One nod.
Underneath the table, she adjusted her position, her legs rubbing together, making the scent of her heat waft toward me.
I blinked, gave myself a shake, and concentrated on eating.
“If you’re worried about pregnancy, I have an IUD. It’s never failed me.”
A potato lodged in my throat. I coughed and slapped my hand flat down on the table at the same time, trying to expel the obstruction. It took two big coughs and a lot of water to free it. When I was relatively certain I’d be fine, I stared at the woman across from me.
Brooke continued to eat her soup calmly, like she hadn’t announced her birth control choices out of the blue and I hadn’t choked on a potato. I waited for her to say something else, but she continued to eat, took a drink of water, and otherwise carried on like we were having a normal conversation.
When she didn’t say anything else, I scooped a bit of soup into my spoon.
“And I might be sexually active,” she said in that same calm tone, but her words thick.
My spoon hovered between my lips and my bowl.
“But I’m always as safe as possible. I insist on the guy wearing a condom as well.”
A growl emerged from my chest, unbidden.
She raised her eyebrows. “What I’m trying to say is that, as two consenting adults, I’m as safe as I can be. The rest would be on you since I arrived without my purse. I’m assuming there isn’t a drug store nearby to buy that second layer of protection.”
Her last words barely registered. The thought of my mate being with other guys made a hot rush of volatility whip through my body. I wanted to track them down and make them forget they’d ever touched her. I wanted to shred them all with my claws. I wanted blood.
When the red haze colored the edges of my vision, I took a deep breath—which was exactly the wrong thing to do. The scent of her heat filled my head, making my entire body tighten. My spoon clattered into the bowl, splashing broth onto the table.
She kept looking at me calmly.
I wanted nothing more than to give into my more primal urges, but I wouldn’t do that to her again. I wouldn’t allow myself to lose control where I had no idea what I was doing until the next day. Icouldn’tsubject her to that.
Standing abruptly, I pushed my chair back with my knees. The scraping sound echoed against the walls. The only way to keep her safe was to remove myself from the equation.
I turned away from her dejected expression and strode to the door. Even though I had the urge to slam it, to put all this excess energy inside mesomewhere, I closed it with a soft click.
Without a destination in mind, I strode into the forest. I didn’t make it far. With every step I took, the more the pressure in my chest told me to return to the cabin. I stopped and ran a hand over my face and beard, staring at nothing, only aware of that insistent tug that told me I’d made the wrong decision.
The last of the snow had melted. I stared at a patch of moss, the yellow-orange of it picking up the highlights of a setting sun. As I stood there, the pressure inside me grew. It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like I’d left Brooke alone too long. I was supposed to take care of my mate. Could I be a bigger ass? I needed to make sure she was okay. I turned around and headed back.
Quiet blanketed everything as I picked up my pace. It didn’t take long for the cabin to come into view, the lights shining from the windows. They reeled me in, along with the insistent tug in my chest.
Something told me Brooke was in distress. By the time I reached the door, I’d broken out into a full-blown panic. I stopped myself before I could barge in there a madman, took a breath, and slowly opened the door.
The scent of her heat slammed into me, stronger than before. It filled the whole cabin, erasing the supper smells I’d created. She’d started the dishes, everything stacked by the sink, but she was hunched over, one hand braced against the table like she was in pain, the other down the front of her sweatpants.
When she lifted her head to meet my gaze, her wide eyes were full of desperation, her face flushed bright red. “I need you.”
My entire body went taut with desire.Dear God.My willpower cracked and shattered. I couldn’t fight it any longer. I’d been cruel to resist.
I was across the room before I could blink. The red haze emerged in my peripheral vision, threatening to take over, but I pushed it away. The bear could not win this time. I stood behind her and took her hips in my hands. The curve of her bottom swelled under my hands, lush. I squeezed.
Arching her back, she looked at me over her shoulder. “Please,” she whispered, then pushed back against me.
My hands tightened in response. Desire spiked to my cock, making me so hard I ached. I skimmed my fingers up to her waistband and pulled them down over her ass.
I swallowed. Each inch the fabric traveled revealed more of her perfect flesh, lower and lower until she kicked the sweats aside. I fell forward on my knees, my face in line with her need. She was bare down here, waxed. Her pussy lips were swollen and puffy, juices dripping down her thighs. I should never have left her in this state.
Leaning forward, I licked the juices from the inside of her thighs. She tasted of sugar and musk, so sweet I growled as I lapped it up. Heat curled in my stomach, rising in my chest.
