Page 34 of Soul Fated

Kael

Istiffened as Callista’s fingers trailed down my chest. The sensation of her touch was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through my body.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I was here for her, but every time I tried to tell her she didn’t need to return the favor, she wouldn’t hear it.

I struggled to tamp down the urge to bolt for the window. I was always the one in control. As tantalizing as it had been to let Callista lead, we both knew where it was heading. Now my wolf bristled at the idea of being vulnerable, of being touched. But each brush of her fingers was intoxicating, making my blood run hot.

My heart pounded in my chest as Callista's hands moved lower, her breath warm against my skin. I could barely think straight, my thoughts a jumbled mess of desire and hesitation. I was teetering on the edge, and one wrong move would send me plummeting into a free fall of lust.

Callista was saying something. Her voice was a soft murmur, and I forced myself to focus on her words. "You're shaking."

I hadn't even realized it. My hand trembled at my side, and I sucked in a breath, trying to steady it. “I’m sorry?—”

“Why the hell are you apologizing?” She looked up at me through her lashes, the moonlight now pouring through the open window. “I like it.” Her hands moved up to my shoulders, and she pushed me back against the pillows. The warmth of her body against mine was a welcome distraction, but it did little to quell the tension coiling in my gut.

Callista's fingers traced the lines of my muscles, her touch featherlight. "You were so good at that." Her voice was so low I had to strain to hear it. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"You mentioned that."

She nodded, her hands slipping lower. "I've never been able to just relax like that. I felt . . . safe."

Safe. The word hung in the air between us. She had to be joking. I was the last person in the world who should’ve been able to make her feel safe.

I suddenly felt like a fraud, like an asshole taking advantage of her. That’s what I was, wasn’t I? I knew better than to crawl into bed with a she-wolf in heat, and yet I’d come running the second she’d called.

“Callista—”

She pressed her hands against my thighs. “Stop trying to make me change my mind.”

My mouth clamped shut. She moved over me, and I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of her body against mine. Her skin was warm, her breath hot against my neck, and I struggled to keep my wolf in check.

But it wasn’t just him. This was what I wanted. What I needed. And it terrified me.

Callista’s fingers trailed along my abdomen, and I sucked in a breath, my muscles twitching under her touch. She moved lower, and my heart slammed against my ribs. I couldn't think, couldn't focus on anything other than the sensation of her skin against mine.

Her hand slipped lower, and I groaned, my hips bucking involuntarily. Callista stilled, and I opened my eyes to see her staring at me, her hazel eyes wide and filled with concern. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

I reached for her then, my hand wrapping around her wrist. "It's okay," I murmured, my voice hoarse. "I'm just . . . not used to this."

Something flickering in her eyes. "You work alone.”

That one sentence. The way she looked at me. I swallowed hard and nodded. “You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Kael. I just thought?—"

"I want to." My grip tightened on her wrist, and I pulled her hand back to my abdomen.

She nodded again, her eyes searching mine. Worry was etched in her features, and it made my chest ache. I didn't want her to feel like she was doing something wrong.

Callista leaned down, pressing a kiss to my abdomen, and I sucked in a breath. Her lips were soft and warm, and the sensation sent a shiver down my spine. She moved higher, planting kisses along my chest, my neck.

Warmth bubbled up in my chest as my tension bled away, replaced by a heady mix of desire and gratitude. When had I been touched like this? Kissed like this?

Callista was giving me something I didn't know I needed. She was inviting me to let go, to be vulnerable. Just like I’d told her to be.

My heart thundered in my ears as Callista's hands explored, her touch both soothing and teasing. My body screamed for more, but I forced myself to stay still, to let her lead.

She shifted, her body pressing against mine, and I couldn't hold back. I reached for her, my hands tangling in her hair as I pulled her lips to mine.

I hadn’t planned on kissing her. That had felt more intimate than what we both had agreed this was. But I couldn’t stop myself.

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