Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(47)

“What did you do once you escaped?” she abruptly demanded.

He held her gaze as he continued to stroke his lips over her sensitive skin.

“For a while, I hid in the most remote sections of the Rocky Mountains I could find,” he said. “I just wanted to be alone.”

“You didn’t seek out other shifters?”

There was an unnerving watchfulness in his ice-blue eyes. Was it the wolf? Or the man.

Perhaps a combination of both.

“No, I was half feral, and I spent most of my time in my animal form,” he admitted. “Then one day I crossed paths with another wolf shifter who was being hunted by the local SAU. I took her into my hidden liar. I only intended to allow her to stay until the danger passed, but she refused to go. Even worse, she had a friend who tracked us down. The grizzly shifter was just as stubborn.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to reveal that she was jealous of the thought of him sharing his lair with another female.

She didn’t have the right. She’d never had the right, even if she hoped that someday she could convince him that she could be more than just a means to an end.

She gave a sharp shake of her head. “It was the start of the Unseen?”

“Yes.” His shrug was rueful. “I agreed to become the Alpha and to put the members of my Pack first in my life. But, at heart, I’m still a loner.”

I’m still a loner…

The words sliced through her. It was, of course, what she’d always known deep inside. She just hadn’t wanted to accept it.

“I get it,” she said, starting to rise from the bed. “I really do.”

Without warning, he yanked her back down, his eyes narrowed with frustration.

“Mira, would you let a man finish?”





Chapter 6


Sinclair knew that he wasn’t winning any brownie points with Mira. He might not have Rios’s smooth charm, but he did know that growling at a woman and yanking her around wasn’t the best way to earn her good will.

But dammit, he was beyond frustrated.

Not with Mira. Never with her. But with his own awkward inability to express his emotions.

Who knew it could be so hard?

“Excuse me?” she demanded in dangerous tones.

He grimaced. “I’m trying to make a point.”

“Then make it,” she warned.

Sucking in a deep breath, he studied her delicate features, not missing the wariness that lingered in her beautiful eyes. He hadn’t intended to tell her about the years he’d spent as a circus freak. He never talked about that time with anyone. But for reasons he couldn’t explain, he’d felt an overwhelming need to share the horror he’d endured. Not for her sympathy, but to ensure she could accept what he’d done to survive.

She had to understand that both his animal and human halves could be savage when necessary.

Thankfully, she hadn’t flinched. In fact, she’d been splendidly protective.

Unfortunately, his revelations had left him feeling oddly venerable. A sensation that he found…unnerving.

“My past means that I don’t have the best interpersonal skills,” he stated the obvious. “And I have even less insight into my emotions.”

“You’re a male.” She shrugged. “None of you have any insights.”

“Ouch.” He pressed her hand to the center of his chest. “A direct hit.”

She turned her head away. Almost as if she thought she could hide her hurt from him. It was obvious she had a lot to learn about shifters.

He could smell her each and every emotion.

At the moment, her luscious scent was a mixture of spring flowers, burnt toast, and a lingering feminine desire she couldn’t disguise.

“You really don’t have to say anything else,” she said.

“I do.” He resisted the urge to tug her into his lap and wrap her tightly in his arms. First, he had to undo the damage he’d caused. Only then could she trust him. “Initially, my intention was to seek you out and earn your trust so you would help me,” he admitted, rubbing his thumb over the tender skin of her inner wrist. He felt her heart skip a beat at his light caress. She was still aroused by his touch. Thank God. It was the only hope he had that he could reach through the walls she was trying to build between them. “But that doesn’t explain why I spent my day checking my phone to see if you called,” he confessed. “Or why I refused the offer of my Packmates to meet with you. From the minute I caught sight of you, I knew that no one else was getting near you.” He lifted her hand to nuzzle his lips against her fingers. “You are mine.”

That brought her head back around, her eyes wide. “Yours?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Mine.” He placed her fingers against his cheek. “It just took the thought of losing you to get it through my thick skull.”

Her eyes darkened with pleasure. A growl rumbled deep in Sinclair’s chest. His woman liked the feel of his rough whiskers that stubbled his jaw. Good. He planned to rub them over her naked skin as he kissed a path from her lush lips to the tips of her toes.

“I’ll agree with the thick skull part.”

He turned his head, pressing his lips to the center of her palm.

“Let me convince you,” he pleaded in soft tones.