Page 71 of The Heat of Us

She poked me right in the throat and I choked. “Look how red your neck is getting!”

The whistle blew and Gray gasped, turning to the screen. “I’m not done with you,” she said.

“Just watch your match,” I said sullenly, sinking into my chair.

I dropped a practically levitating Gray back at our parents place. She hadn’t shut up about the win the whole drive home and luckily seemed to have forgotten our conversation beforehand.

Some of the brightness faded from her eyes as I pulled into the driveway.

“Can you hang onto my kit?” Gray plucked at the shirt she had over her long sleeved top. “Dad’ll give me an earful if I go in with it.”

I held out my hand. “Give it here.”

Every time I asked if she wanted to move in with me she’d go all mysterious and say, “I’ll figure my own way out.”

A pit of dread formed in my stomach watching her enter the house. Whatever she was working on, I hoped she would pull it off soon. Then at least my dad would have one less person to crush on a daily basis.

I’d given up hope that my mum would ever leave.

I tried to nap, read, work, anything when I got back home. Trying not to think about my messed up family.

Trying to ignore the familiar creeping want bleeding back into every fibre of my being.

My alpha was going crazy being away from Hazel.

I didn’t know if spending a heat with Hazel altered something physiological inside me.

All I knew was that I craved the taste of her on my tongue. Her kisses, her skin, her slick. My throat felt tight, head spinning through memories of her.

And my fucking teeth ached to sink into her neck.

It had been hours until it finally got unbearable and I gave into the urge to call her.

“Hello?”

“Can I come see you?” My desperation spilled out of me at the first sound of her voice.

“Remy, wh—”

“Please.” I gripped my phone tighter. “Now.”

“Is everything ok?” Hazel asked, concerned.

Hearing her voice was even worse. It became crystal clear that my pull to her would not be sated by another fuck. I needed the moments between. Before. After. Tender words and hidden smiles and god, did I need to experience her falling asleep in my arms when we were knotted again.

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “Since your heat, I’ve been…I can’t…I don’t…”

I couldn’t even begin to explain it.

“I need to bring you more peppermint chocolate,” I said abruptly.

I sounded insane but it made something tick in my head. Yes. Bring her all the things she loves, find out what else she likes and bring her those too.

“You need to bring me chocolate?” I swore I could hear her eyebrows shooting up into her hairline.

I was already thinking about what supermarket I could stop at. “What else do you want? Name it and it’s yours.”

“Um…I don’t think I need anything.”

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