Chapter 5 #2
Her mouth worked, but nothing came out. “Felix,” she finally managed to squeak.
“Felix…” A slow smile spread over Chase’s face as he glanced back at the falls, his messy caramel waves hiding his eyes.
Goddamn him, but he was beautiful. Why was it the jerks always were?
Water glistened across his broad shoulders and a smattering of hair covered toned pecs he had no business having.
Ugh. Why couldn’t he be scraggly? She wrenched her gaze from the trail of tawny fuzz bisecting his lower abs and frowned. It was all disgustingly appealing.
So was what was under that hat.
Ugh! No, bad Jena…but maybe…ugh, no!
“I, uh…I should take you back…” He wet his lips. “Unless you wanted to…”
The suggestion snapped her out of her daze. “What? No. No. I’m good. And I can find my own way to the main road.” She cinched her backpack and winced as she put weight on her—
Chase’s arms were around her, and she was abruptly airborne, being carried like a baby.
“Put me down, you asshole!” Jena squealed. The frickin’ nerve of him!
“You’re hurt,” he said, his stupid hat back on his head and his hands all over her. “And it’s shorter if you cut through the compound.”
“But you’re naked!”
“Yeah.” He grinned, starting down the path. “Guess you’ll get a front row seat to my pencil dick shriveling up and falling off.”
Jena slapped him, and she was abruptly pinned against a tree.
“Don’t. Do that,” he said with a low growl.
Her mouth went dry, a wave of his musk washing over her. She made herself stare into the shadows beneath the brim of his hat. “Or what? You’ll leave me here? Boo-fricking-hoo.”
He grinned, his canines a titch too long. “I won’t leave you, but I will slap you back.” His hand cracked down on her ass, and she yelped, springing forward and pressing against him.
Something definitely pressed back. She froze, staring up at him. “Y-you spanked me!”
“I did.” His grin broadened as he ran his palm over the sting and squeezed her cheek.
The sensation was doing things to her nether regions it really shouldn’t be doing. Her chest heaved as she glared at him. Because she was mad, not because she was turned on.
Shit. Keep telling yourself that, Jena.
“I hate you.”
“I know. What do I need to do to change that?” he murmured, his lips too close to hers.
Her gaze flicked to them, her stupid breath catching.
“I—What?” She slid her hands up his chest—trying to put distance between them, not to cop a feel—and it rumbled, his hand tightening on her stinging ass cheek and pulling her closer.
Jena gave a little gasp as his head tilted like he was going to kiss her—Oh God, was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?
Ugh, she so wanted him to.
No! Bad Jena!
“Lemme take you back before I forget that’s what I said I was gonna do,” he rumbled, his breath coming as fast as hers.
Jena just nodded and let him pick her up, threading her arms around his neck. She rested her head against his broad shoulder like it was where she was supposed to be, breathing him in as he strode through the bracken… Jesus. What the hell had just happened?
And a better question, why did she want more of it?
Chase couldn’t stop smiling. Jena was in his arms letting him take care of her. His wolf was doing backflips, and he wasn’t far behind. She, on the other hand, was suspiciously silent; but considering his dick was still attached, he didn’t think she was hexing him. Not yet anyway.
“You groped me,” she said abruptly, pulling her head from his shoulder to glare at him as he slipped through the forest.
His smile widened. “You groped me back.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Jena glowered. “I don’t even like you. You spanked me!”
Hell yeah, he did, and he couldn’t wait to do it again when he had a better view. “You slapped me.”
“You have a girlfriend.”
“No, I don’t. I have a delusional stalker and a mandate,” he muttered, scowling.
She opened her mouth like she was gonna ask him what he meant and then closed it again, huffing. Chase grinned. Damn, she was stubborn. They came out from the trees at the edge of the pack’s compound, and he headed toward one of the cabins.
“I thought you said we were cutting through.”
“We are, but I thought it might be a good idea to put on some clothes before I drive you back into town,” he said, shouldering through the door of his cabin and into the neat little room.
“I don’t need you to drive me anywhere.”
“You’re not walking.”
She screwed up her face, her frustration obvious as she huffed. God, she was adorable. “You live here?”
More like it was where he slept. He spent most of his time at work. Since his breakdown, he wasn’t good at being idle. He grunted and set her on the table. “Don’t move, or this time you’re going over my knee.”
Jena’s eyes narrowed. “You wish.”
