Chapter 8
Before Nessa’s purse could connect with her unexpected visitor’s head, a large hand locked around it, crushing the supple leather in a tight grip.
Pulse thundering in her ears, she looked up to see a familiar, devastatingly handsome face, his brows pulled down into a severe frown.
“Murphy?” she exclaimed, a voice in her head all but shouting with glee, He’s here! You didn’t scare him away!
Her heart skipped a beat, and warmth blossomed in her chest as she took Murphy in.
He was clad in a pair of dark denim jeans that hugged his muscular thighs and a rich blue sweater that accentuated his creamy complexion, the expensive fabric stretching across his muscular shoulders and chest before loosening around his torso.
His dark hair was slightly tousled, like he’d just combed it with his fingers.
She was still gaping at him when his cologne enveloped her; sweet flowers, pine, and sandalwood wreaking havoc on her senses. It was so much more intoxicating, so much more pronounced than when she’d woken this morning to hints of it lingering in the air.
Damn, he smells good.
Instinctively, Nessa inhaled deeply. That delicious smell infiltrated her system, relaxing her until her momentary panic disappeared, leaving her reeling at its absence.
It was so baffling. Murphy was a tall, muscular man. Intense, too. He could shapeshift, for crying out loud. Her panic should have skyrocketed after being startled like that.
With anyone else, it would have.
She’d noticed a similar thing in her teahouse yesterday morning at the memory of his aroma, and then again last night when Murphy had her pinned between her car and his strong body. There was something in his scent that helped ease her anxiety.
But how could just the smell of him alter her emotions so effectively? Was it a mate thing? A shifter thing? She had no idea, but curiosity ate at her, demanding to be sated.
“Do you always assault people on your doorstep?” Murphy asked hotly, exasperation evident in his voice.
Instinctively, Nessa’s hackles rose at his tone, the need to snap back at him as irresistible as inhaling another lungful of his scent. “Do you always lurk outside of people’s houses like a stalker?”
She breathed him in then, fighting the urge to roll her eyes to the back of her head in pleasure.
She wanted to rip his sweater off and roll around on it, and then wear it for weeks, basking in the delightful smell.
Her core spasmed at the thought, desire stirring to life as slick dampened her panties.
A second later, her panic rebounded, her eyes rounding as a horrifying thought crossed her mind.
Oh, no, how strong was his sense of smell? Could he tell she was turned on?! If he could scent her fear, then he could definitely smell when she was aroused!
Shit, shit!
Murphy narrowed his eyes, and she almost ran back into her house right then and there, determined to escape her building embarrassment. “It isn’t lurking if I knock, announcing my arrival, which I’d intended to do,“ he answered, oblivious to her predicament.
Nessa stilled in surprise.
Wait, he didn’t know how he’d affected her?
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.
She almost wept in relief, whatever desire she’d been feeling completely replaced by mortification.
She never would have forgiven herself if he’d come all the way here under the guise of friendship and she’d spread her hoe pheromones around like a cat in heat. Okay, well, maybe ‘hoe pheromones’ was a bit farfetched …
Hoping to hide how flustered she was, Nessa raised her chin defiantly. “I didn’t hear you knocking. Ergo, lurking.”
“Ergo?” He snorted, his grip tightening on her purse as he towered over her.
Just how tall was he? Definitely more than a few inches over six feet. The bag hung suspended between them, and she was sure the two of them looked ridiculous to any prying eyes, especially as she refused to let go of the handle.
“What’s in here? Bricks?” He shook the heavy bag for emphasis.
Nessa made a face. “No, of course not. Just my wallet, a makeup bag, a pistol—“
“You have a gun in there?” Murphy asked incredulously, his eyes widening in disbelief. She didn’t know why he was so shocked. She’d shot Jason a few times that night at Tank’s house. It wasn’t like the gun had just appeared out of thin air.
“I never leave home without it,” she admitted quietly. And she hadn’t, not once since she’d purchased it from the man who’d forged her new passport and driver’s license. She was determined to fight for her life if Tony ever found her.
Murphy’s expression turned pensive before he nodded in understanding. “Is it loaded?”
“Well, yeah. I can’t imagine someone would just let me load it while they patiently waited to get shot.” Nessa laughed, hoping to lighten the suddenly depressing mood.
He shook his head. “You’re so—“
“Well prepared,” Nessa cut in, batting her eyelashes. “A bad ass. A rebel without a cause—“
Murphy’s lips twitched. “I was going to say ‘intriguing,’ though now I’m wondering if ‘silly’ wouldn’t be more accurate.”
“Oh.” Nessa flushed, though she couldn’t quite figure out why. It wasn’t like he’d complimented her or anything. Hesitantly, she tugged on her purse. “Any chance I can get this back?”
“What?” He looked down at her bag and then released it just as quickly, like he’d completely forgotten he’d been holding it.
He frowned as she slipped her phone haphazardly through the opening before slinging the bag over her shoulder.
“Shouldn’t you be careful with how you’re handling that? The gun could go off.”
“Are you worried?” she teased.
“Yes,” he rumbled in answer. “I don’t like guns, and the thought of you getting hurt because of one is upsetting.”
Her eyes softened at his admission. “I’ve been going to gun ranges since I was a teen, Murphy.
I can handle a weapon just fine. The pistol is in a holster, and the safety’s on,” she assured him softly, turning back to the front door.
She made sure it was fully closed, grabbing the keys stuck in the lock and twisting until her home was secure.
“Who took you to gun ranges?” he asked curiously.
Nessa paused, bombarded by hundreds of memories all at once. The painful ones made her chest hurt, but that pain only deepened as she recalled each happy memory that now seemed tainted.
