Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(48)

He heard her breath catch in her throat and the sudden leap of her heart.

But even as she started to sway toward him, she abruptly shoved herself to her feet.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

His wolf growled, struggling to break free. The animal didn’t understand the need to let this female have the space she demanded. It wanted to tumble her on the bed and seduce away the wariness in her eyes.

Instead, he forced a teasing smile to his lips.

“Do you need help?”

“I think I can manage,” she said in dry tones, heading into the small bathroom.

Groaning as he heard the sound of fabric brushing over her skin before hitting the tiled floor, Sinclair forced himself to cross the room to grab the phone set on the dresser. It was directly connected to the front office.

Pressing the zero button, he grimly kept his thoughts from straying toward a naked Mira as she turned on the shower and stepped beneath the water.

Those luscious curves would be slick, her vibrant curls spiraling down her back…

Oh, hell. His cock twitched.

Thankfully, he heard a growled greeting as the grizzly answered Sinclair’s call.

“Hey, before you take off, could you drop by a set of women’s clothing, I’m guessing size twelve, and dinner?” Sinclair requested, waiting for the man’s agreement. Then, before the grizzly could hang up, he continued. “Oh, and make sure there’s something sweet for dessert. Thanks.”

A smile touched his lips as he replaced the old-fashioned receiver.

He’d loved the few times they’d managed to eat a meal together. Mira would always refuse any dessert, but she would eagerly savor the bites he would share of his own. He’d wanted to tell her that he loved her soft curves. He was a shifter, not a human who valued only surface beauty. To him, she was perfect.

Now he no longer had to hide his true emotions.

He fully intended to make sure that she thoroughly enjoyed her life. Especially the decadent parts.

The sound of splashing water filled the room, along with the musky scent of warm, female skin. Sinclair paced from one end of the main room to the other, relieved when there was a knock at the door.

Sinclair waited until he was certain the grizzly was gone. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the shifter. He simply didn’t want any male to catch the scent of Mira’s naked body.

Unreasonable?

Maybe. But that’s the way it was.

At last, he pulled open the door to collect the bag of clothing and the box of pizza from a nearby take-out joint, as well as a small lava cake. Perfect.

He’d just placed the food on the desk and pulled it next to the bed when Mira came out of the bathroom. Awareness was like a punch to his gut as his gaze skimmed down her body that was covered by a robe. The terry cloth material stopped mid-thigh, revealing the elegant line of her legs, and dipped at the neckline to offer a glimpse of her soft, enticing breasts.

Suddenly, his hunger had nothing to do with pizza.

“You still haven’t said how long we need to stay…” Her words trailed away as she caught sight of the food. “Where did this come from?”

He moved toward her, using her distraction to lightly grasp her arm and steer her toward the bed.

“The owner of the motel brought food and clean clothes. I thought you might be tired of your uniform.”

A shudder shook her body. “You have no idea.”

“But first, dinner,” he said, pressing her onto the edge of the mattress before he was settling next to her. Then, he pulled the desk even closer and placed a large slice of pizza in front of her.

She consumed the slice with obvious hunger, and before she was finished, Sinclair had another one in front of her. He felt a fierce satisfaction in knowing he was tending to her needs.

This was what he’d been placed in this world to do.

Protect and cherish this female.

Polishing off her third slice, Mira at last glanced toward Sinclair.

“I was asking how long we need to wait here.”

Placing the lava cake between them, Sinclair scooped up a large bite of gooey goodness.

“We should stay at least a few hours,” he said, pressing the spoon to her mouth.

She absently accepted the bite, completely unaware just how sexy it was when she used her tongue to wipe the chocolate off her lips.

Sinclair, however, was acutely, painfully aware.

“Okay,” she conceded, understanding the danger of stumbling across the SAU soldiers that were no doubt searching for them.

Continuing to feed her small bites of the cake, Sinclair studied her delicate features.

“You know, we’ve spent a lot of time together, but you rarely speak of your family,” he said.

She shrugged. “I had a boring childhood.”

Sinclair narrowed his gaze. If he weren’t a shifter, he would never have noticed the slight tensing of her body.

Clearly her relationship with her family was a source of anxiety for Mira.

“Do your parents live in Fort Collins?” he pressed, needing to know what was troubling her.

He had every intention of protecting her. From both physical dangers and emotional ones. No one was allowed to hurt this female.

No one.

“No,” she said. “I was raised in Minnesota.”

“Ah.” His lips twitched. “A farm girl.”