swam into view, his hands cupping my face. “Babe, it’ll be OK. They’re coming, they’re planning, they’ll—”
“If they have the forethought to put this place together, to get the permission of the council, they’ll have plans for the pack. They know all about this valley and the shifters in it. We’ve just been fish swimming in our barrel and thinking everything’s been fine.” I pushed away from him, ignoring the pain there in his face. “We… This… We’re just playing right into his hands. We do the deed? You take me as your…”
Jai let out a low growl.
He was still my lover, I needed to remind myself of that, as his eyes hardened, the silvery night shine masking that warm gaze for a moment. He took a step towards me, then another, the slow prowl that of a predator, shoving all of my worries out of the way.
“You can’t wolf our way out of this,” I snapped, waving my hand at him.
“You’re my mate, Shannon. Nothing this fuckhead does changes that. Nothing.”
“And if we do? If you throw me down on the bed…”
They were the wrong words to use. His eyes slid to the expansive surface, then back to me.
“And then… How did you see that scenario playing out?”
“Uh…”
He was my Jai and I loved him, I knew that as sure as the heartbeat racing relentlessly in my ears, but that’s not what he looked like right now. He came to a standstill, arms crossing that bare chest, which should have been bloody illegal. How the hell was I to have cogent arguments about our current plight when there were biceps and abs popping all over the place? He seemed to sense that and smirked, his eyes trailing down my body.
“You’re wanting.”
“No,” I snapped. “Or rather yes. I want to find a way out of this fucking place. Somewhere where I don’t have to administer hand jobs on demand.”
The growl grew deeper. My skin flushed in response, a fine sheen of sweat pricking all over, despite the cool air-conditioned air.
“Don’t talk about anyone else’s cock here.”
He bit the words off, the -ck in ‘cock’ feeling like it echoed around the room. I swiped a hand across my brow, feeling the sweat beginning to drip. The feel of skin against skin, even if it was just my own, provoked a little shiver, something he caught with those alien eyes of his.
“Jai, tomorrow I’ll need—”
“I know exactly what you need.”
I remained stuck to my spot as he strolled over, his eyes burrowing into me. The silence rudely redirected my attention back to the here and now, as it no longer had an argument to distract it. Just him, looming larger and larger.
I could feel where his fingers had been. He’d left his mark on me, forcing me open, pulling one orgasm then another from me, and as soon as my focus was switched to between my thighs, my body promised a whole lot more. If I just… My eyes dropped down.
He was hard, a vaguely threatening shape in those ugly scrubs, hinting at a world of pain or pleasure, depending on how well I could adjust. But that was an intellectual reaction. My body just saw that thick girth and went damn, my cunt spasming, aching at the emptiness there, promising things would be so good if I let him scratch that itch.
“This is moving fast,” he said, the heat in his eyes dulling for a moment, a small frown forming then smoothing away. But then he took another breath in, and the fire returned.
“Jai…” I said, taking a step backwards. I didn’t want to do that at all. All of a sudden, I was keenly aware of the looseness of the gown I wore. It barely skimmed my naked flesh, and as I’d been given no underwear, I could feel the play of cool air on my overheated skin.
“Mmm…” he purred. “Keep backing up like that. You run? I’m just gonna chase you.”
“What? What the fuck is going on? Is this some kind of…” My words died away as I pulled the neck of my gown away from my skin, feeling like the cotton was starting to stick.
“Baby.”
The voice was low, rumbly, chiding, as if my questions were ridiculous. That silvery gaze softened for a moment, letting my Jai shine through.
“You’re ready.”
“What?” My eyes jerked down just in time to see his cock twitch in response to my attention. “No, no, no! Fuck, it’s hot in here. No, we talked about