“Good.”
“And you.” His eyelids fluttered as he glanced downward.
A smile grew against my cheeks. I held back when what I really wanted to do was jump for joy, throw open the windows and shout it to the snowy streets and into the storm. Fallon cared about me. It wasn't just about the job.
I reached out and touched his cheek with a soft brush of my palm. “I care about you a lot more then I've ever let on.” I leaned in and whispered into his ear. “Plus, I've always been attracted by someone who can quote numbers to me the way you do.”
His mouth dropped open. He was shaking. I touched his cheek again, running my thumb down to the edge of his mouth. And then his chin. He rolled onto his back, head supported by the pillows. I used my thumb under his chin to tilt his head up. That was the moment I made my decision. Permanent or not, I wanted him. He was my mate even if he didn't realize it yet.
I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. No going back now.
When I pulled back, his breaths came faster. The muscles in his forehead tensed. He winced.
“That bad?”
“Opposite.” He took a few more deep breaths. “You make me hurt so bad.”
The pain of arousal when it was at its peak threatening pleasure was like nothing else in the universe. There were no words to describe it. Fallon was in agony. As his alpha, I needed to alleviate that stress. That was my job. My other job. There was also all that saving Christmas stuff, but that could be put off for a little while as I took care of my star mathematician and friend.
13
FALLON
The things Keir was saying to me had to be a fever dream. He wanted me? Me? Imposter syndrome cut into me big time. But here he was sitting on the side of my bed. And he wasn't going away.
How many times had I asked him to leave? I was so good at math but on that fact I'd forgotten to count. Probably because every time I asked I didn't mean it. I didn't want Keir to leave. Not ever. Could it be true that he didn't want to leave, either?
Before I could assess what was happening, he leaned in and kissed me. It was the most wonderful event I’d ever experienced yet it hurt so bad. My entire body ached with a yearning so strong I couldn't actually name it as desire alone. It was like my body was a shell that was cracking all around me and all the good things inside were threatening to escape. I needed to be held together by something or someone very strong. Someone I trusted. A friend. An alpha.
In a rumbly, comforting voice, Keir said, “I know you hurt. I know what to do.” He took my face in both of his hands, cradling it. “Promise me you will trust me. I'll make everything better.Not because you're in heat or because you're good at math but because I care. I like you and I care an awful lot.”
He'd already made his Christmas confession to me that he wanted me. Now he was piling it on, putting me at ease. I liked it. I wanted more.
My voice rough and tense, I said, “I care, too.” Because it was the truth. And he was already seeing me at my most vulnerable.
He moved closer to me on the bed. His foot kicked at the breakfast tray on the floor making the silverware clang like bells. He kissed me again.
It was the most wonderful sensation. But I tensed up. Our team needed numbers.
“What?” His breath warm against my mouth.
“We need to work.”
“Yes. But not until our minds are a little clearer.”
My breath came in hiccups. The pleasure was as fierce as pain. But what an ache. Like my bones were melting and my skin needed to be stroked to stay intact.
“Will you open your robe for me?” Keir asked.
My mind rushed through scenarios. The worst ones first. I wanted to tear my robe off. But what if this wasn’t real? What if Keir was in here actually quoting numbers at me and I was fever-dreaming the kisses and the fervent request? He might be asking me something else while I ripped off my clothes.
“Is this real?”
“I promise it is.” He touched the hem of my robe and lightly tugged.
I couldn’t be imagining that tug, could I? Nor the bulge I saw in his dark wool pants. He was responding. To me. And he’d confessed. It wasn’t just because of my heat.
My hands came up. They went to my robe’s belt, struggling to untie it. Keir’s bigger hands, so warm, came over mine to cover them. He wiggled his fingers between my palms and helpedundo the knot in seconds. Immediately, the cloth started to slide away down my sides. I held my breath as my erection poked free and straight up into the air. Slick flowed. My knees bent. My body was starting to pose for him, no longer under my control. The fire inside me flared up as if someone had poured fuel all over me.
