Chapter 33
MORGAN
I’m improvising now, but the marina has plenty of airflow. So does the bay. I’ll figure it out.
Jamie leans heavily on my arm, taking a deep breath as we hit the docks.
“It’s so nice out,” he says. Despite it being fully night, the breeze still holds the day’s warmth, pulled from the rippling ocean.
“Just wait until we get out on the water.”
“We’re really going out on the water? The yacht’s not… really yours now, is it?”
“These things don’t always stick. But I have the keys, so we’re at least taking a joyride.”
“Are you like… licensed? At boat driving?”
“Of course.”
“Where do you have time to be a race car driver, a card whiz, and a licensed boating person?”
“I don’t watch TV.”
“Oh. Right. That… that makes sense.”
It’s a small yacht, but that’s alright—I don’t plan to take it out for all that long.
I help Jamie over from the dock, and he’s busy ogling the high-end finishes as I ensure that the key fits in the ignition. The tip from the dockworker based on the former owner’s appearance was correct.
Jamie runs his hands along the leather seats.
“Do I need to get gold trim for you to look at me like that?” I tease.
Jamie’s eyes go wide, his cheeks go red. Then he finds his wits, narrowing his eyes. “Sorry for being respectful.”
“You should be. Stop it.”
His exhale is a silent whine.
I free the yacht from her mooring.
“Wait, are you sober enough for this?” Jamie asks.
In answer, I gun the engine and we’re off.
The wind turns Jamie’s hair into a copper stream as I steer us into the bay. The lights along the shore become streaks of gold along the inky water, and we cut across them at stomach-churning speed.
I find an open area towards the outlet of the bay and quiet the engine, then drop the anchor.
His eyes shine with the light of the moon. It’s nearly full, a pale circle floating out on distant waves.
I settle in next to Jamie and find him shivering. Despite my thin shirt, I’m a touch warm. I wrap my arm around his shoulders, and he stills.
“Thank you.”
“I don’t like the sound of your teeth chattering.”
He turns under my arm and looks up at me. “I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t be taking these statements at face value.”
I laugh. “Of course not. Were you?”
Jamie squirms. “Maybe.”
“Oh, you pretty little idiot.” I angle Jamie’s chin towards me again and pull him in.
Our breaths mingle in the space between us, filling my senses with vanilla and jasmine. As I find his lips with mine, his warm sigh washes over me. A sweep of my tongue is all it takes for his mouth to open, parting for me.
I taste him, keeping the beast in such a tight chokehold that it’s silent.
His moan comes fast and deep, and I press further in. If his heart is a hummingbird, rapid and light, mine is a drumbeat. It gets faster, louder, heralds violence.
When I pull away, Jamie follows me, hands reaching for the bare skin beneath my cropped shirt.
I grip his upper arms and hold him in place. “We can’t do that here,” I murmur.
“Why not?” His eyes plead.
“Because you don’t have anywhere to go.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“You might change your mind.”
“I won’t,” he whispers, leaning against my grip.
I brush a kiss against his chin, his temple. “You need to be able to change your mind. I practically have you cornered out here.”
Jamie’s eyelids flutter, his chest shaking under my hands.
Fuck.
I force my voice to be even, measured. “If you’re not going to change your mind, then you’ll feel the same way later, won’t you?”
“But what if you don’t?” Jamie murmurs.
I lean in, nip his ear. “I don’t change my mind,” I purr.
He shivers in my hands. Shit, I’m getting off on this. Good thing I get off on denial too.
“Relax,” I command, settling Jamie back under my arm. “Enjoy the view.”
His muscles softening against me is gratifying in a primal way I can’t quite describe.
Gia is right. I’m balancing a treat on my nose.
I rest my cheek against the top of Jamie’s head.
If I’m honest with myself, I don’t want to rush this. Jamie is the sort of person who deserves to be savored.
His scent shifts slightly, and there’s a deeper note there. Cloves and allspice.
I’ve smelled it once before. The anniversary event. It’s dull now, muted by the suppressants, but my nose is sharp.
The beast howls.
