"I can do it myself," she protested as she gripped Kelvin's shoulders for balance. She stepped from her shoes and he tossed them aside. His fingers met the hem of her skirt. "I said I can do it," she slurred again, but he ignored her, removing the flimsy material she deemed a skirt.

"Donna fight me. I am verra capable of disrobing a woman."

"Galh! You know what, you rake, you may have 'disrobed' your share of 'lasses' in your stupidly long life"-was she air-quoting?-"but just know that all this"-he watched Izel, clad in only her black lace bra and panties, run her hands over her generous breasts and down her flat belly-"is a no-touchy for you."

She turned and Kelvin, still, ironically, on his knees, was gifted with the sight of her marvelous backside. He watched her crawl onto the bed and flop down on her back. "You forget, lass." He rose and sat next to her. "I have already touched you."

She rolled over onto her stomach, turning to face him. "That'll never happen again. I'm getting a better handle on my emotions, you know. No more Izel the Impulsive for you, mister." She rolled to her back again.

Kelvin gazed down at her, running a hand over his mouth. Beams of moonlight shot in from the window, making her skin glow against the darkness. "You can no' tell me in truth that you donna think of it, of us, last night in the woods." He checked the urge to run his palm down her belly. He didn't know what he was aiming for, talking with her like this.

"Of course I think about it," she whispered.

Kelvin couldn't help himself. He would never physically take advantage of her in this state, but he knew she would likely remember little of this conversation. He jumped at the opportunity to gain insight. "And what is it you think of?"

Her eyes still closed, she smiled. "Your taste."

Christ almighty.

Kelvin was already struggling to harness his lust for this woman. But to see her plump lips part into a wicked smile when talking about him... "So you have fond memories, then?" He wanted to touch her so badly it hurt.

"They're the only ones I have," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Why was he pushing this? Perhaps he wanted to know her. Perhaps he was using this opportunity to earn her trust. Or maybe he just wanted any excuse to look at her.

"You're it, Kel. The only person I've ever felt anything for... I'm afraid."

It finally hit him. Izel had never been allowed to truly feel. Not love for her family or friends. Not joy or happiness. Since the emergence of her emotions, she had only been around him-and God help him, he couldn't be happier that he was the one receiving her affections.

She was obviously fighting sleep and struggling to speak around her intoxication. Even with her eyes closed, she tilted her head toward him. Unable to stop himself, he traced a stray curl from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"What are you afraid of, lass?"

Izel nuzzled her cheek against her own arm. "That I'll never be able to quit you."

It was like a sucker punch to the gut. This naive little mortal had deep feelings for him. While this thought made pride rush through his body, at the same time heavy guilt slugged through his veins like a thick poison.

Kelvin rested his elbows on his knees, threaded his fingers together, and held the bridge of his nose between his thumbs. What the hell was he going to do? He thought of his previous options: get her to sleep with him, or get her to hate him. He looked down at the angel resting next to him, deciding in this one moment to be honest.

"And what if I had the same fear? What if it was I who became addicted ta you?"

With her thick lashes fringing over her pink cheeks, she smiled. "Enticed, not addicted. A man like you is dependent on no one."

His eyes were fixated on her face. Her delicate features seemed overshadowed by pain and longing. She shuddered. Kelvin saw a strong tremor shoot through her body, gliding along her skin. Poor lass. When would these aftershocks end? He inhaled deeply and clenched his jaw. The sweet smell of desire radiated from her. She must have just been hit with feelings of lust. It was too much. He had to touch her.

He laid a flat palm high on her chest, just above the swell of her breast. She moaned and he scented that her arousal deepened. He ran his hand down her body, sliding between her full breasts to her flat belly. She arched to his touch, as if desperate for him to keep exploring her. He'd never seen a woman more on edge. It wasn't just her scent. Kelvin could actually feel her need burn within her. Her body called to him. Needed him.

