Page 38 of The Delta's Rogue
My lycan growls his approval in my mind, and my dick threatens to harden again from the subtle act of submission.
I smile, and she shivers as my lips tickle and tease her ear. “By letting me find you again.”
She jerks away from me, frowning. “But we don’t know how long it will be until then.”
“All the more reason for you to let me find you. Because the sooner I find you…”
“The sooner we can be together,” she finishes.
“Exactly.”
Her eyes turn glassy as they scan my face, and she nods, throat bobbing. She leans forward against my body again and buries her nose into my chest, brushing the skin exposed by my V-neck shirt. She hugs herself, knees curling up towards her stomach. Her eyes close as she fills her lungs with my scent, and I wrap my arm tight around her as I once again turn my attention to my work.
Sarina stretches in mylap, a sleepy groan escaping her, and I blink my eyes open, staring down at where she lies curled up against me, asleep. I sit up straighter, grunting through my grogginess and sluggishness, and reach for the mouse to wake up the computer screen and check the time.
“Shit.” I sigh, slump back against the ultra-comfortable chair, and rub my face to wipe the sleep away. “I wanted to be home for dinner tonight.”
Sarina rests her chin on my chest and gazes up at me with half-asleep eyes. “Why?” She stifles a yawn.
“It’s Christmas Eve.”
“Oh.” She pushes herself into a seated position, stretching sleepily. “I didn’t realize it was Christmas Eve. We don’t celebrate Christmas, so I don’t keep track of it.”
“I know it’s not normal for werewolves, but with us being so close to the human towns and relying so much on their tourism, we’re more aware of it. It’s more about being with our family and the spirit of giving to each other than anything else, though.”
“I’m sorry I made you miss dinner.”
I wave off her apology and settle my hands on her hips. “It’s fine. We don’t do anything special on Christmas Eve, but I have some gifts I need to wrap, and I like to be at home with my family.”
“When I’m with my family, we celebrate the winter solstice—the longest night of the year. We stay up and tell stories under the light of the moon and the stars, and we remember those who came before us.”
I stroke her sides as she speaks, imagining the picture she paints. “That sounds beautiful. And peaceful.”
A soft, serene smile graces her lips. “It is.”
“Where are your parents?” I ask.
“Far away.”
“That’s somehow simultaneously specific and vague.”
She huffs out a noise I think is supposed to be a laugh, but other than that she doesn’t respond.
“When will you see them again?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Whenever we’re done here, I guess.”
I tilt my head to the side. “How did you end up here?”
“We were doing some work for another pack. Helping them with…” She exhales, shaking her head. “Our intel led us here.”
“Your intel?”
She presses her lips together and glances down at her sleeve-covered hands, eyes closing for a moment before she lifts them to mine again. “I should let you get back to Crescent Lake,” she says, getting to her feet and grabbing her jeans from the floor.
I stand too, leaning over the desk as I shut down the computer, trying to ignore her abrupt change in subject. She pulls her pants on, then zips up my sweater, leaving it on as she picks up her own.
“Really?” I cross my arms and widen my stance.
