His fingertips skimmed her temple lightly as he brushed a few stray hairs away from her eye. “But like I said, that’s not what I was going to say.” He paused, his green eyes traveling over her face. “I wanted to apologize for the other night.”
Faye’s blood went cold, even as her skin still tingled from his nearness. She took a step back, putting some much-needed space between them. “You already did that, so it’s really not necessary to do it again.” You already made me feel like a fool once, so please, please, don’t say anything else.
But he kept talking anyway. “I didn’t mean for any of that to happen, and I didn’t handle things very well, and I’m sorry,” he told her. “I never wanted to make you feel embarrassed or anything.”
“I wasn’t?—”
He interrupted her, talking fast, like he couldn’t hold the words in any longer. “The truth is, I’ve had a hell of a time staying away from you these last few days.”
Whatever she was about to say was forgotten. “W-what?”
Adam closed the distance between them again, pushing her back against the wall outside her bedroom until she had nowhere left to go and she felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest. His eyes locked with hers until she couldn’t look away. “You set my blood on fire.” He shook his head slightly. “And I can’t think of anything but the way you felt in my arms. How you tasted. How you would feel beneath me.”
When she could bring herself to speak, her voice was little more than a whisper. “But, I thought…” Faye frowned, confused. “I thought…you said you were sorry.” He’d acted appalled when she’d reached for his pants. He’d pulled away. And Faye had spent the last few days trying to convince herself, unsuccessfully, that it wasn’t because he thought she was a slut who moved too fast. But she hadn’t been able to help herself. The only thing she was able to think of when he’d kissed her like that was having him inside of her.
Ducking his head down to hers, Faye felt his warm breath near her ear. As though he read her mind, he said, “It wasn’t anything you did. I loved having your hands on me. I just…”
She tried not to move. Or breathe. Or do anything that would keep him from saying whatever he was about to say. Because she desperately needed to know.
“I shouldn’t be doing this with you.”
Oh.
Her heart sank into her stomach. “Because you’re already taken.” Of course. Of course, he was. Just look at him. A guy who looked like that, and dressed the way he did, and who was nice enough to help out a woman who had an unwanted admirer. She didn’t know why the thought had never occurred to her.
But his answer surprised her. “No. At least not the way you think.”
Faye was so confused. His hard body—and she could feel exactly how hard he was everywhere—was telling her one thing, and his words another. “I don’t understand.”
He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. “Neither do I.” His eyes dropped to her lips, and Faye wet them with her tongue. She wanted to touch him so badly, but was afraid if she did, it would pull him out of whatever the hell this was and he’d leave again. So, instead, she kept her palms flush against the wall behind her.
When his lips finally pressed to hers, Faye swayed on her feet as her blood rushed through her body, making her lightheaded, her lungs aching from holding her breath. Breathing in through her nose, she was overwhelmed with his scent as it invaded her lungs. He pulled back until their lips were just barely touching, his soft and warm as they brushed hers.
“But I can’t stop it.”
Chapter 7
Adam
He needed to stop.
He shouldn’t be doing this.
Adam knew he was taking a huge risk, but he couldn’t deny himself another taste of her. Just a taste. That’s all he planned to take. At least until he heard the small whimper of need in the back of her throat and smelled the scent of her desire rising between them.
He growled low in response, every thought he had of only stealing a kiss lost as soon as her tongue touched his and her soft curves pressed perfectly against him. His instincts told him this woman was his, but an overwhelming sense of guilt tugged at his soul. It was dangerous to mess around with a human. Not only for him, but for the human if the rest of the pack found out. Riko had told him and Lex how they’d gone after Addison when they found out he still had feelings for her.
And if anything happened to Faye…
His arms slid around her and tightened, like he could keep her safe if he just held her tight enough. It wasn’t just the threat to the pack if she found out who and what they were that concerned him. Wolves kept to their own. They normally didn’t breed with humans. And there was a reason for that. Human women didn’t survive the birth of a child conceived with a shifter. It was a well-known fact.
And yet, even knowing the risk he took by being with her, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Cupping the fragile bones of her jaw in one hand, he teased her with his lips and tongue until she opened for him. She tasted like warm honey. Like sunshine.
Like home.
He rolled his hips against her, instinctively trying to ease the ache to have her body wrapped tight around his cock, as his other hand found the bottom of her ridiculously large sweatshirt and the soft skin beneath. Deepening the kiss, he squeezed her waist before sliding his hand up over her ribcage until he felt the under curve of her breast. He paused, but only for a second, before, with a moan, he cupped her in his palm, brushing his thumb over her hard nipple. Her blood raced to meet his touch, heating her skin, and her heart pounded so hard he could hear it and feel its heavy beats beneath his fingers.
Faye’s breath caught, and her hands flew to his shoulders and hung on tight.
