“Don’t want it and don’t need it,” he said, the sides of his thighs bracketing hers, giving her a feeling of being trapped. The look on his face and the tone of his voice were all the more frightening for the lack of feeling in them.

She couldn’t reach him. This was something new, something scary, and she didn’t know what to do. So she grasped the sides of his shoulders and leaned in to press a kiss to his nose, just like her dad had always done for her when she’d felt lost.

Wolfe sucked in a breath, his eyes narrowing and finally focusing on her. He was back. Temptation lurked there and something darker . . . something deeper. A glint—raw and male—zeroing in on just her. All of her.

Words died in her throat. She couldn’t move, held in place by that look and his hard body.

His gaze dropped to her breasts.

Honest to God, they started to tingle. She still couldn’t breathe, and her adrenaline was flowing as if she’d run ten miles being chased by a grizzly bear.

His hands, rough and calloused, warm and firm, slid up her arms.

This was wrong. Not fair. He’d been in a bad place, he’d been vulnerable, and she would be taking advantage if she let this go where it was headed. Well, where she kind of hoped it was headed. She couldn’t do that to him. So she started to step back.

And was shocked when his thighs clamped against hers, easily holding her in place. His hands slid to her wrists and tugged her down, flattening her palms on his incredibly hard legs, partially bending her toward him. “Wh-what are you doing?” she whispered.

For answer, his gaze lifted to her lips and then her eyes. His hands flattened over hers and slid them up his thighs. “You are not listening to me, Dana.”

“I think you’re wrong,” she said quietly, keeping her balance while she bent toward him. “You do need comfort, and sitting here all day staring at these pictures is not good for you. I might not be a shrink, but even I know that much about the demons that haunt people.”

“You have no idea.”

“Oh yeah?” There was no denying the attraction she felt toward him, and she was tired of trying. She leaned closer, gratified by the way his eyelids lowered to hide his surprise. Oh, she could read him, whether he liked it or not. “I’m tired of the friend zone, Wolfe. I’m breaking the caution tape.” As she said the words, they felt right. Finally.

His shoulder jerked. “Excuse me?”

“I want you.” There was no reason to lie, considering she was having trouble breathing and her hardened nipples were clearly outlined beneath her shirt.