Free What a Demon Wants by Kathy Love Page B

his shoulder.
    “I hope you like Cajun.”
    Ellina nodded, still bemused by the sight of this huge guy, a paid bodyguard, doing something as domestic as cooking.
    “I love it,” she said.
    He turned back to the sizzling pan. Ellina watched him a moment longer, then snapped out of her amazement to ask, “Can I help? I should warn you, I’m a disaster in the kitchen, but I could probably chop or stir something.”
    He immediately shook his head. “I’m fine here. I opened some wine.”
    He gestured to the counter. A bottle of Riesling sat on the counter with two wineglasses already waiting.
    “Pour yourself a glass and go relax. I’ve got things under control here.”
    Something about the way he said the last bit, tightly, as if he had his teeth gritted together, caught her attention, but when he gestured again to the wine, she couldn’t see anything in his expression to back that impression. He looked utterly composed.
    She glanced at the wine. “That does sound good.”
    She poured herself a glass, then raised the other one toward him. “Want some?”
    Jude nodded, his eyes staying on her for just a moment before he turned back to his cooking. This time, Ellina did see a change in his expression. A sort of longing.
    And she wasn’t sure it was for the wine.

    She poured him a glass, then crossed the tiny space to place it on the counter next to him.
    “Here you go.”
    He reached for the glass, their fingers touching for just a fraction of a second, a mere brush of skin, barely there. But totally there.
    So totally there. She could feel the tiny contact throughout her body. She could feel the budding of arousal simmering up in her belly, spreading. But before she could pull away, afraid of her body’s reaction, he snatched his hand away, sloshing wine on himself in the process. He shifted away from her as much as the confining quarters would allow.
    He didn’t like her touch.
    She’d sensed that before, but now it was almost ridiculously apparent.
    She stepped back too, forcing a smile. “Thanks for all this.” She waved a hand at the stove and the wineglass clenched in her other hand.
    He nodded, this time not quite meeting her eyes.
    She nodded too as she exited the stifling small kitchen.
    As she walked almost aimlessly toward the living room, she wondered what it was about her touch that bothered him so. And why it upset her so much that he was bothered.
    She should feel relief. It wasn’t like touching was an option for her. Not really.

Chapter 7
    Jude took a deep breath as soon as Ellina left the kitchen. Then he took a gulp of his wine, nearly emptying his glass.
    How could her touch affect him so? And why couldn’t the reaction be like the one he had to every other paranormal creature? Wow, he never thought he’d wish for that. Why was it different? Why did he want more of it? Even now he craved her fingers moving against his skin.
    He polished off the rest of his wine, then moved to refill the glass. The wine wouldn’t impact his senses, at least not his reaction time to intruders or other threats, but he prayed it would calm him a little. His body tightened with hypersensitivity. His skin sizzled with awareness, ready to explode.
    He downed that glass, then pulled in another deep breath.
    Control. Control.
    He turned his attention back to his cooking. The chicken was nearly done. And the rice and beans simmered nicely. He breathed in again. The wine did seem to be helping. He turned to the rather peaked-looking lettuce he’d found in the fridge, wondering if he could salvage enough for a salad.
    See, he could focus, he told himself as he put the lettuce in a bowl and filled it with cold water. He then moved back to the stove to turn the chicken one last time before lowering the heat.
    “Sorry.”
    At the sound of the voice directly behind him, Jude spun, jutting the spatula out in front of him like a weapon.
    Ellina jumped back, gaping first at him, then the spatula, then back to him.
    He