I put my left foot down and cry out at the pain that radiates up my leg, I’m suddenly being lifted into Amias’s arms and he takes me into a room that has a row of benches and lockers. There’s another room attached with a door locked up with a key code keeping
us out.
He asks what happened as he slides my trainer and sock off, I try to answer but my teeth are starting to chatter. I’m so cold.
“Is your underwear decent?”
What the fudge sticks, who asks that? I’m not answering that, it’s absurd.
“If you take your top and shorts off will I see more than you’re willing to share?” He has a gruff tone to his voice, but his eyes are filled with concern, so I’m trying not to read too much into it.
Nope, not answering I’m just going to sit here stubbornly and bloody well freeze to death.
“Screw it, hate me if you want but I can’t leave you like this,” he says as he goes over to the door with the keypad on it and enters the code.
Why does he have the code and where does it lead? He picks me back up and leads me into the room with a hot tub, but this just raises more questions. We have one that we can use, so why is there one locked away out of sight?
He sets me on the edge before gripping the hem of my top and tearing it off me. I would have put up a fight, but the shaking is unbearable I just want to be warm. Next up, he leans me back and pulls off my shorts. I hiss as they hit my ankle but despite the chills, the look on his face makes me feel warm inside.
No, not going there. I’m a terrible person and they’ll all see that eventually. It’ll be easier to lose them as friends than as something more and I don’t think I can close myself off indefinitely. Nope after today, I’m laying down some ground rules. Number one, no more kissing or touching them!
“I know very little about first aid, but I need to get you warm. If this goes badly, I apologise in advance.”
He scoops me back up and lowers me into the water, I hiss almost instantly until the heat seeps into me and I can't help but moan in pleasure.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he doesn’t say it loudly but he echoes through the room and I look over at him and realise I wasn’t supposed to hear it.
I sink further into the water and pretty much yelp when he starts taking his jogging bottoms, trainers, hoodie and top off. He’s standing right in front of me, in nothing but his boxers, and he lowers himself into the water and my words run away from me.
“I need to take a look at that ankle,” he says as he seizes my foot and rests it upon his lap, so close to his groin.
“You needed to be naked for that?” I ask and I sound way too squeaky, he’s smirking at my obvious discomfort and I don’t like it.
“If I was naked, I’d be holding more than just your foot little cub.”
“Excuse me, one where do you get off, and two, where did you pull little cub out of?” Indignation is brimming in me and it’s reflected in my voice.
He ignores me as he prods at my ankle and my hisses sound throughout the room, until he lowers my ankle back down and stands up. Making his way over to me, until he’s kneeling on a seat beside me and leaning over to look me right in the eyes.
“I thought of it because everyone wants to protect you, thinking you need it. Sure, sometimes you do and other times you shock us all by getting your claws out and showing us just how ferocious you can be.” He looks proud, but he’s got this heat in his eyes that makes me want to squirm. “So yeah, you’re my little cub from now on, I don’t care if you don’t like it. As for what I said before, I’d only be naked with you if it was wanted. I don’t whip it out for just anyone, little cub.” His smile is self-assured and a little cocky.
My air whooshes out of me, mingling with his own as he leans in closer. Our mouths are only a hairsbreadth apart and it would be so easy to get rid of that distance, but I can’t. Can I?
“Stop thinking Henleigh.” He taps the side of my head with a smirk as his eyes fill with a dangerous heat. I don’t even trust myself to try and think right now, all my sense has washed away. His eyes are all I can think about, that and the way he keeps looking at my mouth. “Now I do have some questions for you, but I really want to taste you again. Tell me no and I’ll back off,” he says as his dark eyes stare right into me.
I open my mouth, I’m going to say no, I have to say no. Instead a ‘yes’ slips out and he wastes no time in capturing my mouth and exploring every inch of it with his tongue. His fingers are splayed across my ribs, brushing up against the bottom of my bra. He’s not trying to move higher and I’m glad of that, I want him to touch me, but I can’t go that far with him.
My fingers are tangled in his hair and I love the moans he makes as I tug on it, I can also feel how hard he is as he’s now pressing against my hip and it’s causing some very naughty thoughts.
I need stop this, before I forget why I have to. So, I break the kiss and lean my head on his shoulder.
“I don’t like what you’re doing to me,” he says softly, as his hands run down my back.
“I’m right there with you,” I reply, as my throat clogs up with all the emotions running rampant through me.
“Look, you’ve only known us for a week so I’m not expecting you to feel like you have to choose or anything but, is there anything I need to know regarding Noah and or Elijah?” His jaw is ticking slightly as he asks this and I’m dreading his reaction when I tell him about the kiss.
“I’ve kissed Elijah as well; I regret it almost as much as I don’t regret it. I feel bad for kissing you both, but I know I’m not cut out for a relationship and it was nice to forget that for a few moments.” I sigh heavily and maybe even a little wistfully, as I try and prepare myself to explain about Noah. His Jaw is tight, and I don’t miss the way he flexes his hands. “As for Noah, there’s nothing between us but pushing aside how bad this is making me sound I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea.” My cheeks are burning and it’s mortifying confessing this to him.