Chapter 15
Fifteen
Knox
I see her, and my heart jumps.
She lights up the room in that blush-colored gown, her full figure hugged in all the right places. She looked magnificent when she was spinning for me on the deck in wolf form, but somehow, she seems all the more divine now that I’m a man.
I make my way across the room. A woman and a man stand around her. I gather the woman must be Cassie, the bride. She’s in a feathered wedding gown that would make any man proud to have her hanging off their arm, yet she still pales compared to Bailey.
A closer look reveals Bailey’s frustrated expression. Her mouth sits in a hard line, arms folded across her chest as the man next to her patters on. He tries to pull her arms away, but she snatches them back, my blood boiling at his audacity.
How dare he touch my mate, especially when the touch is so unwelcome.
Thoughts of physically dragging the man out and beating the shit out of him in the parking lot flash through my mind. But Bailey is here to celebrate and support her friend Cassie, and the last thing that’ll strengthen the bond between us is me making a scene. I take a few deep, calming breaths before forcing a broad smile and approaching them.
“Hi,” I say, ignoring Cassie and the man. I can’t help but give her a hundred percent of my attention, and she seems to return the favor when eager eyes meet mine and she smiles.
“Hi,” she says back, clearing her throat. “Do I know you?”
It shouldn’t, but it tickles me that her brain must be scrambling to figure out who I am and how she recognizes me. I want to tell her everything but now isn’t the time or place. Jogging her memory back to the times we’ve shared through the dreamscape will have to happen organically over time. I don’t want to overwhelm or scare her away. After all, she’s human and likely has no idea that shifters exist.
“Would you like to dance?” I ask, opting to change the subject. I need to get her away from this dickhead who keeps glaring at me. And I really, really need to get her pressed up against me in that dress.
“Just who the heck are you?” the man asks snarkily. He tries to wedge himself between Bailey and me, but there’s no chance he’d overpower me in a physical altercation. Not even if I was also human. “She’s already planning to dance with?—”
“Can you hold my drink?” Bailey asks Cassie, and I can’t help but grin at how she blatantly ignores his intervention.
“Yeah! Of course. Sure. Yeah. Go! Have fun. I’ll be at the bar,” Cassie replies, taking Bailey’s drink and hurrying off, leaving the three of us in an awkward triangle.
“I said she’s not interested,” he pipes up. He folds his arms over his chest, but it’s more pathetic than intimidating. He’s several inches shorter than I am and not nearly as wide. “Right, Bee?” he asks, eyes fixed on me. I don’t even bother looking at him.
The only thing in this room worth looking at is her; I want to ensure she knows it.
“Come on,” I say, sidestepping the shrimp of a human and holding my hand out. I feel my heart thump in my chest as she places her delicate hand in mine, hands I’ve felt scratch behind my ears and run along my fur.
Hands I’ve felt before, but never skin-to-skin.
Her fingertips feel electric against my own, her cool skin melting against my own heat. I wrap my hand around hers protectively and whisk her off to the dance floor, eager to get away from everyone else. I’m keen to know what it feels like to have her close, to dance with her now that I’m back on human legs.
I grab the small of her back and hold her other hand. She puts her free hand on my shoulder, the two of us naturally falling into place together as I move my feet and lead her around the floor. A few other couples are dancing, but the floor is spacious, and I’m happy to utilize it to take broad steps as the two of us become passionate storms flurrying around the room.
“Who are you?” she asks. Her smile is brilliant, and her eyes are aglow with curiosity as they trace the various features of my face.
I can’t lie to her nor resist the truth any longer.
“Knox. Knox Roffe.”
Her brows pinch together slightly, pouty lips puckering in thought. “Wait … Why does that sound so familiar? Have we met before? Have I helped you at the grocery store downtown?”
I can’t help but laugh. “No, I’m not a patron of the grocery store.”
“Then how … how do I know you?”
I can’t lie, but I’m not ready to answer all her questions either. Instead, I opt to plant the softest kiss on her lips, pulling away to gauge her reaction.
Her cheeks are rosy, but an undeniable hunger in her eyes makes my body stiffen.
I kiss her again, and she kisses me back, her mouth eagerly taking in my bottom lip and sucking on it gently. Soon, the only bits of us dancing are our tongues, our mouths hungrily exploring the other’s in ways we’ve only dreamed about. Literally .
But the way she tastes puts every encounter in the dreamscape to shame. Her sweetness fills my mouth and brings with it subtle hints of tequila. Of all the humans I could have been fated to, I can’t imagine one half as perfect as her.
And now, with the debt to the tarot paid and my shifting ability reinstated, I can finally have her.