28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Violet
“ L et me see.” I held out my hand for Chris to put his in it.
“It’s fine, Violet. Titan says it will be fully healed in a few hours,” he stated but humored me just the same.
I unwrapped the gauze from his hands. The blood made the material stick to the cuts in some places, so I was glad I insisted. I slowly and methodically removed the gauze, careful not to hurt him. I cleaned the wounds as gently as I could, then re-wrapped his hands, noting they were still pretty useless at the moment, though it didn’t stop him from trying to grab the trays for breakfast or lunch. I had to put him in time-out when he was trying to open the kids’ juices at the daycare.
It was after work now and we were going to nap until sunset. Chris wanted to spar with Elim again, and we were spending the rest of the night hanging out as he would be leaving as soon as the sun set the following day. The two of them spent the morning mind-linking and making training plans for when both were back in Arizona.
“Alright, go change and then we can sleep.” I patted his hand when I was done changing the bandages.
Titan was doing a great job healing his hands. I was sure he’d be able to keep his play date with Elim.
“Thank you,” he whispered, before he leaned forward and kissed me. He continued pushing forward until I was lying back in bed and I was breathing hard, then he pulled back. “I’ll be back.”
“Tease!” I yelled after him, making him chuckle.
I showered and pulled on some silk pajamas. Chris came back into the room when I was done, and we climbed into bed. There was no point in even trying to sleep in different rooms. I was used to his warmth and the nightmares never came when he was near. I’d frozen up again last night when our make-out session got heated, but he said it was okay. He was learning what to avoid, and that was as important to learn as what made me feel good.
Easy for him to say. My man had the patience and discipline of a military saint.
Did those exist? I should look it up.
But each time I froze, I was left frustrated and still in need of release. I appreciated his patience, but I needed to get through this shit and quickly. I wanted to have a life with him and in order to do that, I wanted to be a couple in every way that entailed. I wanted him to mark me eventually, but I wasn’t going to ask until I was sure I could give him all of me. I didn’t want to go into this with ghosts haunting me.
“Hmm, your shampoo smells good,” he mumbled when I tucked myself into his arms. I breathed in his sweet scent of mesquite. I never thought about it before, but I’d grown to love it as much as I loved the man the scent belonged to. “The vanilla combined with your pecan pie scent reminds me of pecan pie a la mode.”
“Pecan pie? I smell like pecan pie?” I asked.
“Don’t you?” He looked down at me.
“I don’t know. I can’t smell myself. Mom always said it was pecans and honey, though.”
“Hmm. Smells like pecan pie to me.” I shrugged and cuddled closer. I hadn’t slept at all last night, so sleep claimed me quickly.
The dream I had was weird, but not unpleasant. I was in a field behind the pack house. It was night time and the full moon was high in the sky. The temperature was mild and I could hear wolves running everywhere around me. I kept expecting fear to hit me, but I was fine. I walked to the edge of the forest and sat on the cliff overlooking the river that ran between Crescent Moon and Guardian Moon, and lay back to watch the stars. For a dream, this one was rather boring and serene.
“Wake up, Little Warrior,” Chris’ voice in my ears brought me out of the dream.
“Hi,” I whispered when I opened my eyes and found him looking down at me.
“You have a good dream? You were smiling.”
“It was... nice? I was just laying on the grass, looking up at the stars.” I pulled my hand up and brushed the hair from his face.
“Will you choose me today?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered immediately, puckering up my lips to accept my kiss, but he didn’t bend. “Don’t cheap out on me, man. Where’s my kiss?”
He laughed. He tried to bend down to kiss me, but pulled back up because he was laughing too hard. I smiled, patiently waiting for my kiss, but the man couldn’t stop laughing.
“I love you,” he told me before finally giving me my kiss.
My heart sang at his words. I pulled him down until he was leaning on his elbows, deepening the kiss. He was careful not to put his weight on me because he didn’t want to crush me, but I wanted to feel him. If I couldn’t have him the way I wanted him, I needed to feel his body on mine. Before I could pull him down to where I wanted him, Chris pulled his lips from my mouth and trailed small kisses down my neck, then he buried his face in my neck, breathing heavily.
