Chapter 7 Caelan #2
Riley smirked and stretched her arms above her head, back arching, pushing her chest out further, the bikini straining as her muscles flexed under oiled skin.
My mouth fell open by its own will. I didn’t control my body.
I just stared at her, my breath stuttering in my lungs, cock throbbing hard now, the ache spreading up my abdomen.
I was fucking unable to manage the reaction my body seemed to have every time I looked at her, heat flushing my face, balls tightening like they were ready to burst.
I knew I was staring. I couldn’t stop.
“You’re blocking my sun,” she observed, tilting her head, green eyes locking on mine with that knowing glint.
“Am I?”
“Move.”
“No.” The word fell off my lips without a second thought, rough around the edges. “You’ll burn.”
“I have sunscreen on.”
“Have you reapplied? You’re supposed to reapply every two hours.” I said. Thessa mentioned this after she passed a bottle of it to me in the car and told me to put it on my very pale skin.
Riley raised an eyebrow. “You know a lot about sunscreen for someone from a freezing country.”
“Yes.” I was making things up now. “Your shoulders are already pink.”
They weren’t pink. They were perfect, golden and smooth, freckles scattered like invitations, and I wanted to touch them so badly my hands were shaking, fingers itching to trace the line of her collarbone down to the swell of her breasts.
She was quiet for a moment, studying me with those beautiful green eyes, pupils dilating just a fraction. Then she reached into her beach bag and pulled out a bottle.
“If you’re so concerned,” she said, shaking it, “you can put some on my back.”
Holy fuck.
My brain stopped working.
“What?”
“Sunscreen. Back. Since you’re so worried about reapplication.” She held up the bottle, shaking it again. “Unless that was all talk.”
This was a trap. I knew it was a trap. She was testing me, seeing if I’d follow through or back down, her lips curving in challenge. I had never backed down from anything in my life, so I took the fucking sunscreen, squeezing it as if my life depended on it.
“Turn around,” I said, my voice low and rough.
Riley’s eyes widened slightly, breath catching for a beat.
But she turned, presenting me with the expanse of her back, the delicate line of her spine dipping down, the dimples just above her bikini bottoms where the fabric hugged her ass cheeks.
I wanted to lick every fucking inch of her skin, taste the salt on her shoulders, bite down on that curve to mark her.
My wolf was howling. I told him to shut up and let me focus. He didn’t listen.
The lotion was warm from the sun when I squeezed it into my palm.
Her skin, when I touched it, was even hotter, burning under my fingers as I spread the sunscreen slowly, deliberately, across her shoulders.
Smooth and soft and perfect, the muscles shifting slightly as she breathed.
Down her spine, my thumbs pressing into the groove, feeling the heat radiate from her body.
Over the wings of her shoulder blades, circling them with firm strokes, kneading deeper to work it in.
I was enjoying every fucking second of this, the way her skin yielded to my touch, and I never wanted to let go.
Wanted to slide my hands lower, under the fabric, grip her ass and pull her against my hardening cock.
She shivered under my fingers, a full-body tremor that made her back arch just a bit. I was going to die right there, my pulse thundering in my ears, dick straining painfully against my shorts.
“Cold?” I managed in a growl.
“No.”
I worked the sunscreen across her skin with more attention than any task had ever received in my years of existence, palms gliding over every inch, fingers splaying wide to cover her sides, brushing the edges of her ribs where her tits swelled out.
My thumbs kneaded the tension from her shoulders, and she made a small sound that vibrated through her and went straight to my groin.
I had to bite back a groan, teeth grinding as pre-cum leaked into my underwear like a fucking teenager.
“You missed a spot,” she said, her voice slightly breathless.
I groaned anyway. Couldn’t help it. “Where?”
“Lower.”
My hands moved lower, skimming the small of her back, fingers trailing the curve just above where her bikini bottoms hugged her ass, the fabric damp from sweat or the lake mist. My fingertips brushed the dimples there, dipping in lightly, and she shivered again, harder this time, her hips shifting forward like she was pressing into my touch.
The scent of her arousal hit me faint but sharp, mixing with the coconut oil, making my wolf claw at my insides.
“That’s probably enough,” she said, but she didn’t move away.
“Probably.”
Neither of us moved.
Then Riley turned back around, and her cheeks were flushed deep pink, lips parted as she licked them unconsciously. She opened her mouth to say something-
“Hey there.”
