Chapter 2 #2
Guess I’d reached the part Abby said would hurt like a bitch.
Something within me seemed to be growing.
Rising.
Literally tearing its way free.
Finn was swearing, already back in his human form as he pried the cake dome out of my arms. “We need to get your fucking clothes off,” he basically snarled at me. “They’re tight enough to hurt the wolf.”
He didn’t reach for my clothes, despite the words.
Guess he wanted permission. That seemed like a good thing.
“Do it,” I groaned, folding forward as agonizing heat burned over and through me. Something else snapped.
His rough hands felt like bliss on my fiery skin as he quickly undid the buckle on my bralette, working the thin fabric down my arms with ease. The sweater that was only on one of my shoulders went with it.
“So much fucking pink,” he muttered, yanking my dark pink pants down my thighs. My thong followed.
It was almost the same shade as the pants.
“What did pink ever—do to you?” I moaned.
The words were muffled by my teeth, growing and lengthening as they took up too much space in my mouth.
“Just back down. Let the wolf—fuck.” Finn sat back on his heels, blinking as the furry beast finally finished taking over my body. “That was fast.”
The wolf stretched, looking at Finn closely.
He was naked.
Very naked.
Very attractive, too.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck. Fucking, fucking—fuck.”
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His breathing grew shallower, and heavier, and faster all at once.
The look in his deep brown eyes was one I’d seen in Zoe’s before, when her anxiety peaked and a panic attack hit her.
Unfocused.
Terrified.
Trapped.
One of his hands lifted to his chest, and he sucked in deep breaths of air.
My wolf watched in frozen silence.
Finn slowly folded in on himself, rolling to all fours as panic took control of his body. His face hit the wooden flooring, his arms going around the top of his head as he struggled to breathe.
He panted a few more curses, his chest and back rising and falling heavily while his face remained against the ground.
When Zoe felt like that, she wanted me to hug her tightly.
I would ask Finn if he wanted to try that, if I wasn’t trapped in the wolf.
But she just stayed where she was.
Didn’t even—
Suddenly, she surged forward and licked the side of his face.
His head jerked upward, his eyes dark and panicked and hopeless as he gasped out, “Just fucking reject me already.”
There was water pooled in his eyes.
My wolf went still again.
Finn’s head dropped back to the floor.
She watched him try to work through the panic for another two minutes before she licked his bicep.
He didn’t respond.
So she leaned closer—and bit him there.
Hard.
He was sitting up a heartbeat later, still breathing heavily as he stared at her. He looked like he couldn’t decide whether to be shocked or horrified.
Both were probably inevitable, considering what he’d already been through.
The pain was a little easier to manage as my wolf slipped away, letting me shift back. When I breathed through it, it was much less severe.
It was over significantly faster, too.
Finn stared at me, our chests heaving and our bodies completely bare. I was sweating. He was too.
“You’re…” he stopped himself.
“Guess so.” I closed my eyes. I wasn’t even sure what he was going to say, but I didn’t want his panic attack to start again. He definitely still looked like he was on the verge of it. I needed to lighten the mood. “Wow. That did hurt.”
He choked on a snort. “That was the shortest fucking first shift.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice. New record.” I rubbed my eyes, stopping abruptly and lowering my hands.
There was makeup all over one of my palms.
I’d only remembered to take it off one of my eyes.
Dammit.
My face heated, even though I wasn’t embarrassed.
The rest of me was getting warm too, actually. That was weird.
“Well, shit,” I said. “No wonder your wolf wanted to eat me. I probably look like a creep with eyeliner all over the place like this.”
“You don’t.”
I glanced over at Finn.
My gaze caught on his obvious, massive erection.
Oh.
Wow.
I’d never seen one quite so… well, large.
Was it getting hotter?
“Are werewolf dicks bigger than humans’?” I asked.
“Probably.” Finn’s voice was rougher. “Don’t take it personally. Our wolves sealed the bond, so we’re starting the climax. We’re going to be horny for the next month unless we fuck it out of our systems for a few days.”
“Don’t take your attraction to me personally?”
“Right.”
“Mmkay.” I cleared my throat, pretty sure he either didn’t understand the meaning of not taking something personally… or just wasn’t actually attracted to me. “I’m going to need some water.”
On the other hand, maybe it wasn’t either of those two things.
Maybe he just didn’t want to be with me.
