My wiggling seems to change the atmosphere a little, and the way he frowns at me as he sits up and glances down at my weird moving in his lap says it all.
I react by looking much like a rabbit caught in the headlights, widening my eyes in embarrassment.
I try to smile, albeit weirdly, at him to distract him from the fact Iâm trying to dislodge my butt from his manhood.
I feel like an idiot and slide straight back into his groin with a minor bump that extracts a twinge of movement that makes me gasp lightly.
I ignite a semi now that heâs aware of where my thoughts are and my grinding on it unintentionally.
Oh, my god. I didnât mean to, and now itâs like the elephant in the room, and I spaz out mentally. Freak out fully.
Iâm completely flustered, flushed face, I know Iâm probably crimson from chin to roots, and my movements are clumsy.
It feels bigger like this, and it intimidates me a lot more now that I can feel it getting hard and probing my ass way more.
I get a hint of dimple as a slight knowing smile moves in, a raised brow, and his whole aura changes from down and depressed to âWell, hello. Are you doing what I think youâre doing?â
That cheeky twinkle in his eye is unmistakable; my hormones give his hormones the come-on. I see the slide of Latino Lothario as Coltonâs whole aura changes to wolf mode, and his eyes begin to glow.
His prey is caught in his sights, and I become hyper-aware that every cell in my body heightens to crazy levels.
His wolf rattles mine, and I canât stop how she peeks out, knowing my eyes glow in response to his primal signals as she delicately uncurls.
Iâm suddenly super aware of every part of his anatomy, and Iâm tingling with apprehension as our bodies tune into each other in the first stages of going into heat.
This is new for me, and the timing couldnât be any worse.
He slides his hand under my hair to catch me in his hold, locking his eyes on mine as his pupils dilate, and things get real heavy, real fast, so my lungs stop functioning.
He lifts my chin and brings his face to mine, and our noses graze.
The contact ignites a fire inside me, and I groan softly, so quiet no one in the room hears it but him, and I forget there are other people in here.
Colton is in horny mode, his erection growing under me, making this worse, and I think he even forgets weâre sitting beside his mom.
I almost self-combust as though he zaps me with a Taser when he grips me a little harder and moves in with intention.
âI donât believe~ never~ was in the plan. Youâre here now. They brought you back to me,â he says, so softly itâs barely audible.
His voice tickles my mouth as he runs the tip of his tongue across his bottom lip and sucks it in, sexy as hell.
I pant in response as one of his hands slides under my ass and cups a cheek with a slight squeeze.
My underwear gets clammy, my heart rate almost explodes, and I press my thighs together to combat the aching sensations down there while I bite my lip to control the desire to do that to him.
My head gets foggy, and I can only lean in like Iâm starving and crave that tongue in my mouth, the memory of his kiss fueling me with abandon.
My nails rake across his chest as I slide my hands up in readiness to curl around his neckâinstincts taking over as my wolf dominates with her unyielding need.
He tilts down softly, and I know whatâs coming, the slow move in, the way he lifts me to him by the ass as he grazes his nose against mine.
As much as I start to get drawn in, aching for him to do it, something tugs me mentally, clawing slowly at the back of my mind.
Iâm almost drooling as I relent and close my eyes, my heart pounding through my chest, and I want his hands to slide up my shirt and feel me up. Yet, I canât.
Sense claws at me as he gets so insanely close.
His lip softly slides against mine, igniting an unmatched desire and passion, and it takes every ounce of willpower and strength to close my mouth.
I breathe so heavily I might pass out and inhale through my nose like I badly need oxygen.
Itâs excruciating and takes everything I have in me to lean back and break the headiness of being caught up in his scent, his touch, and his power over me, which inevitably leads to more.
Our mixed emotions of intense desire and need for sex are pulsating between us, and I honestly donât know where I find the strength to break it.
I lift my hand and stop him midway, placing it over his soft lips, and close my eyes tight while I try to regain control and rationalize.
I breathe in and out, slowly counting to ten while praying my body calms down and saves me from my weakness.
Colton pauses, sensing my change, and has the decency to sit still and not push me. I swear, if he did, I would lose and probably traumatize Doc with a vulgar display of porn in the infirmary.
I thank the stars that Colton doesnât force my hand, even though his need is almost overpowering me.
I turned this year, so this will be my first heat, and God, itâs going to kill me if this is anything to go by.
We clearly have the attraction, and every day the haze gets closer, my body will betray me like this.
Maybe this is that creeping in, or perhaps itâs just the downside to imprinting so that when we get too intimate, the need to screw gets right in there.
Whatever it is, itâs a reminder to stay away from him like this from now on. Close contact is a no. We canât fight it.
âDonât. Some things I canât forgive. Youâre just making this messy,â I whisper and shove him back forcefully, my voice shaking, and Iâm unable to breathe properly.
