The leftover sleep was instantly driven from his mind. His wolf perked up, and all his nerves were set alight by this simple motion. He became painfully aware of all the places his body was against hers, the heat of her trapped with him beneath the blankets. Her smell ramped up, turning into something like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. A groan built deep inside of him, and he held his breath, refusing to release it.
Moving carefully, Joshua eased himself back. When Kira moved to follow him, he tightened his grip on her hip ever so slightly, stopping her. She was still asleep. She didn’t know what she was doing.
“Don’t leave,” she whispered, her voice cutting through the air.
Okay, maybe not as asleep as he thought. His breathing became ragged as he wrestled with himself. Pull away or stay. He needed to pull away. He needed to put space between them. He’d done it before. Just because she was asking him to stay now didn’t mean she really wanted him to. She had run away from him. She had wanted him out of her life.
Was it because of me or because of what I did, though?He wondered.
“Joshua,” Kira murmured, and her voice was thick with desire.
It undid him. He couldn’t stop himself, burying his face in her neck. He rocked against her, groaning as the contact ignited heat in his low belly. Kira shivered, her hand tightening on his. Her breathing hitched, making him draw to a stop. He tested her reaction, waiting. Kira groaned and pushed back against him, the sound ripping through his chest.
“I want you,” Joshua whispered in her ear. “I want to be closer to you.”
Kira twisted in his arms. She hitched her knee over his hip and pressed herself tightly against him, clutching at him. There was no sign of sleep in her eyes now, only a wild, yearning desperation. It took his breath away. One hand remained on her hip, the other wrapped around her shoulders. He held her in place as he shifted slightly away, giving them enough space to breathe and the situation to sink in.
“I want you to be closer,” Kira murmured, her fingers tracing down his chest. “It’s been… I’m so…”
Her voice trailed off, as though she wasn’t sure what she was saying or how to say it. Her blue eyes searched his face, clear and bright. A frizzy curl lay over her cheek, dark against her pale skin. Joshua moved closer, meaning to brush it off with his nose, but she shifted toward him as he did so. Their bodies aligned, melting into each other.
With a moan, Joshua rolled them both. Kira’s legs wrapped around his waist, and he settled against her. His cock swelled against her core, the heat and friction of her driving him crazy. He braced himself over her, careful not to put any of his weight on her bruises. It was only then that he allowed himself to close the gap between them, to press his lips against hers.
Her hands tangled into his hair, and she tugged him closer, parting his lips with his tongue. He responded in kind, the kiss deepening. Goddess, but he missed this. Ever since that first and only time they were together, he had longed to be close to her like this again. Longed to touch her, to hear her sighs, to taste her.
He pressed in a little closer, and she gasped, wincing. Joshua paused. Had that been from pleasure or pain? Had he pushed too hard on her bruises?
She was still recovering. The doctor advised her not to engage in any strenuous activity for a few days. This was too much.
He broke the kiss and eased back. Keeping his weight on one arm, he cupped her face with his free hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I—” She cut herself off suddenly, her flushed cheeks draining of color. Her gaze darted down to his lips, and she started to lean forward, only to stop. A shaky breath rushed between them, and her hold on him loosened.
Joshua knew the moment had broken even before Kira moved her hands to his shoulders, pushing lightly. He moved off her, his body thrumming with desire. Kira whimpered, and he almost lay back over her, especially when her legs tightened around his hips. He took a deep breath and pulled free. He didn’t want them to go too far and end up with more regrets.
“I’m sorry,” Kira murmured, covering her face with her hands.
“For what?”
“Leading you on.”
Joshua opened his mouth to tell her that it wasn’t her fault, that he was leading her on, too. But the words got caughtsomewhere in his throat. He closed his mouth and nodded, even though her face was still hidden from him. He reached out, almost unconsciously, and brushed stray hair from her forehead. Kira lowered her hands and gazed up at him, desire warring in the clear blue depths of her eyes.
“How are you feeling? Did the ointment help?” Joshua asked. He pulled his hand back, chiding himself for touching her in the first place.
Kira’s gaze tracked his hand, and she started to reach out, as though she wanted to take his hand in hers, but stopped herself. She planted her hands on the bed and pushed herself to a sitting position, gasping as she did so.
“It feels better than it did yesterday.” She started to pull her shirt up, then stopped. The light in her eyes darkened, and she swung her legs out of the bed. “I’m going to have a shower.”
“Are you sure you should do that alone?” Joshua asked, worried she wasn’t steady enough. The last thing she’d want from him was to go into the shower to help her when she was naked.
Kira’s spine stiffened. She leapt to her feet, then winced and put a hand to her chest. All the while, she glared at him. “I don’t need you hovering or helping me with my body!”
“Whoa, that’s not what I meant,” Joshua said sharply. There was enough tension between them without her misunderstanding his intentions. “What I meant is that maybe we should call Gwen or the doctor to come help you.”
“I… Oh.” Kira’s shoulders slumped slightly.
Joshua sucked in a deep breath through his nose. He shouldn’t have stayed the night. Shouldn’t have crawled into bed with her. Shouldn’t have touched her, shouldn’t have kissed her.It was all just one clusterfuck of mistakes. His jaw tightened as he started to straighten the blankets on the bed.