That made the most sense.
I started trying to stand up. My tailbone didn’t hurt anymore. That probably had something to do with the wolf thing.
Finn was on his feet before I could, crossing the kitchen.
I watched him fill a glass of water in the sink.
He brought it over to me while I stood and stretched a little.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Yeah.” His eyes moved slowly, hotly, down my body before they snapped back up to mine. “Sorry.”
“Sorry for…” I trailed off.
“Staring.”
“I think mates are allowed to stare at each other.”
Finn’s expression darkened. “We’re not mates.”
There it was.
He didn’t want to be with me.
That wasn’t devastating. I didn’t know him or anything. And as much as I thought it was fun to joke about meeting a werewolf, I wasn’t really ready to change my life because of it.
“I thought biting each other made the connection permanent,” I said.
“It did. Does.”
“But you don’t want a mate?”
“No.” Finn shook his head.
It didn’t surprise me. According to Nico, he didn’t even talk to women.
“What does it mean to be mates? If we have a bunch of sex, can we just go our separate ways afterward?” I asked.
Finn blinked. “Our wolves will drag us back to each other frequently, but some couples manage a just friends thing after the climax.”
“That sounds kind of nice. We can take a few days off work to have a ton of sex, then go back to our own lives? As long as we meet up once or twice a week afterward to make the wolves happy?”
“Three or four times a week, probably. Maybe every day, some weeks.”
“But we don’t have to live together?” I checked.
“Not after the mating process.”
“Which will end after we have sex?”
Finn nodded slowly.
“Well, I’m on board if you are.” I fanned my face with my hand. “I’m pretty uncomfortable right now, but you can take some time to think about it if you want?”
His forehead creased slightly. “Time would be good, yeah.”
“Okay.” I glanced around the room. I could see my pants, bra, and sweater, but my thong was missing.
I wasn’t going to stay long enough to search for it. My presence was clearly unwelcome, and I wasn’t the kind of woman who stayed where she wasn’t wanted.
Even if I was so horny I was legitimately sweating.
Finn just stared as I pulled on my flowy lounge pants and slipped my fuzzy sweater over my shoulders, stuffing my bralette into my pants’ pocket. I made it to the door before he caught me.
“Wait.” He reached for my elbow, but stopped himself.
I paused, but didn’t turn around.
My heart was beating too wildly, and I was pretty sure I was going to start crying soon, even though I wasn’t sad.
All of my strongest emotions, both positive and negative, insisted on expressing themselves through tears.
“You left your phone. And your cake,” he said.
I let out a soft breath and turned to face him.
Wow, he was huge.
And strong.
And sexy.
My entire body throbbed with need. All of it was directed toward him.
He had the cake dome tucked under his ridiculously large arm and held my phone in his other hand, outstretched toward me. The wound my wolf had left on his bicep was already healed.
His gaze lingered on the bare strip of skin at the center of my chest. My sweater covered my nipples, but the slight curve of my breasts was definitely on display.
I took the phone. “You can keep the cake.”
“I won’t eat it.”
“You don’t eat cake?”
“No.”
My forehead creased. “Everyone likes cake. Are you allergic? I could make it gluten free, or—”
“I don’t want a cake, Emmy.”
What the hell was wrong with him?
It was cake!
Granted, I’d just offered to bake from him. After he sent me on my way, while both of us were horny.
It probably wasn’t the cake he didn’t want. It was me.
Ouch.
Finn held the dome out, and I took that too.
“Thanks, I guess,” I said.
He nodded.
Turning back around, I made my way down the porch carefully. He didn’t flip the lights on, but my vision in the dark seemed a little better now, and I managed not to fall on my ass again.
I also managed not to cry.
At least, until I made it to Zoe’s house, with that stupid cake dome still sitting on my lap and my stupid body still basically on fire with need.
As soon as she opened her front door, I burst into tears.
“What happened?” she demanded. “And why is there makeup smeared all around one of your eyes?”
I held out the cake.
Her forehead creased, and she pulled me inside. “Did Jade turn you down or something?”
I spilled the story on the way to the couch.
We spent the night curled up next to each other on the cushions, buried in a blanket, with snacks all around us while the most unromantic medical TV drama played in the background.
Zoe slept.
I didn’t. I was too horny and in too much pain to do that.
But at least I wasn’t alone.