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I need his touch. I need his hands on me.
My wolf is at the forefront of my mind, taking charge, running the show. It understands these base desires in a way that I don’t. It knows who to search for, whose touch can ease this red-hot fire within me. While my human side disagrees vehemently, it is a small voice fading away amid the vast energy that is my animal. My other half can sense the urgency within me.
He opens the door as soon as my foot hits the landing.
“Soph—”
My name gets stuck in his throat when he sees my expression.
I can smell the musky scent coming from my body, and dimly, I realize that he can, too. The look in his eyes is almost feral. I take two steps toward him and suddenly he’s pulling me into his arms, his hot mouth pressing against mine in a kiss so hungry that it makes me gasp.
My wolf sighs in relief.
Chapter 19
Alex Stone
I expected Sophia’s reaction to be volatile when she woke up in the morning. What I didn’t expect was that I would still be feeling the aftereffects hours later.
My ear is still ringing from where she screamed right into it.
In hindsight, climbing onto her bed to get closer to her was probably not the best idea. The bed couldn’t take my weight in my wolf form. I shouldn’t think about how adorable Sophia looks when she’s huffing and puffing mad. She couldn’t even form full sentences, too worked up to speak properly.
But her face all red with anger, her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel’s, was a sight I would like to see again. I tried apologizing, but it must have sounded insincere because I couldn’t be completely regretful. I was enjoying her reaction too much.
I look around her apartment.
Maybe I should break something else.
My train of thought catches up to me, and I run my fingers through my hair, muttering, “What in the world are you thinking?”
Saul shares the same thought when he arrives an hour later with a new bed frame.
“Glad to see you’re still alive, boss,” he grunts, putting down the heavy load. “Guy at the shop said we have to put this together ourselves or he can send a man here tomorrow. I didn’t think you’d want anyone seeing you, so I’d said I’d do it myself.”
“Did anyone see you, though?” I watch him start to poke around Sophia’s apartment.
“It’s eleven in the morning, so yeah, a few people. Nobody paid much attention. Besides,” he jerks his thumb toward the long cardboard box, “I rented a van. No way in hell was I carrying that thing all the way here on my back.” He looks around curiously. “Not that fancy a place, is it?”
“I like it.” I stick my hands in my pockets, feeling a little miffed by the disdain in his voice.
I don’t appreciate the way Saul is studying everything with a critical gaze. It’s obvious to me that Sophia has put effort into her small apartment. I see how she’s managed to turn this place into a home. This is her space, and I like being in her space. I’ll be damned if I let Saul—
My lieutenant gives me a smirk. “You’ve got it bad. Patrick warned me, but I had to see it to believe it.”
I shoot him an annoyed look. “If I wanted your commentary, I’d ask for it.”
He grins. “It’s complimentary. Comes with the bed frame. Sophia’s not home?”
I puff out my cheeks, scowling to hide my embarrassment. “She wasn’t too pleased with the fact that I decided to occupy the bed with her last night. And then I broke it, on top of that. She stormed out of here this morning.”
My friend chuckles. “Look at you, a whipped dog.” I bare my teeth at him, but his smile just grows broader. “Does she even know you’re replacing the bed?”
My answer is a dark look aimed at him.
Saul snickers. “How the mighty have fallen. You know, you might not remember because you were younger then, but your dad behaved pretty much the same way around your mother.”
Saul was a teenager when the massacre happened, so he has more memories of my parents than I do. Warily, I ask, “What do you mean?”