My head snapped toward the voice, a snarl building in my throat.
A guy, mid-twenties, tan, confident, muscles flexing under his shirt as he sauntered over.
My wolf snarled louder, fur bristling inside me.
The man had wandered from another group and was eyeing Riley like he wanted to bend her over right there, his gaze raking over her tits and down to her hips.
I wanted to knock out every single fucking tooth he had, feel his jaw crack under my fist, taste his blood.
“I’m Tyler,” the guy said, completely ignoring my existence, stepping closer to her. “Couldn’t help but notice you from over there. You come here often?”
Fucking please.
The line was terrible. The delivery was worse. But Tyler was smiling at Riley with intention, leaning in, and my vision tunneled red at the edges, blood roaring in my veins, cock deflating from rage but jealousy twisting like a knife in my gut.
“She’s with me,” I said, stepping forward so I was between Riley and the intruder, my body blocking his view, shoulders squared, ready to shove him into the dirt.
Tyler’s eyebrows rose, smirk faltering as he sized me up. “Oh yeah? Didn’t see a ring.”
“You won’t see anything if you don’t walk the fuck away.”
“Caelan,” Riley said from behind me, a note of warning in her voice.
Tyler held up his hands, backing off with a smirk that I wanted to wipe off with my knuckles. “Easy, man. Just being friendly.” He retreated to his group, glancing back once, and I watched him go with murder in my eyes, every muscle coiled tight.
“That was unnecessary,” Riley said when I turned back around, her green eyes searching mine.
“He was bothering you.”
“He was talking to me.”
“Same thing.” I stepped closer without thinking, invading her space, the warmth of her body pulling me in.
She stared at me for a long moment and this time I couldn’t read her expression.
“You’re very protective,” she said finally. “For a friend.”
The word “friend” landed between us like a challenge. I didn’t know how to respond, and didn’t really trust myself to do it correctly. So I went for something else entirely before I did something stupid like pin her down on that blanket.
“Let’s swim,” I said, and headed for the water, stripping off my shirt in one motion, the fabric peeling away from my sweat-slick skin.
“Race you,” Riley said, running past me before I could respond, her ass bouncing with each step, bikini strings swaying like an invitation.
She dove into the water with a splash that sent droplets flying, cool mist hitting my bare chest. I stood there, watching her surface with her hair slicked back, water streaming down her face, over her collarbone, trickling between her tits.
She shook her head, laughing, nipples hardening from the chill, poking against the wet fabric.
This was torture.
She grinned at me, eyes sparkling. “Loser.”
I totally was. But I hated the distance between us, the water separating her from my hands, so I kicked off my shoes and walked closer, the cold from the water against my feet shocking my overheated skin.
Stripping off my shirt earlier had been an impulse, but now, fully exposed from the waist up, I felt her gaze burn into me as I moved deeper.
Riley’s grin faltered. Her eyes tracked down my chest, lingering on the ridges of muscle, over my stomach where abs tensed, across the tattoos that wound over my skin, dark lines of ink curling like vines, symbols of my house, my achievements, battles won and losses mourned, the wolf snarling along my side.
She was staring, wasn’t even trying to hide it, lips parting as her tongue darted out, and it felt fucking amazing.
“See something you like?” I asked, keeping my voice innocent and not at all smug. I really hoped she hadn’t noticed the evidence of how much I liked her looking.
Her eyes snapped back to my face. “I’m just looking at your tattoos.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“They’re very detailed.” Her voice came out husky, strained, as she swam closer to the shore where I was standing.
“Mm-hmm.”
“What do they mean?”
I traced a finger along one of the marks on my chest, watching her eyes follow the movement. “This one is for my first hunt.”
“Hunt?” Her voice was slightly strained, gaze dropping to my mouth for a beat.
“Achievement. Back home.” I pointed to my ribs, enjoying the way her gaze tracked across my skin. “This one is a family crest.”
“And that one?” She pointed at the wolf that ran along my side, and I turned slightly to give her a better view.
“Personal.”
“A wolf.” She was still staring. “Somehow fitting, you have the vibes - If we ignore the fact you love to annotate spicy romance books.”
“I contain multitudes.” I stepped closer, and her breath caught. “Which one’s your favorite?”
“What?”
“You’ve been staring for a while. You must have a preference.” My voice dropped, teasing, but my hand itched to grab her waist, pull her flush.
Her cheeks flushed. “I haven’t been staring.”