12. Elara
Chapter 12
Elara
K ato’s lips pressed against mine does things to my body I haven’t felt in too long; my body floods with sensations I never thought I’d feel again.
My wolf whines, no whimpers, overwhelmed by the prospect of being with her mate again. I’d be lying if I said my own flesh didn’t feel the same.
This might be a terrible idea, but right now, I don’t care if it’s the worst mistake I’ll ever make. I only care that I make it.
My tongue flicks at the edge of his lips, and he opens to let me in, a low growl in the base of his throat as our tongues meet.
The hand he’d pressed against my face moves down my neck, my chest, and my waist and wraps around me tightly, pressing my body so tightly against him that I can’t tell where he begins and I end.
His hardness pressing into my belly, pulsing against me, is enough to open the floodgates within. I’m so wet now that my arousal soaks my thighs. I want him to stretch me out right now. I want to feel him pumping in and out of me as he splits me open, butt. I don’t want to rush.
Dragging my attention away from his cock pressed against my navel, I focus on the way our lips feel locked together, our tongues, the near orgasmic feeling of our bodies, and how we fit together like a puzzle.
The cool night breeze blows through the trees and brings relief along with it. I’m so hot I worry I might burst into flames right here and now, especially as Kato’s other hand makes its way to my breast; he peels away from me just enough so he can palm my breast. My chest heaves beneath his touch, his fingers circling my erect nipple.
My lips break away from his as I throw my head back and let a moan out toward the heavens. The arm Kato had wrapped around my waist expertly moves upward, his hand fisting my hair, holding me like that, throat exposed to him, sending a thrill down my spine.
The tip of his tongue causes goosebumps to erupt across my skin as it traces its way down my throat. My nipple pinched between his fingers as he does. Goddess, I could cum right now.
My legs tremble, and I struggle to hold up my weight as I squirm right where I stand. Kato pushes me to the ground with a gentleness that surprises me.
I lay back greedily, making myself accessible to him, wanting him to take me immediately. He doesn’t. His lips trace down my neck and toward my collarbone.
A hand lazily sweeping down my belly. I buck my hips, desperate to feel him, any part of him inside of me.
“Goddess, you are so beautiful.” He whispers into my breast.
His long fingers finally find their way between my legs. I whine as he stops. His eyes searching mine, amused, hungry, and just as desperate for me as I feel for him.
“You are dripping,” he growls, teasing my entrance. I can’t speak, gasping. I buck my hips again, and a wicked smile crosses his lips as he plunges a finger inside of me.
“Oh, Goddess!”
“I missed this,” Kato breathes, “feeling your walls clamping down around me. You are so tight.”
His fingers pump in and out, thumb circling slowly on my clit. My body quivers, my stomach tightening. I fight the urge to push him away, overwhelmed by the pleasure of having even just his fingers inside of me.
I can’t hold back any longer; I explode, my body twitching all over as I scream out in pleasure. Kato doesn’t stop pumping, doesn’t stop tracing circles onto my clit until I’ve cum twice, and I’m swollen, gasping for air, begging him to stop.
His hand pulls away, and he presses the gentlest kiss I’ve ever felt against my lip before he whispers, “We’ve got to go back home. You’ve certainly alerted your security detail that you aren’t in the safety of my home with all of your screaming.”
I can feel his smile against my lips as he speaks. I should be embarrassed. I should care, but I don’t. My tongue flicks against his lips before I find the strength to push him off me.
Using every ounce of my strength, I transform back into my wolf and run. The world around us is brighter and more beautiful than it was before.
When we reach Kato’s backyard, I transform back, grabbing one of the robes he’d left out on a lawn chair for us and wrapping it around myself just in time for one of the security details to step out of the woods, panic in his eyes.
He glances between Kato and me, and the panic is gone. Amusement and irritation replacing it.
“I see you two are just fine,” he nods before retreating back into the shadows, unseen.
I don’t go to the guest room. I don’t want to spend the night away from Kato—not right now. Instead, I pluck my pajamas out of my bag that lays on the guest room bed, and pad my way down the hall to Kato’s room.
Slipping into bed beside him without a word, he doesn’t protest. He doesn’t say anything aloud. Instead, he drapes his arm over my waist, pulling me close. I can feel every breath he takes, steady but a little too deep, like he’s trying too hard to relax like me.
I should be able to sleep. I’m exhausted, yet here I am, wide awake. Every inch of my body is hyperaware of Kato—of how his chest presses against my back, the slow rise and fall of his breathing, the heat of his skin against mine. It would be so easy to just… let go. To let myself feel it all again.
But I can’t. We can’t.
The bond tugs at me like it always does—a relentless pull that never fades. It’s worse now, after what happened in the forest. My mouth goes dry just thinking about Kato’s fingers inside of me, and my heart skips a beat.
His hands are on my breasts, toying with my nipples, goddess. I can’t be thinking about that right now. Not when we are like this, so close, and I can feel the weight of his emotions bleeding into mine.
He’s trying to hold it together like he always does. Strong and controlled, even when I know he’s thinking the same things I am.
I shift slightly, and his grip tightens, pulling me closer without a word. My heart stumbles, and I hate that it does. This shouldn’t feel like home. But it does.
My fingers curl into the sheets. The cool fabric beneath my palm is a stark contrast to the fire spreading through me just from being wrapped in his arms.
I close my eyes and focus on something other than the steady beat of Kato’s heart. It is so close, steady, and entrancing, like it’s calling out to mine.
After a moment of failing miserably at trying to think of anything other than our hearts seeming to beat as one, I speak, breaking through the silence of the room, “Kato,” I whisper unsteadily, my voice betraying my attempt at confidence.
“Hmm?” His voice is low, rough with exhaustion, but something else exists. Something he’s trying to push down, just like me.
I hate how the idea excites me and sends shivers down my body. I can’t seem to control myself with him.
“I don’t know if…” I trail off, not sure how to finish. I don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I don’t know if being this close to him will break me.
He doesn’t answer right away, but I feel his arms shift, his hand splaying across my stomach, holding me in a place like he knows I’m about to bolt. “I know,” he says quietly, his breath warm against my neck. “But it’s harder to stay away.”
Silence falls between us again. That’s the truth, isn’t it? It’s impossible to be near him without wanting more. It’s impossible to see his grin and not fall in love with him all over again.
I swallow hard, staring at the shadows dancing across the wall. I shouldn’t have agreed to come here—I shouldn’t have agreed to stay with him. What was I thinking?
That’s the problem, I wasn’t thinking. I was following my feelings. I feel safer with Kato than with anyone else. Certainly, much safer than I feel with Ezra.
But still, now that we’ve crossed this line, I don’t think we will be able to uncross it. What if we’ve just made a colossal mistake? How are we supposed to return to living our respective lives after this?
“I don’t know what we’re doing,” I admit, my voice tight, my fingers still fisted in the sheets. Kato’s heartbeat quickens against my back, and I want to caress him to tell him everything will be okay.
His silence says enough. He doesn’t know either. But he doesn’t let go, doesn’t move away. Instead, he leans in just enough that I can feel the soft press of his lips against the back of my neck. It’s barely a kiss, more of a reminder—of what we had, of what’s still there, no matter how hard we try to ignore it.
I bite my lip. Trying to squeeze away the ache that swells in my chest as I shut my eyes. If I turn around and let myself face him like I want to, I won’t be able to resist. But I can’t bring myself to pull away either.
So, there we lie, tangled in each other’s arms, teetering on the edge of something more dangerous than the killer we are hunting. Neither of us is moving. Neither of us is sleeping.
And neither of us is willing to let go.