Chapter 7
SEVEN
Abe
I tell myself I’m giving her space. That I’m being respectful. That hovering outside the bathroom door like a guard dog is totally normal under the circumstances. I’m just trying to make sure that she’s okay.
My wolf calls bullshit.
You really want me to leave right now? What if she gets dizzy and falls in there, I growl at him.
What if she touches herself and moans our name? he counters.
I bite back a groan at that mental image.
She’s not going to do that, I tell him. She barely knows us, and she’s been through a traumatic situation.
Her body knows that we belong together.
I shake my head. Her mind doesn’t.
Not yet. Get in there and explain it to her, my wolf snaps.
Yeah, that’s a great idea. I’ll just burst into the bathroom while she’s naked and soapy and—
Bite her, my wolf interrupts.
No!
Lick her everywhere.
Stop it! You’re not helping.
He howls and paces inside me, his full attention locked on the bathroom door. Tell her. She seems to know about fated mates and all that. It will be fine.
She might know the basics, but I doubt she’s fully versed in the mating heat and the bond.
So explain it to her! We’re running out of time. The full moon is coming up in a few days.
She needs time, I tell him.
She needs us, my wolf snarls. And we need her.
I can’t argue with that, but I know we shouldn’t interrupt her shower. She needs a semblance of normalcy right now after all she’s been through.
So, I stand like a stalker outside the bathroom, my cock growing impossibly harder in my pants as I listen to what’s happening on the other side of the thin door.
The image in my head won’t leave. Her hair slicked back, water sliding over soft curves, soap tracing skin I haven’t touched but already crave. It’s not hunger exactly. It’s need, coiled tight and waiting.
The full moon is only a few days away. That knowledge settles heavily in my gut. The mating heat will hit hard, and I know we need to talk about it before it happens.
I can hear the water running. Steam curls under the door, carrying her scent with it—clean soap, warmth, and something uniquely Roxie that makes my chest tighten painfully.
She’s alive. She’s safe, I say, trying to calm my raging hard-on.
She’s naked and wet and less than ten feet away, my wolf points out.
“Goddamn it!” I snap at him.
I realize a second too late that I said it out loud.
The water turns off, and a second later, I hear my mate.
“Uh, Abe? Is everything okay?” she calls.
I hurry back a few steps as quietly as I can. “Yeah, just… forgot something,” I say lamely.
“Oh, okay.”
The water turns back on, and I sag back against the wall.
Fuck, I need her to choose us. I need her to agree to be my mate. My wolf and I will lose our minds if she doesn’t.
So talk to her. Explain everything so we can be on the same page, my wolf tells me.
We will. After her shower.
I push off the wall and head into my room to grab her some clean clothes. She doesn’t have anything of her own, and I make a mental note to order her some clothes and toiletries. Maybe some hobby things.
I wonder what she likes. Yoga pants? Jeans? What does she like to do? What’s her favorite body wash?
I need to find out so I can give her what she needs. I want Roxie to like it here. I want to show her I can be a good provider and mate. Maybe if I can prove that to her, she’ll agree to be mine.
The water turns off, and I meet her outside the bathroom door with the clean clothes.
“Oh!” she says when she opens the door, wrapped only in a towel.
“Fuck,” I rasp, my mouth watering at the sight of her lush curves wrapped in nothing but that piece of cloth.
She bites her lip. “Um…”
I realize I’ve been ogling her for a solid minute.
My cheeks heat with a blush as I thrust the clothes at her. “I brought you something to wear.”
I turn and book it to the living room, hearing the bathroom door close as I sink onto the couch and drop my head into my hands.
How am I going to keep my hands off her? She’s so damn tempting.
Then don’t, my wolf suggests.
I ignore him.
When the bathroom door opens, I push to my feet.
Roxie smiles slightly as she pads barefoot into the living room. “Thanks for the clothes.”
I nod, not trusting what will come out of my mouth.
My clothes dwarf her, but seeing her in my things, wearing my scent, has my teeth elongating and my wolf pushing forward.
Behave! I snap at him.
I try to push the dirty thoughts from my head as I take stock of her.
She looks… better. More solid. More present. That’s a good sign.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, needing to do something so I don’t grab her and bite her.
“No, thanks.”
“I’ll make you a snack,” I say, already on my feet and heading for the kitchen.
I need some distance, some time to get my head on straight. Then we’ll talk. I’ll tell her everything and answer all her questions.
I busy myself in the kitchen, putting together a small snack of toast, peanut butter, and sliced fruit.
I almost have myself under control when she joins me. She hops up onto a stool, and I swear I almost come in my pants as her tits jiggle in my shirt.
“Thanks for taking care of me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I tell her honestly, sliding the plate in front of her.
“I don’t want to intrude. Fern said I can stay with her and Jameson, and—”
“No.”
She blinks at me.
I clear my throat, trying to soften the refusal. “You stay here.”
Jesus. When did I forget how to talk in full sentences?
When she hopped onto that chair, my wolf says.
“I don’t have to. I don’t want to put you out,” she tries again.
I shake my head. “You’re not. This is your home.”
“Because you’re a shifter and we’re fated mates?”
I nod.
“What does that mean? Exactly.”
“Fern told you about shifters and fated mates?”
“Some,” she says.
“Well, shifters only have the one mate. We don’t look at anyone but them. I’ve never had crushes or wanted anyone before, and I never will. It will always be only you. Hell, I couldn’t even get hard before I smelled you, and I can’t come until I’ve marked you.”
“Marked?”
