His voice was rough. Edgy. Harsh even. There was no hint of softness, or gentle or tender. She found herself facing the savage nature of the leopard. They stared at each other, and Siena refused to back down.

She lifted her chin in defiance, her hand coming up to cover her belly protectively. His gaze fastened on her chin and his eyes went darker. Sexy. All male. Uh-oh. She’d, without saying a word, made things worse. She knew that just by his eyes, and when he put down the frying pan and stalked across the room toward her.

9

SIENA didn’t break eye contact. Her heart beat wildly as Elijah prowled across the room in utter silence. He didn’t make a single sound. She could hear her own heart pounding and the roar of blood in her ears as he approached. He could intimidate from across the room, but up close, he was terrifying. She held her breath when, for a moment, he towered over her.

Abruptly he crouched low, catching her chin in his hand. “You. Do. Not. Ever. Look at me like that. I’m not Paolo. I would never hurt you. My leopard would never hurt you.”

His fingers tightened on her chin and he bent his head until his mouth was inches from hers. “What I might do, you keep defying me like this, is tie you to my bed and fuck your brains out until you cry for mercy and beg me to put a ring on your finger. I’m not above doing that. Using sex to get my way. And baby, fair warning, I’m damned good at sex. I can get very creative. So you think to run from me and take away my woman because things get a little dicey, think again.”

She sucked in her breath, mostly because she wanted to see how truly creative he could be and that meant continuing to defy him, and truthfully, he scared the crap out of her when he was looking so lethal.

Elijah’s mouth brushed hers and just that light touch sent a jarring bolt of lightning straight to her core. His eyes didn’t close. Neither did hers. They stared at each other, his gaze so intense she felt her resistance was melting.

Siena shook her head to try to break his mesmerizing spell. “You can’t order me to stay with you, Elijah. I need to figure this out. I’m not just making decisions for me, but for my baby as well.”

His eyes glittered ominously, and her heart sank. Definitely a mistake. A really, really bad mistake.