Chapter 12 – Billy
BILLY
Before dawn, I wake with Carla’s warm weight draped across my chest like she’s trying to meld into me.
The pillow barrier is once again scattered across her bedroom floor. My bear’s doing, although I can’t say I mind. Her breath fans across my bare chest, each exhale a sweet torture that sends heat straight through me.
Her hair spills across my shoulder like silk, carrying that intoxicating scent of pine and vanilla that’s uniquely hers. One of her legs is thrown over mine, her thigh pressed against parts of me that are very awake and very aware of every inch of her soft skin against mine.
My cock throbs where she’s pressed against me, already hard and aching.
I run my fingers through her hair, gently brushing it back from her face.
In sleep, her lips are slightly parted, full and tempting.
The early morning light catches the curve of her cheekbone, the delicate line of her jaw.
She’s so beautiful. It makes my chest swell with something fierce and possessive.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand.
I reach for it carefully, trying not to disturb her, but the movement makes her shift against me. She nuzzles into my neck, her lips brushing my throat.
A groan escapes before I can stop it.
Text from Sean: Brewery delivery at 7. Don’t be late.
Fuck. I need to leave this warm bed, leave my mate who’s currently using me as her personal pillow, and go to work. The thought is physically painful. My bear claws at me to stay, to pull her under me, to spend the morning showing her exactly how much we missed her yesterday.
I trace my finger along the curve of her hip where the sheet has slipped down, revealing smooth skin that begs to be kissed.
She makes a small sound in her sleep, pressing closer, and her scent intensifies. Warm and sweet and tinged with arousal that’s making my mouth water.
“Where are you going?”
Her voice is husky with sleep as I try to ease away. Her arm tightens around my waist, holding me in place.
“Work. Delivery coming in early.”
I lean down, unable to resist pressing my lips to her forehead, breathing her in. The simple contact isn’t enough. I want to taste every inch of her.
“Go back to sleep.”
“Mmm.” She stretches against me, her whole body arching in a way that presses her breasts against my chest. The sheet slips lower. “Don’t want you to go.”
Neither do I. God, neither do I. Not when she’s warm and pliant and smells like heaven. Not when every cell in my body is screaming at me to stay, to pull her under me and show her exactly how much I want her.
“I have to.” The words come out rougher than intended. “Sean’s already there…”
She opens her eyes then, those green depths still hazy with sleep, and reaches up to touch my face. Her fingers trace my jaw, and I feel the touch like electricity down my spine.
I turn into her palm, pressing a kiss there.
“You need to shave,” she murmurs, but her thumb brushes my lower lip, and her pupils dilate. Her breathing quickens.
“Carla...” Warning and plea mixed together.
“I know.” She sighs, dropping her hand, but her fingers trail down my chest as she does, nails scraping lightly through my chest hair.
My abs clench under her touch.
“Go. Before I do something that makes you really late.”
I force myself out of bed, hyperaware of her eyes following me, as I gather my clothes.
She makes a small sound. Whether it’s disappointment or appreciation, I can’t tell. The jeans I wore yesterday are across the room, evidence of how quickly we’d fallen into bed last night, not even bothering with the pretense of the pillow wall.
“Billy?”
I turn back. She’s propped on one elbow now, the sheet barely covering her, hair tumbling around her shoulders. The sight punches me in the gut. Want and need and mine all tangle together.
“Yeah?”
“Maybe you should bring some clothes here. Save you the morning rush.”
She tries for casual, but I catch the hope in her eyes, the way her fingers twist nervously in the sheet. Her teeth catch her lower lip.
“Your toothbrush is already here, anyway.”
My bear practically purrs at the suggestion. Living here. Waking up every morning without having to leave. The rightness of it makes my chest expand.
“You sure?”
“Unless you like doing the walk of shame every morning.” She teases, but there’s vulnerability underneath, a question in her eyes that makes me ache.
I’m back at the bed before I realize I’ve moved, cupping her face between my hands and kissing her properly.
She gasps against my mouth, then melts into it, her arms coming around my neck to pull me closer. Her tongue slides against mine, and I groan, my control fraying.
For a moment, I forget about work, about deliveries, about everything except the taste of her.
“Yes,” I say against her lips, breathing hard. “God, yes.”
She smiles, and it’s like the sun coming up. Her whole face transforms with joy. “Good. Now go before Sean fires you.”
I steal one more kiss, then force myself to back away. My body protests with every step. At the door, I pause for one last look. She’s already burrowing back into my pillow, seeking my scent, and the sight makes me pause, overwhelmed with emotions I’m still learning to name.
Love. It’s love.
“Hey Billy?” she calls softly.
“Yeah?”
“Drive safe. Maya’s taking me to try the general store again today.”
Pride swells in my chest at her determination. She’s been pushing herself, reclaiming her life, one small step at a time. My brave mate.
“That’s great. Text me how it goes?”
“Always do.”
I leave before my resolve breaks entirely, but her scent clings to my skin, my clothes. A reminder of what I’m leaving. What I’m coming home to.
My bear grumbles the entire drive to town, pacing and snarling inside me. Leaving her gets harder every morning, not easier. The mate bond pulls taut between us, a physical ache in my chest demanding I turn around, go back, and stay where I belong.
Soon, I promise myself, gripping the steering wheel tight. Soon, I won’t have to leave at all.