Chapter 28
"My wolf is basking in the scent of your arousal, and I am barely holding myself back from tearing away the rest of your clothes and having my way with you on this countertop." He paused, watching the flame flare in his eyes, and listened intently to my response. "We are not mad at you, but we are both going mad with the need to mate with you." My heart skipped a few beats as I felt his flesh chill against mine.
He certainly exhibited far more discipline than I did, for someone who seemed to be hanging on by a thread.
I cocked my head to look him in the eye, lust leaking into every cell in my body.
I wanted to tell him to do this, even though it was a poor idea.
I watched as his jaw tightened and his nostrils flared as his hand moved to grab my chin with hot intensity, fingers tense against the hollows of my cheeks, as if he had sensed the exact thought that was going through my head.
"Look at me like that again, and you won't be leaving this house without my scent all over you and my mark on your neck." He forewarned me, and his words drowned out the senselessness that burned inside of me like a pail of water. I withdrew my hands from his and encircled the edge of the counter I was seated on.
His comments held too much promise, and they could have undone my whole strategy of escaping him without losing my life.
I had almost let things get too far, and that was too close.
It was a surprise he hadn't discovered my magic after what had transpired on his training pitch, and here I was toying with fire. I could not allow that to occur again, so I had to put some distance between us and establish new rules.
With a grimace, he removed his hand from my face, but he had warned me because he knew how I would respond to his words and that I wouldn't be able to handle them. I could do nothing as his disappointment burned hot in my chest. He stepped back from me a few times and leaned on the counter across from me while inhaling deeply. He was growing agitated and running a hand through his hair, not looking as calm as I thought he was.
No, that was a grumble, not a growl. It was undoubtedly not what he had said. When I realized what the sound was, his brows furrowed, and I was taken aback.
This wolf-man was hungry, and only a moment ago he wanted to fuck me senselessly against the marble. I glanced at his very toned, very demanding stomach, blinking back my surprise. My wolf had become even more stirred by the sound, her primal purpose and the mate link clashing together to overwhelm me with a hunger that was nearly excruciating.
I said, "You're hungry," as I grabbed the edge of the countertop to stabilize myself as I climbed off. "I need to make you something to eat." My limbs were being pushed upon by the need to ensure my partner was fed, compelling me to act even though I knew what it entailed.
In wolf language, food was never just something to be given; it was a declaration of one's devotion, affirmation, and love.
When it came to the need to defend, to touch, and to provide for their mates, wolves were primordial. I would have been better off getting anything from him than a wolfish sense of pride, so I might as well have let him have his way with me.
Derrick was watching me nervously, but my offering made his eyes sparkle. My own wolf became enraged at his rejection, even if his wolf understood what I had said. He shook his head. Her desire to serve her mate surged against me as her rage ripped at me. We have both had this same sense of inadequacy throughout our entire lives.
"You are still healing." Even after he corrected himself, I was still filled with wrath. His hand reached out to grab my elbow and stabilize me as I staggered forward.
It is possible that he felt that I was insufficient or that my ability to care for him was inferior to his ability to care for me.
In any case, the pain was worse than I had anticipated.
When I attempted to free myself from his grasp, his hand became tighter around my arm and began to shoot pointless sparks in my direction.
"You're healing too slowly, and it is worrying me." I frowned as I looked up at him because his tone had become deeper and coarser.
He wouldn't have cared about my ability to heal if I had told him to claim me; however, by doing so, he was impeding my ability to prepare him a disgusting sandwich. I shouldn't have been so upset, but every time I decided to suppress it, the mate link became more forceful.
"You of all wolves must know that you cannot deny me this right as your mate, Derrick." He stammered, surprised by what I had said. When I called him mine and said his name, his eyes snapped to his wolf, and he growled in gratitude. My own wolf pretended at his possessive response.
"You are right." He confirmed, gazing deep into my heart. "You are my mate, and I cannot deny you anything." My breath froze in my throat at such a powerful man's wonderful words. He gave me one of his jaw-dropping grins, so it must have been known what they were going to do to me. But if he understood who I was, he wouldn't cling to them; he wouldn't be so nice to me. When my own mother learned, she became enraged with me and beat me for something I had never done.
Had I not been a witch blood wolf, I would have given in to his seductive words long ago and let him penetrate me till my legs turned to jelly.
The mate bond was acting like a jerk.
I swallowed anxiously and refracted the way I was responding to him.
I had to get control before I leaped at him, before I gave in to my intense attraction to him.
When he took his hand away from me, I nearly grabbed onto him and pleaded with him to hold on to it forever. Even though my heart was racing for him, I knew that I couldn't act so quickly until I was certain that giving in to his desires would be the best course of action.
As I moved away from him, his hot eyes fell even more on me, clinging to my skin in a possessive manner. I rushed to retrieve my shirt that he had dropped on the countertop, forgetting that he had undressed me and that I was standing in front of him wearing only my jeans and bra. I hurried to try to put it on, but he yanked it from my grasp before I could even straighten out the material.
"Your top is ruined; I will get something else for you to wear." I was stunned as I looked at him, and for a split second, I thought that the only reason he had stopped me was so he could continue to stare at me in this way.
Although werewolves are not typically timid animals, I had never enjoyed changing in front of people or being nude. Naturally, Derrick would be more at ease with his physique when he seemed that way. It nearly ached to look at him because he was so strong and handsome, with a build like a mountain.