Page 23 of Fat Enemy Mate

“I’m not carrying anything,” I tell her, “it’s just how it is and why they’re used to me doing things on my own.”

She looks back at the fire, and I’m not sure if she’s thinking about her own situation with the rogues or the flash of insight, I just dumped on her about my own life. Feeling uncomfortable, I turn to the cabinets and start pulling the pans out for dinner.

“You’re a hypocrite, you know.” She says after a moment.

I pause, turning to look at her. “How so?” I ask.

“You’ve been telling me I’m not going to make it on my own,” she replies. “You tell me to stay in this cabin and trust you, but it doesn’t sound like you trust anyone. You’ve told me your pack are good people, and I can trust them, but why should I trust them if you don’t?”

“That isn’t the same thing…” I start, but she cuts me off.

“Why not?” She asks, her voice rising.

She stands up and starts pacing, and I realize this is probably weeks of stress and frustration coming out because she looks a combination of scared and pissed off all at once. “It’s not the same because you’re human, you’re more vulnerable,” I say, and realize that was a mistake as she whirls around on me.

“Are you kidding me?” She snaps, “I didn’t ask you to bring me here.”

“You would have died if I didn’t,” I say quietly, and I know she knows it’s true because it takes the wind out of her sails a bit. “I won’t apologize for doing the right thing. So, sit down.”

She doesn’t sit down. She hesitates for a moment, a war of emotions crossing her face before she walks toward me, and I realize what she’s going to do about half a second before she does it.

Her hand goes to the front of my shirt, and she reaches on her tiptoes to kiss me, the length of her body pressed against mine. The moment her lips touch mine, my wolf surges, more than happy to take what he’s been wanting.

I feel her tremble against me, and I anchor my hand on her waist to steady her. I find her t-shirt has ridden up, and I groan as my hand sweeps along bare, soft skin, hungry for more. I pull her in, and she lets me. The soft fit of her against the front of my body makes me realize just how much I wanted this, how right it feels.

I drag my mouth off hers just a fraction. “Lara,” I say to her low, “don’t start something you don’t want to finish.”

She doesn’t reply, not with words; she just tangles her fingers in my shirt and pulls me down, kissing me again. I don’t hold back this time. I kiss her the way I’ve been wanting to since the last time my hands were on her body, and she makes a small sound that only drags me in further.

I move us, spinning her so it’s her back against the wall by the kitchen door. She arches into me, and I drop my mouth to her throat where her pulse is racing beneath the skin. She’s the one who reaches for the buttons on my shirt, the buttons coming away as her fingers slide against my skin. I know I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer, and it will take more than splitting logs in the snow to cool me off now.

“Lara,” I tell her, my voice gone so rough I barely recognize it. “If you don’t want this, you need to tell me now, I…”

“I want this,” she cuts me off.

“You’re sure?” I ask again, my fingers hesitating at the hem of her t-shirt.

She nods, and that’s all I need; I hoist her up into my arms and head for the bedroom.

Chapter 12 - Lara

I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

That’s the only coherent thought in my head as he carries me down the hall—that I can’t believe what I’m doing, but I’m still doing it anyway. Wilf’s mouth is on my throat, his hands are everywhere, and his shirt is hanging open as he carries me. The heat coming off his chest, where I’m holding onto him, is the kind of hot I’ve never experienced in my life. My back suddenly hits the wall by the bedroom door, and he kisses, completely taking my breath away.

I should be afraid, but I’m not. That’s the bit I can’t make sense of, and I don’t have time to even process that, because his teeth are trailing a line along my jaw and his hand is sliding up the back of my t-shirt. My body is responding to his every touch and making decisions all on its own that I never thought I’d sign off on.

He pushes the door open with his shoulder and carries me in. I had expected him to throw me down on the bed, but he gently slides me down so my feet hit the floor, and he looks down at me, his eyes pure gold.

“Lara,” he says, voice rougher than I was expecting. “Say no now if you want, and I’ll leave.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” I reply immediately, almost surprised at my own conviction.

The gold in his eyes shifts and swirls, and I feel the presence of his wolf, which should put me off, but seems to have the opposite effect as I reach for him again. His hands slide under the hem of my shirt, and he draws it up and over my head in one motion, the cool air hitting my skin but not cooling medown. He steps back and looks at me in my old, plain bra and the rolled-up sweats.

“You’re beautiful,” he tells me.

“Don’t,” I say.