I nod, though sleep seems impossible with my body so restless, so aware of him. Still, I slide under the sheets, turning to face the wall, away from his intense gaze.
CHAPTER 7
CARLA
The storm picks up outside, wind howling around the eaves of the motel, rattling the windows. I drift in and out of a fevered half-sleep, each time, waking with Billy’s name on my lips, my body burning for his touch.
Around midnight, a strong wave of heat rolls through me, tearing a whimper from my throat before I can stop it.
“Carla?” His voice comes immediately, concern clear.
I clutch the sheets tighter. “Fine,” I lie, my voice breaking on the word.
The floor creaks as he stands. “You’re not fine. Your fever’s getting worse.”
His scent calls to me, and I squeeze my eyes shut, afraid to look at him, knowing he sees the lie there in how my wolf presses right up against my skin, desperate to take control.
“It’ll pass. Go back to sleep.”
But he’s beside the bed now, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his body.
“Tell me what I can do. I want to help.”
Without thinking, I reach for him, my fingers closing around his wrist. The contact sends a jolt of electricity through me, making me gasp.
His rumble begins, low and steady, filling the small room.
His bear knows.
“Billy,” I whisper, all pretence gone, as I open my eyes to meet his, begging him to make me feel better. “Please.”
His eyes darken, pupils expanding until only a thin ring of brown remains. “Please what?”
My eyes roam his naked torso, taking in every ripple of muscle, every inch of tanned skin, the dark hair running from his belly button to the waistband of his tight boxers. He looks good enough to eat, and a flood of arousal soaks my underwear as I stare up at him.
His nose twitches, and his muscles flex, but he says nothing.
“I can’t... I need...” The words won’t come, but my body arches toward him, making my meaning clear.
“Carla, is this what I think it is?” My name is a warning, a prayer. “I’m hanging on by a thread here, but I need you to ask, to tell me what you want.”
He rests his knee on the mattress, which dips under his weight. “I need to be certain this is what you want. Because my bear… if I start…”
The tiny ring of brown in his eyes turns to amber, his bear fighting for control.
“I do.” I tug him closer. My inhibitions burned away by fever and need. “I need you. Please, Billy.”
For a long moment, he stares down at me, conflict clear in his eyes. Then he swallows hard, his throat working.
“If you change your mind,” he says hoarsely, “at any point, just say so.”
It’s a miracle I haven’t jumped him already. There will be no stopping.
“I won’t change my mind.”
Something breaks in his expression, and then he’s on the bed, gathering me into his arms, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that steals my breath. He tastes like wildness and want, his lips parting mine with an urgency that matches my own.
Like this is something he’s been thinking about.
