“You smell fucking incredible.” Hunger flashes across his face. “I should let you rest. Eat something. I’ll be working on the deck if you need me.”
He’s giving me space, stepping back after last night’s intensity. He’s letting me come to him.
Part of me is grateful, but more of me wants to grab his bulging biceps and pull him inside.
“Go,” I say instead. “Be Alpha. I’ll find you.”
After I find some of his clothes to steal, I wander the small town, trying to clear my head.
The grocery store is small but well-stocked. The community garden is bigger than I’d expect. Everywhere I go, people stare. Word has spread about the human who arrived last night.
Eventually, I end up at the construction site without meaning to.
The afternoon sun beats down as Bodhi and Marcus work on the new deck outside the saloon. They move in easy synchronization, passing tools without a word, muscles flexing with each movement. It’s mesmerizing watching Bodhi in his element. Natural. Competent. And at home.
Sawdust clings to his bare chest. His hair is tied back, exposing the powerful line of his jaw. When he lifts a beam into place, the muscles in his back ripple, and I remember digging my nails into his skin last night.
He senses me watching and turns his head, eyes finding mine across the distance, and the heat in his gaze makes my breath catch.
A woman approaches him. Different from last night’s blonde, but she touches his arm as she speaks and leans far too close.
The bond flares hot in my chest.
Bodhi steps back. Deliberately removes her hand, saying something I can’t hear, but she retreats quickly, cheeks flushed.
His eyes find mine again.
I shouldn’t feel this surge of possessive satisfaction, but I do. And damn, he seems to like it.
A young man approaches me with two coffees and an amiable smile. “You must be Emma. Thought you could use?—”
A growl cuts through the air, and Bodhi is halfway across the clearing before I can blink, eyes locked on the man who dared approach me.
“Just being friendly, Alpha.” The shifter stumbles back, nearly spilling both coffees. “Meant nothing by it.”
“She doesn’t need coffee.” Bodhi’s voice is barely human. “She needs you to walk away.”
Seems I’m not the only one being driven crazy by the volatile emotions inside me. It’s like a rollercoaster of lust and rage. Bodhi yanks his shirt to the side, and when the boy spots the raised bite mark, his eyes go huge.
He backs away. Quickly.
I fold my arms. “That was unnecessary.”
“He was looking at you.” Bodhi crowds my space, burying his hand in my hair before running his hands down my back until they rest on my ass. “They’re all looking at you. My bear wants to rip out the throat of every male who gets within ten feet of you.”
“That seems excessive.”
“It’s driving me insane.” His voice drops. “I can smell myself on you. In you. But it’s not enough. Won’t be until everyone knows you’re mine.”
The words send heat pooling low in my belly. “Will it calm down? This... possessiveness?”
Amber flashing eyes stare back at me. “Never. You’re all mine.”
“Really?” The question slips out before I can stop it, teasing but amused by his absolute confidence. “You’re awfully cocky for a man who’s never even taken me on a date.”
His smile is pure predatory satisfaction. “Never.” He affirms. “Because after last night, after feeling you wrapped around me, I’m not living without you. Without burying myself inside you every night.”
Holy shit. My panties flood again, and my knees turn to jelly. Curling my fingers into the front of his shirt, I curse my weakness. I should be annoyed at his arrogance. Instead, I’m clenching my thighs together, on the verge of pleading with him to take me home and satisfy the ache building there.
