Chapter Twenty-Three
CHEV
CHARLIE STEPS INTO the bathroom, a laugh already on the cusp of emerging.
“You look very handsome,” she compliments me.
I know she doesn’t mean it. She’s laughing at me. It’s written clear as day on her face. She leans against the door frame, resting her shoulder against the wood as she watches Gray wash my fur. I barely fit in the tub in my bear form, but I need to be cleaned.
Cassia directs the shower spray at my face, the tiny wrath full of giggles. I swipe at her, and I’m impressed by her lack of fear as my bear’s claws come only inches from her face. Instead, she giggles harder and swings her head back and forth, letting her heavy, wet hair slap around her head. She and Gray are soaking wet, but that tends to be what happens when you stick a full-grown bear in a bathtub.
Vanessa has invited me to her home for an unsupervised dinner, and I want to look my best for her.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been cleaned in my bear form—particularly as an adult—but the humiliation of having Gray and his child assist is well worth it. Grooming is typically only done among immediate family and mates, but I don’t have the patience to deal with the questions my dad is sure to spout when I ask for help bathing.
I doubt Vanessa will request to see my bear, but I want him to look good for her in case she does. First impressions are important.
Gray sits on the tub’s edge, working a conditioner-soaked comb through my fur while Cassia rinses the soap off my legs. I liked it better when David was here. He was mindful of the water’s temperature and the direction of the spray, but Silas pulled him away to finish his schoolwork and replaced him with the tiny wrath.
My chest vibrates when Gray snags a knot near my spine, and when I try to wiggle away, he grabs my shoulder and forces me to remain still.
“Stop complaining,” he huffs. “Do you want your fur to be soft or not?”
I swipe his hand off my shoulder, annoyed, before forcing my limbs to be still. I do want my fur to be soft.
Gray smiles. “We’re almost done.”
He said that twenty minutes ago and twenty minutes before that, so I no longer believe him. Gray’s a dirty liar.
Cassia gradually loses interest and wanders away with Charlie, leaving Gray and me alone. I’m happy for them to leave. It’s embarrassing having to be washed like a small child, and the fewer people who see it, the better.
Gray clears his throat. “Do you want me to get your front?”
I huff, nodding as I kick out my legs and spread my arms. Well, I spread as much as the small tub will allow. Gray shifts to sit on the ledge in front of me. He leans forward and massages soap into my chest and stomach, his fingers burying in deep as he works it through my fur.
I’m not too fond of his hands on me, but I have to admit he’s thorough.
We avoid eye contact as he cleans the area between my thighs.
I loved dirt as a child and had to be cleaned quite often by my mom and dad, but I never remember it being this awkward. Innocence is bliss, and I hardly ever noticed the hands scrubbing my balls and cleaning around my foreskin. I was too busy trying to fight my way out of the bath, angry that the dirt I had worked so hard to cover myself with was being removed.
“How do shifters typically clean themselves?” Gray asks.
I shrug. How’s he expecting me to answer him? I can’t talk in this form.
Gray seems to realize his mistake as he laughs and grabs the showerhead, and five minutes later, I’m standing and shaking out my fur. About damn time. This was arguably the worst hour of my life, and I’m never doing it again.
In the future, I’ll throw myself into a lake or rub against trees, as I’ve done for most of my adult life.
Gray lingers in the bathroom as I shift back into my skin form, and he grimaces as he notices my raw skin. This usually happens when my fur is scrubbed too hard, both forms agitated and red, but it’ll go away soon. I throw a towel around my waist and gesture for Gray to leave, which he does after a few more attempts to start conversation.
I know the incubus wants to be my friend, but I already have one of those and I don’t need another. Besides, I don’t think my mate would like me hanging around the male who touched me intimately. Aziel sure doesn’t like me and Gray being alone together. The wrath is jealous of me, and I’m surprised he wasn’t lingering around the bathroom.
I cleaned my best leathers last night, and I put them on before wandering into Aziel’s bedroom and finding Silas’s cologne. He has one I enjoy, and I spray a bit on my torso. Blessed breeds like the natural scent of their mates, so I’m careful not to cover mine completely.
I find a mirror and evaluate myself one last time before leaving to see Vanessa. I typically run there in my bear form, but I don’t want to dirty my freshly cleaned fur. I take Charlie’s golf cart instead.
