Chapter 46
In any case, what was I doing? I had given it a lot of thought, spending a lot of time getting ready and planning how I could escape the need that pulsated between us, and yet I had given in so quickly. I was letting him treat me anyway, and he was pleased because I was so engrossed in my affections for him, and it wasn't infuriating me as much as it should have.
My fingers pressed against my lips' puffiness, and he looked at me sharply, his eyes narrowing at my expression of frowning.
His hand reached out to encircle my wrist as the need in his eyes slowly sank to the bottom of my gut.
"I want to kiss you again." His words hurt me because they touched where his hands had not yet touched. My heart was pounding with the thrill of knowing that he desired to kiss me again but that he was letting me make the final decision. It sparked the tingling warmth between my thighs.
I gave a shuddering sigh and gave a little shake of my head. There was just too much desire between us, and I had to figure out how to cut it out before we both fell in.
My eyes focused on the crushed bouquet of flowers between us and the blood on his knuckles.
"I should put these flowers in some water and clean you up." He glanced at what I said, as if he were disappointed, and then his lips curled upward, and he gave a little laugh. His fingers slipped from my wrist to the smashed rose petals, and then he pinned me with another look that made me writhe.
"I enjoy it when you feel the need to take care of me, but if you let me into your apartment with your sweetened scent, we won't make it to our date." His voice was deep, and for an instant, my mind went blank. I was making a lot of effort to control my emotions, but it was obvious to him how I felt.
I could feel my claws sinking into my hands, gathering blood. My brain was going to mush because I had worried so much about arriving at this point.
The words were stuck in my mouth because I knew they were foolish, but I wanted to tell him that I didn't care about our date anymore and that all I wanted was for him to bring me to my bed and make the feelings in my head come true.
Maybe all I had to do to make it go away was give in to the emotion, but no matter how hard my wolf tried to persuade me otherwise, I knew it wouldn't work. Derrick moved his hand to hold mine as he pulled me out of the apartment building, passing the body of the man he had so skillfully knocked senseless. It would be impossible for the two of us to turn back if I allowed him to screw me.
He tugged me in the direction of the limousine that was waiting for us at the curb; it was getting dark outside. After helping me in and opening the door, he followed me and positioned himself directly next to me. I sat still in my chair, his body heat swirling around me as his legs crushed against mine. I rubbed at the naked skin on my arms, and from the corner of my eye, I could see that Derrick was much more at ease with his display of wealth as he leaned into the leather and watched me. He sighed.
"Is this a normal occurrence for you to be chauffeured around in a limousine?" I felt the engine roar to life as my hands flattened against the seat's edge.
"Only when I have places to be." I couldn't help but snort when I saw his contemplation.
If Vera had witnessed me pressed up against my friend in an expansive limousine when there were plenty of seats for the two of us, she would have lost her mind. As I pressed my legs together for the tenth time, I pondered what would happen if I just pulled myself onto his lap. The thought sparked something far worse.
I tried to get away from him, but I was too conscious of his body. I opened up some distance between us, but he seemed to know my body just as well as mine. He just spread his legs wider to get closer to me with every inch of distance I created between us.
I averted my eyes from his touch and looked around me. I briefly wondered if our ride with him might be a lengthy one because the back of the limousine was well-stocked with drinks and had brilliant lighting, but that thought was quickly dashed when I thought of his bleeding knuckles.
I took up one of the champagne glasses that had already been poured and turned to face my friend, who was staring at me.
I quietly said, "Give me your hand," as I took the pocket square out of his front pocket. He gave me a funny look, but he put his hand in mine without objecting. I began wiping the blood off his knuckles after dipping the cloth into the champagne flute.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that none of the blood belonged to him. However, in my eagerness to clean up the mess, I had forced myself up against him, forcing my knees against his powerful thigh and my side against his. Sweat was starting to collect at the back of my neck, so I stopped moving my hands.
"Your words tell me that you don't want me, but your body is saying something else." I shuddered when his breath touched the side of my neck. Just like I had envisioned, his hands reached my waist, and he drew me into his lap.
"What are you doing?" My voice was a little high-pitched as the champagne tumbled out of my fingers and onto the ground, but he was staring at me.
Initially, I felt his hands pressing against my knees, causing a surge of excitement to run through my body as I sensed his touch gradually attempting to separate my legs. However, I was frightened and unsure of his intentions toward me. His fingers teased me above the fabric of my dress as I watched them creep upward, till they touched the material gap by my thigh.
His breath felt hollow and hot against my throat as I writhed in his lap. I was torn between wanting to bring him closer and pushing him away, and as I twisted my body to accommodate his movements, the pain just increased for him.
I could no longer think clearly since his dick was getting hard beneath me.
With a howl of a ferocious nature, his hands closed around my thighs, and I froze. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell that his wolf was in charge.
"What are you doing?" His hand proceeded carefully until it was buried under the slit in my dress, and I requested again, this time with a much gentler voice.
His fingers were sliding up my thighs, and I knew he could feel the slickness there, so I gasped as he snarled against my skin.
"When did you get wet? Was it when he called you beautiful or when he touched you?" I leaned my back against his chest, shook my head, and angled my throat toward his mouth, giving in to my wolfish instincts.
"For you." I opened my legs a little, and he accepted the invitation, his hand pressing against my body and his fingers playing with my pants. That was all I could say.
I tried to push myself against his hands and rock my hips against him, but his movements stopped there. I was showing my ugly side because I was desperate.
As he licked the flesh with fiery kisses, his mouth pressed against my throat and he started speaking.
"You don't seem to understand who I am, Kylie." Once more, he kissed my throat.
An additional kiss. "That I'm a man in need of love."
Another kiss: "A wolf in need of his mate."
"And a king in need of his queen." I briefly allowed myself to reflect on how much I wanted it and how much I wanted him to claim me right now as I felt his breath on my neck, meaningful as his teeth bit at the spot he intended to leave his mark.
"I would kill anyone who dared to take what is mine." I trembled in response to him, and his threat just intensified my need for him.
This time, my hands went to his thighs, and I grabbed hard through his pants, wanting him to mark me so badly that I wanted to scream because only I understood what it would mean, and I wasn't ready to tell him the truth.
I begged, but he understood. "I could mark you right now, and there's nothing you'd be able to do about it," he said. I knew he didn't want to push his mark on me, and he understood it wasn't what I wanted.
"Tell me that you want it; tell me that you want everyone to know that you're mine."
When we arrived at our location, the automobile stopped, and Derrick's need to touch me stopped too. He was waiting for my answer, but I was unable to satisfy him.
"No." With a whimper that sent shivers down my spine, Derrick knew exactly how to respond.
"I believe I have touched you enough for someone who refuses to claim me." His eyes were shining with his savage hunger, but he was resisting it just like I was. He tore his hands away from me, and I cried out at his lack of warmth.
He was reacting angrily to our mate bond being threatened today, so perhaps he was simply giving me a taste of his own medicine. Why couldn't he?
First touch me without bringing up the mate bond.
It was all I deserved, anyway.