With a groan of sheer frustration, he forced himself to pull back. She whimpered in protest, her eyes cloudy with passion, her lips swollen from his kisses. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent and fighting for control.
“Adrian?” Her voice was shaky, confused.
“We have to stop.”
“Why?” Her hands were still clutching at his shoulders, her body arching against his as she tried to close the distance he’d created. “I don’t want to stop.”
“Full moon tomorrow.” The words came out rough. “My control… it’s not what it should be. I won’t take you for the first time when I’m fighting my wolf for dominance.”
Her eyes, already so dark, darkened further with understanding. “Your wolf…”
“Wants to claim you. Mark you. Bind you to me permanently.” He pressed a brief, hard kiss to her forehead. “You deserve better than that. You deserve to be chosen, not conquered.”
Something vulnerable flickered across her face before she masked it with her usual defiance. “What if I want to be conquered?”
He groaned, a harsh, pained sound. “Fuck, kitten, Don’t say things like that. Not tonight.”
She stared at him, her lips still parted, her eyes huge and dark with need. Then she slowly, deliberately, pulled away, adjusting her clothes with hands that trembled slightly.
“No, you’re right.” She ducked under his arm, putting the width of the desk between them. Her professional mask was sliding back into place, but not fast enough to hide the hurt flickering in her eyes. “It was unprofessional. I apologize.”
It was the last thing he wanted to hear. Apologies were for mistakes, and touching her had never felt less like one. The distance she was putting between them felt like a physical ache.
“This wasn’t unprofessional,” he said, his voice low. “It was inevitable. But the timing is wrong.” He gestured vaguelytowards the window. “The moon is affecting my control. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Because I’m human? Because I’m fragile?” She said the words without heat, like she was genuinely seeking clarification.
“Because this isn’t just sex for me. If I take you, I’m claiming you. Permanently. You need to understand that before we go any further.”
She was quiet for a long moment, processing that. He could almost hear the gears turning in her brilliant mind, weighing possibilities, calculating risks, running scenarios that probably involved flowcharts and probability matrices.
“And what if I’m okay with permanent?” she asked quietly. “What if that’s what I want? Are you trying to protect me? Or yourself?”
He couldn’t find the words to respond—he honestly didn’t know anymore.
“Okay,” she said finally.
“Okay?”
“Okay, we slow down.” She uncrossed her arms, her posture relaxing slightly. “But Adrian? You should know that I’m not going anywhere. Whatever this is between us, whatever you’re afraid of—I don’t scare easily. And I don’t give up on people I care about.”
His wolf practically purred at the declaration. He felt something shift in his chest, some locked door creaking open despite his efforts to keep it sealed.
“You should be scared,” he said. “I’m not an easy man to love.”
“Good thing I like a challenge.” Her lips curved into that mischievous smile that did terrible things to his concentration. “Now, if you’re done being noble and tortured, I have a security breach to trace and a pack to save. Unless you’d like to keep kissing me? Because I’m flexible.”
“Kitten.”
“Right. Professional. Got it.” She gathered her laptop from where it had been forgotten on the desk, but paused at the door to look back at him. “Adrian?”
“Yes?”
“For what it’s worth? I don’t trust easily either. And you’re the first person in a very long time who’s made me want to try.” She held his gaze for a moment longer, something vulnerable flickering beneath her usual composure. “So maybe we’re both taking a risk here.”
She was gone before he could respond.
He stood alone in his office, his heart pounding, his wolf howling with frustrated need, his carefully constructed walls crumbling around him.
