Chapter 26 My Favorite Sound
My Favorite Sound
Jas
Arush of cool night air flows in through the door with Dominik. Rainwater beads slide from his hunter-green hood onto his shoulders. He shrugs out of his raincoat, locs swinging with the motion, as he hangs it up and kicks off his shoes.
“Hey there,” I say, glancing up from my book. I tuck my bookmark in and toss aside the blanket wrapped around my legs.
From her kitchen play set, Seren waves excitedly, claiming to make us dessert with her tiny copper cookware.
Mellie greets him, brushing against his legs, and he gently nudges her away with his foot. His nostrils flare slightly. His wolf clearly isn’t in the mood for play tonight.
“Perfect timing. Pizza is on its way.” He follows me to the kitchen. I open the fridge door and grab the pitcher of homemade lemonade. By the time I turn, he’s already grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.
“I ordered your favorite,” I say, giving us a generous pour.
“Oh yeah?”
“Chicken bacon ranch.”
“That’s not my favorite, it’s your favorite.” His laugh rumbles low in his chest.
“It is now. What’s mine is yours, sweetie.” I bat my eyelashes until he rolls his eyes, the corner of his mouth tilting upward. He lifts his glass and takes a drink. “Don’t worry, they’re having a special—I got your meat lovers.”
He gives me a smile, my skin prickling with electricity, begging for him to come closer. I am utterly, hopelessly doomed.
Rain hammers against the windows, making our space warm and cozy. The TV is playing a non-stop marathon of cartoons, while we eat hot, cheesy pizza, all while lining up cardboard tiles on the Scrabble Junior board.
“That’s not how you play,” Seren declares, tiny hands on her hips.
Dominik looks at her. “Are you sure? Because I feel like I’m winning.”
“You’re not!” She erupts into giggles, continuing to lay tiles down out of turn.
I press my lips together, fighting back laughter while trying not to send food spraying across the table, otherwise, I’m going to choke on this food. His eyes find mine, one shoulder lifting in playful surrender.
We’re huddled on the area rug, our knees almost touching, plates on the coffee table beside the board game. Mellie launches herself over our legs like a furry missile, clearly offended that no one is paying her enough attention.
Earlier, she knocked Dominik’s plate off the table, and luckily, he was able to grab one slice, but the other fell, which she happily dragged into a corner to eat.
He growled at her, his eyes burning a hole in her fluffy head, and she gave him a low bark before darting away to her tree. I’d say they’re getting along great.
“Can we play another game?” Seren asks, already clearing off the board before we can respond.
“Sure, what do you want to play?”
She walks over to the pile near the fireplace and pulls out Twister with a triumphant grin.
I shake my head. “Absolutely not.” My hamstrings scream at the thought. I need to stretch before I do that game. “Jenga. Let’s play Jenga.”
“Twister is funner,” she insists, eyes wide and pleading. “Please, Mom—you and Dominik.”
Dominik arches a brow. “I’ll follow your lead.”
“Okay, fine.”
Seren opens the box, and we help set up the mat. She wants to be the spinner. It allows her to channel her inner diva, barking instructions like a miniature drill sergeant.
I’m laughing as she shouts out instructions quickly. Dominik and I both scramble to find colors to land on.
“Left hand green!” she commands.
Dominik stretches toward his target, muscles tensing beneath his shirt. I should be paying attention, but I can’t when I’m playing Twister with my mate.
I tumble sideways, and his hand clamps around my waist, steadying me against him. Everything freezes. His fingers press against my ribs, thumb rubbing back and forth. The rain seems to pause with us.
“You okay?” he asks.
I lose myself in his eyes. I can’t breathe. Can’t think.
“Yeah,” I manage, my voice betraying me with a slight quiver. “I’m good. You’re quick with your hands.” Each exhale shudders from my lips.
He leans closer, his breath against my skin. “I would take my time with you.”
My breath hitches. "What if I don't want you to take your time?"
“Mom almost fell! I won!” Seren yells, interrupting the heated tension between us as she claims victory from the couch.
I laugh, finding my green circle to lay my right hand, acutely aware my ass is inches from Dominik’s face.
Seren starts hopping up and down. The game is over, and I sit down to collect myself and bury my intrusive thoughts.
“This game is rigged,” Dom says, stepping off the mat. His laughter doesn’t quite mask something deeper within his voice.
“So,” I say, folding my arms after handing him the popcorn bowl. “Elora dubbed this year’s feast, A Spring Kissed Dream. What are the flowers going to look like?”
