"Oh yeah, big time," Kade said. His eyes grew wide, and she laughed.
"Why didn't she just call me?"
"Because she said she'd bugged you enough," Bastien said.
"But that's my job."
"Exactly what I said!" Mars said, throwing up his hands.
"You guys, go on and get out of here. Tell her things look great and we're ahead of schedule. All she has to worry about is beautifying herself and relaxing." She pointed toward the exit on the opposite side of the wall.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Mars muttered, leaning in to give her a brief hug. "Thank you, Rivka. I'm off to relax in my room for a bit."
"I'm following suit," Kade said, giving a nod before he turned on his heels to walk away with Mars. Could they be more obvious?
"Not subtle, are they?" Rivka asked.
"Never." Bastien rolled his eyes. She snickered, and his eyes lit up, the brown becoming amber.
"I love it when you laugh."
"Thank you." She looked down, unable to handle the intensity of his stare. Every day he made remaining distant a little harder. Her chest grew heavy, and something tightened low in her belly. Her heartbeat doubled, and her nostrils flared as his scent filled the air, making her mouth water and her panties damp.
"You keep this up, and I'll be dragging you out of here caveman style."
"It's not like I can help it." The thought of being carried over his shoulder, whisked off, and passionately taken only made her purr.
His lids lowered, and his eyes darted from side to side.
"You reek of The Wanting. If we don’t settle this it'll be damn distracting." His fist clenched at his side. "All those Shar men wondering if you're their mate." His voice dropped an octave, and his eyes darkened with anger.
"Hey, it's okay."
"No. We've played this thing your way for long enough. After tonight we need to come out into the open … before someone gets hurt. We need to step out for a moment.”
"I can't just leave. I'm in the middle of—"
"Now." His clipped tone ended her protest. Rivka nodded her head and followed him from the room. Where are we going? What's he going to do when we get there? A heartbeat echoed as blood filled her ears and the tension set her on edge, all of her senses honed and working overtime as they prepared, for what she didn't know. He led her down a maze of hallways and up a flight of stairs. They stopped in front of a large wooden door. He pushed it open and pulled her inside.
"This is my room." He was soft-spoken, but the tone told her he was barely keeping his cool. There was a reason people went into hiding after The Wanting began. It was like menopause and puberty rolled in a ball, times a million. Possessiveness was a given, and Bastien was a very dangerous man. They stepped inside. Bastien lifted her into his arms and pinned her against the wall. His upper body pressed her into the door, and she took a shaky breath.
"We seem to find ourselves in this position a lot."
"I need to be inside, where you're hot, tight, and nothing else matters. Because despite what your mind tells you and your words say, your body knows it's mine. The same way mine knows I am yours. This half life we've been living has me on the edge." His breath caressed her face and blew wisps of her hair around. His words were laced with so much longing and pain a tiny crack in the armor around her heart appeared. He rubbed his length against her.
"See what you do to me. Just the thought of you. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I struggle every day not to rip my men's heads off in training." His hands shook as he cupped her face. "I don't need instant love, that would be a lie, but I need a chance to prove myself and be responsible for more than your orgasm." He leaned in and caressed her lips with his. "Can you give me that?"
"Yes," she whispered. A brilliant smile lit his face, and the air around them seemed lighter. A part of her protested the give. I'm giving in too easily, too soon! What good does waiting do anyone? You haven't declared your eternal love. Her mixed emotions continued to battle one another. The back and forth began to make her head ache.
"Don't think. I know we don't have that much time, but the least I can do is take the edge off." His large hand slid inside her pants and into her underwear. "You're always so wet for me." He caressed her swollen clit, and she shivered. "Do you like that?"
"Yes." She whimpered, closing her eyes. Her head hit the door behind her with a loud thud as she gave herself over to his dexterous fingers.
He made circular motions, pausing to slip into her channel for a few teasing strokes before he returned to her sensitive nub in tandem. She dug her fingernails into his biceps.
"That's it, come apart for me." His voice was a velvet caress, and her body shook in response. The tension in her body reached a breaking point.
"Oh! I'm close."