Page 10 of Hexmate

There, filling the entire doorframe with his imposing presence, stood Atlas Faolan. His dark hair was slightly damp, as if he’d just showered, and he was wearing a tight black t-shirt that clung to his muscular frame. His golden eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my heart race.

“Sorry to bother you,” Atlas said, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine. “Can we talk, Caden?”

I stood there, frozen in shock for a moment before Wild’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Ooh, a gentleman caller,” he called back to me. “Do you need a chaperone, Caden? To preserve your honor, of course.”

I felt my face flush with embarrassment. “Shut up, Wild,” I hissed pushing myself up from the bed and jogging over to Atlas. “Um, sure. Let’s... let’s go for a walk.”

Atlas nodded, stepping back to allow me into the hallway. As I closed the door behind me, I caught a glimpse of Wild’s gleeful expression and knew I’d be in for a thorough interrogation later.

We walked in silence down the empty corridor, our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The air felt thick with tension, and I found myself stealing glances at Atlas out of the corner of my eye. My heart was pounding, and I swore I could feel the heat rolling off him. We stopped at the end of the hall, silently turning toward one another.

“Sorry to bug you. I just… uh… forgot I had a morning practice tomorrow that I didn’t tell you about,” he said, his golden eyes darting between my own.

“Oh.” I replied, trying my best not to sound disappointed. “We can cancel the coffee. That’s fine.”

“No!” His hand shot out, grabbing my arm. He glanced down, as if he surprised himself. “I don’t want to cancel. I just need to bump it back is all.”

“You don’t have to do this, Atlas.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or myself. “Really. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I want to have coffee with you,” he growled. I swore I could see his hackles rise although he was in human form. “And I’ll buy you lunch. What do you say?”

I glanced down at his fingers still wrapped around my bicep. His hands were huge and the point of contact between us was nothing but electricity making my entire body shiver. Usually, it was only Wild giving me playful hugs here and there. But this… there was real heat behind it, which was something I was desperately unaccustomed to.

“I-If you insist,” I said at last, my voice shaking. “Then yeah. That’s fine.”

Atlas’s grip on my arm loosened, but he didn’t let go entirely. His thumb brushed lightly over my skin, sending tingles up my spine.

“Good,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Meet me at the campus coffee shop at noon. I’ll meet you when I’m done with practice.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Atlas’s eyes roamed over my face, lingering on my lips for a moment before he stepped back, breaking contact.

“I should go,” he said, running a hand through his damp hair. “But Caden... thank you again for earlier. I owe you at lot more than just coffee.”

Before I could respond, he turned and strode down the hallway, his muscular form disappearing around the corner. I stood there for a moment, my heart racing, trying to process what had just happened.

When I finally returned to my room, Wild was perched on the edge of his bed, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Well?” he demanded as soon as I walked in. “Spill! What did tall, dark, and furry want?”

I sank onto my bed, still feeling dazed. “He... asked me to have lunch with him instead of just coffee.”

“Yep,” Wild nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

I turned to him, one eyebrow lifted. “What thought is that?”

Wild got up from his bed, came over to mine, and leaned close to my face, his bright green eyes glowing.

“That werewolf,” he whispered, nodding toward the door. “He wants to fuck you.”

I just rolled my eyes, pushing him away. “Go to bed, Wild. Leave me out of your horny fantasies.”

“I’m right,” he said coolly, plopping down on his own mattress once more and lacing his fingers behind his head. “Fuzzbutt wants to bang you. And when you find out I’m right, I expect a full apology.”

“Whatever.”

But, as I rolled over on my bed to face the wall, my heart was beating a million miles a minute. I secretly hoped that Wild was right even though I knew it wasn’t possible. But reality could wait until morning. For now, I could escape into my dreams where I was allowed to be anything I wanted.

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