She didn’t know what to do so she held very still. His voice could mesmerize her. The drawling sound of him could send flames racing through her body. That had never happened and truly, he had to be nearly as lethal as she was when it came to seduction.
Wyatt leaned close. When we’re away from polite, civilized company, I have no problem with anythin’ you might want to do or practice. I’m a willin’ participant in all your exercises.
He made her want to laugh even at the worst of moments. She didn’t know whether to believe that these men would include her in their camaraderie. She’d spent over ten years with several of the same teachers and guards and none of them had ever teased her or made her feel as if she was part of something.
Don’ you cry. You’ll break my heart, little darlin’. I’m serious here, woman. Blink until they go away. Ezekiel and Malichai want to help. We’re a team. We can do this together, just the way we’re goin’ to raise those three little girls together.
How could she not cry? They didn’t know her and yet they seemed so willing to accept her.
Malichai can’ be too enamored, either that or you’re losin’ your touch. He’s shovelin’ food in faster than Grand-mere can make it.
She knew he was trying to save her, to make her laugh. His hand slid over hers, pressing harder. He leaned toward her, his lips against her ear, although he spoke telepathically, not aloud.
You’ve got this, Pepper. We’re in it together. Just relax and go with the flow. I’ll deal with it. They’ll deal with it. If you cry, I’m goin’ to pick you up and carry you back to bed. That will get us both in trouble eventually.
She’d never had anyone care whether or not she cried. She could feel his distress. It rolled off of him in waves. He detested that she was upset. She knew Wyatt Fontenot was a danger to her in ways she’d never even considered. Her heart could be in jeopardy and that was unacceptable – wasn’t it?
Pepper glanced at Nonny. She didn’t know anyone else she might be able to talk to about things she didn’t understand. She was highly educated, but in this situation, she was educated in all the wrong things.
Wyatt threaded his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his mouth. The warmth of his breath sent a shudder through her body. He actually drove pain back for a moment with that simple movement. She was beginning to think he was the one trained in seduction.
She nodded her head. I’m all right, but fading fast. Let’s keep going. She needed the distraction. Not from the pain, but from his presence. She’d never been in a setting like this one. She could feel the camaraderie surrounding her – the good will in the room. All three men and Nonny helped with Ginger’s food, cutting it into small pieces and feeding her with a small spoon, almost without thinking.
Their kindness to the child was automatic. Several times Ezekiel brought a glass of warm milk to Ginger’s lips and held it for her, talking quietly to her, encouraging her in learning to drink from a cup rather than a bottle. Wyatt reached out with a napkin and just as gently wiped her lips free of her milk mustache.
The sight of these men, so big and rough, being so caring and gentle to a baby – one that hadn’t known any love or consideration other than from her – melted Pepper’s heart. She wanted to draw her knees up and just watch them all. It was better than any movie she’d ever seen, which wasn’t difficult. She’d only seen training films, including techniques on sex. None were about family or caring or love. She didn’t know a thing about those topics, but she knew she was witnessing it right there.
Wyatt brought Pepper’s hand to his mouth again, biting gently on the tips of her fingers to distract her from her thoughts. He could feel her confusion and knew tears were burning close. He had no real idea why it upset him so much that she felt the need to cry, that she didn’t understand that all of them were flawed in some way. It wasn’t only Pepper. She had to get over the notion that she wasn’t as good as they were.
“Pepper, were they givin’ you other venom as well?” Wyatt asked, keeping her knuckles against his mouth. “From various other snakes?”
She nodded. “I’m capable of killing just the way the children are, which is why the cobra venom doesn’t affect me. The idea was to seduce the male and inject the snake venom and leave. No one would ever suspect I had anything to do with the death.”
Wyatt ignored the fact that Ezekiel and Malichai both looked up from their dinner and then exchanged a long glance with each other. Pepper had obviously made an effort to tamp down the seductive quality of her voice, but it was almost physically impossible to do. Her voice was her own. When she spoke aloud, everything she said sounded like an invitation to hot sex.
“That doesn’t make sense, Pepper,” Wyatt said. “You can’t possibly have been in vitro with a cocktail of snake.”
“In vitro has been around since the first test tube baby was born in the late 1970s,” Pepper pointed out.