Hayden peels off his clothes as he walks towards the bedroom area. I have a hard time looking away, even though he’s completely naked. OK,becausehe’s completely naked. And he’s not just talking about changing clothes. He also shifts to his true Human Form, long hair cascading down his back as he rises beyond seven feet and widens considerably. That makes it even harder to look away.
“Much better,” he breathes, opening the armoire. “Have a seat. You want whiskey or something else? We’re well stocked.”
“Um, wine if you have it?” I say it as a question before clarifying, “White wine.”
“Plenty of wine,” he replies. “That’s about all my brother Storm drinks, unless it’s a whiskey day.”
I look away so I’m not staring but sneak a glance before his shirt covers his muscular physique.
“I hope he drinks water, too,” I say pointlessly as I walk towards the couch. “Hydration is super important.” What the hell am I talking about? Shut up, Ansley!
“Occasionally,” Hayden chuckles, his voice rumbling in his larger form.
Hayden fixes whiskey for himself and white wine for me. He brings the glasses and bottles over. He puts the bottles down first, then hands me my glass. Our fingers brush and it sends a spark through my entire body, like a fuse trying to set off another detonation in my lady parts. I squirm a little—again—while his back is turned but stop when he sits down in front of me.
“I can’t believe everything that happened today,” I hope my voice conveys my total wonder and confusion as I try to focus on anything except the heat inside me. I sip my wine and hold onto the glass. “Vampires… Daisy… And I’m not even human? It’s… it’s a lot.”
“You never felt like you were different? Like you didn’t belong?” Hayden rumbles, downing most of his whiskey in a single gulp.
“Not really. School was always pretty easy for me, once I made it a priority. I still worked hard to get my grades, so I didn’t feel like I was different from any other overachiever,” I sigh, sipping more wine. “Other than that, my life has been pretty normal until the night I saw you at the bar. I felt something… I was about to come over and talk to you before you disappeared.”
“I was just looking for someone to keep my bed warm for the night,” he admits. “Without a mate, that has been the only way to dull the ache. Then I saw you. Well, I got your scent first. Sweet and intoxicating. But it didn’t take me long to figure outwhowas driving me and my wolf crazy.”
I blush a little and look down. “I have a scent?”
“Yes,” he says with a deep inhale. “Faint, but unmistakable. The closer we are, the stronger it is. Right now, it’s taking every bit of self-control I can muster to just sit here and talk to you.”
The heat radiates and I have to clench my inner muscles, even though he’s staring at me. “Because you want to…” I can’t finish my sentence.
“Drag you to my bed? Rip those clothes off? Make you beg for what we both know you want?” he chuckles.
“What if I’m not ready for that. I mean, I’ve never… I’m a…” I look up at him for a moment, but quickly look away and sip some more wine.
“You’re my mate,” he growls. “You were made for me. I don’t understand it, but I know it’s true. My instincts are never wrong. This is just the foreplay that started the first night I saw you.”
“Foreplay?” I nibble my bottom lip, squirm, and gulp the last of my wine. Hayden’s massive hand engulfs the bottle, and he refills my glass before I can protest. Not that I would. “Is that why you’re trying to get me drunk?”
“I’m just taking care of you. I can tell you’re nervous, despite how much you keep squirming,” he says. “My kind… we form a bond with our mates. You are my priority now, Ansley. You’llalways be my priority. I now live and breathe to love and protect you”
“Love me? How can you love me when you don’t even know me? And protect me from what? Vampires?” I ask, feeling a slight shudder as I remember the battle.
“It isn’t love how you know it. It’s deeper than that. Instinctual,” he answers, his face clearly telling me how serious he is about this. “I’ll protect you from everything, Ansley. There are much worse things out there than vampires though. The worst of them isn’t even other Scions. It’s humans. Humans that have been hunting Scions longer than I’ve been alive. They call themselves the Crimson Templars. They’re the reason there are no more she-wolves. Why my kind thought we were going to go extinct.”
“But not anymore? Because… because you think I’m you’re mate?” I ask my questions in an unintentional whisper.
“Not think. Know. Iknowyou’re my mate,” he replies forcefully. “And since you are, it means there’s still hope for my kind. What you are, exactly, doesn’t matter as much as that.”
“It’s a lot to take in. I feel something. I’m not sure if I would call it love, exactly, but there’s a connection that I can’t deny,” I admit, drinking more wine.
“There’s doubt only if you ignore your instincts,” he answers, finishing his whiskey and putting the glass down. “I’m going to take a shower. Then… well, then we’re done with the foreplay. You’re going to be mine. Tonight.”
I suck in a breath as he rises from the couch with a light grunt, his eyes locked on mine. I blush furiously and look away, but I feel the heat getting more intense. If instincts are guiding me, Ialready know what they’re saying: that I won’t be able to resist him. That I don’twantto resist him.
Hayden walks into the bathroom area and strips off his clothes. I sneak a peek once he’s in the shower, but the steam is already concealing most of his oversized frame.
Despite my reluctance, I’m already thinking about it. What it would be like to be his. To be naked in his enormous bed, just like I envisioned when I arrived. He can’t see me squirming out here, so I do so shamelessly, just to quell some of the ache.
Will he take me in his true Human Form, like he is now? Will it hurt? I can’t imagine itnothurting, considering his size. That would scare any girl, especially a virgin. Despite the concern, it doesn’ttrulyscare me. I’m not sure why.
