One of the reasons I became the Phantom. I was tired of lying in my bed, begging for sleep and gaining none, terrified of the terrors I’d receive once I closed my eyes. My dreams were full of images of my father’s death. I had to get up and do something to stop them.
I was keenly aware of Emma pressing her nose into my shirt, to inhale my scent. “There’s nothing quite like watching the sun come up after a long night with no sleep, is there?”
“No. Nothing.”
I pulled her up from her seat. “We’ve been up here long enough. Come. Now it’s really time for bed.”
Emma obediently followed, and the weight of our former conversation pressed in around us. As we reached my door, she turned toward me.
“I don’t want to sleep alone tonight,” she said. “I want to be with you.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Girls aren’t permitted in boys’ dormitories after dark,onawilke.”
“I’ve never been very good at following the rules,” she cooed, and she batted her eyelashes.
I swallowed. She was mischievous, and had a plan. She was totally up to something. “Well... I’m not one to refuse a lady.”
Emma entered my room. My heart swelled just as it thudded in anticipation. As the lock clicked shut behind her, I had a momentary thrill. She looked me up and down— without words, she pulled off her sweater and her shirt, tossing them to the side, before kicking off her skirt and yanking off her socks and shoes.
My cheeks became heated, and she shrugged. “What? I’m not sleeping in day clothes.”
“I could get you nightclothes from your room,” I offered, but I choked on the last bit of my sentence, because Emma had unfastened her bra and tossed it off. My gaze was entranced by the sight of her breasts— that is, until she grabbed the waistband of her panties and yanked those off, too.
Emma was bare. I’d never had a girl naked in my room before. My wolf was going nuts. Her body was perfect, every curve sculpted as if by the gods. I immediately got an erection that was so hard, it was almost painful. Emma turned in place as if showing off for me, allowing her red hair to cascade over her shoulders.
There were faint marks on her stomach and hips from her infusions. Emma’s gaze was hesitant, self-conscious about them. To me, they were an afterthought. I was too busy taking in the sight of her perfect breasts, perfect ass, perfecteverything. I could smell her lust and desire from across the room. I gave a low groan that, had I been a wolven, would’ve turned into a whine.
“Do you like what you see?” Emma purred. She came close to me. I reached out and pressed her close against me.
“Do I.” I graced a kiss to her lips. Having her tongue in my mouth was like drinking the finest wine. It made me drunk. Deliriously, I kissed her, growing more intoxicated by her scent by the second.
My hands wandered downward to touch between her legs, but she ended the kiss before I did, and whispered, “Your turn.”
My dick lost a few inches, and I gasped, “What?”
“I’ve shown everything to you,” she said. “I’ve let you see me bare, but more than that, you’ve seen me with my needles in, infusing medicine in a position that makes me feel vulnerable and scared... but with you, I don’t feel that fear anymore. You know about my disease, my greatest fears, my biggest dreams. I’m not pressuring you whatsoever. We don’t have to go through with anything tonight, but right now, I’m asking you to be vulnerable, too. If you can’t, that’s okay. Just say the word and we’ll stop. But I want to start working on breaking down the walls between us, and this might be a good place to begin.”
So she could feel the distance, too. A wave of nervousness ran through me. How could I tell her no? I wanted to expose everything to her, like she’d done me.
But a part of me feared she’d be disgusted with me once she saw the parts I had missing. And if I was honest, those missing parts weren’t just things you could see. My lost leg barely scraped the surface of all the things I had buried within— things I didn’t want to let out. There was a darkness in me I rarely showed to myself, let alone anyone else.
But what else was a mate for, if not to see you as you were, and to accept you unconditionally?
She sensed my hesitation. “I just want you to let me in,” she said. “You don’t have to, but I’d like it to be tonight. We can’t avoid it forever.”
My voice sounded horribly weak as I said, “My leg—”
“I don’t care that you don’t have a leg. I want to seeyou,” she said firmly. “I love you for the person you are, not what you’re hiding underneath. And seeing how sweet and protective you’ve been ever since I was attacked... it’s shown me how much you really care. I don’t want to keep holding things back. I want to expose everything.”
I swallowed. A lump had grown in my throat. She’d convinced me... but that didn’t make this any less frightening. I’d rather face down a hundred monsters than do this, but it was necessary.
Emma was right. I couldn’t keep hiding the pieces of myself away forever.
I started with my shirt and jacket. I slipped that off, before I pulled off my tie and threw that to the floor. She watched me hungrily, eyes observing with patience.
My fingers paused at the button of my pants. I looked up. She didn’t say anything, just waited for me to go on.
I pulled them off. I avoided her gaze, but I feared her eyes were on my prosthetic. I chanced a look up— her eyes weren’t locked on that, but on the growing bulge in my boxers.
