Chapter 19 #2
I had to agree with Laney. “Have you ever met your grandparents?”
“Not on my mom’s side. I’ve never even talked to them. I’ve seen a couple of pictures, but that’s all.”
“Are they alive?” If they were, my dad would have to see if he could find them.
“I have no idea since my mom refuses to talk about them. I kind of wonder if it has something to do with her getting pregnant with me in college.”
That very well could be the case, but I had a feeling there was more to this story that Laney wasn’t aware of. “Where’d your mom grow up?”
She shrugged. “When I asked her about it, she said she grew up in Hartford. But I’ve never seen her high school diploma or anything, so who knows.”
“Did she go to college in Connecticut?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” She patted my thigh. “Okay, get to work.”
My mind was reeling from everything Laney had just told me. I’d have to convey it all to my dad when I had the chance.
I flipped my book open to the right chapter and started reading, highlighting important information as I went. My mind kept wandering back to Laney and all I’d learned about her. It was a chore to try to focus on my reading when all I wanted to do was reach over and touch her.
Someone knocked on my door. I sniffed the air. “What do you want, Adan?”
“Can I come in for a sec?”
“Sure.” The jackass was probably here to make sure I wasn’t fucking Laney.
Adan opened the door and poked his head inside. “Hey Laney, did you finish the write-up on the lab from Friday?”
He could have texted her.
“I did,” she replied.
“Did you share the doc with me?” he asked.
Laney did something on her laptop. “No. Sorry. I’ll share it now.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at me before he left, shutting the door behind him.
I kept on working, reading the same paragraph over and over, unable to concentrate with Laney’s scent filling my room.
“I’ve got enough done for the night,” she announced. “I’m going to sleep.” She got up and packed her backpack before setting it beside my desk.
“I need to get through this chapter,” I admitted. The professor was running a socratic seminar tomorrow. If I wasn’t prepared, he’d kick me out of the class.
“Don’t stop on my account.” She came back over to the bed. “Do as much as you need to.” She slipped under the covers and snuggled next to me.
Fuck. I wasn’t going to get any work done with her touching me. I flipped through the chapter. I only had two more pages to go. I could do this. Once I finished, my reward would be lying next to this beautiful girl at my side.
About thirty minutes later, I finally finished. I closed my book and put it and my laptop on my desk before going into my bathroom. I quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt. When I came back into my room, I turned my light off.
“Are you joining me?” Laney asked. “Or are you sleeping on the floor like last time?”
I stood there, debating. I wanted to sleep next to her, but the floor was probably a better idea. “Do you have a preference?” I asked. I’d do whatever she wanted.
“I’d like you in bed with me. But…”
“But what?” I neared the bed, my heart thundering in my chest.
“I was hot, so I took my pants off. If that makes you uncomfortable, I can put them back on and take the floor.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor.” I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to slow the blood pumping through my veins. It felt like a raging, uncontrollable tornado.
Thank fuck I had a large bed. I slid under the covers, trying to stay on my side so I wouldn’t brush against her bare legs. If I accidentally touched her, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I lay there staring at her in the dark. She mirrored my position, facing me.
“What are you thinking about?” she whispered.
“You.”
“What about me?”
“I want you to be my girlfriend,” I admitted. She was everything I wanted. Smart, sexy as hell, nice, fun to be around. The only problem was that she wasn’t a full-blooded wolf, but I was starting not to care. Laney felt right, and I wanted her.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” she asked.
“If you’re not ready or you don’t want to be my girlfriend, I understand. I can wait.” It was soon, and I’d wait as long as I had to for her.
“I want to be your girlfriend,” she said. “It’s just that…I don’t know what I am.”
“What you are doesn’t matter. All that does is who you are. And I like who you are, Laney Lake.” As I said the words, I realized the truth of them. I liked Laney, and there was something about her that called to me. I was tired of fighting my attraction for her. It was time to do what felt right.
“Then yes, I’d love to be your girlfriend if you’ll be my boyfriend.”
Her boyfriend. “Hell yes,” I said a little louder than I’d intended.
Laney chuckled.
I reached out and trailed a finger along her cheek.
Her eyes became intense. “Rowan, I’m scared.”
My hand froze. “About us?”
“I’m scared of what I am and what you are. I’m scared of what I don’t know.”
I leaned my forehead against hers. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” I assured her. “We’ll figure this out together. I promise.”
“And you don’t think we should wait?” she asked.
“If we waited until we had all the answers, we’d always be waiting for something.” I kissed her forehead. “And I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Then don’t.”
That was all I needed to hear. I grabbed her waist and pulled her on top of me.
The weight of her body melted my resolve.
I wound my hands in her hair, holding her head in place as I kissed her like she was the last woman on earth.
My hands roamed over her ass. Fuck. I’d forgotten she’d taken her pants off and only had on underwear.
I slid my hands down her bare legs. So soft and smooth.
I trailed them back up, under her sweatshirt, along her back, not feeling a bra.
I flipped us over, and she parted her legs so I could rest between them.
As I hovered above her, the temptation to lick her entire body was strong.
However, I kept my lips on hers, trying to maintain some sense of control.
The scent of Laney’s arousal filled my room, driving me insane with need.
Closing my eyes, taking in the smell of her, I couldn’t believe I was here with her. This was perfect. She was perfect.
