s hair, his scent distracting her. Clean. Male. Good.
This close it was impossible to resist him. She ran a hand through his thick hair, pushing his head—playful. Her wolf loved these simple exchanges. It gave her a chance to be close to him, to touch him, and breathe him deep without suspicion.
He turned on his stool, putting them face-to-face.
She stepped forward, wedging herself between his legs before she could stop herself. He reacted as he always did when she ventured outside his comfort level. With his green eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched so tightly she wondered the bone didn’t splinter. “Some answers can’t be found in books, Hollis. Is it truly so hard to accept I was right?”
One copper brow arched. “You think this is about you being right?”
“Yes.” She chuckled. “Because it means you were wrong.”
He shook his head, stiffening as she placed her hands on his shoulders.
Her gaze searched his, wishing their wolves could communicate. It would be easier between them. She teased him because she liked him. On second thought, maybe it was better their wolves couldn’t communicate. If they did, he’d know her wolf liked him far more than she should.
Chapter Seven
Hollis’s world was upside down. After years of living carefully, deliberately, he was treading water. While he’d yet to irrefutably determine the cause, there had been a fundamental shift in…everything. One thing he knew: Ellen was at the center of it. What started as playful teasing was now seriously messing with his head, his body, and his self-control.
She’d poked and prodded until his frustration made him snap. It was a power play for her, something she seemed to need. When he snapped, she responded. Her smile, an authentic smile, was a rarity. And something he’d begun to look forward to. How or when this had begun to alleviate his anxiety, he didn’t know. But it did. Or it had. Until the shower, until he could no longer deny he wanted more than just her companionship. And while he still enjoyed her smiles—he was having a harder time with her teasing.
Every bit of him was acutely aware of her. Inescapably so. She was driving him crazy. The confusing part was how much he liked it.
The teasing and touching, the long stares and brush of her body against him. His body reacted. Hard, throbbing, and needing release. A man could only take so many cold showers before they stopped being effective. And if she kept playing with him like this, it was only a matter of time before she saw just how much he was reacting to her.
What would she do then? Would she still tease and laugh? Part of him didn’t want to know.
Now, with that gleam in her eyes and the lopsided grin on her full lips, he was caught in her spell. He breathed in, drawing her scent in, and putting his dick at full attention. Damn, but he was doing his best not to stare at her.
And having no success at all.
Her eyes, one green and one blue, held him captive. Mesmerizing. To him, she was quite possibly the most fascinating creature he’d ever met. Of course, her array of tight tank tops and low-slung black utility pants revealed the curves and dips of her incredible body. And that fact that she never, ever, wore a bra. Her nipples pressed tight against the thin knit, begging for attention. Like now. Tempting him. Driving home just how little control he had over his own body.
But he couldn’t ignore the never-ending map of scars that covered most of her body. Flaunting her survivor status, defiantly refusing to be a victim. To him, her scars and her strength defined and enhanced her beauty. And reminded him she’d been through enough. He didn’t want to add any scars, internal or otherwise.
She would laugh at that. Him? Being able to hurt her? She’d find that hilarious.
A small smile crossed her lips. “You think too much,” she whispered, her fingers sliding through his hair.
“So I’ve heard.” He swallowed.
She sighed. “Well, tell me, Hollis, have you made any new discoveries since I fell asleep?”
He shook his head.
“No.” She laughed. “Of course not. I feel certain you could recite every word and note in that file without prompt.” She yawned, stretching her arms behind her and pulling her shirt taut. “Aren’t you tired? Craving a fluffy bed, soft sheets, and warm blankets to burrow under?”
At the moment, the last thing he was feeling was tired. He was headed to a cold shower. Possibly a frigging ice bath if she didn’t give him a rest. The tight tips of her breasts strained against her shirt. Making his pants unbearably tight. He cleared his throat and shrugged. He would have gone to bed two hours ago, but she’d fallen asleep. And he couldn’t leave her alone.
For all her bravado, he knew she didn’t sleep well. Waking her up had become one of his many responsibilities. He didn’t mind. If he could pull her out of whatever hell waited for her when she drifted off to sleep, he would. Besides, he liked being close to her. He’d stopped asking himself why since none of the answers made sense. “I wanted to review it again,” he mumbled. “Sometimes the eye needs distance to see something new.”
She glanced at the file, reaching forward so that her breast brushed against his shoulder. Her scent slammed into him and stole his focus. His baser instincts had never interfered with his work and focus before. Now, his baser instincts were constantly on the verge of taking control. And it pissed him off.
“To my unscientifically trained eye, they look well. Jessa is growing stronger. And Diana, pink and round.” She sighed. “Does your learned opinion differ? Baby Diana and Jessa are doing well, are they not? No need to worry there, so what are you looking for?”
She was right. After the weeks they’d spent poring over the data prior to Jessa’s delivery, it was nice to know Jessa and the baby were no longer in harm’s way. As long as the Others weren’t part of the equation. “Her bloodwork is perfectly normal now. The increased hormones and enzymes of her pregnancy are gone—along with the altered proteins brought on by Diana’s chromosomal deviations.”
“Deviation?” she asked, grinning. If she’d move one step back, he could turn around, put space between them. She didn’t. “Is it truly impossible for you to accept how special Finn’s children are, Hollis? First Oscar. Now Diana. They will be as strong as their father—possibly stronger. If Mal would breed Olivia, I have no doubt her pregnancy would be easy and the child just as strong and healthy as Finn’s.”