Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Tempest
A moment later, I was walking out onto the hounds’ parking lot through a door off the side of the garage.
Placing my door handle back in my bag, I straightened my shoulders and headed for the clubhouse.
I was worried I might have missed my chance tonight, but there was still music playing and the sound of voices echoing from the large building.
I strode through the door and into the main room. There were more people here than when I left earlier. The lights were low and the music was louder. I spotted Fender, still at the same tall table, standing with several of his brothers. Drawing in a deep breath, I headed over.
Fender turned as I neared, his brows sliding higher, then a smile curled his lips. I smiled as well, waved, then walked past him and stopped beside Roman.
“You came back,” he said and gave me a cocky smile before glancing over my shoulder and back. “You want a beer, babe?”
“Um, no…I came back to talk to you actually.”
He looked surprised. “What is up, Temp?”
I glanced around. Warrick and Willow were just down from us, but were engrossed in each other. Brick was talking to a female wolf shifter. Relic and Fern were slow dancing, and Fender was behind me and I doubted could hear what we were talking about.
Maybe I should take Roman somewhere private, but that would just draw more attention.
No one was paying us any mind right now, and if I didn’t say this now, I’d chicken out and never say it.
“I was wondering, if you would like to…um, if you were interested in…well, if you thought you might like to…”
“Are you okay?” Concern filled the big male’s gaze. It flicked up over my shoulder again, then back down. “Whatever’s going on, you can talk to me. Though wouldn’t you rather talk to Fen? If you’re worried about—”
“No, it’s you I want to talk to.”
An intensity filled his gaze that made me want to take a step back. I held my ground and called on all my courage. I was a confident, independent female. I was powerful and, on occasion, I thought kind of pretty. Asking for what I wanted was okay. It was more than okay.
“What’s going on, Temp?”
His voice was all growly now, and the concern was still there. He thought I needed him to protect me, just like Mags said. “There’s no problem. I’m a…an independent female,” I added.
“I can see that.” His lips curled up a little on one side, making him especially handsome right then.
“I can ask for what I want.”
“Yeah, babe, of course you can.” His smile had grown wider.
“I’d like you to take me to bed, please.”
His head jerked back. “Come again?”
“I’ve been looking for someone, someone I can spend time with…
casually.” He said nothing. “For sex,” I added so he wouldn’t misinterpret what I was asking for.
“I think you are an excellent candidate. If you’re interested, of course.
I don’t want a long-term relationship, or anything serious… just some fun.”
“Temp…” His throat worked, the Adam’s apple sliding up and down. “Babe, you’re fucking gorgeous, and any other time...”
My stomach sank. “You don’t want me either?” I said before I could stop the words from escaping. Humiliation burned my cheeks.
“I’m not saying that. I’d take you up on your offer in a heartbeat. That’s not the problem.” His gaze lifted again, going to something over my shoulder, then back down.
I crossed my arms, feeling exposed, embarrassed. “Okay?” I said, confused, hurt. “Then what is it?”
Something solid hooked around my waist, and I was tugged back. Fender. I knew his scent instantly. His warmth soaked through my clothes, and my neck tickled where his beard brushed my skin.
His lips touched my ear. “You did not just ask Roman to fuck you? I had to be hearing things, right, Tempest?” He growled, and tingles slid over my skin, lifting goose bumps.
“Tell me you didn’t come here with sparkles on your cheeks and pretty, glossy lips to ask my brother to fuck you?
I had to be fucking hearing things, right, female? ”
My adrenaline spiked again. “You weren’t hearing things. I can do what I like. Why shouldn’t I?” My humiliation had turned to anger. It was the only way I was going to survive this again.
“Why?” he snarled against my ear.
I froze. “You’re angry.” He wasn’t going to hurt me, but he was vibrating against me, his huge body actually trembling.
“Yeah, peaches, I’m fucking angry. You just propositioned my brother when I have made it very fucking clear, more than once, that I wanted it to be me. You wanna tell me why? Why you want him and not me? Is there something about him you like more?”
There was suddenly an ache in his voice, even through the rumbling growl, I heard it. “No, I just, I didn’t think. I assumed…do you…want me?”
He growled again. “Thought I made it very fucking obvious, Tempest, but apparently not.” He drew in a steadying breath. “Yes, I want you. So badly I can’t think of anything else.”
“But Aradina, you and her, you’re—”
“She and I are nothing.”
“I heard you talking.” I’d decided I didn’t mind sharing, at least, when I thought it was Roman I’d be taking as a lover. I realized, I didn’t want to share Fender.
His hold on me momentarily tightened like he was afraid I’d pull away. “We fucked a couple times months ago, end of. We never had anything special. I don’t want her. I want you.”
My heart slammed in my chest, almost violently. I wanted him as well, goddess, too much. Which was why I’d unconsciously ruled him out as an option, I realized. Roman felt safer. I didn’t crave his touch. I didn’t shiver with need whenever he looked at me. With Fender, I felt all of that and more.
I stood frozen, not sure what to do.
Fender cursed softly and turned me to face him. He stared down, eyes burnished gold. “Okay, peaches, I’m gonna ask one more time. Is there something, fucking anything, you want to ask me?”
That’s what he’d meant? Every time he’d said it, he wanted me to ask him to be my…my lover.
“Tempest,” he growled out.
I jumped. My throat was dry and my hands trembled.
I was going to do it. I was going to ask him.
Maybe this was a bad idea because I liked him.
I really liked him, and I wanted him. I really wanted him.
But now that I knew he wanted me, too, there couldn’t be anyone else.
