“Can’t you see his shirt?” Ash growled. He barely came up to the wolf’s shoulders. “It’s red. He’s taken.”
The werewolf paused, his brows furrowed. “I… I’m colorblind.”
“Then maybeasknext time,” Ash shot back, not missing a beat. “Before you go putting your paws all over people that don’t belong to you. Because this one ismine.”
I felt myself shiver. The way Ash laid claim to me like that… it made my nipples perk right up.
The werewolf lifted his gaze to me. “Is he serious? You belong to him?”
I just shrugged. “Sorry, buddy. Looks like I’m spoken for.”
I watched the werewolf’s face fall as he processed my words. He glanced between Ash and me one more time before backing away with his hands raised in surrender.
“My bad,” he muttered, disappearing into the crowd.
Ash turned to face me, his shadows still swirling aggressively around his feet. The silver cuffs on his wrists were glowing faintly, working overtime to contain his magic. But his eyes...gods, his eyes were blazing with possessive fire that made my cock twitch in my jeans.
“That was hot,” I said, pulling him against me. “Really fucking hot.”
“He was touching you,” Ash said, his voice still edged with that protective growl. “I didn’t like it.”
“I didn’t like it either,” I assured him, my hands sliding down to grip his hips. “But I loved watching you stake your claim.”
Karrick’s laughter boomed beside us. “Damn, Ash! I didn’t know you had it in you!”
Phoenix smiled, leaning into Karrick’s side. “I remember that feeling. The first time someone tried to hit on Karrick after we bonded, I nearly set them on fire.”
“You did set them on fire,” Karrick corrected, grinning down at him. “Just a little bit.”
Ash’s tension started to ease, though his shadows remained more active than usual. “Sorry. I probably overreacted.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said firmly, tilting his chin up so he had to look at me. “I liked it. A lot.”
The music shifted to something slower, more sensual, and I felt Ash’s body relax further against mine. Around us, couples were pairing off on the dance floor, bodies pressed together in ways that left little to the imagination.
“Dance with me?” I asked, already pulling him toward the mass of moving bodies.
“I don’t really know how to?—”
“Just follow my lead,” I interrupted, guiding us into the crowd. “It’s not complicated.”
I turned Ash around so his back was pressed against my chest, my hands settling on his hips as we swayed to the music. He was stiff at first, uncertain, but gradually he started to relax into the rhythm. I could feel every shift of his body against mine, the way his ass pressed back into my growing erection.
“You’re a natural,” I murmured into his ear, letting my lips brush against the shell.
Ash shivered, his head falling back against my shoulder. “This is... different.”
“Good different or bad different?”
“Very good different,” he breathed, his hands coming up to cover mine on his hips.
I let myself get lost in the moment, in the feel of Ash’s body moving against mine, in the way his shadows wrapped around us both like they were trying to keep everyone else away. The music thrummed through my chest, matching the rapid beat of my heart.
“Silver,” Ash whispered, his voice barely audible over the music. “Everyone’s watching us.”
I glanced around and realized he was right. Multiple pairs of eyes were tracking our movements, some curious, others envious. I slid my hands down to his ass, cupping both cheeks.
“Let them watch,” I said, spinning him around so we were face to face. “I want them to see.”
