Chapter 28 #2
In a frantic maneuver, he hoists himself off and I stumble to my feet. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to—"
Fearing just how red my cheeks are, I show him my back, granting him a moment to collect himself as he reaches for the fallen hat to cover his groin. Gods, I will never be able to look at that hat the same way ever again.
Axe sighs. “I ruined that, didn’t I?”
With a snort, I pull the fleece cap back over my head. I hear the muffled jingle of his pants, deciding to shift back in his direction. Just in time to lock eyes with the chiseled indents along his hips. “You definitely made it weird.”
He curses, scratching the back of his neck.
I shrug, watching him slip his shirt back on. “But then again, you’re a werewolf. So, it’s always going to be weird.”
Axe’s eyes flick back to me, a corner of his mouth tugging upwards. “You know, we prefer the term lycan. Using the term werewolf is rude.”
I roll my eyes, leading the way back to the truck. “Not as rude as telling one he smells like wet dog. Which thankfully, you don’t.”
“Oof,” Axe mutters. “Wish I could say the same about you.”
I gasp at the remark, swatting his chest. Axe chuckles deeply and the two corners of his mouth lift, smiling for the very first time, unabashedly. I lose myself in its wonder.
Swallowed by the moment, I’m standing on the edge again.
This time, it isn’t overlooking the waterfall, but instead a far more perilous plunge.
Once I hit that water, all logic will be swept away by the current.
The mere thought is slippery and more than a little nauseating.
And yet, I can’t ignore the tender nudge that whispers, Do not fear what was always meant for you.
Axe’s smile feels like a safe place to land.
It would be so easy, so wonderful to lean into him.
To rest my wings for a while. To finally have something real to hold onto.
For so long, I’ve been held back by lamenting what could have been, overlooking all the beauty laid before me.
The freedom at my fingertips. The love that flourishes here.
Despite pouring all of it into a childhood dream, my heart has never been empty.
Despite depleting myself over and over again for the sake of pretending onstage, I never truly lost myself.
I merely forgot how to come home to her.
Fear has gripped me so tenaciously, I didn’t realize I had any other choice but to obey it.
But if I am to love, then I must cast it out.
Even though an elusive curse dangles over me, I still have a choice.
I’m staring so intently at his mouth that I don’t realize my back is against the hood of the truck. At the sudden contact, I come to my senses.
Axe captures my fists with his own two hands. “May I?” he asks, huffing a cloud of hot air.
Carefully, he peels each glove off and stuffs them into his pocket. Without breaking eye contact, he then brings them up to his mouth and blows on them once, then again, more forcefully. The effort to warm my skin only sends a sharp chill throughout my body.
“Mmm,” I hum, letting my eyelids shut.
“Your hands are like ice cubes.”
“S-s-sorry,” I chatter.
The swoon-worthy smile returns. Before I can protest, Axe scoops me up and opens the side door, allowing for me to slide into the passenger seat. Seconds later, he seats himself, turning the truck’s key into the ignition and cranking up the dial for the heat.
Holding my fingers up to the circulator on the dash, I look over to see that Axe is already staring at me. My heart flutters.
He must’ve sensed the arrhythmia, for a puzzled expression crosses his face. “You okay?”
My hand finds his knee. “I don’t want to go back yet.”
Axe
Registering her whisper, I nod with vague understanding.
Her hand draws back to tug off the heavy parka, along with her beanie.
Once freed, Vessa slides over to the driver’s seat and swings her legs around to straddle me.
Too stunned to move, I remain preternaturally still.
She raises her rosy face to meet mine. Staggered breaths release in frosty clouds, lips thawed and ripe for the taking.
Though we are closer in proximity than we have ever been, there are still so many layers between us. Too many.
As the declaration spills into the silence, I shudder. “I want to be your Luna. That is, if you’ll still have me.”
“You’re sure?” I nearly trip over my words. “If I claim you, there’s no going back. Once my heartline latches onto yours . . . I won’t be able to leave your orbit. Not that I’d want to, but—”
“Axe,” she presses sweetly. “I’m sure.”