Her hands were in my hair, driving me crazy. I reached for her ass, lifting her leg and hooking it over my hip. Then I pressed myself against her so she could feel me through my shorts. If we didn’t have the barrier of our clothes, I would slide right inside her.
I had a feeling she was a virgin. The thought of her only being with me and no one else was intoxicating.
I moved my hand to her stomach, then trailed my fingers up until I reached her breast. She whimpered into my mouth.
I didn’t break the connection of our kiss, our tongues thrusting against each other, doing what we wished our bodies could do.
Her hands yanked my shirt up over my torso, so I pushed her sweatshirt up. Our skin touched, and heat flared through me. All thoughts of waiting to be together vanished. I had to have her.
Fuck. I didn’t have protection. Danny had run out the other night, and I gave him what I had. I couldn’t go and ask one of the guys for a condom because they’d never give me one.
I needed to make sure to keep her underwear the fuck on so we didn’t do something stupid.
Laney shoved me onto my back, straddling me. She sat up and reached for the hem of her sweatshirt. In one swift motion, she removed it, baring herself to me.
My hands slid to her hips. Her hair was all over the place and her breasts were on full display for me.
Unable to resist, I sat up, taking one in my mouth.
Her head fell back. My hands went to her back, holding her in place.
I moved to her other breast. My one hand had a will of its own, and it reached down, shoving her underwear aside so I could slide a finger inside her. She was dripping wet and fucking tight.
My mouth moved to her neck so I could reach her easier.
I slid my finger in and out, doing what my dick wished it could.
She clutched my shoulders and started riding my finger.
I added a second finger, and she let out a little whimper as she started moving faster.
I felt her tighten around me and shudder.
I shoved my fingers up higher, pushing harder as I covered her mouth with mine.
When her body relaxed, I removed my fingers.
She reached for the waist of my shorts.
If she touched me, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back. I’d have to fuck her. “Not tonight,” I whispered against her lips. It was already hard enough with her smell filling the air along with her ragged breathing.
“I want to feel you.”
I closed my eyes, wanting that, too. “I don’t have protection,” I admitted. “I’m trying to remain in control of myself right now.” My body was teetering, my restraint about to snap, the wolf prowling beneath the surface.
She chuckled. “I’m actually surprised you don’t have a condom.”
That made two of us.
“There are…other things I can do to you,” Laney said, her voice soft and low. She reached for me again, her hand slipping under the waistband of my shorts.
I inhaled sharply as her fingers wrapped around me.
My eyes fluttered closed, and molten fire raced through my veins.
Laney repositioned herself above me. She kissed my chest, then moved lower, kissing my stomach, then she kissed even lower.
She slid my shorts down. I gripped her hair as her tongue licked me.
I’d never been so hard in my life. I propped myself up so I could watch her.
She looked up at me with hooded eyes as her mouth wrapped around me.
A low sound rumbled out of my chest before I could stop it.
I clenched my jaw, feeling my fangs about to lower.
My senses were already on overload. The scent of her arousal, her skin, the sound of her pulse, her breathing. It was all too much.
I had to remain in control. I released her hair and gripped the sheets in case my nails descended.
Her hands moved over my hips. She peered up at me with vulnerability and longing in her eyes.
I’d pleased her, and now she wanted to do the same.
Repay the favor, so to speak. The fact that she wanted to do this to me, that she was choosing me, unraveled my control more than the sensation of her tongue on me.
I felt as if Laney were undoing me. In that moment, I leashed my wolf impulses. I didn’t want to hurt or scare her. My control solidified.
I released the sheet and threaded my fingers in her hair again, this time gentler.
“Laney,” I said, my voice coming out rough. I didn’t want her to stop, but I needed to anchor myself to her. I wanted her to know how much this meant to me. How much she meant to me.
My chest rose and fell, my heart beating like a hammer as Laney moved up and down. When my release came, I knew I’d never be the same.
Laney was my mate, and I had no intention of letting her go. Ever.
I woke up with Laney tucked into my side, my arm wrapped protectively around her. I didn’t want to move, but I had a lifting session in thirty minutes. If I was late or didn’t show, Coach would be pissed.
I tried to carefully extricate myself from Laney so I wouldn’t wake her.
“Is it time to get up?” she asked groggily.
“You can stay here. I have a lift session.”
“What time is it?”
“Just about seven thirty.”
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “I need to take my injection and call my mom.”
“I can drop you off.” That way I’d know she made it into her dorm safely.
She slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes from yesterday on her way to the bathroom. When she came out, she handed me the clothes she’d borrowed, neatly folded. I would not be washing them since they smelled like her.
We headed downstairs and outside to my truck. Neither of us spoke as I drove her to her dorm. When I pulled up outside it, I put my truck into park and twisted to face her. “When can I see you again?” I asked.
“I’m busy with school until four,” she said as she got out of my truck.
And I had an away game tonight. “I’ll call you after my game.” It was only an hour away, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too late when we got back. “Promise me you’ll be careful today.”
“I’ll be careful. Promise.”
“Besides Em, you can trust a girl named Kara and another named Marlow.” I was going to make sure one of those three kept tabs on Laney today.
“Are they like you?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as she studied me.
I nodded.
“One of these days, Ward, you’re going to tell me what you are.” She blew me a kiss and headed inside her dorm.
I put my truck into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. I had no idea how Laney would take the news of me being a werewolf, but she was right; I needed to tell her. Not only did she deserve to know the truth about me, but she deserved to know what she was.