Page 41 of Twisted Mates

“Sure,” I say, grabbing our food. “Get the blanket and spread it out so I can set our dinner back up.”

“Yes sir,” she says, and it’s an innocent turn of phrase, but itinstantlymakes my pants a little tighter.

We sit side by side on the tailgate and dig into our food. The gentle breeze rattling the leaves above helps calm my nerves. My body relaxes but it doesn’t mean I’m not aware of every movement she makes. I especially pay attention to the way her tongue darts out to lick the corner of her mouth. I’m starting to believe that everything this woman does turns me on.

No one has ever rattled me the way she does. That’s not to say that I haven’t had my fair share of encounters with beautiful women but none of them have captivated me. I find the conversation bland and the sex just mildly satisfying. Yet Alexia has my undivided attention, and she isn’t even saying a word.

“Will this full moon be your first shift without your family around?” I ask.

She scrunches the hamburger wrapper into a ball and puts it into the empty bag. “Sort of. My brothers would take turns coming to stay with me during isolation. But it wasn’t the same. I haven’t gotten to run in three months,” she says wistfully. “It will be the first time with none of my family around, though.”

The first shift without one’s family is a big deal. It’s a rite of passage of sorts. Having family around keeps us from causing trouble when we’re in our animal form. They make sure we don’t leave a trail of carnage which leads human authorities back to us. To shift by ourselves is the ultimate show of trust. Most don’t attempt it, keeping a trusted friend from the pack nearby.

“I’m sure Carrington can watch over you.” Even as I make the suggestion, I hate it. I trust my sister, but I know I would be a better choice for Alexia.

She rolls her lips between her teeth and picks at her nails before looking up at me. “What if I want you to be with me instead? I feel like...” She takes a deep breath. “I feel like Carrington is still a little upset with me about Kai. She won’t admit it. But she feels like his running away is partially my fault.” She swallows and then, in a voice that I can barely hear, adds, “And I—I just want you to be there too. Just because.”

I finish picking up the packaging from our food, using the moment to gather my thoughts. One question plays over and over in my head. I fight to keep it at bay, but it flows out of me as if the dam of self-control bursts open. “What is happening between us?”

I flinch as soon as the question leaves my lips, lingering in the air. What kind of grown man needs clarification on what is clearly physical attraction? Apparently, I do.

She meets my gaze and shifts to her knees, inching closer to me. My heart speeds in my chest and I can’t believe how fucked up she has me. Just from her proximity alone.

“I don’t know, Xander. I was kind of hoping you could tell me that,” she murmurs, reaching out and running her palm up and down my leg, her fingertips teasing my inner thigh before skating back down to safer territory. “I know what Iwantto be happening between us.”

I’m hardly breathing as I say, “And what would that be?

“I like you, Xander. Alot. And I hope you like me too.”

I cup her face and run my thumb over her bottom lip. “I thought what happened between us last night was proof of how much Ilikeyou.”

What an understatement. I more than like this woman. Icraveher every second of the day. I struggle to get her out of my head, but she finds her way in over and over again.

She puckers her lips and kisses the pad of my thumb, sending a shiver down my spine. “I know you like my body. But I—” She swallows and looks down at where she’s knelt in front of me, her knees brushing against my calves. “I wasn’t sure how much you likeme.Allof me. And not just as the person your brother is supposed to be with. Not just the girl that you’re trying to help feel better.”

“All this time you’ve never struck me as the kind of woman who didn’t know her worth. I’m not blind to it. I see how...” I tilt her head up with my thumb under her jaw. “I see how worthy you are, how you deserve the world and a man who wants to bust his ass to give it to you. And not in a hypothetical way.”

She smiles then and the brilliance of it would bring me to my knees if I weren’t already sitting in front of her. “I know my worth. I just didn’t know ifyoudid. That's all,” she says, reaching up and threading her fingers through mine.

I lean closer and breathe her in, the scent of sweet vanilla filling my lungs. My lips brush the shell of her ear as I say, “You have no idea how hard it’s been to hold myself back around you. Only one nagging thought has kept me from spreading those soft thighs of yours and tasting just how sweet you are.”

She shivers and leans back just enough to look me in the eye as she shifts ever so slightly, spreading her knees just enough for me to notice. “If that one nagging thought is your brother, please. Do us both a favor and put him out of your head. He’s put me out of his and goddess knows when it comes to...” She clears her throat. “That, he’sbeenout of mine.”

I can’t resist the blatant invitation. My palm rests on her knee, cursing the thick fabric of her jeans as I ease my fingers upward. “The last thing on my mind is my brother right now.” Igrab her hip and pull her close, helping her to straddle my lap. To make my point clear, I lift my hips so she can feel just what she does to me.

A moan escapes her lips that makes me want to take her right here in the back of this truck. But I won’t. Not the first time. But I have to touch her again. I can’t resist for another second. Her hand slides down my stomach and she palms my erection over my zipper. I hiss and she nips my bottom lip with her teeth. “Good. Mine too.”

I lay her back on the blanket and brace myself over her with one hand. She stares up at me with lust-filled brown eyes. Her raven hair fans out around her, rivaling the night sky. Fuck, she is a spectacular sight underneath me. I dip my head and brush my lips against hers, needing to have one taste. It’s an innocent kiss, meant to sedate that constant need for her. But damn, just that simple touch has me starving for more. I kiss her again, my tongue tracing the seam of her mouth. She is just as needy when she opens for me.

She whimpers, and I swallow the sound, wanting to give her every bit of pleasure she’s seeking from me, because that sound alone is enough to have my cock rock-hard and weeping in my pants. I reach up with my free hand and grip her chin, keeping our mouths locked together.

But it’s unnecessary. She’s already deepened the kiss, lifted one of her legs around my waist, and pulled me down against her.

“So eager... are you wet for me already?” I ask, letting go of her chin and gripping her waist, rolling my hips over hers.

She stretches her neck back and groans. “Yes, I feel like I’ve been wet ever since you touched me last night, Xander.”

“Didn’t I take care of you? Didn’t I give your pussy what it needed?”

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