One of my arms gently cinches around her waist, cradling her torso to mine.
The other clutches the base of her head where a braid has been slightly unwoven.
I slip my fingers underneath the silky plait, dampened by the snow.
Everything about her has absorbed the cold, save for her eyes.
Those smoldering, honey-brown eyes that make it impossible to sit still when I have their attention.
“Aren’t you tired of holding back?”
My throat bobs. It takes every ounce of willpower to prevent myself from hardening on the spot. “Every minute you’re in my presence wears me down. Tests the limits of my control. So, yes. It’s exhausting, pretending that I’m not completely powerless next to you.”
Lifting a hand to remove my hat, Vessa tilts her head, brushing her nose against mine, like two horses playfully rubbing necks.
“Would you like it back, then? Your power?”
My arm slides up her back, drawing her nearer. “No. You can have every last drop.”
Finally, she presses her full lips against mine, moving as if we have all the time in the world. There’s a trace of maple syrup on her plum-sweet kiss. My body is humming, aching everywhere, ravenous over the scent of her desire.
A feral growl rumbles from the beast within my chest when her hand finds the nape of my neck, fingernails lightly grazing the skin.
She proceeds to glide her smooth tongue along my lower lip and flicks her way into my mouth.
Even with our tongues caressing now, there is a space between us begging to be conquered.
With Vessa’s fingers still occupied with my hair, I turn my attention to the damned ski pants.
My free hand slips the suspender straps from her shoulders and slides the puffy, insulated trousers off her hips, freeing her of another barrier.
All that’s left is a sweater and a sleek pair of leggings that feel like a second skin.
My hands find their way to the curve of her back and then to her ass, giving it a squeeze.
Dangerously, she trails her mouth down my neck and begins to suck, letting her hands slide down my chest. My heart is pounding, wolf surging with excitement.
Using a hand to cup her jaw, I capture Vessa’s wicked lips again with more demanding force, drawing and stifling a moan.
She begins to feel the pressure of the moment as well, rocking her hips slowly over my groin that has grown excruciatingly stiff.
I decide it’s time to return the favor as she moves above me.
My mouth latches on to the skin where her neck meets her collarbone—the exact spot where I intend to mark her, naked in all her glory.
As I nip at the skin, Vessa’s breathing turns to panting.
The delicious thought sends another growl rippling through my chest where her hands still rest, the vibration briefly startling her.
I’m all tangled up in her web, her silky sweet misery.
I’ve never wanted more than to belong to someone like this, someone totally disarming.
I ignore the voice in the corner of my mind that pleads for me to take back control before I surrender to my primal self.
I also ignore the sound of my belt coming undone and the downward slide of my zipper.
It’s not until her chilled fingertips brush against my bare abdomen that I tear myself away.
Confusion lurks in Vessa’s gaze as I hold both of her wrists in my hands. “Did I do something wrong?”
I shake my head in between labored breaths. “Not at all.” Inside, my wolf is clawing his eyes out.
Vessa slides back into the passenger seat and begins to redress.
“Hey,” I say, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her cheeks are tinted red from my rejection. “It’s not that I don’t want to continue, because believe me, Moonshine, I do. But not like this. Not here."
“Right,” she mumbles, stuffing her arm through the sleeve of her bulky winter parka, tugging down on the hood.
She doesn’t understand. Last night, I let the wolf slip. Had I not removed myself, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
“Will you look at me?” I ask, searching for her eyes. No luck. I curse internally. Twenty-eight years and I’m still useless at coaxing women.
"I get it. You don't have to say anything else."
I reach for her hand and bring it to my cheek. I press a kiss to the inside of her wrist, over the delicate feather tattoo. She finally turns to face me, and I haul her back to my chest.
My lips skim her cheek, caressing the shell of her ear.
"When the time is right, believe me, it won't be in a muddy truck. It'll be somewhere remote, where I have all the time and space to lay you down and fuck you properly, how I’ve been envisioning for weeks. After that, you can have me any way you’d like. "
Vessa’s heart palpitates. “I'll be holding you to that, Commander.”