Page 23 of Desire Him

She shrugs, and even in the darkness, he can see the blush on her cheeks. “A little.”

He wants to see what she’s like in bed when she’s not drunk. He has a feeling he’ll enjoy it either way, but he still wants to know what she’s like when she’s sober.

He tends to be a one-night-stand kind of guy, but even now, he wants to go again. His cock hardens at the thought. He can’t imagine only sharing one night with her. If tonight was anything to go by, she’s too addicting for that.

“I meant what I said.”

“And what was that?” he asks, brushing a stray hair from her damp forehead.

She turns her head to stare at the ceiling as if what she’s going to say next is too much pressure to look him in the eyes while she utters it. “I do love you.”

His heart pangs. He wants so badly to say it back, but he can’t. He won’t say something he might regret later. And he refuses to hurt her this way by telling her things he isn’t ready to feel yet. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially someone like Val. “I know you do.”

She snuggles in close, and he wraps his arms around her. He doesn’t know when, but eventually, they fall asleep.

The next morning, Wayne wakes up with a start. He’s not in his bed, and that he is sure of. The smell – it’s familiar yet unfamiliar. It takes him a moment to remember what happened last night with Val. All of it comes crashing back to him, and he pops open his eyes to find her.

He’s alone. She’s not in bed beside him. Where the fuck is she?

He sits up and looks around. She’s literally nowhere. He can’t hear her inside the tiny house. He finds himself disappointed about that. Almost kind of used. He had plans to shower with her, to repeat last night. To touch her body while it was slick with the soap he would lather onto her, and then fuck her until she screams.

Last night, she had reinforced that she loved him. He remembers that the most . . . and that he couldn’t say it back because he didn’t feel it. Maybe he’s being too guarded? He’s never loved someone before. How is he supposed to know what it feels like?

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want her though. He wants every part of her, and waking up without her here feels like a slap to the face. yet he shakes it off. He’s never done the relationship thing. And he’s not ready to commit. He’s snuck off before too, however, he’s never done it in his own house.

Getting up, he gets dressed quickly. Hell if she’s going to get away from him that easily. Once he’s dressed and has his coat and shoes on, he exits her house and decides right then and there that he’s going to hunt her ass down.

He doesn’t find her at his house, so he goes to check out the alphas’ house. He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds her outside, talking with Eme and Logan, but his relief quickly falls into a frown when he realizes they’re by a running car. Logan’s running car, to be exact.

“What’s going on?” Wayne asks Logan when he approaches.

“The girls want to go shopping,” he says, opening his side of the car as the girls enter the front and back seats. Val doesn’t even look at him. Does she regret last night? Or is she still shy about it?

“Where?” he asks, glancing away from Val and looking sternly at Logan.

“The city.”

Wayne clenches his teeth. “That’s not a good idea, and you know it.”

Logan braces his hand on the top of the car’s door. “It’ll be fine, Wayne. They have me. Besides, you and Draven need to start your search anyway. More shifters in the city will be a good idea for that.”

“Logan . . .”

“What?”

“You shouldn’t bring them there. I have a bad feeling about it.”

He pats Wayne’s shoulder and takes a seat on the driver’s side. “We’ll be fine. Get Draven and Becca, and head there yourselves. I want a report by the end of the day on what you find.”

With that, he shuts the door. Wayne curls his fingers into fists by his sides as they back out of the parking spot and begin heading out of the territory. He has such a bad feeling about this, but his alpha gave him orders. He can’t disobey them, nor is it his place to question them.

With a heavy exhale, he goes to find Draven. The sooner they’re in the city, the better. If something goes wrong, they’ll be right there.