“Why do seagulls fly over the sea?” he asked, giving my neck a tiny kiss.
“Why?”
“Because if they flew over the bay, they would be bagels.”
I bit my lip, though I could feel my whole body trying to shake to let go of the laugh. He pulled his head from my shoulder, and looked down at me.
“No laugh?” he asked.
I shook my head, unable to speak without giggling. He narrowed his eyes at me, and then sat back on his knees and started tickling me.
“No! Stop!” I cried, unable to control the bubbles of laughter as he tortured me mercilessly.
He lay down on the bed as I tried to catch my breath. He pulled me to his side.
“What time is it?” I asked a few minutes later.
“Almost nine,” he answered, drawing little circles on my lower back, lazily.
“Last night for Elim. What are we going to do for him?”
“I forgot it’s the full moon, so he said he just wanted to hang out. He said Lu—Bells told him he could set his projector in the little living room up here, while Cade celebrates the new pack grounds with his pack.”
“You texted him already?” I asked.
“No. The potion is still working for a few more hours. I mind-linked him before I woke you up.”
“How are your hands?” I suddenly asked.
He brought up his free hand. He’d removed the bandages already and, while there were a couple of raised lines, it was already healed.
“Good job, Titan.” I patted the solid chest in front of me.
“I’ll go shower and then we’ll go sneak some food from the celebration?” he asked.
“Sounds like a plan. I’m famished.”
“Next time, let’s not skip dinner,” he said, nodding his head at my words.
I sat up and watched Chris walking away. He was really something to watch, all solid muscles and smooth movement.
I leaned back into the bed with a huff when I heard the shower running. What I wouldn’t give to be able to do more than just kissing. I’d been doing some research on how to get past it, and I even asked Dr. Campbell during my last session, but all she said was that communication was key. She did advise me that I shouldn’t be pushing it if I was feeling pressured, that it would end up being detrimental.
It wasn’t. Goddess, I wish he would push me a little more. If it wasn’t for the obvious proof of his need, I would wonder if he even desired me. I wanted this for me. Because I wanted to push past this and, most of all, I wanted my mate.
I sighed, got up and walked to the closet. I pulled off my pajamas and grabbed a comfortable maxi dress. I walked out of the room, still stuck in my thoughts, but a strangled sound me made jump. Chris was sitting on the bed. I didn’t hear him come in.
“Vio—” He stopped and swallowed, and it took me a moment of seeing the way his eyes hungrily looked down my body to realize I forgot to put my clothes inside the closet.
“Sorry,” I squeaked, rushing back into the closet and shutting the door.
I groaned, rubbing my legs together, then grabbed a new pair of underwear. This pair was ruined as my body reacted to his perusal of my body. I pulled on my dress and walked back outside. Chris was still frozen on the bed.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear the shower shut off.”
“It’s o—It’s okay. Are you ready?”
“Mhmm,” I answered.
He stood and walked to the door, so I did the same. When I got there, he grabbed me and walked me backward until I hit the wall. I looked up at him. He was breathing hard, and the heat in his eyes was making me wet again.
His nostrils flared when I rubbed my legs together, and I knew he could smell it. With a groan that seemed to come from the bottom of his soul, he lifted me against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, making my dress pool at my waist. Not waiting for him to make the first move, I smashed my lips against his. Chris stumbled a step back, surprised by the momentum of my actions, but quickly recovered and stepped forward until I was once again against the wall.
I moaned when I felt his hard member pushing against my core, giving him access to my mouth. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, the motions of it mimicking the way he was pushing his erection against me. Instinct had me pushing back, the pressure making my clit throb. He stopped after a bit, breathing hard, but a sliver of worry was in his eyes.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I—”
“Stop. I’m okay. I liked it,” I assured him, breathing hard, but then I shook my head and corrected myself. “No. I’m lying, I loved it.”
“Yeah?” Relief and a smile filled his face.