“My brother, Angelo,” she whispered.
Turning back to face Murphy, she studied him, determined to push her brother from her mind. His stubble was more pronounced this morning, and he looked far more tired than he had last night, which was saying something.
“I take it you didn’t come all this way to discuss gun safety with me. Or to scare the crap out of me, though you’ve already accomplished both. So what’s up? Is everything okay?”
Murphy’s eyes flashed gold for a brief second, and her breath caught. He blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it. “My bear was restless all night. He missed your presence,” he explained, his deep voice sending a shiver of delight down her spine.
A second later, that delight turned to disappointment, and her heart sank. Was it necessary to iterate that his bear had missed her? And why did that make her feel so miserable?
Determined to ignore it, Nessa sent him a small, probably awkward smile. “Are you implying that you want to hang out with me? Sorry—that your bear wants to hang out with me?“ She smirked. “I am amazing, so I can’t fault him for his excellent taste in companions.”
“You’re humble, too,” Murphy replied with mock seriousness, stepping off the porch and onto her front lawn before turning to face her.
This time, when Nessa smiled at him, it was genuine. “Oh, definitely humble.”
She followed him onto her lawn, the need she’d felt to race to work completely erased in the wake of Murphy’s arrival. She enjoyed their banter and didn’t really want to bring it to an abrupt end by getting into her vehicle and driving away.
Besides, if his bear needed her closeness right now, she refused to leave him alone. Murphy obviously needed her help.
Yes, that’s why you don’t want to leave him. It’s strictly for his sake, a voice whispered sarcastically in her head.
“Can I interest you in some tea and snacks?” Nessa asked nonchalantly, moving toward her driveway. “I happen to know a fantastic establishment that serves both.” And considering the sweets she’d spotted in his pantry last night, she had a feeling he’d love the options at her teahouse.
Murphy fell into step beside her. “Can I exchange tea with something actually good, like coffee?”
Nessa gasped, clasping her heart dramatically as they reached the driver’s side of her SUV. “You’ll crush me if you say another disparaging word about tea, Murphy.”
“Crush you?” Murphy tsked. “I can’t have that, Nes.”
At the sound of her nickname, butterflies took flight in her stomach. Before she opened her car door, she turned back to him. “So you’ll come to the teahouse then? There’s not a lot of traffic in the morning, so you probably won’t have to deal with anyone but me.”
The last thing she wanted was to bring him into a hectic environment that might further irritate his bear.
“I’ll go anywhere you want,” Murphy replied absentmindedly, his gaze focused on her hair.
He seemed fascinated by the ridiculous color, which she never would have expected given how disciplined he was with his own appearance.
He reached out, twisting a long strand around his finger.
“You’ve dyed this recently, haven’t you?
It’s different from when I first met you. ”
He’d noticed that?
Nessa nodded, her pulse quickening as he stepped closer, the heat from his body surrounding her.
“I darkened it a couple of shades a few weeks ago. It was more of a turquoise before,” she explained, her voice growing faint as his gaze traveled from her hair to her face, the sudden intensity in that look making her knees weak.
“I like it.” His eyes heated as they locked onto her lips, looking at her as hungrily as he had last night while he’d watched her eat. Her thighs clenched as that same delicious pressure built up in her core once more, need coursing through her.
Murphy’s nostrils flared, his eyes turning a fierce molten gold that had her panties soaked in a single second. Sexual tension sparked between them, so startling in its ferocity that Nessa choked on a breath, frozen in place like a deer caught in headlights.
Holy—
Murphy pushed into her space, his hard, hot body blanketing her as his large hands found her waist. Her palms were suddenly on his chest, though she couldn’t remember placing them there.
Instead of feeling trapped or scared by his proximity, by his touch, her only concern was whether her underwear would burst into flames as sparks slid over every inch of her.
“Your scent is so addictive,” Murphy murmured huskily, his voice slipping over her like a heated caress. She wanted more, wanted him closer, and that thought was as frightening as it was heady.
Nerves flickered through her body and she was tempted to shove him away from her, to put as much distance between them as possible. That was the safest option, wasn’t it? But another part of her was greedy for any kind of physical intimacy with him.
Murphy wouldn’t hurt her. She instinctively knew that was true. She felt safe with him, and after so many years of solitude, she craved this connection. As he leaned in, his nose nuzzling her cheek, her fingers curled into his soft sweater, pulling him closer. “My bear can’t get enough, Nessa.”
Just like that, it felt like he’d tossed a cold bucket of ice water right over her head.
His bear couldn’t get enough of her. His bear. Not him.
She stiffened against him, her desire fizzling out as quickly as it had sparked, leaving her bereft and irate.
What the hell was she doing anyway?
The poor man was struggling, and she was only making it worse! Instead of seeing to his needs, instead of helping him, she’d been thinking only of herself. She’d let years of neglecting her own desires make her greedy.
He doesn’t want you, remember?
Ashamed of herself, Nessa gently pushed against his chest. He didn’t budge, and her temper flared. “I’m late for work,” she insisted, pushing at him again.
Slowly, he took a step back, his eyes still that captivating, glowing gold. She couldn’t be mad at him in his current state, nor could she abandon him like this, no matter how foolish she felt. No matter how much she wished he’d want to hold her close instead of his bear.
“Can you drive?” she asked, glancing away so he couldn’t see her emotions reflected in her eyes. He grunted in answer. “Meet me at my teahouse,” she instructed. Then she got into her SUV, taking a deep breath as she started the engine.
She had to go. Before she did something stupid, like jump from the car and beg Murphy to hold her close again. Instead, Nessa put the vehicle in reverse, swung out of the drive, and left.