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shesaw in his eyes, whether his desire was so transparent. He found he did not care if she knew how much he wanted her. Shame had left him long ago. Though he had lost his skin, the beast still lived—and both the tiger and the man suddenly wanted this woman with shocking, aching intensity.
    She might betray you.
    Hari pushed aside fear. He had to taste her—thought he might die if he did not. In one step he was by her side, dropping to his knees. She stared, wide-eyed.
    “I am going to kiss you,” he said, more for his benefit than hers. Before she could protest, he wrapped one large hand around the back of her neck and pressed his lips to hers. He tried to be gentle, to give her that much courtesy, but she surprised him by leaning into his body, opening her mouth for an even deeper kiss that sent ribbons of lightning through his flesh.
    Her tongue darted past his lips and he took her invitation, stealing the breath from her lungs as he sank himself into her body, tugging her close, exploring the sweet, hot curves of her mouth. He had never tasted anything so wondrous, and the beast responded, turning circles in his chest as it, too, drank in the scent and flavor of the woman. Sunlight, piercing the dark heart of the forest: that was how she felt to him—and he wondered if he would ever let go, if he would be able to stop.
    But he did stop, with great difficulty, and it was Dela who pulled away. Her eyes were glazed, lips swollen with his kisses, her breathing ragged as a spring storm. His heart pounded, blood rushing down, down, though there was enough left to heat his face.
    “I don’t even know you,” she whispered, brushing her fingertips against her lips.
    Those were not the words Hari had been expecting to hear, not with the musk of her desire scenting the air, the heat in hereyes. Truthfully, he had not been expecting anything, especially the still-vibrant rush of her presence sinking sweetly beneath his skin. His bones felt cushioned by velvet, his body much too warm.
    All from a kiss.
    He saw uncertainty seep into Dela’s eyes, and the sharp edge of panic made him slide backward. He dropped his gaze, and suddenly his chest was tight for a reason other than arousal.
    “My apologies,” he said. “I was too forward with you.”
    “Yes,” she said, but softly, without anger. “Why did you kiss me?”
    It was the first time he had ever been asked such a question, and he blinked, wishing he was better with words. Loneliness roared deep inside his chest, striking him hollow, stripping away his new warmth with the force of a blunt mace. How could he share the terrible need that had arisen in him? There were no words to describe his desire that would not sound obscene against the air they breathed, and his compulsion was nothing so base or dark. It felt full of light, stunning and sweet.
    “To do otherwise would have been difficult,” he finally said.
    “Oh,” she breathed.
    “I will not touch you again without your permission,” he promised, regretting his words even though he knew they were necessary. The urge to touch her still threatened to overwhelm him, but his instincts urged caution. This was not a woman he could press too soon, nor did he want to. His own heart was still too fragile. He did not understand what Dela was doing to him.
    I am vulnerable. Starved for kindness, and when I receive it, I lose my mind.
    “Thank you.” Dela rested her hands in her lap, quivering, some strange energy humming against her skin, flowing out to touch him. Hari quickly stood, trying to hide his conspicuousarousal. He suspected Dela noticed. He did not look at her, afraid of what he would see in her eyes.
    “So,” she said, after he took his seat, “I hope you’re still hungry.”
    Relief, and some strange wistfulness, coursed through him.
    “Yes,” he said, although his low voice, the heat in his face, most likely revealed his hunger had little to do with the food set before him.
    Dela, sipping water,