Chapter 5 — Do You Remember?

~ RONAN ~

There’s a reason I trust Killan. Despite his tendency to sometimes run off at the mouth, my Beta is always reliable.

"I'm taking the car," I grunt. "Put my bike in the garage and cancel my appointments. If there's an emergency, call my cell. I'll be in touch."

Bending at the waist, I slide my arms beneath Lyra’s legs and back and lift her into my chest. "Come on, honey."

"Whoa, wait." Lyra squirms against me, slapping at my chest. "I can't leave with you!" When I tighten my grip, she screams, "What do you think you're doing? Put me down! Right now!"

"Oh, man." Killan laughs and moves to the side, giving me room to pass. "You're going to have your hands full with that one."

"Laugh it up," I grumble, wrestling with the female in my arms who’s doing her damnedest to break free. If I had more time, I’d be patient. But I don’t. More importantly—she doesn’t either. "One day that'll be you."

"Let go!" Lyra shrieks. "Get your hands off me!"

She lands an elbow to my gut, but I don’t stop. I stride for the door. I have to get her out of here while I still can. If word gets out that I’ve found my mate—and she’s half-human, no less—I’ll be dealing with the pack, the vampire issue, Magnus Dusk’s interference, and my mate’s impending moon heat.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. One thing at a time, I tell myself.

We make it to the car without incident. But the instant her feet hit the ground, she tries to run. I catch her with ease and press her against the side of the vehicle. Then I wedge my thigh between hers so she can feel the hard ridge of my cock, and her eyes go wide, lips parting in surprise and awareness.

"I understand this is confusing, but what you’re feeling isn’t going away. You need this," I growl, shoving my hips forward and up so she feels the pulse of my length against her belly. I grit my teeth. "Over and over again. And you need it from me."

"This is crazy," she whispers, her fingers trembling as they land on my chest. The sweet scent of her arousal wafts up to my nose. Shaken or not, she’s hotter than asphalt in summer. "We don’t even know each other."

"Yes, we do." I lower my head and nuzzle her nose. "You and I have spent a lot of time together. I distinctly remember you sucking my cock a couple of nights ago."

She gasps, and I whisper seductively, "Do you remember what I told you? What I promised?"

Her cheeks turn an attractive shade of pink. "It was a dream," she murmurs, breath hitching. "It was only a dream."

"Not a dream," I correct and brush my lips against hers. "It’s called dream-pairing. There’s a difference."

Headlights appear down the road, and I pull away. In seconds, I have the passenger door open and her seated inside. She gathers her trembling hands in her lap, shifting nervously.

"Dream-pairing?"

"I’ll explain everything. You have my word. I just need you to trust me, Lyra. Give me a chance to explain why you feel the way you do. There’s a reason you found me."

"I came here for a tattoo. I need to call a cab and go home."

"If you want a tattoo, I’ll give you one. And if you still want to go home after we talk, I’ll take you. Right now, we have to go. Do you understand? We can’t stay here."

I close the door and rush around the car. Panic has me thinking she’ll bolt. Thankfully, she stays put as I climb in. The headlights down the road aren’t far. Killan’s client is probably about to pull into the lot.

"You promise to take me home? You’re not going to do anything I don’t want?"

"Baby, if that’s what it takes to get you to listen, I give you my fucking word." I shove the keys into the ignition. Time is ticking. Every second adds risk that we both can’t afford. "Now buckle up. We’re getting out of here."

To my relief, she does as I ask. I slam the car into reverse, pull onto the road, and take off just as another vehicle slows and stops in front of Moonmark Ink. Even with enhanced vision, I can’t see through the tinted windows to tell who it is.

I’ll worry about that later.

I hit the gas, shifting in my seat in an attempt to make room for my board-stiff cock and racing heart. If we’d been fifteen seconds later, I’d have had to explain everything to Lyra with witnesses.

Not ideal.

Talk about cutting it close.

---

~ LYRA ~

I’ve officially lost my mind.

What in the world possessed me to get into the car and let Ronan take me to his home? Why didn’t I fight harder? Why am I sitting quietly, not questioning his motives?

It didn’t take long—no more than ten minutes—to get here. But in that time, my thoughts have been hazy. His cologne has wrapped itself around me like a warm cloud, clouding my brain.

It's definitely one of the reasons I feel so out of place. So hazy. That’s the word. Hazy is exactly how I feel.

The moment he touched me in the shop, nothing made sense. Something inside me sparked to life, overriding reason. I wanted to argue, to deny what I felt, but I couldn’t form the words. All I could think about was how good he smelled, how amazing his fingers felt on my skin.

How delicious he would taste.

My panties are soaked as I step into his house. I can’t stop replaying that dream—the one he insists wasn’t just a dream. We'd touched each other with hands, not mouths. At least until he dared me to get on my knees and take him in my mouth. I’d hesitated, embarrassed.

Then I remembered that it was just a dream, and I could let go of my inhibitions and take what I truly wanted. What I craved.

Lust had taken over, and I’d done exactly what he asked.

Heat surges through me at the memory. Shit. I need to get out of here. I need to call a cab. I need to breathe and forget these dreams before I do something stupid. But I’m not moving. I’m frozen.

Gosh! I’m in so much trouble.