I slide off his lap, standing on Jell-O legs, feeling lightheaded. I avoid his eyes, but Colton isnât about to give up.
He catches me by the waist and pulls me to him, so I collide into his now-standing frame and almost crumble.
Maybe itâs a last-ditch attempt to play on whatâs already ignited between us and throwing caution to the wind, but Iâm getting stronger by the second now that I havenât got him all around me, hemming me in.
âAre you really going to stay mad at me for eternity and deny this between us? Come on, baby. I get that youâre angry, but really? Never? When it feels like this. When we both want it this much.â
He leans in, aiming to carry on his smooth seduction, nuzzling into me as though this is merely me being stubborn and this is all a game.
He pulls me up against him and wraps me in tight as he tries for a second attempt at a kiss, but it riles my temper, and I snapâfrom lust-crazed to pissed in zero point five seconds.
âColton, stop it. Let me go.â I fight him, but he has octopus arms and gets me tangled up with him no matter how I try to escape.
âNo can do. Itâs not in me to let you go again. Youâve got me crazy right now.â He makes a joke of it, pinning my arms around me, swiftly leans in to peck me on the lips, and gets himself a knee to the groin.
Iâm not playing. I know I started this, but Iâm stopping it now, and he needs to accept it and fuck off.
However, Colton is faster than me, blocks my assault, and gives me that cheeky, dimpled grin that infuriates meâmaking light of the heaviness between us and pushing my mood off like water off a duckâs back.
âNice try. Good to see your time without me brought out the fierce. I like a bit of rough in a girl,â he says.
He slowly unwinds me, chuckling at my furious glare, then leans in, cups my face, and steals a quick lip-to-lip kiss before I slap him hard in the abdomen for doing it against my will.
Crossing the line, even if a second ago, I was begging for it.
He makes an âoofâ noise, clutches it, then throws up defensive palms and laughs at me.
Heâs not deterred or mad; he sees that little thing between us as a ray of hope that he might get his way if he plays his cards right and might even take advantage of getting up close again.
My hackles rise, and I go into defensive mode, eyes glowing with a warning that he needs to back off.
My insides donât calm from what that was and instead ignite in a fury, ready to claw him half to death.
âOkay, I surrender, red eyes. I get it. You need more time, and I need to up my apology game. Maybe calm my testosterone while Iâm at it.â
He flashes that smug, cute-boy face and the bro mannerisms as he adjusts his black sweats and rolls his shoulder to relieve some of his sexual tension.
âYou need to go choke,â I snap at him sulkily, pushing past him as I barge for the door, irritated by him, at him, at meâso annoyed that he took liberties when I was showing weakness, and pissed me off all the more.
âItâs not a preference, but Iâm into trying it if it gets you hot,â he adds with a raised brow.
That completely inappropriate sexual innuendo gets another slap in response as I spin on him, instinct making me lash out to maim the asshole.
He cowers away playfully, laughing harder at me and clutching his side as though hilarity is painful.
Heâs utterly entertained and amused, not fazed by my anger one bit, not taking this seriously at all, and not injured by my feeble aims.
This guy was literally seconds away from betraying his new mate bond and cheating on his luna.
JERK!
He backs away with a raised set of hands and that goofy smile of adoration, looking at me in that wicked, devilish way that makes my blood boilâall happy, teenage asshat who sees nothing wrong with what just happened.
âHonestly, you just⦠arghh,â I half growl at him, self-combusting with sheer frustration and pent-up rage.
I am no longer willing to play this weird whatever it is, lose my cool, and be as immature as him. I turn again and go to storm out of the infirmary, fueled with hot anger and returned hatred.
I see Doc and the medic glancing my way as I stomp my hardest toward the door, glad they didnât see us getting hot and heavy, and throw daggers back at the room Iâm leaving.
I walk smack-bang into an incoming figure in the doorway, and almost trip over them, muffling a shocked yelp as they right me on my feet with a mumbled apology and then look past me directly.
âAlpha, we have incoming.â Itâs a low, tense sentence, and my heart stops beating. It shuts me up, and I mentally try to calculate if itâs been long enough for Deacon and his pack to get here.
Itâs only been a couple of hours; surely, it canât be. My blood runs cold, cooling my jets and dispersing my tantrum as seriousness makes me turn to look back at Colton standing in the room by the bed.
Colton mentioned attacks. Maybe itâs Juan and his men, or maybe itâs vampires. I feel instantly sick, my insides turning to dust, but Colton springs into action, the ever-ready warrior.
His smile fades, and the carefree manner drops around his feet. He seems to grow taller, more robust, his eyes turning to soft glowing amber as his expression calms completely.
Heâs a born leader pushing everything else aside when faced with an actual threat.
âItâs showtime!â he sounds out confidently, those eyes burning brighter as he bristles up and gets ready to go out there and take down whatever threat is coming for his people.