Bowen
“Idon’t know about this,” Rudy called out from behind the dressing room door.
“It’s gonna be fine, I promise.”
“I’ve never worn anything this…tightbefore.”
“If you don’t like the way it feels, I’ll completely understand, but you gotta at least let me get a peek first. It’s my right as your mate.” No, I wasn’t above using our connection to get what I wanted.
After months, I finally convinced Rudy to go shopping with me. Neither of us were fond of the idea of me going alone again, and it turned out the distance that separated us was what had made us both sick. Kieran had us test the theory as part of his study of fated mates in a rather unpleasant experience. Definitely not island-hopping alone again.
Online shopping worked great for finding skimpy little underthings for Rudy to tear off me, and clothes for me were easy enough, but I’d been dying to seeRudy in something that wasn’t baggy, and I had no idea how to shop for him unless it was in person.
In the past, he hadn’t been a big fan of populated areas because he always worried about losing control. It wasn’t the same now, though. He didn’t particularly like crowds, but it wasn’t out of fear. The moon could still catch him off guard if he wasn’t prepared for it, and there were occasions when I would wake to a hulking werewolf sleeping on top of me since I insisted our new home have windows, but most of the time, he was able to change at will.
Ellie came by to chat with me on occasion, and would make trips to the kitchen with Rudy for treats, but she no longer showed up after Rudy shifted. She understood that it didn’t affect him like it used to. And he had me for the hard moments. We hadeach otherfor the hard moments.
After the ordeal in the mine, I’d had a hard time sleeping in Rudy’s room. The confined space and not being able to see outside were hard to shake. The room I’d been staying in was fine, except it was meant for guests, and it felt so temporary. It wasn’tours. Rudy talked to the others and got permission to build our own house behind the inn’s property. A space just for us, but I had to be able to see the sky, so I didn’t feel like I was back in that mine.
Rudy kept his basement, which I understood. It was a security blanket sort of thing. He didn’t need it anymore, but he wasn’t ready to let goof it either.
Not only was he no longer locking himself away, but he was venturing out and doing more things, at least when I was with him. Now, here we were on the mainland. We’d taken the ferry from Catalina to Newport Beach, since there weren’t a lot of big and tall options in Avalon. And my manwasbig and tall. Getting back to the California coast had been an adventure of its own, but Rudy managed to keep his cool.
It was strange for me to be back here, too. It felt like a world from another time. My life, but not. Memories of a lonely apartment I once had, and a car I no longer needed, came to mind after having been surrendered physically and mentally when I stayed on Malterra. They weren’t me. It was a borrowed life. Borrowed like the clothes in the courtesy closet, functional but flawed. I finally found a life that was tailored for a perfect fit.
“The anticipation is killing me,” I shouted from outside his dressing room.
I could feel his trepidation, but then a pulse of resolve came, and he opened the door. I wasnotprepared. My jaw fell open as he stepped out. Talk about a perfect fit;woof. Skin-tight leather pants covered his thick thighs, showing every inch of his strong legs. When my gaze slid up, I had to swallow to keep from drooling. We picked out a few options for him to try, but I didn’t expect him to rock the leather vest and nothing else. His broad, hairy chest was on display, the material barely covering his nipples.
He looked like the bad-ass leader of a motorcycle gang. I never had a thing for bad boys, but I think knowing that beneath the exterior was a golden, tender heart that belonged to me made him even hotter.
“Fuck me!” I whispered.
Rudy stopped fidgeting with the vest, trying to pull it down, when his eyes met mine. His nostrils flared, and I knew he was taking in my scent, which was no doubt laced with drool and desire because I was ready to climb the man like a damn tree. His eyes were pink at the edges, the wolf present enough to appreciate my reaction.
“Bowen.” The warning tone in his voice told me he was ready toletme climb him.
“Sorry, I can’t help it, Wolfie. You look so fucking hot right now. I can’t believe I get to call you mine.”
A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. I pushed him back into the dressing room, following him in, and closing the door behind us to shield him from any onlookers in case his claws came out or he started to shift.
Rudy’s arms landed on either side of me, trapping me against the door, and he leaned down to nuzzle my hair. “Gods, you smell fucking delicious.”
Arousal bloomed between us, and it was all I could do not to turn around and let him take me right there in the dressing room. We would definitely make a scene if we did, though. We were many things whenwe were together: wild, passionate, tender, sweet, loving, and energetic, but quiet was never one of them.
I gulped and tilted my head up to look at him. “What do you think? Do you like it?”
His voice was deep and gravelly and full of heat when he responded. “I like the way you look at me in it.”
The leg Rudy braced between my legs was the only thing holding me up. Goo, the man turned me into goo. “You have to like it, too, though. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Rudy gave a slight nod and righted me before standing up straight. He looked himself over in the mirror, and I could see his blue eyes twinkle. “I, uh, never thought I could wear something like this. I think I like it. It makes me feel powerful.”
“Youarepowerful. This is merely a reflection of that.”
A sense of pride and joy came from him, and even more, I felt his own acceptance. It came more frequently than it used to, but my heart always fluttered when I could sense him growing in confidence. He met my gaze in the mirror. “Okay.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from stretching my cheeks. “Good. Will you wear it for me tonight?”