A single touch; that's all it'd take to bring her off. He scanned her body. This female was aching for what he'd gladly kill to give her. "Please. Just once I want to feel, to have..." His eyes widened at her words. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"Have you no' ever had an orgasm?" Her pretty pink cheeks flushed before she turned her head away from him. So that was the way of it. With all the new emotions flooding her, it wasn't any wonder she was nearly writhing with discomfort. The urge to please her, to pleasure and ease her, became overwhelming. His muscles heated and his heart pounded in his chest. His shaft had never been so hard. He wanted to make her come more than he wanted to breathe. But no' like this. No, he wanted her fully aware, able to feel every touch of his hand and taste of his tongue.

With strength he hadn't known he possessed, Kelvin rose from the bed and tucked her under the covers. She mumbled unrecognizable words before drifting into sleep. He stood by the bed for long moments, just gazing at her. She looked so innocent and he couldn't take that from her.

Kelvin absently ran a palm down the front of his jeans. He would have to push her away, and the farther he pushed, the more likely she'd stay away.

Sleep well, lass, because tomorrow, you're gonna wish you'd never met me.

Chapter 11.

"Time to wake up, human. Your potion is relenting."

Izel inhaled deeply. Jeez, he didn't have to scream at her. She palmed her forehead. Her thoughts were foggy, and her brain felt two sizes too large for her skull. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she slowly sat up. She swallowed back a hot, foul taste. "Wh-what happened?"

"You drank your weight in whiskey and flounced around town."

"Shhh. There's no need to yell at me, Pookah." She creaked open her eyes and thought she saw Kelvin grin. He was undoubtedly loving this right now. Izel placed a hand over her stomach. Her skin was cool.

Skin? Not shirt? She looked down.

"Um... why am I in my underwear?" She fumbled for the sheet, pulling it to her neck, her muscles protesting the sudden movement. "You didn't, I mean, we didn't..."

"No. I removed your garments so you could sleep more soundly," he said in a bored tone. "Here." He threw her a wad of clothing. "Get up. Take a quick shower and dress. The longer you linger, the more at risk you are." Kelvin had already bathed, shaved, and dressed. He strode into the living room and began securing his pack.

Izel swallowed back more tangy, disgusting saliva and lurched from the bed. Had she been able to think more clearly, she might have been embarrassed that Kelvin saw her in this state. He was clean, handsome, and smelled like pine-scented soap. Izel ran fingers through her tangled hair. She undoubtedly looked like hell and smelled like a frat house. She grabbed up the pair of jeans, tank top, and undergarments Kelvin had tossed her and headed into the bathroom.

To her surprise, after a quick shower she felt much better. Brushing her teeth twice, she dressed, ran fingers through her hair, and met Kelvin in the living room. Everything was packed, including her bag.

"I will no' slow my pace just because you're hungover," he said, securing his pack to his shoulders.

She only rolled her eyes, threaded her arms through the straps of her bag, and snagged a piece of cold pizza.

"Can I have that back now?" She motioned at the small vial around Kelvin's neck. Her vial.

"No." Keeping it fastened around his neck, he dropped the vial beneath his shirt, out of sight.

The nerve of him! He was lucky she was currently consumed with the great taste of leftover pizza, otherwise she would have fought to get her vial back. For now, she would wait, and boy, would she make him suffer.

She smiled and followed Kelvin out the door and into the early morning sun.

After hours of hiking and staring at his back, Kelvin still hadn't said a word. Izel was beginning to wonder if something did in fact happen last night. They hadn't had sex-she was pretty sure she would have known, rather felt, the ramifications of that. But for the life of her, she couldn't clearly recall-well... anything after her fifth shot.

She ran up beside him. "What's going on, Kelvin?"

He slowed his pace slightly but kept his eyes forward. "I told you. I am escorting you to my castle."

"I mean with us. You're acting differently." She tried to make eye contact, but Kelvin only glanced at the graying sky. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened. You were three sheets to the wind and I sent ya ta bed." Another glance upward. What was going on with him? Izel could see his muscles tense. His jaw was set into such a hard line, it could have been made of cement. Yeah, something was definitely up.

"Why are you behaving this way?"

