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He glanced down at her hand on his arm, acting as if it made him uncomfortable, so she released her grip. “You don’t have to. You don’t owe me.” If anything, she owed him.
    “I’m born to protect. Now if you would be so kind, could you find me a pillow and a blanket? I’ll stretch out here on the sofa.”
    As she tried to take in all of this information, her body refused to move. Some men might be trying to harm her, and at the same time this amazing man wanted to spend the night in her house. Her mouth couldn’t even form any words as conflicting emotions sped through her.
    “If it’s too much trouble,” he said, “I have no problem sleeping on the floor in my bear form.”
    It took her a moment to realize that he’d said bear instead of bare . For that second, the image of his naked body burned a hole in her brain and hardened her nipples. What was wrong with her?
    Piper jumped up. “Of course.”
    She rushed out of the room, feeling like a fool for thinking such prurient thoughts when danger loomed. Since she didn’t have any spare pillows, she took a clean case from the linen closet then grabbed the extra pillow off her bed along with the folded quilt she always slept with. Her mother had hand-stitched it a year before she died, and it meant a lot to her.
    With the linens in hand, she stepped into the living room. Seeing him relaxed on her couch sped up her heartbeat. The man emitted a sexual aura so strong she could almost feel the pulses vibrate between her legs. “I hope these will be enough.”
    “I’m sure they will, thank you.”
    While she was definitely too nervous to sleep, staying here with him would only make things worse. “Good night then.”
    “Don’t worry, Piper, nothing will happen. I promise.” An unusually strong ache colored his tone.
    She believed him. “Night.”
    She scurried back down the hall, fearing that if she stayed, she might say something to upset him. The man seemed to have quite a few hot buttons whenever he was around her.
    Who am I kidding?
    If she stayed, she’d want to touch him then kiss him, if only to absorb his strength and comfort. If he asked for more, she wouldn’t say no.

Chapter Five

    C ord had messed up again. He hadn’t meant for Piper to rush off and bring him the bedding right away, but it was probably for the best. Spending any more time with her, especially when she was upset, and fighting the urge to hold her was taking its toll on his control.
    It was barely ten o’clock, but if he turned on the television, she might think he’d asked for the bedding so that she’d leave him alone, and that was the furthest thing from his mind. He simply didn’t trust himself.
    After checking that the doors and windows were locked, he clicked off the lights, and lay down on the sofa, wanting to make it look to an outsider as if Piper had gone to bed. With his vehicle in front, though, he doubted anyone would attempt anything.
    Cord was trained to rest while being aware of his surroundings, the slightest sound rousing him. His senses were so finely tuned that if Piper rose in the middle of the night, he’d be able to distinguish her from an intruder.
    He closed his eyes, but the image of her long, wavy auburn hair and sensuous body remained. He tried not to think about her alabaster skin or the way her large breasts filled out her top, but he failed—miserably. The pressure in his groin was proof that this woman would forever haunt his dreams.
    Try as he might not to think about her, the hair on his body began to push through his skin, and his nails elongated. Not wanting to shift, Cord forced himself to picture the men beating Brody, and soon the nasty scene doused some of his sexual energy. He had to do something about his intense need to be with her, or chance Piper finding out about them being mates. No doubt, that would scare her more than a hundred intruders.
    If he didn’t gain some control soon, she’d question his odd reactions whenever