Page 32 of Come Out & Prey

“Perfect?” I ask, looking around in puzzlement. “Perfect for what? Hanging out while they clean up the puke?”

A disbelieving snort escapes him and something uneasy settles in my gut. “To fuck. Duh.”

“To... fuck?” I know I sound like a parrot, but after the bus and the scene inside, I’d kind of given up on the idea of losing my virginity on prom night. I didn’t tell Todd about my change of plans, true, but when would I have had a chance? He’s been drunk since before they picked me up, and after we got here, he spent his time clowning around with his boys. We haven’t been alone for more than a few minutes all night.

Until now.

“Yeah. I mean, we’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” When I don’t answer, he steps closer, taking my hands in his and squeezes. “I want to make love, baby.”

I press my lips together, looking up at him. His expression is contrite, but something about this doesn’t feel right. His soft brown eyes gaze into mine hopefully, but the uneasy feeling in my gut won’t go away. “I do, too, Todd. I’ve wanted to for solong. Tonight has been a disaster—would it really be so bad to wait another day or two?”

His eyes darken, and I pull my hands out of his, taking a step back. A slow smile spreads over his countenance, and he edges closer to me again. Hands grip my shoulders firmly, and he leans in, whispering in my ear, “Baby, you make me so hard. I’ve been waiting for you so we can let our animals loose and getwild.”

This is what I’ve wanted; it’s what I planned for. The circumstances may be a little off tonight, but Todd’s been more than patient. He waited when I first asked him to, and he’s behaved like a gentleman about it ever since. I’m not saying that gives him the right to expect me to do something, but it shows what kind of person he is.

So why does this suddenly feel so wrong?

It must be the stress of the evening. Tonight has been a rapid-fire series of events I couldn’t predict, much less control, and it has to be affecting my ability to see things clearly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be considering turning down my boyfriend of five years when he’s professing his love for me.

Todd must sense the shift in my resolve because he puts his hand on my cheek, leaning forward to kiss me. The familiar scent and feel of my boyfriend fills my senses, and I put my hands on his shoulders, kissing him back until I’m breathless. He gives me that sweet, love-struck grin again, and my insides squish. Todd may not be perfect, but he’s mine, and we are meant to be.

When we break apart, I push his tux jacket off of his shoulder, urging him to toss it aside. It goes flying, followed by his shirt, and suddenly, he’s naked from the waist up. He isn’t cut like the hot shifter professors, but he has broad shoulders and powerfularms. His muscles flex as he reaches up to brush a strand of hair off of my face.

“Turn, baby. I’ll help you with your zipper.”

The raspy tone of his voice makes my skin tingle, and I comply, closing my eyes when his hands work the hooks and zipper on the fancy gown. Slipping my arms out of the off-the-shoulder straps, I let the fabric slide down my body to the ground. It pools at my feet, and I instinctively put my hands over my breasts. I know we’ve been waiting for this for so long, but I’m feeling unsure and I don’t know why.

“Todd, I…”

His hands squeeze my shoulders, and I feel his breath on my neck as he moves closer. “Relax, DD, it’ll be over soon. Then you’ll change, and everything we’ve dreamed of will come true when our animals mate.”

I kick off the heels before I face him, my eyes wide as I take in his lanky frame. His lips curve up into a hungry expression and I shiver. Todd steps back again, undoing his belt and shedding his tux pants. My eyes track the skin as it’s revealed before stopping at his boxer briefs. I frown in confusion, wondering if I’m doing something wrong, because I’m not seeing anything that looks like what I’ve seen lately... including in this training arena.

Monsieur Growlvinchy assured me this was the perfect lingerie set for this dress, both in form and function. So what’s the problem?

Why does it seem like my boyfriend isn’t even a bit... excited?

“Do you....do you like my...” I pause, a flush creeping up my neck. This is all so painfully awkward, and he’s not doinganything to make me feel more secure. I lift my hands, spinning on the ball of my foot in a short pirouette. “Is this good?”

“Hell yeah, babe. It’s hot as fuck. My dick is like steel,” my boyfriend replies, yanking me against him. His mouth slants over mine, and I kiss him back, placing my arms around his neck.

I’m not sure I agree with the statement, but what do I really know? I mean, I watched those two hot guys get it on earlier in the week, and I saw the professor in the training ring, but seriously? It’s not possible that every pred has a dickthatbig. The one who fought in this ring looked like he could rip me in half. Maybe it skewed my expectations.

Yeah, that has to be it.

Todd’s hands skate over my breasts, tweaking my nipple hard through the sheer fabric of my strapless corset, and I wince. I’ve heard sometimes a little pain is sexy, but that felt like he was trying to remove a bolt. I squirm, hoping he’ll get the hint and move on to places more likely to feel good when he’s rough. At least, I hope it will. My barely there thong isn’t drenched by any stretch of imagination, and if he shoves those tiny baby fingers in now, it will not feel goodat all.

Maybe if I…

“Babe, touch me. Feel how crazy you make me.”

Okay. That’s a good idea. If I can get him worked up, he might return the favor, right?

Sliding my hands down his pecs, and over his abs, I frown. There’s something… like little scars along them. The answer dawns on me as I keep my eyes trained downward and move myhands to his hip bones. My boyfriend is as vain as my friends—he’s had ab implants!

The urge to giggle almost causes me to make this moment even more uncomfortable and I swallow hard, trying to avoid hurting his feelings. I can’t imagine why he’d want to do that rather than some crunches, especially at our age.

But this is my mate, and I’m going to have to get used to the eccentricities I find as we learn one another’s bodies. I wouldn’t want him judging me fornotgetting enhanced, so I can’t judge him for doing the opposite.

---