Page 119 of Awakened
I pushed my hips forward, seeking some form of friction, and was rewarded when he slid his knee between mine. With his warm, thick thigh between my legs, I fought the urge to dry hump him like a horny teenager.
I gasped as his hand, cold from the frosty February air, crept up my ribs. Seth took advantage, biting and tugging my bottom lip, then soothing the sting with soft caresses of his tongue. He pushed my hair from my neck, trailing kisses to my ear. Nibbling my earlobe, his chest vibrated with a low growl. He kissed and nipped every square inch as he moved down my neck.
My breath came out in white puffs as I writhed under him. Despite our snowy surroundings, I was burning up with the desire to be skin-on-skin. The desperation was something completely new. I wasn’t sure if it was the danger we were in or my feelings for Seth, but I was dizzy with need.
My thighs squeezed around his as I shamelessly grinded against him. We weren’t close enough.
He tugged my hair, sending tingles through my scalp and making me whimper. Under my shirt, he palmed my breast, and I arched into him even more. His cock pressed against my stomach, making me squirm to feel more of him. There were too many clothes between us, too many barriers.
I freed my hands from his hair, grabbing the base of his neck to keep his mouth on my skin. I’d officiallylost it. I wanted to fuck him right there in the woods, only a couple hundred feet from other people.
Attempting to undo his belt with one hand, I stopped when Brandon shouted from somewhere near the cabin, “Les? Where are you? We need to get out of here!”
Seth and I froze. The haze of lust and adrenaline lifted, leaving us panting, sweaty messes.
He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, his heavy breathing warming my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Les. I shouldn’t have done that.” Pulling away, he untangled our limbs. “I just keep fucking up, don’t I?”
I kept my hands on his chest, not ready to break contact. “Hey, it takes two to maul in the woods like we just did. I fucked up too.”
He smiled weakly. “Yeah, but if I hadn’t fallen for all this mate bullshit, this wouldn’t be a fuckup. Me wanting you and touching you wouldn’t be wrong.” His hand cupped my cheek. “It’s been two years of me fucking up. I’m sorry, Les. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Cool. Another rejection for the books. Time to invest in that cabin in the middle of nowhere and a pack of dogs.
“I know. I’m sorry this happened,” I barely choked out. Why did I keep putting myself in these situations?
Seth gripped my chin. “Don’t misunderstand. This was wrong, but being with you will never be something I regret. I only regret jerking you around.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. I need to fix things. Become someone worthy of you. Right now, I’m a mess.” He kissed my forehead, gave me one last look, and then walked away.
I stood there, slumped against a tree, a rumpled, aroused heap of a woman. I wanted to blame the entire episode on all that had happened that week, but it was more than that.
If I was honest with myself, no one had made me feel anywhere half as much as Seth. Obviously, he was a walking disaster,and being with him was a no-go, but that didn’t mean I didn’t deserve to find that magic with another guy. A stable, non-mated guy.
Pushing off the tree, I rushed over to Brandon, relieved that he had made it back. He looked rough. There wasn’t an inch of visible skin that wasn’t scratched or bruised, but he was grinning. He didn’t notice my approach, so I tackled him from the side. We landed not so gracefully on the snowy ground.
“Damn it, Les! That’s no way to treat your injured baby brother.”
“Oh, shut it.” I nuzzled into his arm, breathing him in like I would never get the chance again. Waiting for his return the past few days had been torture. The only thing we had known was that he and Emily had made it out of the territory in one piece. Beyond that, we got nada.
“You’re squashing my arm. Get off me.” With a less-than-gentle push, he rolled away.
I landed on the cold ground, hard. Shooting eye daggers at Brandon’s big ass head, I got myself up.
When we were both standing, he pulled me into a real hug. “I was so worried about you. Leaving you here was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but we needed help. Everyone needed help.”
Leaning back, I looked at Brandon’s face. When had he become such a fucking adult?
“You did the right thing. You did what I would’ve done.”
His smile was blinding. “That means a lot coming from you. Thanks.”
Slapping his arm, I laughed. “Okay, enough hearts and rainbows. Let’s get our asses out of here.”
“Sounds good—” His nose wrinkled as he glanced between me and where Seth stood speaking with one of his pack mates. “You could use a shower. You stink.” Luckily, he left it there.
Over the course of an hour, we rounded up all the stragglers, divided them into three groups, and left in flights. We got off the property at daybreak without interference. The senseof relief some of the escapees felt wasn’t shared across the board. All the ranking wolves stood in a circle, speculating on what the Old Church Packs were up to. It was unsettling not having to battle our way out of the territory, just like our liberation of the women was too simple.
