I watched him move, feasting on his honed physique as it flexed under his flawless skin. His arms and chest were so defined, so cut, firm and solid, flowing into more muscle that lined his abdomen, a six-pack straight out of a muscle magazine. My gaze trailed farther down, along the sharp cut of his hip where the towel covered him. I was wet with want. I licked my lips again as I scanned his body back up to meet his eyes.
He was looking at me with one eyebrow cocked and a wry smirk on his face. The heat of a blush washed over me and I cleared my throat. “Oh, um, I feel okay. A little tender but otherwise fine.”
He moved over to the bed and sat with his back to me, his shoulders hunched. It took everything in my power not to reach over and trace my finger along his spine, trailing the contours of his muscles, or maybe even run my tongue over all that gorgeous wet skin.
“I’m sorry, Morgan.” His voice was hushed, so low I almost didn’t hear him.
“Sorry?”
Cal turned to look at me, shifting his body so that one knee rested on the bed, pulling his towel to an almost impossible angle. My eyes were riveted to that towel, wondering what would happen if he shifted again.
Cal cleared his throat and I jerked my gaze back to meet his. He gave me a lopsided grin, but didn’t tease my ogling stare. “I’ve reinforced the boundaries,” he said. “Nothing will get past the border now.”
I sighed, my desire doused with that dose of reality. I pushed myself up, my knees pulled in under my chin. “How did he get in? I thought you said that werewolves wouldn’t be able to breach the boundaries.”
“He wasn’t a full werewolf, not completely turned. It was a loophole in the protection spell, one that Lazarus must have known about.” He shook his head, his hand curling into a tight fist. “It won’t happen again.”
I nodded. “And I guess I’ll be caged so that I don’t get hurt.”
Cal shifted on the bed again, moving closer to me, placing his hand on my knee, a small gesture that sent shivers of excitement through my body. It was amazing what such a little touch did to me. I locked eyes with him.
“Morgan.” He hooked his hand underneath my calves and pulled my legs down, then shifted, bracing himself on his elbow as he moved to lie at my side, his face hovering inches away from mine. “Morgan,” he whispered again.
My name on his lips sent tendrils of desire pulsing through me again, and his hand running up my thigh had me vibrating with excitement. He brushed my mouth with his, his tongue snaking out to tentatively touch my bottom lip before he pulled away to stare at me.
“Morgan.”
It wasn’t a question, and yet I felt like he was asking me—wanting an answer to the unspoken request that had hung over us for days.
“I can’t risk losing you like that again.” His words were a soft rumble that rolled over me, sinking into my head, into my flesh. “When I saw him holding you, when I thought he was going to kill you, I almost died right there. I can’t leave you vulnerable like this.” He leaned forward and captured my lips with his, sucking, kissing me so deeply it took my breath away. When he pulled back, his eyes were hooded with desire. “I want you, Morgan. You do things to me, to my body that I can’t explain.”
He leaned in and kissed me again, fiercer this time, plunging his tongue deeply, sucking my lips, devouring me. My mind reeled, so caught up in a pounding lust that I couldn’t quite grasp my need for control. What was stopping me? Why was I holding back? My body was demanding more, and my mind was too engorged with desire to fight it any longer. I didn’t need to think about eternity, or even tomorrow, for that matter. What I needed was right here, right now, laying next me, wanting me. That was good enough.
When he pulled away this time, he ran his hand along the curve of my hip, sliding up my waist until he cupped my breast. His lips were at my ear, kissing my lobe, trailing along my neck and then back up again. His breath was warm, teasing. “Bond with me,” he whispered and then kissed down to my collarbone, all the while kneading my breast with his massive hand, circling my nipple with his thumb.
My body hummed with desire, my core clenching, anticipating, wanting more. He ground his erection into my hip, letting me know just how much he wanted me to say yes. Letting me feel the depth of his need for me.
When he moved back up to my ear again, his tone was more urgent. “Bond with me, Morgan.”
With my eyes closed and my body arching into his touch, I turned my face toward him, slanting my mouth up. “Yes.”
His lips crushed down on mine, his tongue lacing with mine, entangled and urgent as he trailed his hand down to the waist of my yoga pants, tugging at the elastic. Caught up in the frenzy, I broke away from his kiss and pulled my shirt over my head, then helped him slide off my pants before I kicked them to the floor. He glided his hand along my thigh and hooked his fingers under the elastic of my panties while his lips clasped onto my nipple, teasing me through the cotton of my bra.