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"No!" I blurt out aloud.
"No?" Dominic raises an eyebrow at me.
I can feel my cheeks turning bright red. I'm not sure what to say to backtrack now that he's heard me say the word aloud. He sits up a little straighter in the bed, the blankets dropping to his waist so his entire upper body is exposed to me.
"You weren't talking to me, were you?" he asks, smirking. "What's your wolf saying, Tess?"
"Nothing," I mutter.
I grab the edge of the duvet and jerk it up so I can climb into the bed with my back facing him, leaving the sheet down so that there's at least one thin layer left between the two of us. It's almost impossible to get comfortable on the very edge of the bed, but I'm careful not to get any closer to Dominic than necessary.
"Maybe you should listen to your wolf; I'll bet it would help loosen you up," Dominic taunts.
I tense at how similar his words are to hers. Of course the two of them are on the same page. Have I mentioned lately that my wolf is a complete traitor?
"Maybe you should shut the hell up and let me sleep," I mumble.
Dominic chuckles as he shifts on the bed, the bedside light turning off a moment later and thrusting us into almost pure darkness. The only light left is the moonlight that streams in through the French doors. I stare out, idly wondering when Dominic managed to get the broken glass fixed.
He's good at that—fixing things. Even when the situation doesn't call for fixing.
* * *
"Wake up, Tess." A knee nudges my calf, startling me awake.
I turn over on instinct, only to come face-to-face with Dominic, our mouths mere inches apart. I freeze, staring at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression that makes him chuckle. Glad to see how often he's willing to ditch his grumpy attitude in order to laugh at my expense.
He runs his thumb over my bottom lip when I frown at him.
"Stop touching me." My frown deepens.
He tilts his head up and blows out a long sigh. "And here I thought you might wake up sweet, seeing as how you feel all warm and pliable in the morning."
He runs his hand up my side, thumb grazing the edge of my breast since I've got no bra on. It takes my sleepy brain too long to realize his hand is under my shirt. I jerk away from him so hard that I find myself on my ass on the floor next to the bed. I scowl as he leans over the side of the bed to look at me, laughing at me more openly.
"I didn't give you permission to touch me," I tell him haughtily. Tossing my hair as if I have any dignity left to stand on. I pull at the hem of the t-shirt to at least make sure I'm covered.
"Watch yourself, little wolf. I could solve a lot of problems for myself if I just marked you right here and now—and we both know I wouldn't need your permission to do that." He looks so serious that I blanch.
Sure, it happens occasionally, but marking an uninterested woman is still generally considered bad form. And marking a woman you've already rejected? Unheard of. Still, I'm not sure I really want to call Dominic's bluff.
"It's too early to argue. Why are you waking me up at the crack of dawn?" The sun barely peeks through the trees.
Dominic moves to sit at the edge of the bed and offers me a hand up. I should know better than to take it because when I do, he pulls me in between his legs. His grip tightens so I can't pull away from him.
"I need to get up and go to work. You're coming with me."
"No, I'm not," I tell him. The last thing I want is him dragging me along beside him all day long and acting as if that's him doing me a favor. I'm better off left to my own devices in his bedroom. At least Eloise might visit again—maybe I can garner enough sympathy to convince her to bring me a book or two.
"I didn't ask." Dominic puts a hand behind my neck and pulls my face closer. I panic, thinking he's going to kiss me, but he stops short of that.
"What do you want from me?" I ask suspiciously. I can't imagine why he would even want to be stuck with me all day. I think by now it's obvious I can't find my way out of the pack house. Even Eloise was only willing to take me as far as the gym.
"I want you to get dressed. Otherwise, you've got five minutes before I get tired of waiting and dress you myself." His eyes skim down over the silhouette of his shirt, his gaze so intent that I'm almost worried he can see right through it.
I glance down at myself… Nope, still covered.
"Five minutes, Tess," he repeats before releasing me.
