“It’s strong. Very strong.” She frowned and lifted her gaze to his.

He caught his breath at what he saw there. Hunger glittered in the deep blue of her eyes. Speculation.

“I know because I’m looking at you and suddenly wondering what it would be like to have you touching me,” she continued honestly. “And I despise you. I don’t trust you. I don’t want anything at all to do with you. But I’m still wondering.”

She had always been honest, or tried to. That was one of the things he admired in her. She’d been frank about what was going on with her when she hadn’t been able to share much else of her life. He swept his hand over her hair. “I know, baby. It can be like that. Just breathe. She’ll calm down and you’ll be able to sleep.”

She slipped into the bed.

“Lay on your tummy, Kitten.”

“I don’t like you calling me that.”

She sounded so hurt his heart ached. “I know. You don’t have a defense when I do, but I’m not going to stop. I know you think none of it was real between us, but you’re wrong about that too. I don’t blame you for not believing me, but that doesn’t make my feelings for you any less true, or any less strong.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

“Just lay on your tummy for me.” He pushed a little more command into his voice. His hands went to her shoulders, urging her to turn over.

Catarina was too tired to fight him, too stressed and the leopard inside her too close. She was terrified of the monster getting out of her, but now, with the burning between her legs and the heat rushing through her body, she feared she might throw herself at this man she didn’t know or like and she would never, ever, get over that humiliation.

She lay on her belly, her hands under her face, her eyes closed, shutting him out. He was a lot to shut out. He took up space. A lot of space. And he wasn’t any less gorgeous. She thought if you didn’t like someone they became ugly to you, but that hadn’t happened with Ridley—Eli—whatever.