This week I decided to go with Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh! It's our Read-a-Long book of the month so fresh on my mind. I don't know why but for some reason this one just made me snicker just a little.
Vaughn and his cat crave touch like all Changelings but Faith (who doesn't know she's his mate as soon as he does) is Psy and her race has been conditioned to not have emotions or touch or anything like that. And so Vaughn and his cat have been waiting to claim Faith as their mate because she wasn't ready and his cat is feeling a bit primal and ready to claim what's his. I just loved her reaction and how practical she is about everything.
"The longer we wait," she said, her voice that of the most practical Psy, but her eyes holding the first flicker of lightning, "the worse it's going to get. It's become clear to me that you need touch and I haven't been giving it to you."
He knew that. "If I'm not tied down, I can't trust myself." It was an offhand comment that hid his very real frustration. To be close enough to touch, but be barred from doing so, caused excruciating pain.
"Then let's tie you down."
Cat and man both went absolutely motionless. "What?"
Her cheeks held the faintest hints of pink. "Maybe it would help me, too, if I knew I could walk away at any time. The backlash from the conditioning might not be as bad."
"Tie me down?" he asked again.
"It was only a suggestion. I'm sorry if I offended you."
He had a sudden thought. "Did you see this in a vision?"
"N-no!" Her Psy facade cracked. "I've never seen anything this pleasurable." Night-sky eyes went to his hands as he pulled off his jeans and threw them aside. Her intense focus made his already painful erection pound in echo with his heartbeat.
"How do you know it'll be pleasurable?" He got on the bed and lay down.
Beneath a whisper, she came closer and tied one wrist to the headboard. The cat growled but didn't try to make him wrench free.
"Because just looking at you gives me the most extreme pleasure I've ever felt."
"Christ, baby, tie me up before you start talking like that."