Chapter 15 Do I Make You Nervous, Baby?
Dean
I toss my shirt into the bin with a sigh. There was no saving it anyway after August got his hands on it.
I caught the little menace pranking some of the warriors in the Horsemen castle, his new friend perched at his heels. The Hellhound would bite someone’s arm off for nothing, so I knew if he saw someone scolding August, it would’ve turned into a bloody disaster within seconds.
But when I went to stop him, the bucket of flour dangling over the doorframe dropped right on top of me.
All I could do was sling an arm around the little troublemaker and carry him straight to Anxo. He’s the parent you go to when August needs discipline. He’s also the only person Shadow, the Hellhound, listens to.
It’s already bad enough that the kingdom has to deal with Hazel and me pranking each other like children, but now Nevaeh, Harvey, and August are getting involved in the chaos because they feel left out.
This whole family is nuts.
I was supposed to meet Anxo in the library an hour ago, but at least he knows why I’ll be late.
Just as I step out of my bathroom, freshly cleaned up, my door flies open, and Hazel barges in.
What a beautiful sight. Every time she walks into a room, everything else fades away.
She’s been avoiding me since the night she broke someone’s wrist for me. I still can’t get over how fucking hot that was. Every time I think about it, I’m taken right back to the moment, and I regret letting Hazel slip away after that.
Hazel can avoid me all she wants, but I haven’t abandoned my mission to win her over. It’s clear she’s not used to this kind of intimacy, so I’m not going to push too hard and risk losing the best thing in my life.
The most progress we’ve made is that she lets me sleep on a mattress beside her bed every night. It’s not much, but it’s the closest she’s ever let me be. And it fills me with so much pride knowing that she looks a lot more rested and relaxed these days because of me.
Hazel freezes, watching the steam follow me out.
Whatever brought her into my room is long forgotten as her eyes trace me from head to toe, looking at me in a way that she’s never done before.
Her gaze fixes on a drop of water trailing down my chest, my abs, and lower to my very excited cock—and very exposed—that’s standing straight at the sight of my mate.
I forget to take the towel nearly every time, and mostly I don’t care, but now I’m standing before my mate buck naked, and this is not how I imagined it happening for the first time.
She’s going to freak out.
My heartbeat picks up when Hazel keeps staring. I don’t think she’s even blinking anymore… or breathing. Her lips part in shock, and before I can try to joke it off, Hazel covers her eyes with a scream that bounces off the walls.
“Not the kind of screaming I was expecting the first time my mate saw me naked,” I mumble, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.
“What are you doing? You can’t just walk around without clothes!”
“Hey, I can do whatever I want in my room. You’re the one who barged, creep.”
“Ugh.” Hazel groans, rubbing her eyes like that will erase the image from her head.
She thinks she can forget about one of my best features that looks like the Fates blessed it. How fucking adorable.
I grab the towel from the edge of my bed and slowly wrap it around my waist, giving my mate the show she so desperately wants but won’t ask for.
Hazel, bless her heart, tries her best to keep her eyes off me, and I feel bad for her. No one can resist so much perfection.
Her loud gulp goes straight to my cock, and I take a step toward her, pulled in by the way she’s looking at me with eyes filled with heat, only held back by her own hesitance.
Hazel starts backing away before I can get too close. Fates forbid I accidentally touch the siren, or she’ll burn to ash. But this time, I’m not deterred by her constant attempt to maintain distance between us. I don’t stop until she’s cornered against my desk.
Hazel leans back to look at my face when I place my hands on the desk beside her hips, caging her with my arms.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“No, I’m not!” she blurts out too fast. My pretty little liar.
“It’s so unfair that you can forget about my existence while I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s like you’ve put a spell on me, hellfire.”
“I’m a siren, not a witch. I don’t know any spells,” She sputters.
I laugh, dropping my face into her neck.
A spark flares to life as my fingers brush her arms, but I pull away just as quickly, familiar with my mate’s limit all too well.
Hazel makes a sound at the back of her throat and surprises me by grabbing the back of my neck, holding me where my face is nuzzled in her neck.
She rests her cheek against my head, and I feel her swallow. “Dean, I… I—”
“What do you want, Hazel baby?”
I wrap my arms around her waist and turn her, pressing her against my chest.
She fits against me just like I knew she would.
My fingers trail down her arms before tangling with hers as I guide her palms onto the desk, leaning into her.
Her scent fills my lungs, and I can’t help but inhale deeper, like an addict. I can’t help but trace her neck with my nose, and the tension in her shoulders slowly melts away.
Her skin warms under my touch, and when I turn to see, her cheeks are tinged pink.
I brush a strand of hair from her face, murmuring into her ear. “Are you blushing, Hazel?”
“No! I ran up the stairs. That’s why my face is red. Not your… your—”
“My what, baby?”
I start pressing featherlight kisses to her neck, and she falls back into me, her neck tilting to the side to give me more space.
Fuck yes. My mate wants me just as much as I want her.
Before the last thread of my control snaps, I step back.
Hazel glances over her shoulder, brows furrowing in confusion. But the magic happens when she tries to move, only to find out her hands are glued to the desk.
Just like I planned.
She loves coming into my room and messing with my things. Now she can stay here as long as she wants.
Hazel tries to yank her hands free, but I accounted for her strength when I made that glue. She’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Wait, did you do… that… just to prank me?”
Fates, I love her fire.
“Absolutely not. In case you haven’t noticed, I love flirting with you. The prank was a bonus.”
Hazel’s jaw clenches, face still an adorable shade of red.
“If I see you in my room tonight, I’m going to skin you alive.”
“No, you won’t. You love sharing a room with me.”
Hazel is fuming, smoke coming out of her ears as I carefully place a chair behind her, maintaining enough distance that the wildcat can’t claw my face off.
“Get comfortable, baby. You’re going to be here for a while.”
I quickly grab my clothes before bolting out of the room, my laughter echoing in the halls as Hazel continues to curse me.
“Dean! Get back here, you asshole!”