17. SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN
Vera
I collapse against Bastien’s chest, sweaty and still stuffed full of him. I can’t deny that I’m feeling right in a way I didn’t know was possible. Almost like there’s nothing missing at all.
I sigh, and under my cheek there’s an answering rumble as Bas sighs too and his hand slides up my back.
He smooths his palm up and down my spine, using light fingertips to trace my shoulder blades and along my sides, and I melt further into him.
“I’m really happy I went on that date with Steve.”
To Bastien’s credit, his cock stays fully hard inside me, knot pushing at my inner walls, holding me in place. His hand freezes on my back, though. “Really?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I’m pretty happy with the outcome.”
He relaxes again, chest shaking as he chuckles, shaking me with it. “Well, I suppose when you put it that way. I’d still rather not talk about other guys while I’m inside you.”
“Oh, but any other time is fine?”
His low growl vibrates my body. “I’m going to need to be inside you a lot.”
“No complaints here.” My body still feels all lazy and a little sticky from the multiple orgasms he gave me.
I get the feeling I won’t even be tempted to look at other guys now that things have developed between me and Bas.
Which reminds me that we haven’t technically confirmed what things are exactly. I mean he said mate…
He’s quiet for a while, lazily stroking my back. My eyes drift closed.
Then his deep voice wakes me from half sleep. “We should tell Riley.”
“What? Why? You know he’s going to freak out, don’t you?”
He grimaces. “The longer I leave it, the worse it will feel hiding it from him.”
I chew on this for a minute. “He’s going to do something stupid.”
Bas nods. “I know.”
“Ugh, he probably deserves whatever happens to him when he tries to fight you, then.”
“Hmm.” I can tell the thought bothers Bas.
He loses some of the post-orgasm languor.
I’m about to say something when the jingle of keys alerts me to someone at the door.
I have half a second to remember I’m lying completely naked, still impaled on Bastien’s cock, before Kate, my roommate opens the door.
She makes a little gasp of surprise. “Jesus, Vera, what happened to the sock over the door handle if you were bringing someone back here?”
Bas curses, and fumbles with the duvet, trying to cover me. I’m laughing too hard to help him.
Kate lets out a mumbled string of swear words and turns to face the other way. “I’m going to go out and come back in five minutes. Is that enough time for you to be dressed?”
“Ummm…”
“Seriously, Vera? I’ve got shit to do in the morning.”
Through my laughter, I manage to squeeze out, “How much do you know about shifters?”
Forty-five minutes later, with many promises of covering her rent for a whole two weeks, I’ve separated myself from Bas, soothed Kate, and am sitting on the hood of his beat-up old Tacoma with my arms and legs wrapped around him while he nuzzles my neck. “Stay.”
“There’s no room. I should go and leave you and your poor roommate in peace.”
“You should stay.” I tip my head back, silently begging for more kisses.
He doesn’t disappoint me, dragging his lips along the column of my neck and tingles in his wake. When he reaches the mark he left, we both groan.
“It’s a long drive back to Mosswood. It’s late.”
“Mmm.” Teeth graze my skin, and I shiver into his jacket which is wrapped around my shoulders.
His whole torso is bare, but he apparently doesn’t feel the cold at all. Everywhere he’s touching me is warm and inviting.
I scooch forward on the hood of the truck just to get closer, which brings my pussy flush against the huge bulge in the front of his trousers.
A rough sound tears from him, and he grips my hips to hold me still as he drags himself against me. Soon we’re both breathing hard. “It is a long drive.”
“You should stay.”
“It would feel good to wake up with you in my arms.”
When he pulls back, I think I’ve convinced him. Only his brows furrow and he reaches to pull his phone out of his back pocket.
The screen is lit up with a call. Riley.
We stare at each other over the phone in his hand. I give him a little shrug, and he answers while I wrap his jacket more tightly around me, cold now that his big, warm body isn’t pressed right up against mine.
“Hey, Riley. What’s up?”
Bastien listens for a moment. Then his expression walls up all of a sudden. “Oh shit.” He pulls the phone from his ear and switches the call to speaker.
“—can’t get hold of Vera.”
“What’s happened?” I say out loud before I can think.
Riley pauses. “Ver?”
“Yeah, she’s here.”
I know something serious has happened when Riley doesn’t immediately fire off a million questions. “Vera, why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone? Mom’s been admitted to the hospital. She’s had a fall. They’re doing X-rays now, but they think she’s broken her collarbone and maybe her arm.”
“Fuck.”
Bastien’s warm hand on my shoulder grounds me.
“What happened?” I ask Riley.
“Relapse.”
“Are they sure?”
“Yeah, Ver. That’s all this is. It’s just a bad one.” Riley’s voice is a harsh bark.
I don’t ask any more questions. There’s no point. Her specialist will already be looking into it, I’m sure. No one will have answers yet.
The tightness in my throat reaches up and claws at my eyes too, making them water. Bastien’s hand smoothes over my back, and I can breathe again.
“OK, I’ll be there. Which hospital?”
He gives me the directions, and Bas hangs up the phone. We don’t have to discuss it. I run upstairs to fetch an overnight bag, and we climb into his truck and hit the road.
Stopping at a rest stop for cheap coffee and stale donuts keeps us going into the early hours of the morning.
But by the time we make it to the hospital, visiting hours have ended and they won’t admit us.
Bas sits on the firm bench in the emergency waiting room, and I lie with my head in his lap, not expecting to sleep.
Some time before five, I must drift off, though, because I wake groggy and stiff to someone shaking me.