Chapter 53

THE HEAT

CASSIE

"I don't think we should sleep together," I whispered against his skin as his mouth latched onto a particularly sensitive spot on my neck, leaving tiny marks wherever he touched it. I heard him gasp.

"Why not?" he mumbled, moving up to nibble on my earlobe playfully.

"It's just too risky, and we already established that you're dangerous and unpredictable. I don't think we can trust each other enough to do this without having to protect ourselves." It was partly true, I supposed. In truth, I had no idea whether Eric would betray me in the end. All I knew was that he would be an excellent partner, an ally, if only we could get to know each other better.

We went into the silence that filled the air. Eric was silent for a minute, and then sighed in response.

"Why?" he questioned softly, pulling away from my neck and lifting his head to look into my eyes.

I shrugged. "Because I am scared that if something does happen, you might hate me when you wake up and realize that you slept with me for protection." I felt him frown as he pulled away from me completely. He looked amused and I tried not to look too guilty. It was a fair assumption, I guess, but he deserved to know I at least made a conscious effort to stop.

"What makes you think you're going to get in trouble for that?" He asked in a tease. I stared back, shocked at his response. I didn't mean anything bad by it - he was right. No one would blame anyone for sex. I just didn't want him to hate me once he woke up and realized what I was.

I hesitated, "it would make things awkward between us, Eric." I tried explaining.

"What if we both want different things? What if you can't decide what you want? I can understand why you don't want to do it, but please don't try to protect me when I can see it in your eyes you want this too. We are in this together, right?" He was talking fast, clearly trying to come across the way I wanted him to, but he sounded desperate like I was.

However, the words were comforting, I suppose, but I knew I could never really believe him until I actually witnessed it in action. Until I saw how determined he is to make sure that everything would turn out okay. I knew I was being selfish, but at that moment, I didn't care. The way he cared about me was enough to make my heart melt and my heart ache. I wanted him to stay with me. I needed him to stay with me. And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what I would get, but it felt like such a big gamble.

He planted another searing kiss on my mouth. The kiss lingered between us before I pushed myself back, breaking it off. Eric followed after me and leaned down, capturing my lips again. He held onto my upper arm as he kissed me, and I reached up my hand to run it gently through his hair. He moaned against my lips and pushed further into me, bringing one hand down to caress my thigh, his thumb brushing up and down the fabric of my jeans. I felt my knees weaken beneath me and I had to steady myself on my toes.

He broke apart suddenly, panting heavily. He grinned devilishly at me, causing me to laugh and push him lightly in the chest. He captured my lips with his. I moaned slightly into the kiss, and he took it as a sign. He pulled back slightly, his eyes glinting playfully at me.

I blushed, and he laughed lightly. His fingers found their way under the hem of my T-shirt, and I bit my lip anxiously. "Do you feel that?" he whispered huskily, tracing my collarbone with his thumb.

I nodded slowly. I didn't know what he meant exactly, but I trusted him enough to know where he was going. He slid his other hand underneath my shirt and rested his palm flat against the bare skin of my abdomen. He ran his fingers up along my ribcage and traced my collarbone lightly. I shivered as his fingers pressed against my collarbone lightly, his fingertips lightly grazing my skin.

"You feel so nice," he whispered and kissed me again. His fingers traced my ribs as he moved them up, coming to rest against my stomach. I closed my eyes and exhaled, the warmth spreading across my stomach, making me shudder. My hand came up to grip his bicep as I felt my breath catch.

His thumb moved up again and stroked along my inner thigh, stopping at the waistband of my boxers. My breath hitched in my throat, and he chuckled before he kissed me again. This time, however, he didn't stop there. Instead, he moved his hand higher and grabbed one of my legs. He squeezed my knee lightly and I gasped. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain, but it never came. He continued his assault on my lips and I groaned quietly, running my free hand over his bare chest, feeling his body heat under my palm. He smiled against my lips and pressed his hand up underneath my leg, grabbing onto my hip. I opened my eyes and gazed at him questioningly.

"You seem tense," he commented and laughed quietly.

"Sorry," I murmured and closed my eyes again, letting my body relax again.

His fingers trailed up my thigh, stopping just short of my briefs, and I gasped as they brushed against the soft skin at the top. He chuckled and continued his journey, moving his hands higher and higher. My mind raced as I struggled to keep a straight face. I bit my lip hard to try and hold in some sound but I couldn't help the moan escaping me. I felt his fingers brush against the elastic of my briefs and my breath caught.

"Is this where you tell me to stop?" I joked. His eyebrows rose in mock confusion as he chuckled.

"You want me to stop?" He asked, his smile turning mischievous. My cheeks heated up as he leaned in close so that his lips brushed against mine, barely grazing them. "Well, that'd have been kind of hypocritical since we were the ones kissing each other a second ago." I felt my heart flutter at his words. He always had a point, even if it meant making me feel guilty.

"Maybe, but I still wouldn't want you to stop because I'm afraid you'll think I chickened out. If there is something I can do to convince you, let me do it." I said, reaching for his face with both hands. My fingers tangled themselves in his hair and he sighed contently, melting under my touch.

"You're stuck with me now, Princess." He teased.

"I am a free bird,” I replied, leaning forward until our foreheads were touching. I kissed him slowly, savoring every detail of our first time together. Our noses bumped slightly, and he laughed. I smiled into the kiss. It felt so perfect, I couldn't imagine wanting more. Not with Eric.

As we continued kissing, he pulled apart and said, “Well, you are a free wolf.” His words were teasing and passionate.

At the same time. I could feel his erection pressing against my thigh, and I could sense he wanted me desperately too.

I moved my hands slowly upwards until I was grasping his sides. He groaned slightly as my hands moved toward the button of his jeans. We sashayed to his bed and plopped on it.

I smiled and leaned forward, my elbows resting on either side of his body. He lay beside me, gazing deeply into my eyes. “What do you think about us doing this every night?” he asked suddenly. “And whenever I want to,” he added quickly, as though he wasn’t sure I would say yes.

I smiled and laid a hand on his cheek. He smiled back, closing his eyes momentarily, before opening them again to meet mine. At the same time and I laughed.

“That sounds ridiculous.”

Eric shook his head, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. “Not at all. You are a beautiful creature who deserves nothing less than the best treatment. I will be the one to show you that.” His voice was serious now, and his eyes darkened slightly. I wondered if he was thinking of how much better I would taste if I was naked under him instead of my clothes.

“Good,” I breathed. I kissed him again, this time longer. I pulled away slowly, looking up at him. He smirked down at me, his eyes darkening even more as his expression changed, but I also think Eric is a sweet talker, and he’d probably go back to calling me an idiot and a hothead once the entire fiasco was over

“We should start practicing then.” His lips were inches from mine again and I swallowed nervously.