Chapter 9 Adrian
ADRIAN
Goldie stands, unmoving, her eyes downcast, her small human teeth chewing on her bottom lip. I clear my throat, and her gaze connects with mine.
“Why don’t you take a shower first?” I suggest. “You’ve got some, uh… garden on you.”
She giggles and tugs on Kieran’s dirt-streaked shirt, back to what seems to be her default rascally self.
“You’re right. I ruined poor Kieran’s shirt.”
I shake my head slowly. “Yeah. Poor Kieran. He’s devastated, I’m sure.”
With flushed cheeks and a giant grin, Goldie skips into the ensuite, humming a song under her breath. A couple of seconds later, I hear the water turn on. That’s when I look at the shopping bags I brought upstairs.
“Wait, you—”
But she’s already in the shower. Naked. And she left her change of clothes here.
Groaning, I drop back onto her bed, my head bouncing off the mattress.
Okay, no, big mistake.
I shoot back up into a sitting position. Her mouthwatering scent clings to the sheets and is now filling my nose, driving me to distraction. My claws burst out, and I sigh helplessly.
“On a scale from one to ten, I’m fucked,” I mutter to myself.
I haven’t wanted to be near a woman like this since before we lost Sylvie.
And now that I do, I’m torn between being afraid of hurting her and being scared of hurting my brother.
However, Kieran doesn’t seem to be too possessive about her time.
They clearly just had sex, and yet he handed her to us with a smile on his face.
And she didn’t seem to mind that either.
“Oh, cool, you have claws too?” Goldie asks from way too close. Was I so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear her shut off the water and approach?
I blink up at her, then freeze when I see she’s only wearing a towel wrapped around her torso, ending just under the juncture of her thighs. Water droplets fall from her hair, glide lovingly over her neck, and end their path by being absorbed by the fluffy fabric.
“I, uh… what?” I stutter like a schoolboy seeing a centerfold for the first time. Am I drooling?
Goldie giggles. “Your claws, silly. I saw Kieran’s when he… Well, I saw them earlier.”
He had his claws out during sex?
I tilt my head pensively, trying to ignore that her naked pussy is inches away, only barely covered by a scrap of absorbent cotton. But I can’t stop smelling it—an alluring trap.
“What did Kieran tell you about us?” I ask quietly, though either one of my brothers could easily hear us if they listened.
Goldie fidgets, looking a bit embarrassed by the question.
“I didn’t really ask,” she admits. “I wasn’t… I was distracted.”
Sighing, I pat the bed next to me, indicating she should sit down. Maybe if heaven isn’t right in front of my nose, I’ll be able to concentrate better.
Goldie flounces over and plops down, her thigh almost touching mine, her towel riding up to show… God help me.
I look away and close my eyes to boot.
“So, Kieran, Marcus, and I are bear shifters,” I begin.
She makes a cooing sound like I just told her we’re teddy bears. I glance at her, trying to assess her reaction, but I can’t keep my eyes level with hers, so I quickly look away again.
“I’ve never met a shifter before,” she breathes and moves closer. Now her side is pressed against mine. My cock instantly notices and does its best to burst out of my jeans like the Hulk. Thankfully, my zipper seems to be made out of vibranium, keeping it contained.
“You probably have,” I croak, then clear my throat again. “You just don’t know it, as it’s not something we advertise for fear of human prejudice. Most people would avoid our dens, feeling something is off, but you walked in like it’s a hotel.”
She squirms, and the scent of her womanhood grows stronger. Is she… aroused?
“I did feel something was different about this place,” she says, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “But I was more intrigued than afraid. Plus, I was hangry.”
I laugh at her word choice. She seems a bit nerdy, maybe…
“Do you like to read?” I ask her. In my eagerness, I forget I’m not supposed to look at her. The towel now slid down her cleavage, only barely still covering her nipples. What surprises me more, though, is how she quickly looks up from my lap, where I know her effect on me is obvious.
“Ah, y—yes,” she says when our eyes meet. Her cheeks are the most adorable shade of red. The tint spreads down her neck and over her—nope. Not going there. “I love to read, actually. But I like the romance stuff. Dark and spicy.”
I tug on the collar of my shirt. This isn’t something I normally admit to. I even try to hide it from my brothers.
“I have lots of spicy romance books in the library,” I say so fast that the words jumble together.
“You do?” Goldie asks, wide-eyed and awed. “Can you show me?”
I know she means the books, but the way she glances at my lap when she asks me that makes precum leak out of the tip of my cock.
This little human is going to be the death of me. And right now, I’m not sure I’d mind this kind of demise.