It was impossible to resist Zeke when he kept saying things that made me want to cry in the best way possible.
7
Allegra
Zeke poured body gel onto the washcloth and stretched his arm out, his hand hovering in the air for a moment before he offered it to me. I had a feeling he’d intended to wash me himself and then decided I wasn’t quite ready for that. And I really shouldn’t have been, considering we’d just met, but I had the whole fated mate thing to blame for it when I leaned forward so he could reach my back instead of taking the washcloth. Goose bumps broke out along my spine in the wake of his touch.
I rested my chin on top of my knees while he cleaned my back and arms. It felt so good to have him pamper me. And incredibly sexy. I watched the flexing of the muscles in his arms and breathed in his scent as he leaned down to reach into the water and lift one of my feet higher. The bubbles were still thick, but he still ate me up with his eyes. When his nostril flared, I wondered if it was possible that he could smell the proof of my desire. His fingers grazed my skin, and my need for him intensified.
“The water’s getting a little cold,” I whispered, blaming my shiver on the temperature instead of the desire burning through my veins as the washcloth moved up my calf.
My need turned into an inferno when his fingers drifted above my knee and he suggested, “Maybe there’s something I can do to help you stay warm.”
My legs parted a little, giving him more room as his hand continued up my thigh. “How would you do that?”
“It depends on what you want.” The washcloth continued up my thigh, almost to the crease near my core.
My legs parted slightly more, and I breathed, “I’m not sure what I want.”
“I bet an orgasm would make you feel better,” he suggested as he dropped the washcloth into the water. “Tell me yes, and I’ll give you one.”
Even with all the fated mate stuff—or maybe because of it—I probably should have thought twice before I answered, but I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck,” he growled, his green eyes riveted on my face as his fingers slid up to my pussy.
My gaze dropped to watch his hand move between my legs, my breath catching in my throat as his finger brushed against my clit before dipping down to slide through my wetness. “Oh, wow.”
“Feel good?” he rasped.
“Uh-huh,” I breathed, moving my knees as far apart as I could get them in the tub.
He increased the pressure of his touch and asked, “How about this?”
“Even better,” I gasped as he inched one of his fingers inside me. Then he twisted his wrist to circle my clit with his thumb, and my orgasm came out of nowhere, crashing over my body as I gripped his arm to keep his hand in place. He kept stroking me through it and pressed a kiss to my forehead when my shudders finally subsided.
When he lifted me out of the tub and covered me with a fluffy white towel, the sensual fog he’d wrapped me in lifted, and my senses returned. “Oh, my gosh! My friends!”
“What about them?” he asked as he carried me into the bedroom and set me on the bed.
“They’re probably scared out of their minds. It’s been a couple of hours since they left the diner. I definitely should’ve been back way before now,” I explained, my gaze searching the room for any sign of my purse but not finding it. “Have you seen my bag? It was with me in the car.”
“I’ll run down and check the truck.” He padded across the room to grab the T-shirt from the bathroom and came back to give it to me. When he left to look for my purse, I finished drying off with the towel and slipped the shirt on. Then I went into the bathroom to grab my panties.
I had just gotten them in place when he came back with my purse. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I dug inside for my cell phone and cringed when I saw that I had three missed calls and about a dozen text messages from Larissa and Calliope. There wasn’t anything from my mom yet, so I hoped I was in time to stop them from letting her know they didn’t know where I was.
I figured it was best to try Larissa first, and she answered before the first ring was done. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” My mind blanked for a moment. It wasn’t as though I could tell them what had happened, not without making sure that was okay since Zeke had said the existence of shifters was kept a secret from most people. I didn’t know if it was okay to share with my friends or family, and I couldn’t ask since Larissa would be able to hear me. “There was a little issue with the rideshare.”
She didn’t sound any less worried as she asked, “What kind of issue? Did it break down? Are there no more cars out tonight because of the snow? You should’ve been able to get another one by now.”
“Ah, no.” I widened my eyes at Zeke and grimaced. He stroked his hand down my back. “The roads were icy, and the car slid through an intersection and crashed into a traffic light. But I wasn’t really injured, just some bruises from the seat belt.”
“Where are you? At the hospital?” I heard the murmur of Calliope’s voice in the background. I was doing a crap job of coming up with a story that would make them less worried about me.
Staring up into Zeke’s face, I was struck by inspiration. I couldn’t tell them I’d met a guy who turned into a wolf, but Zeke’s job was sure to make them feel better about me not being back yet. “I’m not at the hospital. Like I said, I only have some bruises. The sheriff from a couple of towns over was nearby when it happened and stopped to help.”
“Oh.” She heaved a deep sigh of relief. “There’s probably a bunch of paperwork if the cops are involved. Will you be done soon?”
“Um, yeah...about that. It’ll probably take a while longer, so you guys should just head to bed. I’ll be good. The sheriff is a really good guy, and he’s taking care of me, so I’m more than okay.”
“More than okay, huh?” Any trace of concern had disappeared from her tone as it turned teasing. “Is the sheriff sexy, and exactly how is he taking care of you? Give me all the details.”
Calliope shrieked something about me meeting a hot guy in the background, and judging by the smirk on Zeke’s face, he was able to hear everything my friends were saying. My cheeks filled with heat as I said, “I can’t really talk about it right now.”
“Oh, my gosh! Is he there with you right now?” Larissa cried. “Get off the phone, girl. You can tell us all about it when you come back. Just don't have so much fun with him that you forget you have class tomorrow at eleven.”
The call disconnected, and I stared at my phone in shock. I hadn’t expected her to let it go so easily, especially since she knew I’d never dated anyone before. None of us had ever spent the night with someone, and it was kind of shocking she’d just assumed I wouldn’t be back tonight—let alone in time for my class in the morning.
Zeke wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “Your friends sound nice.”
“No, they sound crazy! I can’t believe she just assumed I was spending the night with you. I mean, maybe if she knew about shifters and fated mates, it might make sense. But she doesn’t.” I tilted my head back to stare into his eyes. “I’m guessing I can’t tell them?”