16. Zara

16

ZARA

T he shrill ring of my cell phone cuts through the quiet cabin, making me jump. I fumble for it on the coffee table, my heart racing as I glance toward the bathroom door. Aksel is still in the shower, the sound of running water barely audible over the pounding in my ears.

I swallow hard as I see the caller ID. It's my boss at the research lab back in Minnesota. Guilt twists my gut as I accept the call.

"Hi, David," I say, trying to keep my voice even and professional.

"Zara! How's the research trip going so far?" His tone is light, but I can detect the slightest hint of impatience.

I glance toward the bathroom again, picturing Aksel's naked form behind that thin door.

"Well, the storm when I first arrived really set me back," I say carefully. It's not a lie, but it's far from the whole truth. "I just got a chance to set up my equipment and take some initial readings a few days ago."

There's a pause on the other end of the line, and I can hear the impatience in David's voice when he speaks again. "I see. And when can we expect your first report?"

My free hand clenches into a fist in my lap. "I'll try to have something for you by the end of the week. But the internet connection here is spotty, so I may have trouble uploading it immediately."

Another pause, longer this time. When David responds, his tone has taken on a distinctly disapproving edge. "You know how important this research is, Zara. I expected more from you."

The words sting, and I bite my cheek to avoid snapping at him. He has no idea what I've been through these past few days. No idea of the mind-bending, life-altering things I've experienced.

"I understand," I say, keeping my voice casual. "I'll do my best to get you that report as soon as possible."

There's a heavy sigh on the other end. "Fine. Just don't let me down, okay?"

The line goes dead before I can respond. I slowly lower the phone, staring at it in my hand as a mix of shame and defiance swirls inside me.

Don't let me down.

The words echo in my mind, and I can't help but let out a bitter laugh. If only David knew the half of it. If only he had any idea what I've already let myself in for here.

The bathroom door opens with a creak, and I look up to see Aksel emerging, a towel slung low around his hips. His skin is still glistening with water droplets, and my mouth goes dry at the sight of his chiseled torso.

He raises an eyebrow at me, clearly having heard my laugh. "Something funny, littlefugl?"

I open my mouth but can't find the words because nothing about this situation suddenly seems remotely funny anymore. "It was my boss from the research lab back in Minnesota."

His eyebrow arches and I feel a shiver run through me at the silent challenge in his expression. As if he's daring me to explain myself further.

I let out a shaky breath. "He wanted an update on my progress here. An initial report on the data I've collected so far."

Aksel's towel rides low on his hips as he moves closer, each step slow and deliberate. "And what did you tell him, littlefugl?"

There's an undercurrent to his words that makes my pulse quicken. A clear implication is that anything less than complete honesty won't be tolerated.

"I...I told him the storm when I first arrived set me back," I admit, unable to meet his eyes. "That I only just started getting readings a few days ago."

Aksel is standing over me now, near enough that I can smell his skin's clean, soapy scent. His hand grabs my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"But that's not the full story, baby girl?" His voice is a low rumble, sending a shiver down my spine. "You left out the best parts."

My cheeks flush hot with shame and arousal. He's right, of course. I didn't speak to David about the twisted games Aksel and I have played. The depraved, delicious acts he's introduced me to. The way he's utterly possessed me, body and soul.

"I couldn't tell him that," I whisper, my voice trembling. "He'd never understand."

His grip tightens fractionally, his steel blue eyes holding me in their thrall. "Of course he wouldn't," he murmurs. "He couldn't imagine that the sweet and innocent scientist he hired has been thoroughly ruined by me."

His words send a molten spike of need lancing through me. Because it's true—Aksel has ruined me, stripped away every last shred of the prim and proper woman I once was, and remade me into something raw and wanton and ravenous for his touch.

I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud of that fact. All I know is that the fire he's stoked inside me burns hotter and brighter with every passing moment.

"No, and he won't understand if I don't work through the night to get this report done for him."

Aksel grabs my wrist as I reach for my laptop, and a thrill of apprehension runs through me. His eyes blaze with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

"You don't need to worry about that report anymore, littlefugl," he rumbles, his voice a deep, gravelly purr. "You're not going to be returning to Minnesota."

I can only gape at him in stunned silence for a long moment. Not returning? But my job, research, and entire life are back there. How can he possibly think I'd abandon all of that?

His free hand cups my cheek as if reading my mind, brushing his calloused thumb over my lips. "I know what you're thinking, baby girl. You're wondering how I can ask you to give up everything you've worked for."

His gaze bores into me, equal parts commanding and seductive. "But you must understand—you've awakened something primal inside me since I first saw you. An insatiable hunger to claim you as my own, to make you mine in every possible way."

A shudder ripples through me at his words' low, velvety rasp. I should be outraged, disgusted at his arrogant presumption that I'd give everything up for him. But instead, I find myself leaning into his touch like a sunflower turning toward the sun, utterly entranced.

"From the moment I tasted your sweet innocence, I knew you were meant to be my mate," he continues, his thumb tracing the curve of my lower lip. "And a beast like me doesn't let his mate slip away."

His words conjure a vivid image—Aksel as a great predator in the wilderness and me as the hapless little bird caught in his sights.

"But my work..." I try to protest, even as my body arches shamelessly into his touch. "I can't abandon everything I've worked so hard for."

Aksel's laugh is low and dark, like the rumble of distant thunder. "Can't you, littlefugl?" His fingers tangle in my hair, gripping firmly enough to make me gasp. "After everything we've shared, you'd still choose that sterile little lab over the wildness I can offer you?"

His lips brush against my earlobe. "I've ruined you for anything less than the freedom of the hunt, baby girl. You and I know there's no going back to that caged existence you had before."

A whimper escapes my lips as desire crashes over me in dizzying waves. Because damn him, he's right—the woman I was before is gone, sloughed off like a shed snakeskin. In her place is someone rawer and feral, who craves the untamed world Aksel introduced her to.

As if sensing my surrender, Aksel's grip on my hair softens to a sensual caress. "That's my good girl," he purrs, dragging his lips against my jaw. "Don't fight what you know to be true, littlefugl. You belong to me now, in the life I can give you. No more cages, no more constraints, just the thrill of the hunt and the pleasure of being mine."

His mouth claims mine in a scorching kiss, and I melt against him, all resistance gone. Because he's right—I'm his now, in mind, body, and spirit. And as terrifying as that reality is, I know there's no escaping the wildness he's awoken in my soul.

"What am I going to do about work, though?" I breathe, shaking my head. "My boss won't be happy, and I've got all the equipment?—"

"Don't worry about that, baby girl," he rumbles. "I'll make sure your boss gets the message, loud and clear."

Then his mouth crashes down on mine, swallowing my gasp of surprise as he kisses me deeply, possessively. And in that endless, searing moment, I know there's no going back.

Not that I'd ever want to.