minute trust this man enough to feel like her insides were melting, but she did, she was nothing but goo inside and that didn’t bode well for keeping him at arm’s length.

“My shirt and no panties,” he added.

Her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip. Of course he had to remind her she’d been a crazy perv, on the floor, for God’s sake. On the floor.

“Baby.” His voice gentled and his fingers curled around the nape of her neck. “Stop being embarrassed. What we did was beautiful. I know you’re scared right now, but I’ll take care of you, get you through this.”

“What happens when Rafe shows up?” She asked because… well… Rafe would find her. He always found her once he had a starting point.

“Catarina, don’t ask me questions if you don’t want answers,” Eli said, and his voice went hard. Scary hard.

She turned her head to look at him again. She’d always thought of him as sweet. Dangerous maybe, but still sweet. There was nothing sweet about Eli in that moment. Danger radiated off of him. He gave off a vibe every bit as scary as Rafe did. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. Maybe it was the leopard in them, but suddenly, she felt a little bit like prey, caught between two powerful predators. Eli hid it better than Rafe, but he was just as lethal.

“Don’t.” He said it softly.

“Don’t what?”

“Be afraid of me. I’m a shifter and my leopard is difficult to handle at times, but I handle it. I don’t kill people unless I have no choice. I’m not Cordeau. I wouldn’t slash my woman’s back to punish her or bite her so fucking deep she has scars. Don’t look at me like that, like you’re afraid of me.”

“I am afraid sometimes,” Catarina said honestly. “Right now is the first time I really saw it in you. The stamp of danger that means you’ve battled and won a million times and you don’t back down – ever.”

“Why would that scare you? You’re under my protection.”

Her body jerked. She knew he saw it because his eyes narrowed and moved over her face. “I was under his protection. He told me that a million times.”

“Cat. Come here.”

Her gaze flew to his. “I’m right here.”

“Come here.” He said it softly. The command he could put into his voice was there and her heart beat faster.

Catarina slipped out of her chair before she could stop herself and went to stand in front of him. He caught her wrist and tugged her down onto his lap. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her tight against his body.

“Relax, baby. Just let me hold you for a minute.”

Another minute went by. She tried to hold out. It was insane to sit on his lap and allow this kind of intimacy. This wasn’t about sex at all. This was about comfort. Caring. She couldn’t do that with him.

“Settle, Kitten,” Eli insisted, his fingers easing the tension out of her neck.

When he did that, massaged her neck and shoulders, she turned to putty in his hands. She found herself melting into him in spite of her resolve to hold something of herself back.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered, and skimmed his mouth along her neck and then behind her ear. “Cordeau must have studied your family and realized that there was a good chance you were a shifter. Females are difficult to find. I should know, I traveled the world, all the rain forests, everywhere I knew that there were pockets of us left.”

He stroked her hair, and she fit her head more comfortably into his shoulder. He was a big man with the roped muscles of his kind, and he made her feel very safe. She knew she shouldn’t allow it, but she’d never had that luxury of safe before.

“He didn’t make any effort to spend time with you, or build a relationship. He went about his business, and when you needed a little love and guidance, he hurt you. He’s a rogue. You don’t understand that term and maybe you never should. Rogues aren’t allowed to live. Other shifters hunt them. We have our own police force for that.”

“Are you part of that?” she asked.

He didn’t answer her question. “I know I scare you, Kitten, but I’m not like Cordeau. Never like him. Do you understand?”

She wasn’t certain she did. “What do you mean when you say your leopard is hard to handle sometimes?”

He sighed. “His moods are fierce and passionate. Obviously they affect me. He’s bad-tempered and he doesn’t like bullshit. I have to keep a strong hold on him all the time.”

She wiggled to get free and was surprised when he let her go. Surprised and maybe a little disappointed. She slipped back in her chair and picked up her coffee cup again. The coffee was cold, but it gave her something to do.