“You’re not just sexy, Caleb,” he said in his low, gravelly voice. “You’re smart and funny and kind even though you’drather not admit it. And you’re a goddamn survivor. You’ll probably deny it, but it’s true. You are all of those things and more.”
I wasn’t. I hadn’t survived anything. He’d fought in World War I, for fuck’s sake. I’d grown up in an upper middle-class suburb and played rec soccer. The parents had handed out Capri Suns and little bags of chips after every practice.
He tightened his arms around me. “And you’re something else.” When he didn’t elaborate, I looked up and met his wolf-bright eyes.
“What?” I whispered.
“Mine.”
Chapter
Twelve
CALEB
Iwoke to the sound of persistent, off-key humming.
Groaning, I opened my eyes and squinted at my unfamiliar surroundings. Purple pre-dawn light spilled over dark hardwood floors. In the corner, a plaid throw was draped over an upholstered chair with rolled arms. The table next to it held a stack of books. More books were piled on the floor, multicolored sticky notes marking the pages.
Jesse’s books.I was at his townhouse in Albany, and it was Saturday morning.
The events of the night flooded back, filling my cheeks—and other parts of me—with heat. After Jesse had declared me his, we’d lounged in bed for a bit, talking and making out. Eventually, he’d pulled me from bed and into his shower, where I’d sucked him off with steam rolling around our slick bodies. He’d offered to return the favor, but apparently, the werewolf refractory period had its limits, after all. As much as I’d wanted to feel his mouth on me, my tank had been empty. So I’d stood docilely while he shampooed and conditioned my hair, and I’d groaned as he kneaded my tired muscles with his body wash that smelled like something a rich lumberjack might use. Then we’d stumbled to bed still wet, and I fell asleep in his arms.
Which couldn’t have been more than a few hours ago.
And now he was up, and I was fully recovered and hard as an anvil. But he wasn’t in bed with me, his hot mouth ready to report for duty.
No, he washumming. Horribly.
With another groan, I grabbed a pillow and pressed it over my head. A second later, footsteps rang out. They stopped a few feet from the bed, and Jesse’s clean scent washed over me.
“You okay under there?” he asked.
I lifted the pillow and glared at his stupid, sexy face. “I’m sleeping.”
“Doesn’t look like it.” He flashed a bright smile. “Which is good because we need to get going.”
Confusion pummeled me. He wore a pair of black joggers and another long-sleeve fitted athletic shirt that made me want to swear fealty to his chest. His hair was damp, and his jaw was clean-shaven with just a hint of dark stubble. The rich scent of coffee clung to him. He’d obviously been up for a while.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“You need to shift. There’s a nature preserve twenty minutes north of the city.”
I looked at the windows over his shoulder. The shades were up, and the sky outside was just beginning to grow pink. “Right now?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Can you think of a better time?”
“Yeah, actually. After lunch.”
“Cute.” His smile stayed put, but his eyes lightened to gold—which was both hot and mildly terrifying. When he spoke, his authority brushed my skin. “I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.” He turned away.
“Wait!” I flung back the sheet, exposing my erection. I wasn’t exactly vain, but I’d been an athlete for a long time, and I had the build and body fat percentage to show for it. I’d inherited mymother’s blond hair, but through some quirk of genetics, I never lost my summer tan, not even in the depths of winter. I knew I looked good against the white sheets.
As Jesse’s gaze fell over me, I parked one hand behind my head and used the other to give my dick a lazy stroke. “What am I supposed to do about this?” I asked, my scratchy morning voice doing a decent job of sounding sexy. Blow jobs and naps sounded like a nice Saturday morning to me. Way nicer than trying totransform my bodyinto an animal.
Jesse said nothing. Just stood there and watched me work my shaft. And it was…kinda hot, actually, having him fully dressed and looming over me, his dark eyes feasting on my nudity. It felt a little decadent, like I was a prize he’d caught and stashed in his bed.
Oh yeah, I could totally get into this.
