“Shall we?” I asked, and when he nodded, I reached out and laced our fingers together. A surprised smile stole over his lips as he looked down at where we were joined. He squeezed my hand tighter, and I walked backward toward the dancefloor, not taking my eyes off him for a second.
The music only got louder as we crossed the floor. The lighting was dimmer here, disguising what people chose to do in the dark. The gyrating crowd swallowed us up, and the press of bodies was the perfect excuse to get close to him. I dug my fingers into the front of his shirt and pulled him in until our bodies aligned. He was just as awkward at dancing as he was at making conversation, but I didn’t mind taking the lead.
I smoothed his shirt down, sliding my palms over his chest, then lower, tracing the ridges of his abs with my fingertips. He shuddered, and when I moved down to his hands, I found them fisted at his sides, like he’d been restraining himself from touching me.
Oh, honey, no restraintneeded.
Uncurling his fists, I guided his hands to my hips, urging him to grip on to me as I swayed back and forth to the music. When he obliged, I moved my arms back up to lace behind his neck, running my fingers through his short hair. His eyes drifted closed in absolute bliss, and he brought his head down to the crook of my neck, nuzzling at the skin below my ear. With our bodies pressed together as they were, I could’ve sworn I felt him purr, but it was just the vibration of the music.
We were moving much slower than the other dancers, slower than the pounding music demanded, but it was like our heartbeat had set the pace for us. We swayed together, and there was no denying the mutual physical attraction. Both our cocks were rock-hard, and it was nearly impossible to stop myself from grinding against him. Slick dampened my briefs, and I was about ready to ride his thigh to completion right here on the dancefloor. I had never been so drawn to someone before. It was hard to trust something this intense when I hardly knew the man, but… I wanted to.
The song changed, then changed again, but neither of us let go. We just kept moving to our own rhythm. I lost myself somewhere in the pulsing music. Maybe it was the crowd or the scorching inferno that was North, but my skin grew damp with sweat. I was burning up! Everythingabout North made my heart race. There was this intense sense of danger that soaked into me every time he was around. The way he dragged his sharp teeth over the delicate skin of my neck, like it would only take a quick slice to draw blood. I swore I could feel the line he always seemed so close to crossing.
My hands were in his hair, dragging my nails along his scalp, and his hands roamed from where I’d put them on my hips. It was like he was searching out bare skin, and while one hand crawled up my back inside my shirt, the other teased at the waistline of my pants, inching his fingertips beneath the hem of my underwear. Part of me wanted him to do it, to reach inside and feel the evidence of how turned on I was.
My eyes rolled back in my head. Fuck, if I didn’t step back from him, I was at serious risk of coming in my pants, and then I would have to go back to work, wearing that cold, sticky mess for the rest of the night.
I groaned, in need but also in regret. My breaktime was over. I forced myself to take a step back, and when North lifted his head from my neck, he looked thoroughly wrecked, his pupils blown, hair mussed from my fingers. Mm, a sneak peek at what he might look like in bed. Inmybed,specifically.
Moving slowly so he had plenty of time to figure out what I was doing, I dipped my fingers into the front pocket of his jeans, searching for his phone. Nobody could blame me for lingering there longer than necessary, teasing my fingers along the crease of his groin. I felt his cock pulse, and there was no music in the world loud enough to disguise his moan as he bit down on his lip.
Finally extricating his phone, I held it up to his face to unlock it, then quickly added my number to his contacts. “Call me?” I asked, glad that it was too loud for him to hear the neediness in my voice.
He nodded, and I slid the phone back in his pocket. It was almost physically painful to walk away from him, but I swore I could still feel his eyes on me for the rest of the night. I had a pretty good feeling that he would call.
I’d been burned by plenty of guys before, but for the first time, I actually felt like a guy might be as into me as I was to him.
Chapter 9
North
Itwasabeautifulsummer day—or at least I assumed it was. I honestly wasn’t paying much attention to the bright sun or the cloudless blue sky as I walked through the city’s large central park downtown. I was only vaguely aware of the squealing children playing on the swings and monkey bars, the blooming flowers, butterflies and buzzing bees collecting nectar. I had only one thing on my mind.
Joel.
I brought my arm up to my nose, taking in a long sniff, like a junkie desperate for another hit. He’d rubbed himself so thoroughly against me that I couldstillsmell him on my skin from last night. I’d skipped the shower this morning just so his scent would linger, and I vowed never to change my shirt again. Not so long as it retained even theslightest hint of his mouthwatering aroma. Of dewdrops and mist, orchids and moss.
Pay attention, my jaguar grumbled at me, nudging me to get back to the task at hand. Namely, trying to compose a text to our mate. I’d incorrectly assumed that texting him would be easier than trying to talk in person. I wouldn’t have to worry about blurting out the wrong thing, unable to take it back. Instead, I could take my time to write out the perfect opening line before I hit send. So far, I’d come up with “Hey.”
Growling in frustration, I deleted it.Heywas way too casual for mates—not that he knew we were mates, or even what mates were, but it also seemed too simple after the way we’d rubbed up against each other on that dancefloor. I might not have had much experience in the bedroom, but that had felt… intimate. Certainly more serious than “hey.” I typed, then promptly deleted,Sup?Uuuugh, that was even worse than “hey.” It was like something a guy named Chet might send to his booty call. I was embarrassed that I’d even considered it in the first place.
Maybe I should ask Kedi what he thought? He was Joel’s roommate, so obviously he would know him better than anyone. He could give me advice on what kind of text my mate might be most receptive to. I wanted to be fun andflirty but not come on too strong. Maybe I should start with a joke.
My beast liked this idea.What do you call a jaguar that juggles?he asked me.
I knew I would regret asking, but I sighed and said,What?
A purr-former.
I could feel his amused snicker rattle through me, and I shook my head, chuckling.Good one, I told him. It was not. Before he could start nagging at me to text the joke to Joel, I reminded him that our mate didn’t know we were a shifter yet.He’ll appreciate the joke more after we tell him. He grudgingly agreed.
But how long would we have to wait? I wondered. Was that a first-date topic of conversation? It didn’t seem right to hide what was a large part of me, essentially half my DNA. I wanted him to know me, every part of me.
When Kedi had pulled me aside at the bar last night, he’d filled me in on the Joel/shifter situation.
The blue-haired omega wolf shifter dragged me away from the bar, and as soon as we were out of Joel’s line of sight, he narrowed his eyes at me in a glare, made darker by the strobe lights striping his skin. “I don’t care if he is your mate, you have to quit it with the whole stalking thing. You’re freaking him out!”
My jaw dropped, but he wasn’t done. “I’m Kedi,his roommate and very best friend in the whole wide world. I know him better than anyone, so believe me when I tell you to tread lightly.” His initial fury cooled slightly, and he sighed, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. “The pact forbids me from telling him about shifters, but I figured if he spent enough time around us, he would figure it out, you know? Start asking the right questions. Like, why are your eyes glowing? Why do you keep sniffing me? Why are you guys always getting naked and running through the woods?” A low growl built in my chest at the thought of other alphas being naked for our mate, but Kedi either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “But he always seems to come up with the dumbest excuses for why we’re being all wolfy. Joel is honestly just the sweetest, most innocent human I’ve ever known. There isn’t a single suspicious bone in his body.” His shoulders sagged as his arms dropped to his sides. “The pact says I can’t tell him about shifters… but you, as his fated mate, can.”
