Chapter 54

Andrew

Why she came in and broke my peaceful day is beyond me. But here she is. I couldn't get rid of her even if I wanted to. That's how stubborn this wolf is.

She stares at me with that unreadable look again – the kind that’s half mockery, half curiosity – and I know she’s trying to figure me out. Good luck with that. Hell, I can barely figure myself out when it comes to her.

Then, she tilts her head. Looks at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.

I hate that look. Like I’ve suddenly changed in her eyes – just because I said I’ve waited for my mate. Why I was so honest with her in the first place is beyond me too. I'm annoyed with myself because together with her I'm unpredictable. For myself.

I catch the surprise in her expression. I know what she’s thinking. She’d written me off as some typical player – an arrogant, entitled manwho.re. Probably the kind she’s learned to kick before he gets too close. Literally. She’s already planted one foot in my balls over it.

But now the truth is out. And she doesn’t know what to do with it. My mate is a virgin – I can see it written all over her flushed face.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"For what?" I ask, already knowing. The guilt is obvious in her voice.

"For misjudging you." I just grunt. What am I supposed to say? Thanks for realizing I’m not a total piece of shi.t? Nah. I see her glance at my lips. Shit, I shouldn’t notice, but I do.

“How many gave you head?” What? My eyes snap to hers. I look at her like she’s lost her damn mind.

“I didn’t count.” I don’t owe her that information – but something in her tone... something possessive and raw... makes me want to answer anyway. Maybe because she’s my mate, and somewhere deep down I want her to know.

“How many did you kiss?” Persistent little thing, isn’t she?

“A few,” I say shortly, but this one I answer honestly. And judging by the way her gaze lingers on my mouth, I can tell she likes being part of that short list.

“Why only a few?” she presses. I sigh.

“Because kissing leads to more. It sparks lust, desire, makes it harder to stay in control. So I figured, the less I kiss, the less chance I’ll do something stupid and break my promise to myself about waiting for my mate.” I pause, voice dipping bitter. “Though now, it just feels like a dumb idea.” I don’t know why I’m opening up to her. Maybe because she finally stopped looking at me like I was a walking red flag. Or maybe because my control is slipping, and I want her to understand what she does to me.

Suddenly – she moves. Crawls right onto the damn desk like she owns the space, like she owns me.

“What are you doing?” I ask, frowning, but with her close proximity as her smell washes over me, my eyes zone in on her lips as if that was my new North Pole. Too late. She kisses me. And everything – the air, the room, the ache in my chest – erupts.

Her mouth is fire: soft and hot and urgent. And the sparks – fu.ck – the sparks are too much. They rush through my skin like a tidal wave.

I kiss her back because I can not. Our mouths part, our tongues tangle, and I taste her – sweet and dangerous and something I never knew I needed. I grip her head like a man lost at sea clinging to his only lifeline.

Then she’s in my lap, straddling me. The chair tips back, and we nearly fall, but she catches the table and drags us upright again, and suddenly I’m caging her in with my arms, my body burning beneath her.

My hands are on her back, her ass, her thighs. Her heat seeps through my clothes and into my skin, and I feel her grinding on me –fu.ck, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

She moans into the kiss, and I growl, deep and primal, completely undone by her. My co.ck is hard, throbbing against my zipper, and every time she rocks against me, I feel like I might lose it.

She bites my lip – hard – and it only turns me on more. I grab her tighter, grinding her harder against me, and she moans again. I know she’s turned on – I can smell it, feel it. And I’m one second away from giving her everything.

Then she jumps off. Just like that. And all the warmth, the pressure, the connection – gone.

“I wanted to take a walk before I came here,” she mutters. Her voice sounds weak and embarrassed. Like she’s not sure why she’s running, but she has to. She doesn’t even look at me. And before I can say anything, she’s out the door and gone.

I sit there, fists clenched, breathing hard, heart pounding like I’ve just been in a goddamn war. I stare at the space where she just was, her heat still lingering in my lap, on my mouth, on my hands.

She kissed me – for real. Because she wanted to. She started it. And then she ran. How typical of her. But what’s worse? I let her go. Because if she’d stayed few minutes longer – I would’ve fu.cked her right on this damn desk. And I’m still not sure if that would’ve been a mistake… or the best decision of my life.

I stare at the empty space where she’d been, dazed and lost in thought for a solid ten minutes. The kiss loops in my head like a song I can't stop playing – every soft breath, every spark, every graze of her fingers tangled in my hair.

It was unexpected, but not like my traitorous mind hadn’t repeated the previous one a dozen times or more. And somehow… this one was even better than the first. My body was buzzing from the feel of her, craving more, every nerve screaming for it. Oh, I could feel it in every cell – I wanted her way more, and yes, in different positions.

Suddenly, the door swings open.

Jake steps in and freezes mid-stride. One sniff, and his eyes widen. Sh.it.

“Whohohoho!” he laughs, way too loud for this moment, grinning like a da.mn idiot. “Finally got a taste, huh?”

He doesn’t need her to be here to know what happened. Her scent is still laced through the air like a storm that just passed through –electric, wild, unforgettable.

“At last you’re having some fun with your mate,” he adds, smug as hell. You’d think he was the one who got kissed.

“Good for you! You both need some action. The pack will benefit from that.”

He says it with the serene confidence of a Jedi Master, like he’s some spiritual guide to all things mating. I want to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. And for what? Jake’s always had my back. We've been tight since we were pups. But right now, everything grates on my nerves. Maybe because she just left me here hanging – with a kiss that short-circuited my whole brain.

But she left before something more could happen.

It was for my good. I try to convince myself of that as I sink deeper into my chair, my jeans tighter than they should be.

“She’s a wild lone wolf who doesn’t even know proper pack etiquette. I doubt the pack’s going to benefit from that,” I mutter, bitterness creeping into my voice before I can stop it.

Jake tsks like an old grandmother.

“Wrong attitude, man. The True Mate Bond always benefits the pack. Always. And you know what my Nana used to say: a mate is the Goddess’s way of teaching the other half a valuable lesson.” I clench my jaw. That line again.

I’ve heard it more times than I care to count. Maybe it’s true for others. But me? I’m not here for some cosmic life lesson. Call me stubborn, but I refuse to believe I need to be taught anything. Especially not by her.