"I'm not letting you shut me out, Kristen, so get used to it."

"I don't have to get used to anything. There is nothing between us."

"Our cats have other ideas, little leopard."

"Don't call me that. I hate it."

She stormed into the house when he finally let her open the door. She couldn't slam it in his face, but she could damn well slam her bedroom door and she did. It didn't give her any satisfaction when he just opened it and leaned against the doorway as if nothing was wrong.

"I like the sound of it. It fits you though I would have thought you a tiger by the way you act."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're feisty and turn on someone faster than a leopard would. I think that's what intrigues me more than anything. How fast you go from curiosity to full-out rage and back to a cool calm. I never know what to expect and it's exciting as hell to wait and see what you'll throw at me."

She couldn't think of a retort. He caught her off guard. Legs shaking, she ran her hands through her sweaty hair. After looking once more at him, she resigned herself to sharing the bathtub again. He'd just join her once she got in anyway.

"I need a bath. Since I know you'll ignore me if I tell you to keep out, make yourself useful and run the water. I'll get something for us to drink."

She stomped off and went in search of beer, cheese and crackers. It would satisfy her until she cooked. Changing always made her hungry, starving in fact.

"Need some help?"

His mouth dipped down to softly touch her lips with his. He placed soft kisses against her lips, butterfly kisses that made her shiver and ache to reach up and grab his hair. She wanted to pull him down against her, but she balled her hands into fists under the sudsy water and just let him kiss her like a china doll.

The feel of his lips so light and delicate against the corner of her mouth and then the corners of her eyes drew a whimper from deep inside. Kristen wanted to curse the weakness washing over her in slow thick waves. His mouth moved to her temple.

Heat reached out from his body to hers and though he didn't touch her anywhere with any part of his body other than his lips, she wanted him to.

Dear God, she wanted him to touch her all over.