“You’re taking a shower?!” I exclaim, perplexed at how cool and collected he sounds. “You could have done that at your place!”
“Might I remind you that this is also technicallymyplace?” Dawson titters, his voice muffled by the shower.
Groaning, I stomp my feet outside the bathroom, pacing the floor as I wait for him to finish his shower.
What does he think he’s doing?!
I can hear everything, and my mind begins to wander … even though there’s a door between us, I can picture him naked in the shower, his body drenched in fresh water that must be gleaming on every inch of his skin, magnifying those muscles that I would love to trace with my—
“I’m done,” Dawson whistles behind me to get my attention, snapping me out of my sinful stupor. As I spin around, it’s like a punch in the gut when I come face to face with his gleaming chest. Droplets of water slip down his skin, and just as I suspected, his chiseled muscles are enhanced by the light sheen left by the shower. Tight skin pulls taut over the veins that map his chest with hot blood coursing through them.
I can imagine that his blood is as hot as my body is for him right now.
Snapping out of my daze when his lips curl into a smirk, I shake my head and clear the thoughts from it.
“You need to leave, Dawson,” I almost plead, spinning on my heel and marching toward the front door. If I stay ogling him any longer, Lord knows I’ll do something I’ll regret.
It’s almost as if my hormones are raging too strongly to be controlled, my body hot to the touch when I feel how cold the door handle feels beneath my fingers. I close my eyes and try to gain a semblance of control over the heat that rises in my body, but it’s pointless.
My senses are all over the place, heightened now that Dawson is in close range. They’re so strong that I can hear every step Dawson takes as he pads toward me barefoot.
“Dawson, you must leave,” I whimper, turning the handle and pulling the door open.
Suddenly, it’s shut with a firm, deliberate thud. Startled, I gasp when I see Dawson’s veiny arm beside my face, his strong hand flattened on the door.
What is he doing?
Chapter 10 - Dawson
“Imustleave?” I echo Yvonne’s firm determination to throw me out, my palm resting on the door that she just tried to open.
“Uh-huh…” Yvonne whimpers tentatively, nodding her head with terse determination, as if she’s struggling to speak. Her plight is evident in the way her brows are furrowed and how she hesitantly turns between me and the door.
She lifts soft, fear-stricken eyes at my face, as if she’s silently pleading with me instead of forcing me out. I narrow my gaze at her, trying to figure out what might be going through her mind, but I fail at making sense of it when I’m suddenly consumed by her sweet scent.
As I lick my lips, Yvonne’s eyes dart to my mouth, and she follows the movement of my tongue. She blinks fervently, her bottom lip parting as if she’s mesmerized by the simple act.
“What’s wrong, Yvie…?” I drawl with a hint of seduction in my tone. “Why are you kicking me out again…?”
Yvonne’s sultry silver eyes lift, veiled demurely by thick, dark lashes, slightly disoriented as a fleeting frown passes through her face. As if shaking her confusion away, she shakes her head and quickly shimmies out from between me and the door.
“I’m not—I’m not kicking you out!” she throws rather defensively over her shoulder as she scurries to the kitchen. “But you must go!” she calls out from behind the wall of her chosen hiding place. “I have to get ready for work!”
Chuckling under my breath, I hang my head at the door as a mischievous smirk curls my lips. Tapping my fingers on thedoor with the hand that’s braced there, I decide that I’m not willing to let this go.
This time, Yvonne won’t win. It’s as if my inner wolf refuses to be defeated, fueled by the body heat that’s spread over every inch of my being. I tap my hand once on the door to cue my mission, then set off in the direction of the kitchen.
I find Yvonne bent over at the counter, her back heaving uncontrollably as she lugs in breaths that are probably needed to calm herself. My chest swells boastfully knowing that I caused this reaction, and I knock gently on the doorframe to let her know that I’m still around.
Yvonne startles as she spins around, a hand flying to her throat as her eyes widen.
“I thought you left,” she piped, her breath coming out in faltering spurts. Her hands come to rest on the counter on either side of her, knuckles paling with how tight she’s gripping it when I begin coolly stalking forward.
“I’m still here, Yvie…” I purr as I approach her, watching the way her eyes flicker to the towel still hanging low on my hips. My lips curl to one side as I say, “I can’t be caught walking back home in a towel…”
Yvonne gulps as she lifts her eyes to my face. There’s a shy glint in her radiant eyes, her cheeks filling with a soft shade of pink. “I—I can get you something to wear.”
She tenses the closer I get, gulping again as I deliberately slow down, giving her the perfect opportunity to escape if she wants to. But when she doesn’t move, I shake my head slowly, closing the little distance between us until I’m close enough to press my hands on either side of hers.
