Liam shrugged again, but his shoulders remained hunched. There it was—the key. Instead of Liam the strong and protective, he’d withdrawn into himself. He’d talked with her and smiled at her, but his thoughts were far away.
“I have,” he said. “I only override it when necessary.”
“Like tonight.” Kim touched his chest, feeling his heart beating too rapidly beneath her fingers. “And that hurt you?”
“It did, love. That’s why I’m sitting quietly on this bed and leaving your beautiful self alone. My entire body is brutal raw with pain.”
Chapter Eight
Liam hadn’t lied; he hurt like hell.
Kim’s eyes went wide with shock. “But we were dancing half an hour ago.”
“I can hold it off for a long time, especially if the excitement of the kill is high.” He let his gaze drift over her delicious little body. “And dancing with you—let’s just say I wasn’t letting anything stop me from enjoying that.”
She looked worried. “And you’re in pain now?”
“Excruciating.” Agony bloomed behind Liam’s eyes and in every nerve ending, every muscle. His spine felt as if someone had twisted it with a giant pair of pliers. The punishment didn’t even spare his smallest toes.
“Liam, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“A man doesn’t like to admit when he’s hurting. It shames us.”
“Can’t you do anything for it? Would ibuprofen help? I have some in my purse.”
He wanted to laugh. Ibuprofen wouldn’t make a dent. “Nothing to be done but wait it out. Having you sit here with me is nice.”
Kim watched him in concern for a few more moments, then snuggled down against him. Liam smiled as he gathered her close, reflecting on the ironies of life. On the one hand, the pain was driving him crazy. On the other, Kim would likely never have draped herself over him if he hadn’t admitted his suffering.
“What about Sean?” she asked. “Is he in pain too?”
“Probably a little, but he didn’t make the kill. He only cleaned up after.”
Kim smoothed his T-shirt over his abdomen. “Why would you do this to yourself? I mean all Shifters. Live with the possibility of this hurting?”
“We had to.” Liam stopped, talking becoming too much of an effort. The pain would recede, probably by tomorrow morning, but he’d have horror to go through first. It wasn’t so bad this time, maybe because he’d been fighting to protect Kim. He’d acted on instinct when he realized she was in danger, not even worrying about the price he’d pay.
“You make me want to kiss you,” Kim said.
His heart beat faster. “What a sweetheart you are. But I don’t kiss.”
She lifted her head. “What are you talking about? You’ve kissed me plenty today.”
On her hair, her neck. Liam moved as his c**k started to harden with memory, even through his pain. “I don’t kiss like humans do, on the lips. I don’t see the point.”
“You mean Shifters don’t kiss at all?” Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute, I saw a Shifter kiss his wife in the bar. That was his wife, wasn’t it?”
“You mean Jordie? Yes, she was his mate. I didn’t say all Shifters don’t kiss. I said I don’t. When I’m with a Shifter woman we have other things on our minds.”
“You mean you hump her without intimacies? Figures. Tragic that someone who looks as good as you isn’t interested in the woman’s pleasure.”
The pain receded the slightest bit. “What shite are you talking? There’s plenty of pleasure when I’m with a woman. On both sides.”
“Huh. You don’t even take the time to kiss her.”
“Since you’re not a Shifter woman, you wouldn’t understand. It’s fast and furious, no time for much else.”
Kim shook her head, her curls tickling through his shirt. “You have no idea what you’re missing, Liam.”
“I’ve never been with a human.” Liam liked her face close to his, her scent filling his whole body. “You’re right, I don’t know.”
“All right, then. Hold still.”
Kim knelt beside him. Her jeans tightened against her thighs, and her blouse gaped open, giving him a glimpse of soft breast swelling above lace.
Her scent was driving him crazy. Liam had used protective marking before, but he’d never smelled such a heady mixture as he did now—his scent and Kim’s blended in almost equal parts. As though they belonged together.
Kim’s hesitant fingertips brushed his cheek, her caress so different from her forthright manner and sassy speech. “Am I hurting you?”
She was worried about him, the sweetheart. “The pain’s backing off.”
“That’s good.”
She came close, closer. The warmth of her skin, the scent of it, made Liam’s hard-on throb, his lust start to break through the excruciating pain. Kim’s lashes swept down as she touched her mouth to his upper lip.
Something shook in Liam’s core, and the hurting began to lose the battle. Liam moved his lips in response, clumsily catching her mouth with his.
The satin-smooth slide of Kim’s lips took his breath away. He had kissed in human form before, but they’d been quick, affectionate pecks with friends or female members of the family. He’d never experienced the full sensations of a slow, hot kiss, lips moving and exploring. He cupped Kim’s neck, encouraging her to continue, and nearly jumped off the bed when she thrust her tongue into his mouth.
Kim jerked away. “What? Did I hurt you?”
“No.” Liam laced his fingers behind her neck, under her warm hair. “You surprised me, is all. Is that your way of kissing? I like it.”