“I can sleep someplace else. You shouldn’t have to give up your bed yet again for me.”
The thought of her sleeping in someone else’s bed nearly sent him into a rage. His sheets would cover her. His scent would linger on her skin. No one else’s. Even if he couldn’t put it there personally.
“You’ll sleep here,” he commanded before turning to stalk away.
“Wait,” she called and grabbed his wrist. The sensation of her touch made him gasp and she immediately—to his dismay—let go. “Look, I, ah…I just wanted to say thank you. For earlier.”
“For what? For not checking your house, for not taking basic precautions before I let you go back? For almost getting you killed? Or for nearly killing you myself?”
Her lips tightened for a moment. “For agreeing to train me. For being willing to teach me what I need to know to survive.”
“Yeah, I’m doing a real bang-up job there. Damned near as good as your father, huh?”
“Gideon!” She reached out to touch him, only to pull back at the last minute when he stiffened once more. He snorted in self-disgust, furious with both of them now, and turned to walk away once more.
“Damn it! Stop!”
Gideon halted in his tracks once again, torturing himself with the hope that she might touch him, just one more time. He slowly turned to face her.
“I just don’t like the whole last-woman-on-earth thing, you know?”
Frowning, he shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.
She looked as if she’d like to find a hole to crawl into. “You’ve saved me—”
Now he did snort derisively. “I didn’t save you. I nearly killed you. Mikhail saved you.”
“Oh, will you shut up!” Clearly frustrated, she raked her hands through her hair. “You have saved me, before. That night at the club? From those three demons? And if Niklas and Mikhail hadn’t shown up at my place, I truly believe you would have calmed down and changed back. You were so close already, before they came.” He made a sound of disbelief, but she ignored him and trudged on. “I just wanted to let you know that I understand, and I won’t push.”
It was her turn to walk away. But he caught the glint of perceived rejection, the sad frown, and his hand shot out of its own volition. He grabbed her.
“You understand what exactly?”
“Oh God, why are you making me say this!” Maggie was angry now. She made a fist of her hand and gave it a good tug, but she couldn’t break his hold. “I get it, all right. You’re not interested, now that the shock and the heat of the moment have had time to wear off. Believe me, I’m not all that hot to be swept off my feet just because I’m the last girl standing, so to speak. I mean, how flattering is that?” She lowered her voice to mimic him. She even affected a mocking southern drawl. “‘Hey, darlin’, you’re the only girl I’ve been able to touch since before the time of the dinosaur. Wanna get lucky?’”
“You think I’m older than dinosaurs?”
“Compared to me, you’re a fossil,” she said. A spark of anger flickered in her beautiful eyes. Anger and unmistakable hurt. “You know, just once, I’d like to factor. Me. Just for myself. Just once I’d like to actually be important to someone. Not because my job and my reputation would complement someone’s idea of what they believe their life should be like.
“And not because of who my father was. Not because of my bloodlines or some stupid visions I might or might not have. Not because of some damned destiny that sucks, by the way. I mean, come on. Boil it all down, and look what I’ve got. I’ve basically been relegated to be a brood mare for some demon bent on conquering the world. Oh, please, sign me up,” she snapped.
Shaking her head, she turned to walk away, apparently forgetting he was still in possession of her wrist. He jerked her back. She collided with his chest and gasped aloud.
“Is that what you think?” he demanded, incredulous. “That I see you like that, and nothing more? Or that I’m only interested in you because I can touch someone now?”
“It’s what I know.”
“Then you don’t know a damned thing.”