Shit. Perhaps basking in the near-full moon wasn’t the best idea. Alpha and omega cycles are like a circadian rhythm. They drift and disconnect when deprived of moonlight. But those primal instincts are meant to get us all out and ready to fuck on bright nights like these.
I kiss the top of Jamie’s head, savoring one last deep breath of his scent as the beast writhes. Another breath and I’ll lose it—this is my absolute limit. I lean back and force the beast down. I’ll get stronger the way I always do. Reps, reps, and more reps.
“You sure enjoy torturing me, don’t you?” Jamie sighs.
I give a dark chuckle. “Maybe.”
“Can I… can I ask you about something?”
“Sure.”
“A-about… Tobias…”
“Ah. That’s fair.”
“I-If you like him—”
I snort. “I cannot possibly overstate the degree to which I hate his guts.”
“But you…”
“Tobias needed to be put in his place. And I needed… a distraction. It wasn’t anything more than that.”
“A distraction from… what?”
My fingers trace his shoulder. “From wanting to sink my teeth into you.”
“Oh. I thought…”
“I understand how you might have… interpreted it another way.” It’s the PR answer. But Jamie deserves more than that. I add, “And I’m sorry.”
“I thought you’d never…”
“Never what?”
He hesitates, fidgeting with the button on his cuff. “Be interested in someone like… me.”
“Why? Because you’re shy and quiet and ‘a poor’?”
Jamie winces. “Yes,” he says earnestly.
“Jamie… I was being sarcastic.”
“What?” His eyes widen as he turns to look up at me.
I kiss his forehead again. I want to run my tongue down his face.
“Have you been taking me seriously this entire time?” I tease.
“Yes,” he breathes.
I laugh and ruffle his hair. “What goes on in that brain of yours?”
“I’d love to know,” he mutters.
“Well, I’ll set the record straight.” I catch his chin with my fingertips and tilt his face towards me. “Jamie, you are beautiful.”
His breath stops.
“You are bright and insightful.”
His cheeks go hot under my fingertips.
“You are thoughtful and kind and you can be a fantastic idiot sometimes.”
His pulse flutters under my touch.
“So, let me be very clear. I have not merely tolerated our time together. I have delighted in it. Every time I see you, I think of how sweet you would look with your clothes ripped to shreds. Since I first scented you, I have wanted to devour you. Now… is that clear?”
Jamie leans into my hand and whines. His eyes shine as he looks up at me, wide and dark, begging. He’s trembling.
“God, look what I’ve done to you,” I breathe. “You’re magnificent. It’s taking every fiber of my willpower to not tear into you right now.”
“Please…” he whimpers.
Fuck, he’s perfect.
“Patience, pup. There are rules to how I conduct myself, and like I said, one very important rule is…” I drag my claw down the side of his jaw, resting it under his chin. “You must be able to run away.”
His eyes flash as he understands. My rule is about ethics, sure, but it’s also about the chase.
“If I did what I wanted to do to you right now, this boat would capsize,” I purr. “And it’s a very long swim to shore…”
Jamie’s breath comes hot and fast, and I can see his mind whirling, looking for options.
“So, let’s enjoy the ocean for a bit longer. I worked very hard to get this yacht for you.”
Jamie doesn’t quite still this time. He trembles and wriggles against my side, cloves thickening in his scent.
I want him basking in the moonlight. I want him needy and dripping and in heat for me. Just the thought makes my claws curl, tongue sweeping across the back of my teeth.
I shouldn’t be giving the beast this much leeway. But I can handle it, and fuck I want it.
“Chilly?” I tease.
“Uh, y-yes,” Jamie says earnestly.
“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie...” I pull my claws through his hair. It’s soft as silk. I press my cheek against his forehead and the blazing heat there. “We both know that’s not true.”
He shakes even harder.
“It is,” he whines. “Compared to you, the air is freezing.”
I feel another crack in something old and deep, like I do every time Jamie is so perfectly pathetic. Too precious to suffer another of my cruelties. There’s a depth to him, and within his eyes lie a thousand surprises.
An unfamiliar tenderness laces my voice as I say, “Then I’ll stop tormenting you. Let’s get back to the hotel.”
Jamie stays at my side, clinging to ward off the chill—and testing every fiber of my willpower as I keep my hands against the wheel.