Tanner was waiting for me, standing at the door and jumping up and down with excitement. “Did you freaking see that? He’s a cat. A cat! With fur and everything.”

“I saw.” I slipped past him.

“Did he purr? Tell me he purred.”

“No.” Where was Rome ’s bag? My gaze scoped the small cabin.

“Think of the fun we can have with this.” Tanner tangled his hand through his hair. “My God, the jokes are already rolling through my mind. What’s the difference between a cat and a frog?” He didn’t wait for my reply. “A cat has nine lives but a frog croaks every day.”

“That’s not funny.” Finally I spied the edge of black vinyl peeking from the side of the bed, and strode to it.

“What do cats eat for breakfast? Mice krispies.”

My lips twitched. “Better.” Hunched over, I dug through the bag. Not a single piece of clothing offered any type of color. They were all black. “You better not crack these jokes in front of Rome. He’s kind of sensitive.”

“I felt his hesitation, remember? He needs to get over it, and joking about it is the best way to help him do that.”

“You want to be eaten?” I withdrew a T-shirt and pants. I didn’t bother with shoes. Those had fallen off during the change, but they hadn’t been damaged. “You weren’t close enough to see how sharp his teeth are.”

“ Rome wouldn’t hurt me. He’s all bark and no bite. Wait. He’s all purr and no bite. Damn.” Tanner laughed. “They just keep coming. I’m unstoppable. I’m the Joker. Hey!” His eyes widened, and he clapped his hand on his thigh. “That can be my superhero name. The Sensitive Joker.”

I snorted. “Except you’re so not sensitive.”

“I am, too. I’m sensitive to other people’s feelings.”

“I think your new name needs to be the Amazing Ass.”

He grinned in agreement. “I do have a cute ass, don’t I?”

God, I loved this kid. I straightened and tucked Rome ’s clothes under my arm. “Why don’t you fix lunch or something? It’s time, right? Breakfast was, like, hours ago. I’m starved.”

He arched a brow, the one that was pierced, and the silver rings winked in the light. “Or we could make out before you take Rome those clothes.”

I slapped his shoulder, but I was having a hard time maintaining a stern expression. “How have I not fried you up like battered shrimp?”

“You’d be lost without me, and you know it. I can feel the love. Don’t try to deny it.”

I flipped him off and strode outside. His laughter followed me. Instantly, heat wrapped me in its sticky claws. Rome was standing in the exact place I’d left him. His arms were at his sides, and he made absolutely no effort to cover himself.

He was smiling, daring me to look. Responding to the challenge, I did. I looked. Finally. I’d wanted to all along, anyway. I stopped a few feet away from him and allowed my gaze to linger. My mouth watered, and as I’d feared, my blood heated. He was, without a doubt, a prime specimen.

“One day you’ll have to return the favor,” he said huskily.

Stand naked in front of Rome, in front of such perfection when I was far from perfect? “I don’t think so.”

“You will.”

“Maybe,” I hedged.

“Definitely.” The long, hard length of his penis twitched.

“Almost definitely.” I tossed him the clothes.

As he deftly caught the garments, there was a tenderness to his expression that hadn’t been there before. I mentally applauded myself for noticing. It was quite a feat, considering that his manly assets held me in thrall.

I gave him absolutely no privacy as he dressed, starting with the pants he worked over his strong thighs and hips. I’d already looked, so there was no going back now. I didn’t really want to go back. I just wanted this man. Oh, how my skin tingled, heated.

“When this is over-” I said, then caught myself and pressed my lips together. Don’t go there, Jamison. All the heat died.

He was in the process of jerking the shirt over his head, but he stilled. His fingers poised over his chest, at the hem of the shirt. His tanned, rock-hard abs remained visible. “What?” he demanded. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing. Hurry up, and we’ll start practicing.”

With a final flick, he had the shirt in place, had his delicious body covered. I felt a twinge of loss. What kind of idiot was I to insist such a delectable morsel cover himself? He closed the distance between us, grabbed my hand and escorted me out of the view of the cabin. When we stopped, he faced me and tipped my chin with a hot fingertip.

Our gazes locked. “What were you going to say, Belle?”

I gulped. What if he didn’t want to see me when this was over? Yes, he was attracted to me now. And yes, he seemed to like me. A lot. But he could be one of those guys who abhorred all mention of a future. After Lexis… He could be one of those guys who freaked out at the first mention of the dreaded R word. Relationship. As if the word were synonymous with hell and evil.

“Nothing,” I insisted. My jaw clenched stubbornly.

“Then I’ll take a few guesses. When this is over do I want to sleep with you? Yes. When this is over do I want to see you again? Yes. When this is over do I want you to spend some time with my daughter? Yes. When this is over do I want to smear you in chocolate syrup and lick it off? Yes.” He paused. “Did one of those cover your question?”

I nodded, unable to speak past the sudden lump in my throat. He really did want to see me again. Tendrils of happiness slithered through me, making me grin like a loon.

Expression fierce, he tangled his hands into my hair. “You fascinate me, but I’ve told you that, right? I’ve wanted you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, and the want has only grown.”

My jaw fell open in wonder.

He took that as an invitation.

His lips swooped to mine. His tongue immediately thrust inside, and that addicting flavor of feral man consumed me. He released my hair, cupped my chin and tilted my head, angling me for deeper contact. I moaned in ecstasy. My hands rained down his roped chest, wishing like hell the shirt would suddenly disappear. I wanted skin on skin. Man on woman.

I wanted the animal in him unleashed.

But damn it all to hell, I was already heating again, and the consequences could be deadly. I jerked my lips away, panting, “We shouldn’t. I could cause a fire.”

“Give your emotions to me.” Dark arousal pulled his features taut. His voice was a honeyed purr. “Give your passion and fire to me.”

My teeth sank into my bottom lip. “What if you’re hurt? Tanner’s not here to tell me when it’s too much.”

“Give me.”

Rome crushed his mouth to mine. I was helpless to resist. As I licked him, sucked him, bit him, he hauled me against him, lifting me high, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The hard length of his erection pressed against me, somehow bigger, somehow hotter. Pleasure speared me right where I needed it most. I trembled; I burned. I tried to hold the fire inside me. My blood boiled; my skin pricked with red-hot heat.

If I wasn’t careful, the raging inferno inside me would burst free, consuming the forest. Consuming Rome. I didn’t want to hurt Rome. I didn’t want to scare him away, make him determined never to kiss or touch me again.

“I’ve never been so desperate for a woman in my life. Give me your fire, Belle. I’ll control it.”

“How can you be sure?”

Through our clothing, he rubbed his penis against my clitoris. Friction. Desire. Absolute pleasure. I gasped at the heady sensations. He sucked my tongue, hard. “Give it to me.”

“No.” I couldn’t stop moving. I arched against him, the action utterly necessary for my peace of mind, but dangerous. So dangerous. The fire inside me speared all the hotter, threatening to devour. I grasped at it, trying, trying, trying so hard to hold it inside me.

“Give.” Bite.

“No.” Nibble. “What if you’re wrong? What if you can’t control it?”