It had to be him. I swallowed thickly. “Fender?”
He cupped the side of my face, sliding his thumb over my jaw. “Yeah, baby?”
I shivered. “Will you…” I cleared my throat. “Will you have a…enter into a…be my—”
“Yes,” he said, low and gritty as his fingers slid up into my hair at the base of my neck and massaged. “You wanna go to my den?”
Oh, sweet mother, was this actually happening? Did Fender, this huge, sweet, growly and somehow gentle hellhound, truly want me? I searched his face, the look in his eyes, the way his body vibrated, no, trembled against mine. He did. He wanted me, and yes, I absolutely wanted him as well.
“Yes, please,” I mouthed, because sound didn’t seem to want to come out right then.
His arm was still around me, and he half lifted me as he turned. My feet barely brushed the floor as we moved through the clubhouse, my toes only making occasional contact as we headed for the door on the other side of the room.
Fender punched the code into the keypad by the door, pretty much carried me through, and closed it behind us, shutting out the noise and engulfing us in silence.
As soon as we were out of sight of everyone, he hauled me properly off my feet, his solid forearm under my butt, and limped down the stairs.
“I’m too heavy,” I said breathlessly.
His rough laugh followed and he kept moving.
He turned at the bottom, heading toward his quarters.
Nerves slammed into me as we drew near. I’d wanted to do this for a long time, but now that it was about to happen, I was thinking about things I’d never considered before.
Like how inexperienced I was. How I had no idea what the heck I was doing.
We reached his door, and he shoved it open and strode inside, then lowered me to my feet. He walked forward, backing me up so I bumped against his large couch.
His gaze slid over my face. “You’re so beautiful, Tempest.”
I took in the strong, rugged angles of his face. “So are you.” His hands slid over my hips, and he squeezed my ample flesh. “Um…I’m sure you haven’t missed that I’m not…I don’t look like Aradina.”
His eyes narrowed. “Good. I don’t want you to look like anyone but you.”
I nodded. “Thank you for saying that. I’m…it’s just that my body is very different to hers.”
A rough sound vibrated from his chest. “One is not better than the other. But if you want the honest truth, I like curves. I like soft. I like everything that you have going on, baby, a whole fuck of a lot.”
That was encouraging. “You do?”
He blew out a breath. “Yeah, I fucking do. You’ve been sheltered, so you might not have picked up on it, but I’ve been hard up for a taste of you since I first saw you, Temp.”
“You have?” I’d had no idea. None.
“Fuck, yes.”
I was most definitely attracted to him as well, and not for the first time, I thought about how he looked naked in the forest. I shivered again. He gave my hips another squeeze. “Before we go any further, you should know that I’m not very experienced.”
“We can take our time,” he said, running his hands up and down my waist.
“Like really not experienced.”
He cocked his head. “So what are you saying? You’ve had a couple boyfriends? A one-nighter or two?”
“Try none.”
“No one-nighters?”
“No to any of it.”
His fingers flexed against my sides. “Are you a virgin, Tempest?”
I swallowed heavily, my face heating. “Yes, that’s exactly what I am. Does that put you off?”
His nostrils flared. “No. Nothing would put me off. But it does mean that we’re gonna take this as slow as you need. We go at your pace. There’s something you don’t like or you’re not into, we stop. There’s something you really want to try, or need me to do to make you feel good, you tell me.”
“You’re saying you want us to communicate when we’re in bed together?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. That shit can be sexy as fuck. My ego isn’t so big that I think I know better than you what you like. I’m here to worship you, peaches. Making you feel good is the goal here. The only goal.”
“What about you?” I whispered.
“Making you come so hard you see stars is all I want right now.” He slid his fingers down the side of my face and tucked my hair behind my ear.
“And FYI, I’ve been around a long fucking time, Temp.
I’ve got the kind of self-control other males only dream about.
However long it takes, I’m more than happy to wait until you’re ready for more. ”
My knees were literally trembling. “You’re a good male, Fender.”
He grinned. “I try.” His smile slipped a little.
“What is it?” If he’d suddenly changed his mind, I thought I might cry.
“I gotta know. Why Roman? Why did you ask him first? Was it just the Aradina thing? You thought we were together, or was there more to it?”
I had to be honest here. Like he said, we needed to communicate, and I had to assume that meant out of bed as well. If we were going to do this, there needed to be trust. “The Aradina thing was a big part of it, I assumed you were unavailable, but also…” Why was this so hard?
“Also what?” he said, giving me another gentle squeeze, encouraging me to keep talking.
“You give me butterflies and swirly, fluttery feelings when I’m with you,” I admitted.
His nostrils flared. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“This is temporary, Fender. We both know it. I chose Roman because I wanted you too much, and I was afraid that if we started this, it’d be harder for me when it ends.”
His eyes flashed gold. “Does it have to be temporary?”
I stilled in his arms. “Yes.”
“You wanna tell me why?”
“I can’t.” I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. I pressed back into the couch. “It just has to be this way.”
He nodded and held my chin gently. “Whatever you want, baby.”
Was he just placating me? It felt as if he were placating me. “I’m serious about this, Fender. We can’t do this if you think—”
“I heard you, peaches, loud and clear.”
His voice was sincere, and relief slid through me. “Besides, one day, you’ll find your mate. However long this lasts, there will be an end, there has to be.”
He leaned in, his breath brushing my lips. “You got it. But how about we get to the beginning before we worry about the end?”
The flutters in my lower belly returned. “Where do we start?”
“With a kiss,” he said roughly. “It has to start with a kiss.”
Then his mouth covered mine.