“I do.” So, so fucking bad. He turned his back to her before she could see his cock at half-mast just thinking about it. The way her ass had jiggled beneath his palm—
And now he had a full-blown erection.
Pants. He needed to put on pants. Christ, it didn’t help that he swore he could feel her eyes on him for the half-dozen steps it took to get to his dresser. His wolf whined, and Chase took a deep breath—
The scent of her arousal tinged the air.
Fucking kill me.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pulled out a pair of jeans and stepped into them, his cock straining high above the waistband. He grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on. Nope, that bulge wasn’t suspicious at all. Damn it.
“Felix said you moved the pack house,” she squeaked.
“My parents did. I stayed here.” Chase kept his back to her as he went to grab the first aid kit.
Most weres healed pretty quickly, but with all the parties the guys had been throwing with other supes, it didn’t hurt to have supplies on hand.
He turned around with it strategically placed in front of his bulge.
A smile teased his lips to see her still on the table, her thighs squeezed together and a pained expression on her face. “Good girl.”
Her eyes snapped to his. “What did you just say to me?”
He stepped in front of her and set the kit down, raising a hand to trace her jawline. “I called you a good girl for listening.”
Her lips parted with breath and then she wet them. The pulse at her throat quickened. Christ, look at her, just waiting for him to tell her what to do…to submit…
His chest rumbled, leaning closer to her. “You like that? Being my good girl?”
She shook herself, backing away. “I—No. I’m not your anything.”
Not yet, but she would be. Baby steps. Chase bit back a smile as he pulled over a chair. He sat in front of her and raised her foot into his lap. His wolf keened, desperate to bury his nose between her thick thighs.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Taking off your boot so I can wrap your ankle.”
“Ew! No, I’m all sweaty—”
He raised an eyebrow, already setting her boot aside to peel off her sock. “I don’t care.”
Her toes were tiny with chipped, sparkly blue polish. She curled them like she didn’t want him to see. “You don’t need to do that.”
Chase shrugged, pushing up her pant leg so he could get to her ankle. “I want to.”
“No, don’t.” Jena ripped it back down, a blush staining her cheeks. “I-I haven’t shaved.”
He laughed, catching it and pulling it back into his lap. “I turn into a wolf. Body hair isn’t an issue.” Damn, her ankle was red and swollen. She’d really done a number on it. He flipped open the kit and took out a tube of muscle cream.
“You know, you’re awfully bossy.” She glowered.
He didn’t bother to hide his smile. Woman had no idea, and he couldn’t wait for her to find out. She huffed again, and his grin grew. He moved his thumbs along her instep and gingerly up her ankle. Damn, he loved touching her. “Where does it hurt?”
Jena bit her lip like she wasn’t going to answer, then flinched. “There…but that—that feels good,” she begrudgingly admitted as he rubbed around the spot. His tongue grazed over his bottom lip—
“Don’t you dare lick me, Chase Montgomery.”
He frowned. The compounds in his saliva would take care of that sprain in two seconds. “It’ll heal faster.”
“I don’t care.”
Chase popped his thumb in his mouth and wet it. “Then we’ll do it this way,” he said, smearing a gob of spit over the swelling. His smile turned to a full-blown grin at her little gasp of outrage. “What? I didn’t lick you.” He sure as hell wanted to, though.
“Why are you being so nice to me? Someone dare you to do it?”
Chase winced and gooped some muscle cream onto his fingers.
“No. I’m doing this because I like you. I’ve always liked you, Jena.
That party—I owe you a huge apology. I-I lied about it being a dare.
I wanted to kiss you, to—I thought if I admitted how I felt then, it would make things worse for you. ”
She snorted, her other leg swinging like she was agitated. “Gee thanks, being the laughing stock of the entire town was much better than just being a complete outcast.”
“I know, I fucked up.” He frowned, his hands massaging up her calf and then back down.
“But it’s different now. That’s why I called Crystal out at Snaps.
I’m not going to let that shit slide anymore.
” You’re mine. The words caught on his tongue, she wasn’t ready for them.
Christ, he was shocked she was letting him touch her at all.
Maybe it was his mating pheromones. The room was dense with them.
His fingers slipped, and he hit the sore spot on her ankle. Her other leg jerked forward and her toes brushed his semi. She gasped, pulling her foot back like she’d been burned.
Chase ducked his head, fighting not to moan and to rein in his wolf. “Sorry.” Goddamn, her touching him—he’d bitten his cheek so hard he tasted blood.
“No. I am. I-I didn’t mean to—” She’d gone beet red.