Chapter 4: Face-planted

“What are you doing here?”

Reynolds’s voice was low, calm, and far too calm for a man standing completely naked and still dripping wet three feet away from me.

Water dripped along his collarbones and ran down the hard planes of his chest. I kept my eyes locked on his face like my life depended on it.

“I—I just came to tell you thank you,” I managed, the words tumbling out too fast. “For letting me stay here for summer break. That’s all.”

He studied me for a long second. Then he simply reached for the dark towel hanging on the rack and nodded once.

“Okay.” he said, not pressing any further.

And that was my cue to leave. I turned, my cheeks burning, and took two quick steps toward the door.

My foot caught on the edge of the bath mat.

I fell forward, my arms struggling for balance that never came.

Then I hit him solidly.

The towel he’d just grabbed slipped from his fingers and dropped to the floor. My face landed against the heavy, warm length of his cock.

For one frozen, impossible second I stayed there, my cheek pressed to the thick shaft, the heat of him seeping through my skin.

Damn.

He was huge. Even when soft, he was thick and long enough that the head nudged the side of my jaw.

My mouth went completely dry. A shiver raced down my spine as my brain registered the reality of what I was currently face-to-face with.

Reynolds went rigid.

I scrambled backward so fast I nearly fell again, my hands pushing off his thighs, my eyes wide with pure horror. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t—oh my god—”

I didn’t wait for an answer.

I spun on my heel and ran out of the bathroom, down the hall, past the living room, and straight into the guest room that was supposed to be mine for the next two months.

The door slammed shut behind me. I pressed my back against it, my chest heaving, and heart slamming so hard I could feel it in my throat.

Holy shit.

Holy fucking shit.

I had just face-planted onto Reynolds Ashworth’s dick. Mira’s father. The Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. The man I’d been secretly fantasizing about for years. The same man whose fingers I’d imagined inside me less than an hour ago in that filthy car dream.

My cheeks burned. My entire body felt too hot.

I could still feel the exact weight and heat of him against my face, the way the skin had been soft and smooth and so warm.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force the memory away, but it didn't help, if anything it did it made it more vivid.

“Stop it,” I whispered to the empty room. “Just stop.”

I pushed myself off the door and forced myself to finish unpacking. I put my socks into the top drawer and my shirts onto hanger.

My mind kept drifting back to the bathroom, to the water running down his chest, to the heavy weight of him between his legs, to the way he’d looked at me when he asked what I was doing there.

By the time the suitcase was empty and zipped, my hands were shaking.

I dropped face-down onto the wide bed, burying my burning face in the cool white pillows.

The mattress was soft enough to swallow me. I lay there breathing in the clean scent of the pillow and trying very hard not to think about how close I’d just been to the one man I was never supposed to touch.

A knock sounded against the door a few minutes later.

Before I could answer, it opened.

Mira walked in like she owned the place, which technically she did. She was carrying a sleek black box under one arm.

She kicked the door shut with her heel and dropped the box onto the foot of the bed.

“Okay, first of all,” she said, hands on her hips, “why do you look like you just saw a ghost? And second, sit up. I brought you something.”

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, still feeling dazed. “I’m fine. Just tired from the drive.”

Mira rolled her eyes and flopped down beside me, bouncing the mattress. “You’re always tired. Anyway, listen. Remember the party I mentioned earlier. It's happening tomorrow in the afternoon it's is a pool party. Half the pack under twenty-five is coming, plus some of Liam’s friends from the city. It’s going to be perfect.”

I sat up fully, pulling my knees to my chest. “Mira, I’m not really—”

“Nope.” She held up a finger. “You’re not backing out. I already told everyone you’re coming. And before you start overthinking it, I got us matching sets.”

She shoved the black box toward me. I hesitated, then lifted the lid.

Inside, was a two-piece swimsuit in deep emerald green, it was the exact shade of my eyes.

The top was a structured bikini with thin straps and a deep neckline. The bottoms were high-waisted but cut high on the hips, leaving very little to the imagination. A sheer white cover-up was folded underneath, but it was basically see-through.

I stared at it. “Seriously? You expect me to wear this?”

Mira grinned, clearly pleased with herself. “Yeah. It’s perfect. The color is gorgeous on you, and it’s not even that revealing. Half the girls are going to be wearing less clothing.”

“But—”

“No buts.” She poked my knee. “You’re wearing this, girl. End of discussion. I already picked it out and everything. If you show up in one of those sad one-pieces you usually hide in, I’m going to personally drag you back upstairs and change you myself.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, then finally nodded.

Mira beamed and hopped off the bed. “Good. You'll try it on later so I can see. I’m going to go text Liam and make sure he’s bringing the good speakers.”

She was gone as quickly, leaving the door cracked open and the black box placed at the foot of the bed.

I looked down at the emerald green fabric again.

Oh no.