Chapter 9 #2
I knew I said I didn’t want male attention…
but that concern didn’t seem to apply to them.
In fact, I wanted them to notice me, and it upset me even more that I knew they never would.
At least not to the extent I was attracted to them.
I wasn’t like the girls in my pack. I was small, short, and probably a bit too curvy.
I had weird-colored hair. I was weird. I muttered a curse and grabbed a small travel size of shampoo and conditioner before stepping into the tile space.
I frowned, realizing there was already an assortment of brand-new products waiting for my use.
Did these come with the room, or had someone purchased them? I had to assume the latter. Trying to not overthink the ‘why,’ I rinsed my hair completely before squeezing some coconut smelling shampoo into my hand. I must have washed my hair three or four times just to get every single inch of it.
I didn’t want to smell like my pack at home.
I didn’t want to smell like Guy Mars.
I wanted to smell like the men around me, and the more I scrubbed my hair, my body, and then even shaved, the better I felt.
I used an expensive conditioner on my locks, making them silky enough to run through easily with my fingers.
It was nearly a half an hour later when I finally turned off the water, feeling a tad lightheaded.
My skin looked flushed in the mirror, and as I approached, I opened one of the empty drawers out of curiosity and instead found it filled with a brush and toothbrush, along with an assortment of other things.
I completely ignored my bag from home and wrapped a soft fluffy towel around me that had been hanging on the door.
After brushing my hair and putting it up in a towel, I scrubbed my teeth hard enough that I almost felt like my gums were bleeding, wanting to get the taste of panic and bile from my throat.
I knew Guy hadn’t even done anything to me, but it was what he represented.
I finally pulled the towel off my hair and slowly changed into the worn but clean clothing I brought from home.
The yoga pants had some wear and faded spots on them, but considering they fit comfortably, I wasn’t going to complain.
The dark shirt with a bright pattern along the front flooded my body, and I gently began to brush through my hair.
After a few long pulls through it, I towel dried it once again and then walked from the room.
Except, instead of finding the room empty, I came to a stop, recognizing Dakota’s wild energy from where he leaned against my bed.
He looked up, gently placing the snow globe he’d been playing with back on the windowsill, and offered me a curious look.
I shivered slightly as his eyes flickered over my frame and he crossed the room with a predatorial energy that had my heart jumping.
“Your pulse is so fast, little wolf,” he murmured, his fingers running over my waist lightly as I melted into him, my face blushing. I didn’t even mind that I wasn’t wearing a bra, but I was positive that he could tell. His wolf’s energy was wrapped around me tightly, and I absolutely loved it.
“Because of you,” I admitted, feeling almost breathless.
“Scared?” he asked, his eyes flashing in consideration.
Scared? Why would I be scared of him? I was feeling a lot of things, but fear wasn’t one of them.
“I snapped that asshole’s wrist earlier,” he pointed out, his lip twitching.
Oh.
I hesitantly offered a response as metaphorical ice water doused my desire. “I told you that didn’t bother me, Dakota. He’s always been… Guy has always caused problems for me.”
My throat tightened as images of what he’d truly done played across my vision. I was caught up enough in it that when a low vicious sound rumbled around me, I didn’t realize it was coming from the man that I was locked eyes with.
I tried to take a small step back, overwhelmed by how the noise made me feel, but Dakota’s hands gripped my waist tighter. I let out a soft sound as he stepped forward, invading my space, his voice coming out low and deadly.
“He fucking did that to you?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t help but answer honestly. “It wasn’t uncommon back home. It was a show of dominance.”
His jaw tightened as a wild, furious look crossed his expression before I let out a small whimper, not of pain, but because heat was running dangerously under my skin.
The noise had his throat producing a soft, almost scary noise as he walked me backwards until I hit the doors of my closed wardrobe, his head dipping slightly so that our foreheads pressed together.
I had no idea why, but the action really felt like it meant something between us, his hands intertwining with mine as he pinned them to the wooden doors behind me.
Despite the overwhelming lust surging through me and the unexpected feeling of affection that came from the move, I found my entire body relaxing once again.
