Chapter 8
POV: Cain?
Sweat slicked my body as I tossed to my side and let out a deep growl.
Another dream.
Another dream of her.
The human mate that I wasn’t supposed to have in the first place.
But it wasn’t just the dream that caused me to come undone, it was what happened in the dream.
I glanced down between my legs.
I was hard as a rock. Again.
I had another dirty dream of her.
I groaned as I pressed my eyes closed again and tried to force the image away but it was useless.
All I could see was her, bent over against my desk, her dress on the floor, and me hooking her lacy white underwear to the side. Then entering her. Not gently either. Forcefully, possessively, claiming. Then my wolf sinking his teeth into the smooth, pale skin of her perfect neck and claims what’s ours—finally.
I ran my hand through my tousled bed hair and let out another deep sigh.
I shouldn’t be dreaming of that. I shouldn’t be dreaming of her.
But I guess what did I expect would come from hiring her as my assistant and constantly being around her?
It had been 3 days of pure torture. Pure agonizing torture.
Of watching her ass shake every time she walked by, of her scent engulfing every breath I took, of her laughing casually with male co-workers and holding off from tearing their heads off, of thinking of the ways I would mount her and fuck her if I could, of wanting to make every inch of her…mine.
It drove me fucking wild.
And tonight would probably bring out the real beast inside of me.
Especially when I saw her in that dress I sent her.
I scooped up my phone and scanned through my unread texts.
One from Xavier reminding me about a meeting he would attend in my absence. Shit, noted.
I quickly typed out a reply.
And one from her.
My wolf paced inside as I read the message. “Mr. Naughton, the dress was really unnecessary.”
I wanted to tell her to call me Cain—-or Alpha—or even mate but I knew I couldn’t, not now, not yet, maybe not even ever but instead I typed out, “You reflect me, Ms. Sorens.” Informal. Cold. Painful.
It was painful to make this into a transaction—to make this into something informal, as if my feelings for her meant nothing, but I had to separate the two as long as I possibly could.
She replied within a minute. “Thank you.”
I typed out. “O’Halloran’s. 6 pm. This will be an important investment meeting.”
“I’ll be on time, sir.”
I wanted to respond and it took everything in me not to—but I couldn’t.
Control yourself, Cain.
So I did.
That was until I saw her in that dress. That damned exquisite, expensive, elegant dress I picked out. Green satin, scooped neckline and a hem that cut off right above her ankles.
She looked fucking incredible.
I almost crushed my glass of champagne from merely looking at her.
Blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders like gold, she clutched her purse tightly as she started towards me, with a nervous smile.
“You’re late,” I muttered, trying to keep from inhaling her.
“Sorry,” she whispered, placing herself behind me and listening to the exchange of conversation between myself and my investors.
Eventually the conversation died out so I started towards the bar, ushering her along. It took everything inside me not to touch the small of her back and guide her gently to the bar. Instead, I walked ahead of her, forcing that feeling into the pit of my gut and ordering two glasses of champagne from the bartender.
Kiera was fidgeting with her hands nervously, looking down at her feet.
“Here,” I replied, handing her a glass.
She smiled, accepting it and taking a long sip. “Thank you, Mr. Naughton. Would you excuse me? I need to use the bathroom. I promise I’ll be quick.”
The thought made me tense. Her wandering off alone to the bathroom, in a room full of men on the prowl.
“I’ll go with you,” I said quickly.
Her expression changed from nervous to surprised, she shook her head vehemently, “No that’s not necessary, I’ll be fine alone.”
“It wasn’t an offer, Kiera,” I cursed myself as I said her name.
She opened her mouth to fight but no words came out. Instead she nodded.
Our walk to the bathroom was full of interruptions, but I waved them all off, ignoring each and every one of them.
She handed me her glass of champagne then scurried into the bathroom.
I watched every step she took. The way her thigh muscles constricted. The way her ass looked in that dress. The way her hair hung in curls down her backside.
One half of me thought about following her into the bathroom, pressing her against the sink and fucking her until she cried.
But the rational half of me knew that I couldn’t.
She smoothed down her dress as she exited, grazing my fingers with hers as she took back her glass of champagne and nearly made me convulse right then and there.
I cleared my throat then hurried to the bathroom, mumbling out as I walked away, “excuse me.”
When the bathroom door shut behind me, I let out a breath that I felt like I was holding onto for hours.
This was becoming unbearable, between the alcohol—her proximity—-and the way she smelled and looked. I didn’t know if I could control my wolf or my desires any longer.
Fuck, Cain, you’re acting like a teenage boy. You’re pathetic. You’re not acting like an Alpha. You’re acting like a goddamn wuss.
I clutched both sides of the sink and turned on the facet. The sound of running water only made me think of her—in my shower, naked and moaning. I tossed water onto my face and closed my eyes, trying to get my mind together.
My heart beat slowed to its used beat and my wolf stopped pacing. For now.
But as soon as I opened the door and heard her soft laughter, it picked right back up.
There she was—Kiera—my mate laughing casually with a man in an expensive suit. Henric, one of my investors.
I quickly approached, rolling my shoulders as I did and territorially taking my place next to her. Without even thinking, I ran my fingers along her upper arm, claiming her without even speaking.
She shifted and her eyes immediately darted to mine.
She felt it. The bond. The connection. The claim.
Henric started rambling again, not understanding the hint, “Well it would be great to get together.”
I growled—I actually growled before clearing my throat quickly, “Is it really appropriate to hit on my assistant?”
Henric took a step back, smiling, trying to hide his desire for her. “I was merely just being friendly. Apologies Cain.” Then he walked off.
But I held my grip along her arm, as if she belonged to me already.
“You can let me go,” she whispered.
I turned quickly to look at her, fire in my eyes and reluctantly I let go of her arm, shifting my gaze back to the painting before me. “Gala’s are always so…pretentious. I think it’s time to go.”
“Uh—well, goodnight then Mr. Naughton,” she said, a bit dazed from the bond. I could tell it was affecting her.
Our gazes met. “My driver will take us home.”
She nodded weakly, as if she couldn’t find it in her to deny my request.
Good girl.
I waved her forward, watching her ass shake with each step. I knew I couldn’t handle touching her again, not this soon, so I kept my distance.
I opened the door for her and watched as she slid into the black leather seats of my escalade, then I followed, keeping a careful distance between the two of us.
The entire time, she stared out the window, fixated by the city lights and probably reeling inside from my proximity.
As the car came to a stop in front of a modest building, she started to open her door but I beat her to the other side. “I’ll walk you.”
She nodded, shifting her gaze downwards until we stopped in front of her doorstep. Then, she decided to look up at me, with those big blue beautiful eyes—those eyes that spoke to me without her mouth even opening.
I was dying to kiss her right here, to press her against the brick of her building, drag my tongue and teeth over her neck and mark her as mine, then fuck her until the only intelligent thing she could speak was my name.
“Thank you for the ride,” she said, her voice squeaking from her nerves.
My teeth ground together as I reached my hand out, just slightly, barely enough to reach her face, then stopped before I could touch her. My arm fell down to my side, like a heavy weight.
“I’m glad you’re home safe,” I managed out, turning on my feet, away from her without a second glance.
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t be with her—alone, like that. I was seconds away from losing it completely.
It seemed that this situation was more difficult than I previously expected.