Charlotte came to his side, a water bottle in one hand and a towel in the other. She had a cross-body bag strapped over her, and she’d pulled her hair back into a loose braid that hung over one shoulder.
“You guys looked like you were having fun out there,” she said as she handed him the water.
He took it from her and their fingers brushed, sending shivers over his skin and a slight gasp escaping from her mouth. He drank the water down quickly, needing something for his mouth to do other than ravage her right then. His wolf pushed at him, and he barely held it together. If he weren’t careful, he’d push aside the idea that they needed to talk or that they needed time, and his wolf would take over. He’d end up taking her right then and there on the grass for anyone to see, marking her as his and rutting like a damn animal.
He had more control than that. Barely, it seemed.
When Charlotte moved forward and kissed his cheek, he sucked in a breath. His wolf clawed at him, beyond tired of waiting for what was theirs. The mating heat had turned into a frenzy long ago, and now he wasn’t sure he could handle her being so close to him. He took a step back and called himself all kinds of fool for putting that hurt look on her face.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sweaty,” he tried to explain. Not a lie, but not the truth either.
She pressed her lips together and calmly handed him the towel. He was surprised she didn’t throw it at him as he deserved.
“I’m headed to the Talons to see Shane.” At the sound of the other man’s name on her lips, his wolf bucked him again, wanting them both. Any other situation would have lead to jealousy, but as always, Bram and Charlotte—now Shane, as well—were a special case.
She rolled her shoulders and tugged at her braid, clearly nervous at his reaction. Since he hadn’t said anything, she continued. “He says he really wants to help with what he knows, but he’s having trouble keeping it together long enough to do anything. He seemed…better the last time I saw him, but that could have just been because I was there.” She sighed. “I just don’t know.”
Bram ran the towel over his face and drank the last of the water. “Let me go take a shower and I’ll go with you.”
She rolled her eyes. He sort of loved it when she did that. “I can do this on my own, you know. I’m a big girl.”
“I’m going with you,” he growled, his wolf once again pushing him. Maybe if he took a quick cold shower and took himself in hand, he’d keep his wolf at bay for just a bit longer. He couldn’t keep going like this.
“Fine,” she said after a moment.
“Come with me.”
Her brows rose. “You want me to take a shower with you?”
He held back a groan and the image of her in the shower with him, all slick and wet and his. “I meant come with me to the house…but next time…” He paused. His voice was low, a mere growl when he spoke next. “Next time, I want you with me.”
Her eyes darkened, and she licked her lips. He imagined that mouth wrapped around his cock. “But we should talk about what all of this means first.” Her voice was a raspy breath, and he licked his own lips.
“We will.” He cleared his throat. “You’re in a hurry, so let’s get moving.”
The abrupt change in his tone caught both of them off guard. “Lead the way,” she said, her voice cool.
He took the quickest shower of his life, and because he knew she was right outside his bathroom door, sitting on his bed while he was in there, he didn’t rub one off. So now he was clean but rock-hard. From the scent coming off her, though, he knew he wasn’t alone in his need. One day, he prayed they wouldn’t be in a constant state of arousal. It was killing him day by day.
They spoke only of Pack matters in the car, both careful to keep their distance. He hated what had become of them, but maybe things would change soon. He could only hope, even if something like this had never been on his radar. When they reached the Talon den, Max greeted them.
“I heard you were coming,” Max said. “I figured I’d walk with you to the infirmary before I go meet with Gideon.”
Bram narrowed his eyes. “We need armed guards now?”
Max rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss Charlotte on the cheek in hello. Bram let out a low growl. Instead of looking worried, though, the other man just shrugged before pulling away.
“No need for guards. I just thought I’d come say hello.”
“Well, thank you,” Charlotte said with a snort. However, Bram noticed she didn’t lean toward Max. In fact, she did her best to not go near him at all. Apparently, Bram hadn’t been able to hide from her how close to the surface his wolf truly was. She was acting like someone who knew what she was doing around very dominant wolves in a temper.
It shouldn’t surprise him, and yet he was slightly ashamed he didn’t have better control.