“You don’t at first,” he said. “That’s something I have to prove to you. But I’m asking for you to give me a chance to prove it to you.”

She kept her eyes on his. “You didn’t answer my question, Eli. What if my leopard chooses you and I don’t? What happens?”

He was silent for a long time. She didn’t think he’d answer her. His thumb slid over her lips and then down to her chin. Featherlight. She felt his touch all the way to her most feminine core. Her body trembled, but more to the point, she felt the sudden damp heat between her legs. She bit at her lower lip and then sharply inhaled when his gaze settled there. Just the small act of breathing lifted her breasts beneath his flannel shirt and she became acutely aware she wore nothing beneath it. What had possessed her to be so stupid?

He was close. So close she felt heat radiating off of him. She felt every breath he took. She felt his hunger. It was so close to the surface, and it was there in the glittering gold of his eyes. Intense. Powerful. Very focused on her. She had only to take one small step and she’d be in his arms. She wanted to be in his arms and that was just humiliating.

He had all the experience and she had none. Sex could be another way to control her. What if he interrogated her while they were having sex? She’d probably tell him everything. She’d never be any kind of a spy, that was for certain.

Abruptly Eli stepped back away from her, raking his fingers through his hair. “Woman, you have to stop thinking so much. Your face is an open book. I get that I fucked up and I’m doing my best to make up for that, but it hurts like hell when you look at me that way. I’m going to take my shower and you put together breakfast. That will give us both a little time away from each other.”

She nodded. Grateful and disappointed at the same time. Which again, was crazy and totally humiliating. She didn’t seem to have any self-control around him.

“As for your question, I don’t honestly have an answer to that. I don’t, Cat. I hadn’t even considered that a woman might not want the same man her leopard wants because as a rule, they’re mates. The humans are and so are the leopards.”

“So it’s possible I could still leave if my leopard accepted yours,” she persisted. She needed to know. She had to know she had a choice.