Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 48567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
I nuzzle her neck then hold her in place, her back arches, her head lolls to the side just begging me to kiss that exact spot she’s giving me access to.
I grip her neck, my fingers digging into her skin.
“I need you to run.” I barely get out the sentence.
“Run the hell out of here and never come back.”
My body strains to finish with her, then start over, again and again.
Her own body goes rigid against me, finding release—however primal it was between us, however short because of me.
Good, at least one of us finishes without regret—but I need to get away before I’m tempted to take the pulse and join her blood with mine, before I’m tempted to never let her go, before I trap her in my house for the next two evenings over the next two full moons.
The pain will be excruciating now—after having her, after losing my virginity, the moon will remind me every time of the pain of not having her by my side until it will be unbearable.
I try to pull away from her, but my brain and body can’t physically connect on that level of insanity.
It’s all up to her.
Or maybe it’s up to me. So I do the shittiest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. To protect her. To keep her safe.
“It was just fucking,” I grate out.
“And it wasn’t even that great… but I appreciate the effort, now leave!”
I yell the last part.
She stumbles out of her stupor and looks around the room in a daze, tears in her eyes, they finally land on mine. They’re shining a weird purple and blue. Something I’ve never seen before.
God, they shimmer, and as soon as I see it.
The shimmer leaves nothing but darkness and pain, embarrassment I put there because I had no self-control.
I open my mouth to say something, but what can I actually say? You’re lucky this werewolf bastard didn’t bite you? You’re lucky that you won’t be tied to me forever when I know I’ll look back on this moment and regret everything, selfishly, I’ll regret it all.
I’ve been tempted my whole life to want more.
I’ve never been tempted, however, to want more for another person other than Gabe, but I want that for Ava.
I don’t deserve whatever kindness she has in her soul, and I sure as hell don’t deserve to claim her as mine when I know how badly that can end for people who aren’t willing.
I lift my chin.
“Get dressed. Leave.”
I’m still hopelessly naked.
She takes one look at me.
“Am I fired?”
“No.” I snap.
“I just didn’t realize your duties would take you this far.”
Tears stream down her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean…” She squeezes her eyes shut.
“I swear, I didn’t know. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, I’ve never had this happen with a boss before. I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”
“You can’t help it,” I whisper.
“Even if you wanted to. It’s in your blood.”
And it truly feels like it is.
She swallows and awkwardly grabs her clothing, pulling them on, her shirt backward, her shorts barely covering her ass before she points to the bar top.
“Left the portfolio. I’ll just be getting back.”
The door slams hard behind her.
And the first of the pain, within minutes, as if breaking my bones, crunching my body, begging my soul to live it—appears.
All because I kissed her and couldn’t stop.
Chapter 16
Accidentally Fucks You
AVA
I slam the door to my apartment and stumble to the bathroom and turn on the shower. What the hell just happened? One minute he was normal, the next minute I was tasting him again.
And I swear I felt fangs.
Which means I’ve officially lost my mind because that roar that came out of him was so loud I still have ringing in my ears. I cover my mouth with my hands. What the hell am I thinking?
For a minute there, I didn’t think I’d snap out of it. But it felt so good. I try to put it out of my mind as I strip and step into the shower, but it’s impossible not to relive those moments.
Some fierce, some tender, all irresponsible…all horrible choices.
He’s my boss. And again, what was I thinking?
It was like a fever dream took over. Not just temptation, but obsession with a man who clearly hates me.
Who shamed me to my face seconds after sex.
I hang my head in my hands and slide to the floor, but not before hearing a wolf howling at the moon.
· · ·
When I get to work, everything seems normal. My desk isn’t hanging out the window, Eli isn’t growling at me from it, and I have a few sticky notes with tasks stuck to my laptop.
Frowning, I grab them, all from Gabe, and lucky me, the first one is to bring in a proposal for Eli’s meetings today.