“Bas, are you purring?” Her mouth opens and closes, but her cheeks turn pink, and she leans towards me.
“Fuck, just take the chocolate, already,” I grit out.
She takes it gingerly, watching me with wide eyes as I step back, slowly forcing myself away from her room. Step by painful step. She perches on the chair but stands up again, looking adorable in that too-big T-shirt, that…
“Is that my shirt?”
She turns a bright and adorable red colour.
“No, of course not.”
Except I know it’s mine. It went missing a year ago; I searched for it everywhere. My whole body relaxes, and I grin, which gets her back up. She stole my T-shirt and wears it.
I grab my jumper and tug it off. I step towards her, ignoring the almost desperate need to push this situation into another one of our fights. My hands shake a little as I tug the hoodie down over her head.
“Arms,” I murmur.
Her cheeks are still red, but those dark brown, bitter chocolate eyes of hers are watching me as she puts her arms through. Now she is dwarfed in my jumper. In my scent.
I grab the front of my hoodie and tug her closer to me. My gaze locks on her lips, staring, trying to control myself. I want to taste her so bad.
She’s breathing hard, and that scent is turning molten. I reach behind her, grab the thermos, and put it in her hands.
“Drink it up.”
I haven’t looked away from her, and she hasn’t looked away from me. Using every single bit of inner strength that I have, I uncurl my fingers and let go.
“Goodnight, Cordie.”
She licks her bottom lip and swallows hard.
“Goodnight, ian.”
I leave before I do something really stupid. Leaving feels stupid. Every step is in the wrong direction. I walk into my childhood home and snarl.
“Oh, there you are,” Pops pauses, looking me up and down. “Why are you walking around in a T-shirt? Aren’t you freezing?”
“I’m fine.”
He cocks his head to the side and eyes me up and down. “Seb?”
I shudder at his voice. Everything in me wants to go back to her or start a fight.
I force myself to calm down, remembering the deep, husky whisper of the alpha as he explained what was happening to me.
“I just dropped something off to Cordelia, but I need to work now, so I’m going to go to bed.”
Pops bobs his head. “Sure. Okay. Goodnight.”
I collect my tablet from the kitchen and go back up to my room, where I find an email waiting for me.
I hesitate over opening it. I feel far too close to the edge.
Flinging myself into my chair, I blow out my cheeks, trying and struggling to calm the throbbing arousal that has turned my body into a weapon.
I click open the email, needing to know.
There are four words, and I have no idea how to answer them.
