Although Austin had suggested that we do some laundry and test out the spin cycle, but he wasn’t talking about clothes.
I stepped into my expensive black lace panties, and when I pulled them up, the lower half of my ass was showing. I stood in front of the slim mirror to the left of the dresser, wondering if Austin was going to laugh himself into a coma. I didn’t normally dress up in lingerie because he said it was like putting sprinkles on a cake. Either the cake was delicious or it wasn’t, and sprinkles weren’t going to change a damn thing.
I reached in the bag and pulled out the black bustier. My breasts were an average B-cup, but once I latched the bustier all the way on, my jaw dropped. I turned to the side, the fabric hugging my narrow waist and giving me the hourglass figure I’d always desired.
The ladder creaked, and I spun around in a panic. Instead of posing seductively, I scrambled to the bed and snatched the red flannel blanket, covering myself up like the coward that I was.
“Change your mind?” Austin asked with a wolfish grin. He stepped off the ladder and ruffled his hair.
“Um… maybe we should…”
Austin stripped out of his shirt, and my breath caught. The tribal ink that marked him a Packmaster covered his upper arms and shoulders. When his pupils dilated, it made his icy blue eyes look like something otherworldly. No matter how many years we’d been together, Austin always seduced me as if we’d never been intimate before. He looked at me with all that newness and desire as if he were seeing, tasting, and feeling me for the first time. He had a predatory look that made him appear wild and dangerous, one that sent chills across my skin.
He took off the round medallion he often wore, the cords of muscle on his arms flexing. When he reached down to unbutton his jeans, I quickly spoke up.
“Don’t.”
His eyes flashed up, and he froze.
I sauntered toward him, blanket still wrapped around my shoulders. As soon as I was close enough, I leaned forward and drew in a deep breath, running my nose along his chest.
“I’ll take care of you,” I said softly, letting the blanket fall to the floor.
Austin’s eyes hooded, and he sucked in a sharp breath. I knelt in front of him, slowly unzipping his jeans and tugging them down. I had him in my thrall, and looking up at all that pure maleness of muscle and form gave me goose bumps. Next to go were his black boxer briefs, and I made sure to take my time, retaining eye contact even as I rose to my feet.
We stood there for a nervous beat, staring at each other. His lips parted, and he slowly stepped into my space, his hands resting on my hips.
Austin’s voice was soft and reverent. “You’re my queen, you know that?” He knelt down and traced the fabric of my bustier with his fingertips. “You have the power to bring an alpha to his knees.”
“Want to see the back?”
“I might as well worship while I’m down here.”
I slowly turned, feeling his warm hands sensually touching my backside. A low growl resonated in his throat, and he suddenly wedged his hand between my legs, caressing me with skilled strokes. I gasped, wishing I had something to hold on to—fantasizing as I gazed at the bed.
He suddenly shot to his feet and twisted away.
“Austin?”
By the time I turned, he was descending the ladder with hurried steps.
“Stay there,” he said tersely.
In a desire-fueled stupor, I looked around, wondering if something had scared him off. When he moved toward the front door, I quickly climbed down the ladder after him. After all, if we had visitors, I had on more clothes than he did.
“Dammit, Lexi! Don’t come down here in your condition.” He leaned over the small table where we liked to drink our morning coffee and peered out the window.
“What’s going on?” I stood on the opposite side of the table and looked out, my breath frosting the glass.
“I heard something.”
“Maybe it’s Reno stopping by.”
In a swift motion, he shifted into a black wolf, moving at a frenetic pace in front of the door. His wolf was a formidable creature, larger than most and incredibly powerful. Because he was an alpha, he didn’t fade when his wolf took form, unlike most Shifters. They shared the same consciousness, and Austin could even take control. If he paid enough attention, he could understand what I was saying.
His wolf barked.
“No,” I said.
He snapped his gaze up to mine, his eyes like glaciers against his black coat.
“Austin, we can’t let our wolves out—not with everything going on. And don’t you growl at me!”
There was no sense in arguing; he would only shift back and open the door himself. And by then, he’d really be pissed by my disobedience to the Packmaster. When I opened the door, he flew out and stopped several feet away from the porch, lifting his nose and taking in scents. The frigid air reminded me how underdressed I was, so I shut the door and returned to the window, then wiped the condensation from the glass.