“Yeah. Ca-Can we do more?” I stammered, feeling the heat coming to my face, a grin coming to his.
“We have people waiting for us, but maybe after? If-If you still want?”
“I want,” I answered, and he kissed me again before slowly letting me down.
My face heated and I had to look away when I mumbled, “I need to use the restroom.”
My panties were soaked, and I needed to change them. Again.
Chris pulled away and I quickly grabbed a new pair of underwear, ran into the restroom, and cleaned up. He smiled at me when I came back out, grabbing my hand and pulling me against his side. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and we walked to the alpha living room.
Bells was already there, setting up snacks she’d apparently brought up for everyone. She looked at us when we arrived and smiled widely. “I like seeing you two happy. Adrien and Elim went down to grab more snacks.”
“Aren’t you going to the celebration?” I asked and watched Bells look away uncomfortably.
“No. It’s a celebration for Cade and his pack. I’ll head down for the run, but tonight is about him. Besides, it’s Elim’s last night here. I want to spend it with you guys.”
‘Are you sure that’s all there is?’ I asked her before the potion could run out.
‘It’s complicated. I’m just trying to create a little distance here. He’s leaving in a few weeks.’
‘Do you want to talk about it later?’
‘After Adrien leaves. I don’t need any of this getting back to everyone in Crescent Moon. I already asked Elim to keep it to himself.’
‘Okay. I love you, Bells.’
‘Not more than I do, sis.’
Adrien and Elim showed up, and we helped them arrange everything on the coffee table. We watched several movies, only stopping for about an hour while Bells ran with her pack. Adrien chatted us up while we waited. A lot of his questions were directed at Chris and me. He was enthusiastic about it, which helped Chris relax during what felt like an interrogation.
I kept my hand in his, hoping the encouraging squeezes were helping. I hoped he was beginning to see that no one in my family would think him beneath any of us.
Once Bells returned, we went back to watching movies and joking around. Adrien, Elim and Chris eventually started exchanging stories.
Cade showed up sometime around two, exhaustion in his face. He sat down next to me, grabbing a bag of popcorn, and watching TV without saying too much outside of his greetings.
The others may not have noticed, but I could see the way his eyes would flicker to Bells, as if willing her to turn and look at him. Bells didn’t. In fact, she pretended to be completely immersed in the movie. The tension was crackling between them and she was refusing to acknowledge it.
‘You want to head back to our room?’ Chris asked and I smiled at his use of the word “our.”
‘Yeah. Once the movie is over.’
The party broke up after the movie was done. We helped clean up and I watched Cade send a longing look after my sister when she bade everyone good night, before heading to his own room.
“Your sister and Cade are fighting,” Chris said the moment we closed the door.
“They’re doing... something. I don’t think they’re fighting, which may be the problem.”
“What do you mean? How can not fighting be the problem?”
“I think Bells is probably avoiding talking to Cade, because she knows he’s going to be leaving soon now that he bought a property for his new pack grounds,” I explained.
“Oh. You think she’s afraid he won’t make her his luna?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he’ll try. I’m not sure Bells knows if she wants to be or not. She’s been working on getting the Alpha title here.”
“Oh. I guess that would make it an awkward conversation then. I thought they loved each other.”
“I think they do. That’s part of the problem.”
“Complicated. Their life is complicated,” Chris mumbled before he wrapped an arm around my waist, and tumbled us down on the bed. “Are you going to be complicated?”
“What, the almost agoraphobia, androphobia, anthropophobia, general social anxiety and sexual trauma isn’t considered complicated for you?” I asked, trying to tease him.
“No. That’s all transitory. You’re easy to get along with and you laugh at all my shitty jokes.” I giggled, making him smile, “And, you like my kisses,” he added.
“Do I? You should make sure,” I taunted.
“It’s my favorite thing to do.”
He demonstrated by kissing me. I instantly wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him down. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what we were doing before the movies. I pulled his shirt from where it was tucked in his jeans. He groaned when I finally managed to touch flesh. He began kissing down my neck, letting me pull him down on top of me.
