rise over the lake. The peace and tranquility of an early morning in the country was lost on him.
He'd spent the entire night out here, pacing most of that time. He replayed the scenario in Lily's apartment on an endless loop trying to find something that would settle the wolf.
He'd also had to fight the urge to hunt down John Hale and kill him. His choice of the word breeder burned something deep and dark into his psyche and he feared it would never go away until he found a way to kill the man.
Lily on the other hand. She drove him crazy in an entirely different way. His mate was both incredibly complicated and simple at the same time. Despite the duty her family ingrained in her at a young age, she still held an almost childlike hope for the future.
Something he was happy to give her as soon as she started talking to him again. The minute they hit their room, she retreated into one of the bedrooms and refused to come back out. Said she needed to be alone to think.
The only thing that kept him from tearing through the door and getting to her was her scent. He frequently opened his senses and breathed deep, both to revel in her closeness and to assure himself she did not run away.
He checked the clock on his phone and decided he'd give her until breakfast was delivered and then ready or not he was going in. Cooling his heels was not his specialty and enough was enough.
As he sat there contemplating what he would say to her, he heard the shower turn on. His whole body jolted to life as images of his curvy, black haired beauty standing naked under a spray of water assaulted his brain.
Unable to sit still he stood and walked into her room. With the scent of his mate strong, he approached the bathroom door and waited. It was important not to push her too hard at this point, but it took all of his control to stay on this side of the door.
He wanted her.
Not in forty-eight hours. Not later. Right fucking now.
As he contemplated pushing her, the water turned off and a few tense moments later she opened the door with nothing but a thick, white towel wrapped around her lush curves and another atop her head.
"Greer!" she gasped, clasping the edges of the towel barely contained by a hasty knot. "You scared me half to death. What are you doing in here?"
"Wanted to see you."
Her head jerked up at the guttural tone of his voice, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I was coming out to talk to you."
"Tired of waiting," he growled, the rumble coming from deep in his chest. "Need you."
She shook her head as if her denial could dissuade him. "No. This isn't right. I can't accept the claiming." Her chest heaved as her breathing grew erratic.
The words were not the ones he wanted to hear, but the mismatched body language told him she was full of shit.
"Doesn't matter anymore, babe. I'm all in whether you like it or not."
For a few seconds her eyes darkened to black and he knew his words had hit their mark. Then she closed her eyes and shook it off.
"You think you can order me to do whatever you want?"
He shrugged. He wasn't thinking with the brain in his head anymore. Nope. A different part of his body was mid revolt at this point.
"That makes you no better than them," she hissed.
Her words had the effect of ice water on his senses, staggering him back. Time to regroup and change tactics.
"I don't want to order you to do anything. Not yet anyway. Although eventually I will have you remove that towel." He sighed, breathing deep as the faintest hint of her arousal flared. "Nothing has changed for me between last night and this morning. If you've imagined that I am making some grand sacrifice to save you, then you'd be mistaken. This is as much about me as it is you. You're my mate and I have accepted that. Now it's your turn."
She scrunched up her nose. "Accepted? Sounds like something you have to do, not something you want to do."
"Don't play semantics with me, babe. Accepted. Want. Need. All the same to me."
"I want to argue
He'd spent the entire night out here, pacing most of that time. He replayed the scenario in Lily's apartment on an endless loop trying to find something that would settle the wolf.
He'd also had to fight the urge to hunt down John Hale and kill him. His choice of the word breeder burned something deep and dark into his psyche and he feared it would never go away until he found a way to kill the man.
Lily on the other hand. She drove him crazy in an entirely different way. His mate was both incredibly complicated and simple at the same time. Despite the duty her family ingrained in her at a young age, she still held an almost childlike hope for the future.
Something he was happy to give her as soon as she started talking to him again. The minute they hit their room, she retreated into one of the bedrooms and refused to come back out. Said she needed to be alone to think.
The only thing that kept him from tearing through the door and getting to her was her scent. He frequently opened his senses and breathed deep, both to revel in her closeness and to assure himself she did not run away.
He checked the clock on his phone and decided he'd give her until breakfast was delivered and then ready or not he was going in. Cooling his heels was not his specialty and enough was enough.
As he sat there contemplating what he would say to her, he heard the shower turn on. His whole body jolted to life as images of his curvy, black haired beauty standing naked under a spray of water assaulted his brain.
Unable to sit still he stood and walked into her room. With the scent of his mate strong, he approached the bathroom door and waited. It was important not to push her too hard at this point, but it took all of his control to stay on this side of the door.
He wanted her.
Not in forty-eight hours. Not later. Right fucking now.
As he contemplated pushing her, the water turned off and a few tense moments later she opened the door with nothing but a thick, white towel wrapped around her lush curves and another atop her head.
"Greer!" she gasped, clasping the edges of the towel barely contained by a hasty knot. "You scared me half to death. What are you doing in here?"
"Wanted to see you."
Her head jerked up at the guttural tone of his voice, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I was coming out to talk to you."
"Tired of waiting," he growled, the rumble coming from deep in his chest. "Need you."
She shook her head as if her denial could dissuade him. "No. This isn't right. I can't accept the claiming." Her chest heaved as her breathing grew erratic.
The words were not the ones he wanted to hear, but the mismatched body language told him she was full of shit.
"Doesn't matter anymore, babe. I'm all in whether you like it or not."
For a few seconds her eyes darkened to black and he knew his words had hit their mark. Then she closed her eyes and shook it off.
"You think you can order me to do whatever you want?"
He shrugged. He wasn't thinking with the brain in his head anymore. Nope. A different part of his body was mid revolt at this point.
"That makes you no better than them," she hissed.
Her words had the effect of ice water on his senses, staggering him back. Time to regroup and change tactics.
"I don't want to order you to do anything. Not yet anyway. Although eventually I will have you remove that towel." He sighed, breathing deep as the faintest hint of her arousal flared. "Nothing has changed for me between last night and this morning. If you've imagined that I am making some grand sacrifice to save you, then you'd be mistaken. This is as much about me as it is you. You're my mate and I have accepted that. Now it's your turn."
She scrunched up her nose. "Accepted? Sounds like something you have to do, not something you want to do."
"Don't play semantics with me, babe. Accepted. Want. Need. All the same to me."
"I want to argue
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