Chapter 9 #2
"Be careful," I warned, leaning forward. "You're playing with a loaded gun."
"I'm tired of being safe," she said. She reached up, her hands leaving the ice pack to grip my thighs. Her fingers dug into the muscle of my quads.
The sensation was electric.
"Fuck the ice," I growled.
I grabbed her under the arms and hauled her up. She scrambled to get her footing, and I pulled her into my lap, my legs bracketing hers.
She straddled me, her skirt riding up. Her thighs were warm against my bare skin.
I kissed her.
This wasn't like the truck. This wasn't frantic. This was slow. Deep. Consuming.
I tasted her. I explored the contours of her mouth with my tongue. I kissed her like I had all the time in the world.
She moaned into my mouth, her hands tangling in my hair, messing up the gel. She ground down against me, seeking friction.
I broke the kiss to trail my lips down her neck. I found the sensitive spot behind her ear and sucked gently.
She shivered violently.
"Dante," she gasped. "The door... it's unlocked."
"I don't care," I mumbled against her skin. "Let them come in. Let them see."
"My roommate..."
"Is gone," I reminded her.
My hands moved to the front of her shirt. It was a silk blouse. Delicate buttons.
"May I?" I asked, pulling back to look at her.
She nodded, her eyes hazy with lust.
I undid the buttons. One. Two. Three.
I pushed the fabric aside.
She was wearing a lace bralette. Pale blue. It barely covered anything. Her skin was creamy, flawless in the dim light of the fairy lights.
"Beautiful," I breathed.
I didn't touch her with my hands yet. I just looked. I drank her in.
She flushed under my gaze, crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously.
"Don't," I commanded, gently pulling her arms away. "Don't hide from me. I want to see you."
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to the swell of her breast, right above the lace.
She let out a sharp cry, arching her back.
"You're so responsive," I murmured, moving to the other side. "So sensitive."
"It's you," she panted. "It's only you."
I unclasped the front of the bralette. It fell open.
She was perfect. Small, perky, tipped with pale pink.
I groaned, burying my face between her breasts. I inhaled the scent of her skin—vanilla and arousal. It was the most intoxicating thing I had ever smelled.
I took one nipple into my mouth.
She screamed—a muffled, high-pitched sound—and her hands gripped my shoulders so hard I knew it would leave bruises.
I swirled my tongue around the hardened peak, teasing, before sucking harder.
"Dante," she sobbed. "Please. I need..."
"What do you need?" I asked, moving to the other breast, giving it equal attention.
"I need you inside me," she begged.
I froze.
The words hung in the air. Inside me.
The wolf roared in triumph. Yes. Now. Breed.
But the man... the man remembered the physics. The man remembered the size difference. The man remembered she was a virgin.
I pulled back, breathing hard, resting my forehead against her chest.
"We can't," I rasped. "Not tonight. Not like this."
"Why?" she cried, frustrated. "Why do you always stop?"
"Because," I said, looking up at her, my eyes blazing. "Look at my knee, Arabella. Look at me. I'm running on adrenaline and painkillers. If I take you now... I won't be gentle. I won't be able to control the depth or the speed. I will hurt you."
"I don't care," she said fiercely.
"I do!" I shouted.
The silence crashed back down.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
"I do care," I said softer. "I care because... because this matters. Your first time shouldn't be with a crippled, feverish werewolf in a dorm room after a game. It should be perfect."
She stared at me, tears shimmering in her eyes. "You think I care about perfect?"
"I care about you walking tomorrow," I said bluntly.
She blinked. A blush darker than before spread across her chest.
"Oh."
"Yeah. Oh." I adjusted her on my lap, grimacing as my erection throbbed painfully. "So, we're going to stop. We're going to put the ice back on my knee. And we're going to sleep."
"Sleep?" she asked skeptically. "Here? In this tiny bed?"
"Unless you're kicking me out," I said. "I'm not driving back to the Hive tonight. I can't walk down those stairs again."
She looked at me. Then at the bed. Then back at me.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Okay," she whispered. "Stay."
We moved to the bed. It was a tight squeeze. I took the wall side, extending my bad leg. She curled up beside me, fitting her body into the curve of my side like she was made to be there.
I pulled the duvet over us.
She rested her head on my chest, her hand splayed over my heart.
"Dante?"
"Hmm?"
"You're still burning up," she murmured.
"I know," I said, staring at the fairy lights. "Having a naked girl in my arms will do that."
She giggled. She actually giggled.
"I'm not naked," she pointed out. "I still have my skirt on."
"For now," I threatened playfully.
She sighed, a sound of pure contentment, and closed her eyes.
Within minutes, her breathing evened out. She was asleep.
I lay awake, listening to the wind outside, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. The pain in my knee was still there, but it felt distant now. The only thing that mattered was the weight of her in my arms.
I brushed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Goodnight, Arabella," I whispered into the darkness.
I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come. Because I knew, with a terrifying clarity, that the countdown had started. I could only hold the wolf back for so long. And when the dam finally broke... God help us both.