“Yo...tell...wrong...ight?” I only caught a few words of what he mumbled, making me giggle.
“What?”
Chris pulled up from where he was kissing my neck.
“You’ll tell me if anything feels wrong, right?” he asked.
“I always do.”
He resumed his place on my neck while I tried to pull his shirt up higher. He pulled back and let me pull the shirt off his chest. I let my hands roam his chest, making him shiver. I looked up at him.
“I-I want to try something. Do you trust me to stop if you say stop?” he asked, completely serious.
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Chris, Please.”
I didn’t know what he wanted to do, but I needed him back on me. I grabbed him and pulled him down, kissing him. I moaned when his hand started trailing down my dress. I stilled a little when he started pushing it up, my heart hammering in my chest, but he stopped and started rubbing circles in the place he paused his hand until I relaxed again. His hand moved up slowly, and it was sending the most delicious waves of pleasure straight to my core. As he started getting close to my center, I started squirming. I needed his hand to move faster.
“Chris,” I whimpered, and he stopped.
“Is this too much?”
“More,” I whimpered, trying to rub my legs together. His eyes heated. He pulled his hand away and pulled the straps of my dress down. His lips began kissing over the swells of my breast while his other hand went back between my legs. He groaned when he met the cloth of my underwear, which I knew had to be soaked again. His finger trailed over the cloth slowly. Every now and then, I felt his finger pressing over my clit.
“This feel okay?”
I nodded. The love of my life maintained eye contact as he continued to run his fingers over the strip of cotton, putting a little more pressure each time until he was rubbing my clit over the cloth, the soaked fabric adding a light level of abrasion that was making me whimper and squirm. I need more.
“Chris, I need...” I trailed off, not knowing how to ask for what I needed.
I whimpered as his finger pressed right on my clit and my head dropped back.
“Is this what you need, baby?”
I could only whimper as he continued rubbing my clit with more pressure with each pass.
“Tell me what you need, Violet,” Chris demanded and stopped moving his fingers. “I need to know what feels good, baby.”
"Keep going. Goddess, please keep going.” I begged, trying to rub myself up and down his stilled fingers.
Chris removed his fingers and I whimpered, but then he moved the fabric of my panties the side, and placed his fingers between my folds, pressing on my clit. I moaned.
“Still okay, love?”
“I need more. Make me cum.” I grabbed his hair and pulled him down until he was kissing me, his fingers picking up their pace between my legs.
“That’s it, baby. You’re so beautiful like this. Cum for me, Violet,” Chris ordered.
Two fingers pinched my clit as he spoke and bright spots burst behind my eyes. My head fell back and an orgasm made my entire body bow. A satisfied sob broke out of me as my body began to calm.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at me.
“Tha—that felt amazing,” I answered.
He smiled and lay down beside me. I cuddled close to him, and my leg grazed over a very obvious issue.
“What about you?” I asked, placing my hand over his bulge.
Chris took a sharp breath and shuddered. He grabbed my wrist and moved my hand farther up his body to his hard abs.
“I’ll be okay. This was about you, Violet.”
“But—”
“Small steps, Little Warrior. You did so well today. We don’t have to push everything tonight.”
“We’ll try that again, though?” I asked, tracing the line of his abs.
He chuckled, brought his hand up to his mouth, and licked his fingers, making my face flame.
“Anytime you want now that we know it won’t trigger you.”
“I love you so much,” I whispered, feeling grateful tears stinging my eyes, making him frown when he noticed them.
“Hey, none of that. We’re having a good moment.”
“These are happy tears,” I explained.
“Are they?”
“Mhmm,”
“Well, alright, then.” He bent down and kissed me. “I love you, Violet.”
Chris stood, removed his pants, leaving him in just his boxers, and crawled back into the bed. We cuddled for a little while, and I was beginning to fall asleep when he asked, “What do you call it when a snowman throws a tantrum?”
I giggled and answered, “A meltdown.”
“You know that one,” he chuckled.
“Mhmm.” I wasn’t going to tell him Dad used to say that one whenever Areli was close to crying.