His smile is wicked, but finally, he turns his back to me.
Getting to my feet takes effort, and I sway dangerously. I reach for the zipper on the back of my dress, but my fingers are clumsy and uncooperative.
“Need help?” Darius asks without looking at me.
“No,” I lie, still fumbling with the zipper.
A sigh escapes him. Then he’s there, his hands brushing mine aside. The zipper goes down in one smooth motion, and his knuckles graze my spine. The touch sends shivers racing across my skin.
“There. Now, change.”
He turns away again. Wiggling out of the dress nearly makes me fall. Twice. Getting the t-shirt and shorts on is even harder. My vision is blurry, my movements sluggish.
“Done,” I finally announce, collapsing back onto the bed.
Darius turns and surveys me. The shirt is twisted around my shoulders, and the shorts are slightly askew, but he doesn’t comment. Instead, he pulls back a corner of the blanket. “Get under the covers.”
Sitting up seems impossible when the room is tilting so dangerously. Darius helps me, guiding me beneath the sheets. The pillow feels soft under my head, and I sigh.
He starts to leave, but my fingers wrap around his. “Stay. S’cold.”
He freezes, his back to me. For several seconds, he doesn’t move. Then, he pulls his hand away, and rustling sounds fill the silence.Fabric hits the floor. The mattress dips under his weight, and his arm slides around my waist, pulling me back against his bare chest.
Heat radiates from his skin, chasing away the chill. Without thinking, I press closer, my body seeking his warmth instinctively.
“You smell nice,” I mumble against his arm. “And I sleep better when you’re here. Don’t know why. S’not fair.”
His chest rumbles with silent laughter. “Go to sleep, Violet.”
“Okay.” I feel exhaustion and alcohol pulling me under. “Thank you. For getting me. For watching over me.”
His hand spreads across my stomach, holding me against him. His lips, soft and warm, press against my hair.
“Always,” he whispers, so quietly I think I may be imagining it. “I’ll always come for you.”
I’m already asleep, his words dissolving into darkness.
Chapter Sixteen
Darius
I wake before dawn in Violet’s bed, my wolf content as her warmth radiates against my side. Her dark hair spills across my chest, and all I want is to pull her closer, to never let go.
But I need to move. I need to think.
I extract myself carefully, watching as she burrows deeper into the blankets with a soft exhale. My chest tightens at the sight. This woman is destroying every wall I’ve ever built, and I’m letting her.
The bathroom offers cold tile and colder water. I turn the shower as hot as it will go and try to sort through the chaos in my head.
Following her to that club wasn’t exactly hard. I got the taxi’s license plate from her building’s security footage and tracked it down through the company’s database. Simple. Efficient.
I sigh, bracing my hands against the tile as water pours down my back.
Stalking. That’s what this was. I actually stalked my own mate like some obsessed teenager who can’t control himself.
But watching her dance, seeing those human males circle around her like predators, their eyes devouring her body…
My hands curl into fists at the memory. The rage that floodedthrough me was primal, violent. I wanted to rip them apart for daring to look at her that way, for even breathing the same air as her.