His pulse slowed after a few moments, and his hands released mine as they slid over my shoulders and gently held me.
My hands, despite being shaky, cupped his face as I considered asking him what he was thinking. What he was feeling.
“Movie time!” Julian called out in passing, breaking our moment.
Dakota let out a rumble as he stepped back, and my face flooded with heat as he reached for the bottom of his hoodie and pulled it over his head.
I felt my knees go weak slightly at the small peek of abs I got from just that moment.
I was feeling so much desire crash into me, that when he pulled the hoodie over my wet hair, I barely noticed.
The minute I was wrapped in his scent, I felt ten times better than I had when I’d woken up.
“Can I talk to Effie for a minute?” Caedmon’s voice broke my eye contact with Dakota as he let out a small rumble and narrowed his eyes at the stunning man before moving past him.
I watched Caedmon with interest as he looked around the room with a critical eye, which made no sense, since I was pretty sure that he had been one of the people who picked out most of the stuff.
“Do you like it?” His voice was soft and slightly vulnerable as he slowly walked over. He hadn’t changed from earlier, and his face was a bit tired, as if he had spent the past few hours stressing.
“The room?” I clarified.
“Yes.”
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. “I don’t understand why though.”
His eyes sharpened on me. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t need it. I love it, but I have survived with far less,” I answered honestly. I didn’t want him to think I was ungrateful, because that was far from the case. But I also needed him to know how special this was. How unexpected this was.
“Women love beautiful things,” he murmured, looking somewhat distraught over the concept as he finally stopped in front of me. I frowned, not liking that he had related me to other women. It bothered me far more than I would care to admit.
“What?” he demanded softly.
“I don’t like being compared to other women that you know.”
Surprise filtered across his face as he blinked rapidly and looked away. “You’re nothing like them, Effie.”
I felt like that wasn’t exactly a compliment. In fact, he looked uncertain on how he felt about it.
“What’s wrong?” I asked hesitantly, stepping into his space and finding myself hopeful that he wouldn’t reject me. He looked down at my expression, almost cautiously, and I once again got the feeling that he was scared of me.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” he bit out under his breath.
“Do with me?” I blinked curiously, finding myself confused once again.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, his fingers skimming my jaw as if in thought.
“Come on, you two,” Julian said suddenly, pulling me from where I was stepping closer to the perplexing man capturing my attention.
Caedmon drew my gaze back with a thumb brushing my jaw, offering me another unreadable look before walking away from me and leaving me with Julian.
The man offered me a cheeky grin and curled his finger, so I followed him, leaving my warm, cozy room in favor of the lounge.
Almost instantly, I curled up between Tore and Julian on the couch, while Caedmon and Dakota sat in seats facing the television.
I pulled a blanket over my lap and sank into the material, my eyes growing heavier as Julian ran his fingers through my hair. I couldn’t even tell you what movie we watched, just that I suddenly felt far more comfortable than I ever had in my life. That couldn’t be normal, right?
The alluring smell of tobacco and citrus surrounded me as my eyes slowly opened. Everything around me was hazy and gray, filled with vibrant streaks of orange and red. It was absolutely stunning and confusing. Where was I?
Sitting up, I looked around. Underneath me I found a vibrant burnt-orange velvet cushion seat that I’d never seen before.
My fingers dug into it slightly as my wolf let out a soft whine, the space sparking in response.
A flash of something had me frowning as I realized there was something watching me. I just didn’t know what. Or who.
I froze, my breathing stilting, as a pair of expensive shoes appeared in front of me. My eyes fluttered up to find… well, an extremely handsome man standing in front of me. I jumped to my feet, swaying slightly. He looked over me in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected to see me either.
“Where am I?” I asked softly, my voice wobbling.
His eyes traced my face as I tried to focus on his specific features.
Except I found my vision almost blurring on the edges.
His dark hair was pulled back from his face, which featured a pair of warm, almost burnt-orange eyes.
It was all I could focus on. Well, that and the gold they seemed to have streaked throughout them.
They were hypnotizing, and I barely had a chance to look at him more before his voice was filling the space around us in a soft, compelling tone.