Chapter Seven
Kayden
Less than an inch separated us.
Her breath hit my lips, warm and sweet. I could see every lash framing her eyes, the amber glow beneath those blue contacts.
Layla. My Layla.
She was burning up, just like me. Her skin radiating heat through the dress, her muscles tensing when she trembled, her ragged breathing as she tried to stay composed—everything told me her body remembered me.
The bond I'd severed with my own hands was trembling violently now.
I felt it reaching out from deep in my soul, cautious, tentative, searching for the other end. The rupture from seven years ago had left vicious scars. Every time I'd thought of her these past seven years, that wound tore open again.
But now, with us this close, the broken edges grew hot, trembling. Those severed threads seemed alive, desperate to reweave, to heal.
"You psycho..." Her face flushed pink, hands weakly pushing at my chest, eyes flashing with stubborn defiance.
Beautiful.
My wolf surged, igniting with desire. It urged me closer, closer—mark her! Claim her! Taste her sweetness, make her unable to deny us again!
"Why, thank you." I locked onto her eyes, ensuring she couldn't escape.
I tightened my grip, swallowing the last bit of distance. Her body pressed fully against mine, soft and warm. I felt her chest rising and falling, felt her trembling, felt her heartbeat through two layers of fabric. And her scent—I'd dreamed of it countless times, and now it surrounded me, making me achingly hard.
Layla whimpered softly at the pressure. That forced bravado peeled away like an orange, finally revealing the juice-laden fruit within.
My mate couldn't resist me.
The knowledge deepened my possessiveness. Her eyes gradually unfocused, those cold blue eyes pooling with tears like a rippling lake. My hand traced up her waistline, stopping at her shoulder blades. Through the thin dress, I found her bra strap.
"Don't..." she said softly, but it sounded more like a moan than a refusal.
"Why not?" My lips grazed her cheek, my voice so low it seemed to scrape across her skin. "Your mouth says no, but your body..."
My fingers lightly caught her right strap. Layla began trembling harder, her body melting, nestling softly into me.
"Your body's shaking, burning, leaning into me."
"Shut up...!" Layla's voice trembled. "That's just a physical reaction..."
"Is it?" My nose brushed hers, our breaths mingling. "Then why are your eyes on my lips?"
Her face turned scarlet.
"I'm not—"
"You are," I murmured, my lips moving to her ear, breathing against it. "Just like I'm looking at yours."
Snap.
I released my fingers. The taut strap flicked against her shoulder, the crisp sound absurdly intimate in the quiet air.
Layla froze for a moment. In that dazed look, I found a shadow of seven years ago. Suppressed desire surged free.
I cupped her soft cheeks, forcing her to look directly at me, to watch how I reclaimed her.