“Bitten,” I say, pointing at the base of my neck.
“Will it hurt?”
“No, it will feel good. And after, all other shifters will know you’ve been claimed. You’ll get some of my abilities, too.”
“Like what?”
“Heightened taste and scent. Better eyesight. An increased healing ability.”
“That’s so cool.”
I smile and relax as I lean against the kitchen counter.
“Is that…something that you might want?” I ask carefully.
She doesn’t answer right away, picking up a piece of apple and taking a bite.
“Maybe,” she says finally.
“There’s more.” I swallow.
She looks at me, waiting.
I take a deep breath. “The full moon is coming up in a few days.”
“Okay…”
“Shifters experience the mating heat every month on the full moon.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s this intense feeling, this need to mate. You’ll feel it, too. At least I think you will.”
“So, you’ll only want to have sex with me on nights with a full moon?”
I snort. “No, I want to have sex with you all the time. But on the full moon, it will be impossible to ignore.”
“Impossible?”
I realize how that sounds. “No! Not impossible. Jesus, I would never force you. Never,” I repeat.
She relaxes a little.
“You always have a choice, Roxie.”
She takes another bite of her apple while I wonder what else to say.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Not right now.”
“Okay…well, if that changes, I’m here.”
“Thanks.”
She pushes the kiwi to the side of her plate and wipes her finger.
I smile. “Not a fan of kiwi?”
“I’m allergic.”
“Shit!” I shout, grabbing the plate and tossing the whole thing in the trash.
I turn around to see Roxie watching me, amusement dancing in her pretty eyes.
I frown. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wasn’t going to eat it!”
“I could have killed you!”
She giggles as I grab the remaining kiwis from the counter and throw them away, too. Then I scrub the bowl they were in and wash my hands three times just to be safe.
“What else?” I ask.
“What else what?”
“What else are you allergic to?”
She shrugs. “That’s it.”
“Okay, and what do you like to eat? What do you hate to eat? What’s your shoe size and your favorite body wash? What do you usually like to wear?”
“Uh…” She stares at me.
“Sorry. One at a time,” I say, realizing I’m coming on a little strong. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Anything Italian. Pizza, spaghetti, garlic bread.”
“Least favorite?”
“Indian.”
I file that information away and move on. “Favorite body wash or shampoo?”
“Whatever is cheapest.”
I sigh, wanting to give her the best of everything. “Shoe size?”
“Eight.”
“What do you usually wear?”
“Yoga pants and a T-shirt if I’m home.”
“Any siblings?”
She shakes her head. “No, you?”
“Nope. Are your parents still…” I trail off, wishing I could go back and rephrase that question.
“They’re still alive.”
“Do they know about the cult? Would they have sold you, too?” I demand, growing furious at the thought.
“I don’t know. I’d like to think they wouldn’t, but I never thought Fern’s dad would sell her.” She sighs. “He was desperate. My parents are… oblivious and negligent. Not abusive.”
“That’s still shitty.”
“I know. It could have been worse, though. At least I had Fern.”
My chest warms as Roxie smiles and talks about her friend. I like seeing her happy. Love it.
“What about you?” she asks.
“My parents both passed. They were… strange.”
“How so?”
“They didn’t believe in packs. Most shifters do. Strength in numbers and all that. They thought it made people weak, and didn’t want me to rely on anything or anyone.”
“Do you agree?”
I shake my head. “No. It was lonely living like that. Lonely and harder than it needed to be. Here, I have a community and friends. When I went in to rescue you, I had people to help. I could have gotten you out by myself, but it would have been harder and more dangerous. The chance that things wouldn’t go well would’ve been a lot higher. ”
“I’m sorry you had to live like that,” she says softly.
I smile slightly. “It’s okay. It made me strong.”
“I have a feeling you would’ve been just as strong if you hadn’t been raised like that.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“What do you do when you’re not rescuing damsels in distress?”
“Well, I was in the military for a bit. Now, rescuing and security is my full-time job. I have a security consultant firm that I run from here, and I volunteer for the Midnight Haven group.”
“Sounds like a good life.”
“It is. What about you? What were you doing before all of this?”
“I worked days at this accounting firm. I was a secretary to one of the higher-ups. Then, three nights a week, I cleaned office buildings.”
“Busy,” I comment.
“Broke,” she corrects.
I grin as she laughs. “Ambitious and hardworking.”
“More like Fern and I had a plan. We were going to move far away and start over. We’d be free and happy. Then Fern was taken, and—”
“And here we are.”
“Yeah. Life is funny sometimes.”
“Where would you have gone?”
She shrugs and stifles a yawn. “We didn’t have that part figured out. We were almost at our goal savings when everything went sideways.”
I stand, moving to her side. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room. You need your rest.”
“It’s hard to believe I’m tired when I feel like I’ve done nothing but sleep for weeks.”
I help her off the stool and lead her down the hallway to the guest room. My wolf whines as we pass our room. I wish I could put her in there, too, but I don’t think she’s ready for that. Not yet.
“Here you go. Let me know if you need anything. My room is right next door.”
“Thanks, Abe,” she says sincerely.
I smile. “Of course. Good night.”
“Night.”
She closes the door, and I sigh as I retreat to my room to get ready for bed.
I climb onto the mattress, staring at the ceiling long after the house goes dark. Every sound from next door makes my body coil tighter and tighter with need. My wolf paces inside me, and I groan. For the first time in my life, having patience feels like the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Sleep doesn’t come.
All I can think about is the woman next door.
And wishing that she’ll choose me.