He tosses a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth, “You’ll have to wait and see. It will be stunning. I think we did well bringing our ideas together. Elora has a great eye for detail.”
I snag a handful of buttery popcorn. She really does.
A few years back, Elora decided to host spring celebration feasts.
Last year was—A Spring Tide Feast—inspired by Oriana’s underwater vision.
With their vision and Elora’s magic, it had us all in awe.
The blooms were decorated to appear like living coral.
I love this for Elora. Watching her emerge from her shy shell, learning to shine. Her parents are very loving, but her father, the mayor, is protective of her. She’s a very sweet soul, the sister I never had, and we all adore her with every fiber of our hearts.
He winks. “You’ll all love it, I promise.”
“I believe in you, but I have no patience. I can’t wait to see what you two came up with.”
We slip into the living room, stepping over a few board games, and settle onto the couch while Seren vaults between us. She snuggles into our sides, excited for the movie, buttery popcorn, and cold, fizzy pop.
Dominik’s head tilts back in laughter, shaking kernels from the bowl.
He and Seren fling popcorn in the air, catching them in their mouths.
I know in about ten minutes I’m going to have to pause the movie and make another bag of popcorn.
I’d make a hundred batches to preserve perfect moments like this.
His gaze flicks to me over Seren’s head, and the world narrows to the sweep of his full lashes. Why do men have such beautiful eyes and eyelashes? How is that fair?
He reaches out, fingertips brushing my cheek. My eyelids grow heavy as the bond stirs inside me. His wolf is purring—demanding my closeness, and it sets my heart ablaze.
“You know you could have left early. You didn’t have to help me tidy up, but I do appreciate it.” I stand on the stool, taking the games Dominik hands over to me, stacking them back on their shelf in the laundry room.
Now that Seren is sound asleep and with Dom’s help, the house is tidy, and everything is back in order. I begin to relax. I want a smooth day tomorrow. Seren will be at her grandparents' while I work, and after that we will go to the feast. I don’t want to come home late to a mess.
“Anytime.” He reaches for the back of his neck, soothing an invisible ache.
I climb down the step stool and fold it, tucking it in the corner. I should say something. I should tell a joke. I should remember to keep breathing.
Steady breaths. Don’t lose consciousness because of the look he’s giving you. The look has bespelled me. It makes me burn for him, hotter than all the hells combined.
“Jasmira,” he whispers, stepping closer. My name sounds different in his mouth. He’s savoring it, rolling it around his tongue to taste the different notes.
The dryer hums around us, and the room smells like warm cotton and gardenia soap, but his scent still overpowers it all.
It’s dangerously intoxicating. It’s a drug that has my nipples hard and my core throbbing and weeping in a way that makes me crazy for him.
He’s the only thing that can soothe the ache.
My breath hitches. Our aromas—the essence of what our bodies want. The urge to rip each other’s clothes off and fuck has his nostrils flaring at the arousal pooling between my legs.
He cups my chin, and I lick my lips. It’s all the invitation he needs.
His mouth finds mine like he’s been aching for it, and he swallows the moan I release. His lips are warm, soft, and when I melt into him, allowing him to deepen the kiss with his tongue, the groan he releases unravels me.
He grips my ass, lifting me onto the dryer while the fingers of his other hand are laced in my curls.
The vibrations from the machine under my ass make my heart race faster.
His hot breath is on my skin, mouth trailing kisses down my jaw line, to the erratic pulse in my throat.
And when he kisses me there, he lingers—licking, sucking, and tasting.
One of the thin straps of my tank top gently falls down my shoulders, and he never breaks eye contact as his fingers lightly graze the skin down my shoulders.
The desire in me builds, heat flooding to my core. I’m so fucking wet. Every sensation he makes me feel, I know he can feel it.
It’s an intense pleasure all at once, and he hasn’t touched me where I want him most. Don’t mates get disgustingly obsessed with each other? I’m thinking too much. His brow lifts, a smirk tugging at his lips, as he lets out a feral growl.
I shrug off the other side of the cardigan, inviting him to pull both straps down. He’s making my body shiver worse than the vibrations underneath me, and my skin is sensitive as hell.
“Jasmira…”
My brain freezes and replays my name, but in that voice. It mutes all sound. It’s covered in moonlight and smothered with darkness. It’s half-beast and half-man wrapped in beauty, strength, and weakness.
He sucks in a breath. “You’re incredible.”