Soul Bonded Read Free Page B

that Rafe meant her any harm. So far he had been polite and respectful, and he was clearly trying to keep his distance—even if to an unsettling extent. If not for the guilt in his eyes and the downright disturbing flashes of what might have happened while she was unconscious, she would have no reason to see him as anything other than a hero. But it was obvious that something was off. He seemed overly anxious for her to go, as though he couldn’t stand being around her. Somehow she felt like both an intruder and a prisoner—unwelcome but stuck in his house, unable to leave.
    Yet despite all that, her body stirred as she thought about him. Dark-haired with a couple days worth of scruff covering his chiseled face and a leanly muscled body, he was her fantasy man come to life. And those eyes…Katie whimpered as her inner muscles clenched, sending a ripple of pleasure down to the tips of her toes.
    For a moment she sat stunned. Then she slowly eased her hand beneath the waistband of her sweats and sought out her labia with tentative fingers. Slick wetness coated her trimmed hairs, her inner thighs, her almost unbearably sensitive folds. She’d never felt anything like it. Gasping, she tore her hand out of her pants and wiped her fingers hastily on the sheets.
    This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t her .
    Had he slipped her some kind of drug? Taken advantage of her when she was unconscious? Even if she had vague memories of wanting it, she hadn’t been in any condition to consent. Had he done something to put her in this state so that if she remembered what he’d done, she would think it was her idea?
    Katie closed her eyes and fought to recall the details of her rescue. She’d been so out of it mentally that she’d thought Rafe’s appearance was a dream or even a dying vision—being taken out of the car, carried through the cold, then eventually warmed in his embrace. But it hadn’t been a dream. At least not all of it. That something had happened between them was obvious.  
    She wasn’t sure how to stay in Rafe’s house without knowing what it was.

CHAPTER FOUR

    Rafe knocked on the door again some time later, startling Katie upright in bed. She’d only meant to rest for a minute, not wanting to be vulnerable when her host returned, but Shilah had put his head on her belly as soon as she’d lain down and she’d lost track of time petting him. Now Shilah grumbled as she shot ramrod straight against the headboard before calling out, “Come in.”
    The door opened and Rafe walked inside without glancing in her direction. He carried a bowl, a piece of crusty bread, and a glass of water. Clearly in a rush, he set the food on the nightstand and backed away. “I hope you like chicken soup.”
    The savory aroma hit her in the face and made her mouth water. Any concern she might have had about being drugged disappeared at the prospect of filling her stomach. She snatched up the bowl, then gave him a sheepish nod. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
    “You can have more if you’d like.” For the first time, a trace of humor crept into Rafe’s voice. “But you should probably take it easy. Your stomach needs to acclimate to having food inside it again.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” Katie said as she shoveled a spoonful into her mouth. She moaned, undone by the warmth and flavor of the broth, not to mention the promise of sustenance. Never again would she take food for granted. Ever. “Oh…this is so good.”
    She looked up and Rafe quickly averted his gaze from her chest. Swallowing, he rasped, “I’m glad.”
    Though he’d traded the snug jeans he’d worn earlier for a pair of loose sweatpants, Rafe’s arousal remained obvious. She tried not to stare. Had he been excited this whole time, or was he reacting to her unselfconscious enjoyment of her lunch? Either way, she vacillated between being frightened, embarrassed, and pleased by the evidence of his desire. The longer he went without trying to initiate