Vanessa’s blinds are already closed for the evening, blocking my view of her as I climb her porch and knock on her front door. I can smell the food, and it’s incredible. Aziel told me I eat more than anybody would realistically know to prepare and should eat before coming, which I thought was a good idea.
I ate a large meal prior to Gray cleaning me, but my stomach still rumbles when I smell Vanessa’s cooking. I’m so excited to eat her food.
My mate pulls open the front door with a smile. She eyes me up and down before stepping to the side and welcoming me in. She’s wearing a dress, which isn’t anything unusual, but this one shows more skin than I’ve ever seen before. It ends many inches above her knees, and most of her shoulders are exposed.
Because of our height difference, I know I’ll be able to see down the front of her dress if I look. I make a pointed effort not to do so.
“You look beautiful,” I compliment her.
Vanessa ducks her head, her cheeks flushing. I try not to look too imposing as I cup her chin and tilt her face upward. She grows only redder, and I absolutely love it as I lean in and press my lips to hers.
Her hands find my chest, the touch causing my bear to begin his noises. It’s embarrassing, but Vanessa says she likes the sounds, so I don’t try to stop the rumbling. It continues even when I pull away and follow her into the kitchen.
“It smells amazing,” I say, peering into the pot on the stove. “What’re you making?”
I don’t recognize the red sauce, and I resist the urge to dip my finger in as Vanessa comes up alongside me.
“It’s a human dish,” she says. “This is a beef and sweet tomato sauce, and I’ll mix it with noodles.”
Noodles?
Vanessa must see my confusion, and when she explains noodles to be thin wheat strings, I about lose it. That sounds so good.
I do my best to hide my frustration as Vanessa pours three boxes of wheat strings into a pot of boiling water. I shouldn’t have listened to Aziel’s advice. Vanessa is making more than enough to feed me, and I regret my earlier meal.
“Thank you for cooking for me,” I say, taking the initiative to set the table.
Vanessa’s too busy to reply, and I take advantage of that as I adjust and light several candles lying about. They smell like cedar and rain, and I smile to myself as I dim the overhead lights. I want our meal to be as romantic as possible.
Vanessa faintly chuckles when she notices what I’m doing, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m a romantic.
She sets the meal in a large bowl and carries it to the table, and I bring over the homemade bread she made with it. It smells so good. I’m going to die a happy man. We take our seats, and I immediately reach over and fill Vanessa’s plate.
“Tell me about your day,” I say.
I serve myself while she talks, and I fight back a moan when I finally try the food. It’s just as delicious as I expected, and I once again curse Aziel when I grow full after only my third serving. Vanessa eats half of one serving, and she rolls her eyes when I lean forward and scoop a little more on her plate.
“I want my mate big and strong,” I tease, gesturing to her fork.
Her abrupt silence tells me I’ve said the wrong thing, and I replay the words in my head before realizing where I made my mistake.
“Not like that!” I say. “I meant I want you to be healthy and full. Plump!” Her eyes turn offended. I’m not making things better. “Please don’t be angry. I love you just how you are,” I continue, frustrated when my bear forces a series of low rumbles from my chest. “I was trying to be funny.”
My bear is always getting on my nerves, and I punch my sternum before dragging my fingers through my hair. This evening was supposed to be perfect, and I’m ruining it. I know Vanessa is insecure about her smaller size, and I shouldn’t have said anything about it. I don’t need her to be tall and muscular like the shifter women I’ve grown up around.
My heart pounds, and Vanessa pushes her food aside before rising and climbing onto my lap.
I freeze.
“You’re okay, Chev,” she says. “It’s going to take more than that to drive me away.”
I hope so.
“Carry me to the couch,” she continues. “There’s something I want to try.”
I’m up in a heartbeat, holding her to me. My hands are underneath her thighs, my fingertips touching the bare skin below her dress. I love it, and I swallow past the lump in my throat as I bring her to the couch. What does she want to try? Is it sexual?
I debate laying her on her back, a move most shifter males would make, before changing course and sitting so she’s straddling me. This gives her more control, and I think she appreciates that.
Vanessa plants her hands on my shoulders, and I try my best to remain still as she feels my muscles. She’s so soft and warm, and my body betrays me as I begins hardening. There’s no way to hide it. She’s sitting directly on me, so I know she feels it pressing against her.