"And what way is that?" He snapped the words. She searched his face, hoping his expression would give her insight into something, anything. Unfortunately, she came up empty-handed. Animosity radiated from him.

"Cold."

"How else do you expect me ta act, Izel? We're no' lovers. We are no' even friends. I am your transporter. I donna wish to carry on conversations with you like last night."

Izel stumbled over her feet. She was pretty sure Kelvin's words had grown legs, round-house kicked her in the face, then tripped her. Izel searched her brain, trying to recall having any kind of lengthy conversation with the Pookah. She remembered hearing his voice, maybe while she was lying down? "What did I say?"

Kelvin looked at the sky again and exhaled loudly. He stopped and turned to face her. His brow furrowed. He looked like he was battling against voices in his head or something. Seriously, what was wrong with this man?

"You told me that you are lacking. That you have never had"-his gaze drifted over her body-"any pleasure." He sneered the last word. "And you told me that you wanted me." Izel's body flushed hot. It suddenly felt like her legs couldn't support her weight and someone was squeezing her lungs. She took in a shaky breath.

"A-and?" She didn't know if she wanted to hear more, but she forced herself to ask. How could she have said those things?

Kelvin shrugged, raising one eyebrow. "I informed you that I would no doubt take you and make you climax, but after such you'd be ruined for other males." Izel could have caught flies in her mouth. A sharp pain pierced her chest. She looked down, wondering why Kelvin would stab her, but there was no knife. She looked at his face. His stare bore into hers. "Yet after all that, after me telling you that you'd be no more than just another notch ta me, you still pitifully reached out and begged me ta take you."

And the knife twisted. Izel felt her eyes fill with tears. She'd never heard more powerful, gut-wrenching words in all her life. She concentrated on keeping her lower chin from quivering.

"Personally," Kelvin continued, "a life of no pleasure seems a pathetic existence. It's no wonder you resort to begging."

Izel barely kept her knees from buckling and she held her lips tightly closed, trying not to retch. His sharp, blunt words cut through the space between them, sending shivers down her spine. Her stomach boiled, and it felt like tiny daggers sliced her palms. She hung her head. She hadn't realized she was fisting her hands so hard that her nails drew blood.

Kelvin Kerr, with disdain in his voice, had somehow made her, a twenty-five-year-old virgin, feel cheap.

She wouldn't be able to hold back her tears much longer, and she would be damned if she let this Pookah see her cry. She dropped her pack on the ground and did the only thing she could. She ran.

Every stride she took, a tear fell. The cool air broke over her damp face as she pumped her arms and sprinted as fast as she could. She had to get away from him. She had no clue where she was, nor did she care. She just ran.

Drops of water began to hit her cheeks and shoulders. Just as the tree line thinned and Izel could smell the salty air of the ocean, rain began to fall. Tears streamed freely and she choked on the frantic breaths sticking in her throat. She was crying so hard she could barely see. She replayed the words he'd used against her.

Pitiful. Begging. Pathetic.

She ran faster, cried harder.

What was happening? She knew Kelvin was moody-Christ, he was grouchier than a nasty green puppet living in a trash can. But she had to this point never thought him cruel. She couldn't really blame him, though, could she? He had, in an unnecessarily snarky tone, only repeated what she had said... had apparently begged for. She burst through the trees and saw the ocean only a few hundred yards away. She heard the waves crash against the rocks-maybe she'd just keep running. Hurling herself off a cliff was preferable to facing the Pookah.

And all I wanted was to feel.

She slowed her pace and staggered onto the open bluff. The rain was falling harder now. She swiped a forearm over her face. She would pull it together. Standing there, even now, after all that had been said, her body ached for Kelvin. God, she was pitiful. But she couldn't help it. There was something about him that made Izel's better judgment collapse from a single heated gaze. Because that's all it had taken. A single gaze.

