Just her name. The way he said it was a command. She knew what he wanted, but it took her a few moments to find enough composure to lift her chin and give him her gaze.

Alonzo’s glacier-blue eyes studied her for a long time. The cat was there, pinpoints of fury blazing with blue flame behind the frozen ice. “What’s wrong, Evangeline? This isn’t just a run so I’ll give chase. You’re scared out of your mind.”

She touched the tip of her tongue to her lip. Her breath refused to come from her lungs, remaining stuck in her throat. She looked up at him with absolute despair. “She’s risin’. My female. Tonight she . . .” She trailed off, seeing the dawning comprehension in his eyes. She couldn’t tell him anything but the truth and in this case, he would find out soon enough.

Just saying the words aloud made the situation all too real. She wanted to run as fast as she could back to her beloved swamp and hide like that little child from the big bad leopard on the prowl to consume her. She hadn’t realized her hand had dropped to the door handle until Alonzo very gently reached across her body and placed his hand over hers.

“Take a breath, malyutka, a nice deep one. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. We’ll handle this.”

When he leaned across her in the small confines of the car, his body pushed against hers. Her breasts were soft against his back, pressed deep, an intimate connection she was instantly aware of. She had the mad desire to circle his waist with her arms and just hold on to all that solid muscle. He was a rock when her world felt built on sand.

His voice mesmerized her. She was so susceptible to the deep, low tones. His voice appealed to her in a way nothing else ever had. He was so calm. So quiet. So like the swamp. Danger swirled around him, but he could be counted on. He smelled wild and dangerous, a feral predator in the civilized trappings of a very expensive suit.

She instantly wanted him. Instantly. Her entire body felt hot and needy. Her breasts ached and pushed hard against the solid rock of his back. Her breath refused to come other than in short, ragged pants. She felt her female close, trying to comfort her when she was so out of control, something completely foreign to Evangeline’s nature.

“Breathe, devochka moya.”

Evangeline did what he said, reaching for air, needing it. She drew him into her lungs, all that wild. All that danger. But she could breathe again. The panic was still there, but it receded enough that she could nod to him that she was all right. He lifted his hand from hers and took away the heat of his body as he straightened.