Chapter 19 #3
I rubbed my chest, thinking of the way black smoke had coiled up from the building, heat radiating off the burning structure, flames swallowing it whole as it burned to the ground.
“What happened?” Gray stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle and resting his chin on my head.
“They burned it down,” I said, swallowing thickly. “When I escaped, the night they wanted to hand me over to the wolves, they… well, I don’t know if they thought I’d go back to pack or if they were just mad I’d gotten away, but they burned the whole building to the ground.”
A tremor went through Gray, anger burning bright and hot, his wolf snarling.
His reaction would’ve terrified me a couple of days ago, but now, I only smiled and reached out with my magic to soothe Gray—and thus the wolf living inside him too. Gray shivered, the air growing thick with emotion.
“What are you doing?” he asked, voice laced with tension, but also something else.
“I… uhh… sent a bit of warmth into your body?”
“Do it again.”
I complied, reaching for magic from the well within me and sending it out into Gray. He shivered, a low groan escaping his throat, as his fingers slipped below my hoodie, caressing my stomach. His hands were burning hot on my skin. Just having them there felt fantastic.
He pulled me against him, my back flush against his torso, and yeah… there was his cock, pushed against my lower back. His hard cock. I swallowed, almost choking on my own spit in the process.
Holy shit. That thing felt huge.
Or was it just proportionate? I mean, everything about him was huge. He was easily a foot taller than me, and where I was slender, he was broad.
“Sorry, just ignore that,” Gray rasped, his fingers skimming over my skin, leaving goosebumps in place as my own cock started perking up, twitching with interest every time Gray’s fingers dipped slightly under the waistband of my jeans.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if I was able to ignore that.
Nor was I sure if I wanted to.
His fingers on me felt so good. I pushed into the touch, letting my eyes fall shut as Gray hummed and drew lazy circles on my abdomen. It was just him and me, our scents surrounding us, mingling.
It felt like a storm was about to hit us.
Like I was about to be swept away by Gray and all those feelings bubbling up inside me.
The bond was still pulling, urging me closer, even though I was already in his arms. It wasn’t satisfied, and neither was I.
Maybe it wasn’t the bond at all. Maybe it was all just me wanting to feel closer, wanting more of the peace Gray gave me.
I turned in his arms and stared up at him, searching for permission in those dark, passionate eyes of his.
It was there. The want, the need, the… I didn’t know what exactly it was, but Gray was longing for me. Waiting for me to make the first move, just as he’d waited for me to be the one to take the plunge the last time.
Because he respected me. Because my feelings were important to him.
My throat clogged up. I should’ve known all along. And part of me probably had, it just hadn’t registered with me the way it hit me square in the face now.
Gray had been waiting for me without ever saying a single word. Probably ever since we met, and he’d recognized me as his mate.
I went to my toes and pulled him down, unable to wait even a second longer to feel his lips on mine again. To taste him again. To feel his groan vibrating against my lips.
“Nix,” he whispered, voice barely audible but filled with so much want it resonated with me more than if he’d shouted.
“Gray,” I whispered against his lips, then fused our mouths again, swallowing the moan I elicited from him. His hands grabbed my ass, lifting me up, and I wrapped my legs around him, clinging to him while he took two steps and pressed me against the closest wall.
Fuck.
He licked across my lips insistently, and it took me way too long to realize what he wanted. I opened my mouth for him, my tongue meeting his, and sparks flew. The first thrust of his tongue into my mouth sent a shockwave through my body that hit me straight in the dick.
I moaned and threw my head back. It hit the wooden wall behind me with a dull thud, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care for the bit of pain radiating off the back of my head. It wasn’t important.
The only thing that mattered was Gray. His tongue in my mouth, his hands kneading my ass, cock pushing against mine. His moans and groans and his scent. So perfect and safe and… everything.
I dug my fingers into his shoulders, pulled him even closer, his hair falling around our faces like a curtain, hiding us from the world.
“Bed?” I asked, my voice wrecked.
“You sure?” He had the audacity to pull back, to look into my eyes and check in with me.
I loved him for it, but also hated him a little because I needed his lips back on mine more than I needed oxygen.
“Yes.” I nodded to emphasize my answer. “I want you. But… uhm… I should probably mention that I kinda haven’t been with anyone. Ever.”
Gray stared at me, eyes going wide. “You’re a virgin?”