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Big hands clutched Tess’s neck and squeezed.

She couldn’t see. Everything was black. She fought, struggling to breathe. Somehow she screamed and screamed.

Her arms were pinned alongside her body. A heavy weight held her down. He was going to kill her now.

No. Jaws opened wide with long fangs to attack.

He wanted to change her into a ... she started sobbing.

“Come on, baby, wake up.” 

Soft words kept pouring into her ear. She blinked her eyes open to find she was wrapped up with her face against Cole’s chest.

How humiliating. She forced out, “I did it again?”

“If you apologize to me one more time, I might have to punish you.”

“Promises, promises,” she grumbled.

His chest moved with laughter, but his voice sounded tired. His hand continued stroking her back up and down, soothing her.

This was nightmare number three.

No one was getting any sleep, especially not Cole. Dragging in another ragged breath, she said, “If you’d just climb into bed like I suggested, I’ll probably sleep because I’ll feel you close.”

“You might be right.”

He was capitulating? She didn’t react or make a big deal out of it for fear he’d change his mind.

When she eased over to make room, he followed her.

She immediately rolled away from him and he spooned her back like old times. Blood pumped fast through her, which she could blame on the nightmares, but that wasn’t the reason.

Her energy had changed. It slowed and hummed in a rhythmic beat. She felt two heartbeats.

Cole’s heart and hers were in sync.

When she shivered in surprise, he must have thought she was cold and wrapped her snug within his mighty arms. He had some serious guns. She’d been crazy about him before, but those arms were sexy as hell.

He also had a serious boner tucked up nice and warm against her.

She sure as hell wasn’t mentioning that.

Cole would probably leave the house.

“Sorry,” he said, moving like he was uncomfortable. “Just ... ignore it.”

Now she wanted to laugh at the absurdity of ignoring that, but she mumbled something that could be construed as her saying no problem and lay there wide-awake.

She tried to be still. Really. It was a monumental effort when her body had a serious desire to inch backward.

“Tess.”

“Um hmm?”

“Go back to sleep.”

That was not happening. Having him close had sounded like a solid idea after three crazy nightmares, but that energy she’d been fighting cranked into high gear.

Her female parts were buzzing, too.

She wanted him.

“Cole?”

“What?”

He sounded surly. She sighed. “Are you or maybe I’m, uh, I’m just wondering if, uh, crap ...”

“What the hell?”

At least he was laughing now. She scowled at him. “I don’t want to say something to piss you off.”

“You can’t, baby.”

“That’s not the way I remember it.”

He didn’t reply and she started wondering if she’d lost him with that comment.

When he did respond it was in that sexy nighttime voice she loved. “I never minded fighting. You never backed down, always willing to go toe-to-toe with me and I’d forget what we fought over because you were so damned sexy when you got your back up. I knew we’d have lots of make-up sex.”

She fell back in love a little more with him when he gave her that sweet memory. She smiled and snuggled back against him.

He jerked and pushed his lower part back. “Holy hell, Tess. You trying to kill me?”

That was funny. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Okay, maybe I’m not. You going to punish me?” she taunted in the same voice she’d used once on a camping trip that had turned kinky.

A deep, painful groan climbed out of Cole. “Stop saying stuff like that. I’m ... I’m uncomfortable as it is.”

Uncomfortable? Was that all?

She wasn’t trying hard enough.

“What were you trying to ask me?” he asked, putting a little bit more distance between his chest and her back.  

She was having second thoughts about what she had wanted to say. Would she sound weird? On the other hand, what could be much weirder than being captured by three jackal shifters?

Good point.

Licking her lips to stall, she said, “Do you remember touching my arm at the SCIS compound when I thought you were Colin?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been, well, for lack of a better word, I’ve been buzzing since then.”

“What? What do you mean? Explain it.”

This is when she was glad no lights were on to show her full humiliation. “Remember the night you showed up at my place after you escaped?”

“Yes.” 

Here goes nothing. “I was having trouble dealing with feeling aroused. When I went to shower, I started thinking about Colin and everything ached. I think it’s because you were there. I was thinking about taking care of myself and—”

He flipped her on her back so fast she yelped.

When she looked up into his gaze, those beautiful golden-brown eyes were too bright to be normal. “Cole? Are you okay?”

He closed his eyes. “Tell me what you were going to do.”

The night in the shower was nothing like the energy rocketing through her now. Her skin felt on fire and needing more fuel. She wanted Cole to touch her everywhere, but he wasn’t even looking at her.

He wanted to know what she’d been about to do when he showed his face that night?

She’d give him something to think about.

In a sultry voice, she said, “I was going to start out with massaging my breasts. My nipples were hard and they’ve ached so much. I ran the rough cloth over my tits, teasing them, but that only made my need worse. I brushed the cloth between my legs and dropped it. My skin felt too alive to touch, but I used one finger between my legs, playing there. Oh, it hurt so good, because it wasn’t enough. I scraped a fingernail gently back and forth in my wet heat, over and over, rubbing that one spot until I wanted to scream.”

She shivered, needing to get out of this pain she was causing herself.

Cole inhaled deeply and opened his eyes on a shuddering exhale. “You are so fucking hot. You’re making me crazy. I want to taste you and push deep inside you so bad.”

That sounded like a winning plan right now. She lifted her hips and rubbed against his oh-so-ready erection.

Cole’s hands were pressed into the bed on each side of her. His arms shook and she knew damn well the strain he was suffering had nothing to do with those arms being tired.

She cupped his face, turning it down to look at her again. “Why are you holding back?”

Drawing a ragged breath, he said, “You’ll regret it tomorrow and I can’t face that look on your face.”

“When did you ever think I needed someone to make my decisions?”

Muscles in his jaw twitched. His eyes were now far too bright to be human. He said, “This can’t work for us, Tess, and you know it. Your father hates us. You’re a part of SCIS. I don’t want to pull you deeper into this world. I’m trying to keep you safe, baby.”

She leaned up and kissed his chin. “Who keeps you safe?”

Dipping down, he kissed her lips in a slow roll, taking his time as if he savored every time he touched her.

She broke the kiss and asked, “What is it going to take to tear down the wall you’ve got between us? I want you, Cole. I’m a big girl. I understand what you’ve told me and I’m wide-eyed about this. I’m not afraid and I’m not going to regret anything except not having this moment together.”

His eyes were a normal blue again, but filled with sadness she wanted to take away. Everything about him said yes, but he still held back.

He said, “I have no tomorrow to offer you. To take what you offer tonight and leave you again would be worse than the first time. I can’t live with myself if I hurt you again, and I will, because there is no scenario where we end up together. I would give anything for that, but it won’t happen.”

They were at a standoff unless she could ease his mind. “I’m okay with whatever tomorrow brings. I’m willing to let tomorrow take care of itself. I would have given everything I possessed to have seen you one more time before you left. I have that chance now and I’m just as determined not to lose even one minute of this night. Don’t take this from me. Love me tonight and I promise you I’ll cherish it.”

She’d pleaded her case and left everything on the table.

If he still said no, she’d have to accept it.