He was cold, aggressive, savage. But the way he'd looked at her when she was in the Alp's clutches, the way he'd glared at the shifter in the bar last night before tucking her into him. It was in those moments she'd seen something deeper. What lay beneath all that ferocity? Desperation? Yearning? Admit it or not, Kelvin was fighting something, but she wasn't sure if she had the strength to find out what it was. Enduring brutal tongue-lashings in hopes of one day uncovering more of that vulnerability she'd caught mere glimpses of might be more than her fragile emotions could stand.

Izel heard twigs break behind her. Kelvin was near. She straightened her shoulders. She could either allow the Pookah to dish out humiliation, or she could refuse to let him wreck her. She crossed her arms over her chest, jutted her chin in the air, and spun around to face him.

His dark, drenched hair hung around his handsome face, and his wet shirt clung to his skin, giving sight to those ridged muscles. She thought Mr. Kerr was a fox dry, but wet? Damn. He stalked toward her, his icy blue eyes glowing like sunlit glaciers. Why was she upset with him again?

Oh yeah, because he humiliated me.

He strode up to her, stopping too close for comfort. The rain pounded down on them. He looked at her, brows drawn.

"I did no' mean ta be harsh." Izel tilted her head, pursing her lips together. Apparently "I'm sorry" was too much to hope for.

"Oh, really? That's funny, because I got the impression that that's exactly what you were meaning to be." Again she replayed Kelvin's painful words in her mind. He had not only sounded like he was purposefully trying to hurt her feelings but trying to make his words sting. She saw his strong jaw clench.

"I did no' mean it," he said in the most superior tone she'd ever heard in her life.

That was it! She was so effing done with this Pookah. He had just verbally crushed her, and now he was talking down to her. "Go to hell."

Her body was shaking, and she didn't know if it was because of the rain hitting her skin or the deep shame she felt. He had embarrassed her. No, she had embarrassed herself by her own admissions. He had only reiterated her words.

"You're no' understanding." His face visibly tensed. "I did no' mean it, because... I made it up."

"Well, I... wait, what?"

"I lied."

A surge of ice shot through her body. "All the things you told me I said last night"-she swallowed hard-"me begging..."

He shook his head. "You said nothing. Did nothing."

Relief and anger flooded through her on equal tides. She hadn't been a begging, pathetic, shameful woman, so why would Kelvin say such things? She glared up at him and hissed. "You really are an asshole." Rage enveloped her and she clenched her fists at her sides. "You were trying to hurt me on purpose. Is this a game to you? Do you take joy in tearing others down? Or do you just want everyone to be as miserable as you?"

He gripped her shoulders. "I want you." He gently shook her. "Your wit is astounding, and that smart mouth and heedless arse of yours are going ta get you inta trouble one of these days. For God's sake, you braved an Alp! You're human! Yet you traipse around a brutal realm with more courage than some of the men on my front line."

Any moment he would call her actions stupid and careless... any minute now.

"Don't you understand?" He hung his head. "You're no' like anyone I've ever known. And I want you more than I should."

Izel was motionless, quite possibly in shock. Nothing about this man made any sense. He exhaled loudly, his breath sliding down her cheek. "Look at you, lass. How could I no' want you?"

Without any warning, he covered her mouth with his.

His thick lips on hers sent shivers down her spine. No! She wouldn't soften. What he'd said to her was awful. She shoved at him but it did little good; he retaliated by kissing her even harder. She shoved again, struggling and finally gaining enough distance to yank her head away. Holding her fists against his massive chest, she yelled at him. "Get away from me!"

The planes of his face were harsh but expressionless; she couldn't read him. She had no clue what he was going to do, but she would not give in. She clung to her pride and tried to ignore the hot, wet desire rushing through her.

He slid one hand down her side and hooked his large forearm around her waist. Pressed against him like this, she felt his erection prod her belly. She moved her hips, trying to wriggle around the stronghold he had on her. She barely noticed that he had lifted her off her feet, sliding her up his wet body. It was like being clamped by a vise.

He gripped her ass, coaxing her legs apart around his hips. Her blood pumped hotly. The feel of his soaked body sliding against hers-No! She would not give in. But in her attempts to get free, she ground her sex against his hard shaft.