Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CARTER
“Come on, Rose, live a little,” I tease, lacing my fingers through hers as I tug her across the parking lot.
She digs her heels into the pavement, dress swishing around her thighs. “Absolutely not. You already tricked me into riding that death machine once. I drove here. I’ll drive myself home and meet you there.”
I glance back at her, smirking beneath the parking lot lights, the silver moon hanging like a spotlight above us. “Your car will be fine overnight, and you’ll be more than fine taking the scenic route home with me.”
“Carter.” She pulls her hand free long enough to gesture at herself. “Look at me. I’m in a dress. I’m not motorcycle-ready.”
My grin widens, the wolf rising just beneath my skin at her challenge.
Without hesitation, I crouch and tug at the hem of her dress, ripping the seam up to mid-thigh.
Goosebumps rise on her legs as cool night air slides across the newly bared skin, pale in the moonlight.
I repeat the motion on the other side, ignoring her indignant gasp.
“There,” I murmur, eyes locked on hers as the shreds flutter against her legs. “Perfect. Now you’re fit to ride my bike.”
“Carter!” Her voice is scandalized, but the blush gives her away, a rosy heat even the night can’t hide. “It’s the middle of the night!”
I cock a brow and step closer until my heat is undeniable. “Exactly. What better time for a ride with your werewolf boyfriend? Or”—I lower my voice, lips brushing the shell of her ear—“are you afraid of the big bad wolf?”
Her sharp inhale is all the permission I need. I sweep her into my arms as we reach the bike, her dress riding higher with the movement. Her laugh catches as I kiss her, hungry and reckless, until we break apart, panting, her lips parted, eyes wide and shimmering.
The backs of her thighs brush the leather seat as I set her down. I drop to one knee between her legs and use my hands to part them. Her breath hitches. My wolf rumbles with satisfaction.
“Or,” I whisper, gaze dark and unyielding as moonlight paints her skin silver, “I could just eat my dessert right here.”
“Carter, don’t you dare!” Her eyes narrow, but she runs her fingers through my hair.
“Why?” I nip at her inner thigh, and her fingers tighten, nails scraping my scalp. My cock throbs, trapped in the confines of my suit. I’m not going to let her win this easily. “Afraid someone will see?”
“Yes,” she hisses, but her body says otherwise as her hips buck when my hands slide up the sides of her thighs and over her hips, only thin fabric separating me from her sweet, soft skin.
“Well then, kitten, you have two choices.” I stand and lean close to her ear, reaching behind her to unlatch the helmets and hand one to her. “You put this on and brave a moonlit ride with me, or I’ll take you right here in the parking lot.”
“You wouldn’t,” she gasps, staring at me.
I smirk, feeling my canines elongate and my wolf stir at the challenge.
“What makes you so certain of that?” I grab her chin and force her to meet my eyes. I run my thumb along her parted bottom lip before claiming her mouth in a bruising kiss.
“You’re a beast,” she says, roughly taking the helmet from me and sliding it on, then tugging my leather jacket over her shoulders.
“Yes, but I’m your beast.”
Just get her home already.
I pull on my helmet and swing my leg over the seat. I live for the moment her arms circle me. Sure enough, she slides on behind me, thighs wrapping around mine, chest firm against my back. Her warmth seeps through my suit like fire, and my pulse spikes at the touch.
The engine roars to life beneath us, vibrating through our bodies.
I ease us onto the street, and she clasps her hands tight over my torso.
That grip feels like a brand, an anchor, a promise.
Gods, I could ride forever like this—just to keep her holding on.
I know she doesn’t like motorcycles, but her sliding on behind me is more than a physical sign of trust.
“I’ve got you, kitten. I won’t let you fall,” I say into the mic, letting go with one hand to find hers and give it a squeeze. I want her to know it’s more than reassurance. It’s a vow.
Her laugh crackles through the helmet’s speakers, but the words are a threat. “I’d haunt you to your last days if you did.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” I grin, leaning into a hard turn. She tightens her hold, and my chest swells like it might split from the force of it—her choosing to trust me. Choosing to stay close.
The city blurs behind us as I push harder, hungrier, until the streetlights dissolve into wide stretches of land and trees. Every mile we put between us and the world feels like mine—mine with her. I don’t care where we end up, as long as she’s here, clinging to me like she belongs.
“This isn’t the way to my house,” she says, suspicion sharpening her tone.
“Just a little detour. Won’t be long.” Not long enough, if I’m honest. Never long enough.
The silence that follows isn’t empty—it’s heavy. Her breath syncs with mine through the mic, her heartbeat thrumming against my back with every bump in the road. I drink in her touch like oxygen, like if she let go, I’d stop breathing altogether.
Finally I turn down a dirt track, ease the bike to a stop, and kill the engine. The sudden quiet hums in my ears, broken only by her soft exhale.
“Come here, little witch.” My voice drops to a growl as I twist and tug her onto my lap. She gasps, then locks her legs around my hips, straddling me. My wolf preens. She fits perfectly—carved to sit here, on me. With me. Always.
“Carter…” Her voice trembles, soft and unsure. My name on her lips is my undoing.
I slide my hands up her sides, savoring the feel of her curves until I reach her helmet. I tug it free and let it fall to the grass, then take my own off. Her hair spills around her face, unbound and perfect.
“Look up,” I command. She obeys, head tipping back, and the stars scatter like spilled diamonds across the velvet sky. She gasps.
“This is so gorgeous.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” The words are a whisper, truer than anything I’ve ever said. My fingers trace the moon charm resting against her chest, right where her heart beats—steady and wild. “I told you I’d see you in the moonlight.”
“I thought you said you’d see me in nothing but the moonlight.”
Her teasing pulls a low growl from me. My hand slides around her neck, her pulse stuttering beneath my palm. My thumb caresses the fluttering beat while my fingers tighten around the nape of her neck.
“I think my wanton witch likes my little necklace.”
“Yes.” She leans into my touch, and gods help me, I’d burn the world before I let anyone else hurt her again.
Her breath hitches as I lean in, lips brushing hers. “I’d do anything to keep you here. Anything to stay by your side.”
Her tongue flicks across her lips, and I can’t hold back. My fingers tangle in her hair, tugging her mouth to mine as my other hand drifts beneath the rip in the hem of her dress. Her heat meets my palm as I stroke through the thin fabric. She gasps, her thighs tightening, her body arching.
“More,” she begs. I pull back just enough to see her swollen lips glistening in the moonlight. The sight makes my chest ache with something far more dangerous than lust.
“Soon,” I promise, pressing her tight against me, heart to heart. “But not yet. I wanted to bring you away from the noise, the crowd… to remind you that you never have to be afraid with me.”
I bury my face in her wild hair, kissing the crown of her head, holding her like I could anchor her to me forever. Because I will. Whatever it takes, however far I have to go—I’ll never let her slip away.