We both ignore it.
I can smell her arousal, though. I know she’s reacting to me, her body begging for mine. I’m not going to make the first move, and I curl my hands into tight fists as she leans down and presses her lips to mine.
Fuck.
A low groan slips from my throat when she opens her mouth and teases me with her tongue, and after a second, she grabs my wrists and pulls my hands to her waist. I happily hold her hips. I don’t have to worry about pushing her too far when she’s the one making the decisions.
We kiss for what feels like forever, but it’s not nearly long enough. When she pulls away, I’m so hard, I ache.
“Touch my mark,” Vanessa whispers.
Those words are music to my ears. I slide my hand up her hip, pausing once I reach the top of her ribcage. Vanessa cocks her head to the side, and I meet her eyes as I inch toward her breasts.
I want to see them so badly, and I can’t help but roll my hips as I pull the short sleeve of her dress over her shoulder. I wait for Vanessa to stop me before dragging it down her arm. The fabric is stretchy, thank the heavens, and I moan as the material covering her chest folds over on itself and the top of her nipple comes into view.
I pause again to ensure she’s comfortable.
“For fuck’s sake, Chev,” Vanessa huffs. “Touch them.”
She brushes my hand away and yanks down her top.
I moan. “Oh.”
The fabric of her dress now rests at her waist, fully exposing her breasts. Vanessa’s are the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen—not that I’ve seen many—and I can’t take my eyes away as I cup them.
They fill both my palms completely, and even then, there’s more that doesn’t fit. I frown, angry I cannot wholly cup her chest. Vanessa laughs as I spread my fingers to try to take more, but that noise is cut short as I sit up straighter and capture her nipple with my mouth.
I lick from the bottom of her breast to her nipple, loving how it hardens against my tongue. I want to bite, but I’ll save that for another time. I shift my attention to her other breast, giving it the same love and attention before pulling away.
Vanessa is panting now, her core subtly rocking against me as I reach behind her neck and touch her mark. She spreads her legs and sits more firmly on me, bringing the underwear between her thighs into my line of sight.
This is wonderful. Her underwear is wet, and it forms around her sex in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination.
“Touch yourself,” she orders, scooting down my thighs.
I like when she tells me what to do, and I don’t hesitate to grab my aching length. I hiss when I finally get a hold of myself, and I stroke quickly as I rub my fingers over her mark. This is better than I ever could’ve imagined, and it takes everything in me not to cum when Vanessa lowers her hand between her thighs.
She rubs herself as I pleasure her, her fingers stroking her clit over her underwear. I want her to remove the fabric so I can see her bare flesh, and I feel all my prayers have been answered when she lightly nudges her underwear to the side so she can better touch herself. Her sex is slick with arousal, and I stare at the pink skin as she presses her fingers against her clit and rubs.
My hand tightens around my cock, squeezing so tightly, I’m sure to cut off circulation, but I don’t care. This female is made for me, and I rub her mark faster to match how she pleasures herself. She grunts when I do so, and I take that as a sign to continue.
When Vanessa’s legs begin to shake around my waist, I know she’s close, and when she curses and goes still, I know she’s cumming. I follow immediately, releasing her neck so I can cup her breast as I spill on myself.
I’m making a mess of my leathers.
Vanessa slumps against my chest, and I happily fold her into my arms. This is the best day of my life.
“You’re a horny female,” I say.
When Vanessa pulls back, I’m happy to see a smile behind her fake outrage.
“You’re no better!”
“I never said I was.” I grab her hips and drag her sex up and down my bare abdomen. “And I’ll be only hornier now that I have my mate’s slick on me.”
Vanessa furrows her brows, staring at my now-glistening torso, before clamoring off me and hurrying to her sink. I’m beyond pleased with myself, and I playfully push her away when she tries to clean me. I’ll not be doing so until the smell of her arousal is gone, and that could be days.
“Back away!” I scream, jumping over the couch when Vanessa gets too close with the wet towel. “I have been a very good male, and I deserve to wear you.”
I love how she continues to chase me, and when I let her corner me and wipe my stomach five minutes later, I’m surprised by how she follows it up by wiping my cum, the back of her hand grazing my soft length.