Chapter 51

Serena's POV

Caiden’s lips curled up even more, his voice dropping into a husky murmur.

"Better?"

I blinked, still caught in the molten heat of his gaze—then, suddenly, he pinched my nipple. A sharp jolt of pleasure and shock shot through me, making me realize something mortifying.

I had forgotten to wear a bra.

And I was only in a thin camisole.

A breathy sound—half gasp, half moan—escaped my lips before I slapped his hand away, my heart pounding wildly. My fingers trembled slightly as I grabbed the handkerchief from him, turning my head sharply to the side while wiping at my shirt with more force than necessary.

The heat creeping up my neck had nothing to do with the sun.

“You’re obliged to feel this way,” my wolf, Anna, purred inside my head. “You’re connected to him fatedly, after all.”

Anna, shut up. Not now.

"You're acting like you've never been this close to a hot guy before," Caiden teased, his tone laced with amusement.

I bit my lower lip, squeezing my eyes shut for a second before snapping my head back toward him.

Lifting my chin defiantly, I scoffed. "You think too highly of yourself. I've met guys way hotter than you, believe that."

Caiden chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about how you're reacting."

"I'm just being me."

"No," he countered smoothly. "You're acting tense."

"How?"

He stepped forward. Instinctively, I moved back.

His grin widened. "That."

"What?"

"Look at how you're acting," he said, his eyes dancing with mischief.

"I'm not acting any way!" I huffed, aggressively rubbing at the stain again, my annoyance rising in sync with the warmth spreading through my body.

"Serena," Caiden said suddenly, his voice dipping slightly as he watched me. "You’re acting more like you’ve never felt a guy’s touch before."

I froze.

My grip on the handkerchief tightened.

His gaze sharpened as if he had just stumbled upon something unexpected.

"Wait… you really haven't had a guy touch you romantically?"

I swallowed. My throat felt thick.

Caiden’s eyes widened a fraction. "Hold on—" His voice trailed off before he exhaled sharply, as if realization had hit him. "Are you really a virgin?"

I dropped my gaze, biting my lip in pure, mortifying cringe.

For a long second, there was silence.

Then, when I finally dared to look up at him, I thought I saw disappointment flash in his expression. My stomach twisted painfully. Was he—was he disappointed in me?

I was twenty-two. In a world where sexy, confident men practically hover around at me daily, I hadn’t even had a fling. Not once.

I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

But when he finally spoke, his voice was unexpectedly soft. "I’m sorry."

I blinked. "What?"

Caiden sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "I never believed you were a virgin. But now that I think about it… I understand why you seemed so upset with us that night we all spoke."

I stared at him. Right.

Then, his lips twitched into a grin. "Wow. A virgin is interesting."

I scowled instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

Caiden opened his mouth, then shut it, his brows furrowing. "No, I—I didn’t mean it in a weird way," he stuttered before squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "I’m just… wondering how you managed to keep it all these years."

I crossed my arms, studying him. Honestly, I had never given my virginity much thought. It just was. No one had ever intrigued me in that way.

“Because the Moon Goddess was preserving you to have three gorgeous men,” Anna howled in delight inside my head.

I rolled my eyes at my wolf’s dramatics and shrugged.

Caiden tilted his head. "Was it that no one caught your fantasies?"

I hesitated.

Everly had thought it was weird, too. She had even tried setting me up with guys, but I had always felt… nothing. I had started thinking something was wrong with me.

But then there was that dream.

That wet dream that had left me hot and aching, the dream that had set a fire inside me I didn’t know I had. Since then, I hadn’t been able to shake this unfamiliar, burning restlessness.

Caiden smirked knowingly. "I’ll take that as a yes."

Before I could snap back, he leaned in closer, his breath warm against my skin.

"But what do you think about me?" he murmured, his golden eyes locking onto mine.

I looked at him, feigning innocence. "What about you?"

He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his amber eyes.

But before I could even think to move, he stepped closer. And closer. Until my back met the cold, unyielding wall.

The air shifted. The space between us shrank. The space, which had seemed so open before, now felt dangerously confined.

"You know what I mean," he murmured, eyes trailing over my face.

I shook my head, willing my pulse to steady.

He smirked. "You're lying." His gaze darkened, locking onto mine like a predator to its prey. "Your eyes tell me you know a lot of things."

"Like?"

"You tell me."

His breath ghosted over my lips as he leaned in. "Don't you want me to make you feel good now?"

"What?" My voice came out breathless.

"I want to blow your mind away," he said, low and deliberate. "We can call it a test run."

"A… test run?"

"Yes." His fingers found my arm, tracing slow, heated circles over my skin. "Then you can know what you truly want… or what your fantasies really are."

"Caiden, no..." I trailed off as his touch traveled higher, skimming over my collarbone, making my breath hitch. Then he reached my neck, his fingers grazing the sensitive spot beneath my jaw.

His other hand found my thigh, gripping firmly before pulling it up. A shocked gasp left my lips as my leg wrapped around him, locking us even closer together.

Then he leaned into my ear, his voice dripping with sinful promise.

"I could have you trembling in minutes."

"Every sound you make, Serena, will be because of me."

"And trust me, you’ll beg for more before I’m even done."