She considered that, then smiled again. “Right.”
Xander got to his feet, praying he didn’t have any obvious bulge in the front of his jeans. Luckily, his hard-on was positioned in such a way that it didn’t look too blatant, though he was pretty sure Khaki already knew how turned on he was. And if she didn’t, she’d sure as hell figure it out when they started dancing.
He could live with that. Like he’d decided, he was done hiding how he felt about her.
As soon as they found a space on the crowded dance floor, he pulled Khaki close, holding one of her hands in his while letting his other hand slide down her back to the top of her jean-clad ass. He moved instinctively to the slow rhythm of the country song, all his attention focused on Khaki.
She felt so right in his arms. But standing this close to her, looking into her eyes and feeling her warm body pressed up against his, he found it difficult to even breathe, much less think. Fortunately, being with her didn’t require a lot of thinking.
Her scent enveloped him, making him dizzy with its intoxicating mix of her natural fragrance and the scent of her arousal. It made his cock throb even harder, but Khaki didn’t seem to mind. She pressed closer to him, resting her cheek against his chest as she swayed in time to the music. His heart beat a little faster.
“Is it bad that I’ve wanted to get close to you like this for a while?” Khaki’s words were so soft that Xander wouldn’t have heard them if he didn’t have a werewolf’s enhanced hearing. Knowing she’d been feeling this thing between them—and fighting it—as long as he had did crazy things to him.
“Probably, especially since I’m your squad leader,” he said just as softly. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’ve been thinking about doing more than just dancing with you.”
She laughed, wiggling against the bulge in his jeans. “I can tell.”
That brought a growl to his throat and he dipped his head to bury his nose in the long hair hiding her neck from him. He inhaled deeply, letting his lips move teasingly across the warm skin there as his hand glided down a little lower on her ass. She was the one who growled then, and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d ever heard.
The song ended and another began, and they didn’t even miss a step. Xander trailed his lips up and down her neck, practically getting drunk off the sublime taste of her skin. He could have stayed right there on that dance floor and done that all night, if his body hadn’t been screaming that it wanted even more of her.
He was so wrapped up in his blissful fantasy, he didn’t realize she was squeezing his shoulder until he felt her claws dig into his skin. He jerked his head up and saw that the claws on the hand cupped in his were extended as well. They might have been more feminine and graceful than any other werewolf’s he’d ever seen, but they looked exactly like what they were—claws.
Xander glanced down at Khaki. Her face was still buried against his chest, but he could still see the tip of one fang as it protruded over her lower lip. He wished he could get a better look. On her, he had no doubt that werewolf fangs looked good.
“Khaki, you’re shifting.”
He felt her stiffen, but her claws didn’t retract. He could only assume her fangs were still out as well. It was hard to tell because she pressed her face even more tightly against his chest.
“I can’t make it stop,” she said.
The panic in her voice made his gut wrench. He held her closer. “Shh.… Relax, I’m right here. I’ll take care of you. We’re going to walk off the dance floor and slip out of here without anyone noticing.”
She trembled against him. “But what if someone sees me?”
“They won’t.” He turned, keeping his arm protectively around her as he headed for the exit. “Just keep your arm around me and your head down.”
She nodded, slipping one clawed hand in the back pocket of his jeans while trying to hide the other in the material of his shirt. It would take more than a casual look to realize they were anything other than extremely long fingernails. He hoped.
They made it out the door and started down the street to where he’d parked his truck. Khaki still kept her head on his shoulder. He sure as hell didn’t mind. It felt good.
“Why is my sense of smell suddenly so much stronger?” she asked softly.
“The closer we are to our wolf form, the better our senses work. Your sexual arousal has pushed you to the edge of a full shift. What can you smell?”
She was silent except for the cutest sniffing sounds he’d ever heard. “I smell everything—people, cars, asphalt, the burgers they’re cooking back at the bar. But stronger than any of that, I smell you. Your scent is driving me insane.”
He stifled a groan. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”
They made it to his pickup without freaking out any locals. The moment they got inside, Khaki flipped down the passenger visor and used the mirror to get a good look at her fangs. She kept turning her head, clearly mesmerized at how the city lights glimmered off her long, white teeth.
Xander couldn’t help but laugh at the stunned expression on her face. “Yeah, they look pretty frigging awesome, don’t they?”
“They’re so…sharp.” Khaki glanced at him, her brows puckering. “They don’t look…freaky, do they?”
He reached out to brush her hair back from her flushed face. “They’re beautiful, just like the rest of you.”
Unable to resist temptation any longer, he kissed her. It was a first for him, kissing a girl with fangs. But Khaki’s soft lips paired with the sharp tips of those teeth were a perfect metaphor for Khaki. She was definitely soft and feminine in some ways, but she came with her fair share of sharp edges too.
