Page 63 of Rejecting his Mate

“You up to it?” He seems concerned that I would try it. I wonder how much I scared him.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jackson says.

“Me too. About you, I mean.” I wave a hand as I slide off the bed. “I’m still half-asleep.”

My legs don’t immediately find traction, and Cade places his hands around my biceps, steadying me. My skin heats, his touch inflaming something inside me that I don’t understand. Ignoring how ragged my breathing sounds, I try to calm my beating heart. The pulsing between my legs is unmistakable and not a normal reaction.

“Easy.” The concern on his face surprises me. It is more than I have ever been shown by anyone other than perhaps Adeline. There is something more there as well. I don’t think I imagine the hunger in his eyes, but it vanishes so fast, I can’t be sure.

“I’m okay,” I promise. My words come out breathy and a little husky. How can he annoy me one moment and then make my heart pound out of my chest the next?

Cade doesn’t seem certain, but he releases me anyway. The loss of his touch leaves me feeling disappointed, but I hide my feelings, ducking my head and disappearing into the bathroom.

As soon I’m out of his space, I let myself breathe. It is so hard to think in his presence, not that my mind is much clearer now.

I ignore my reflection in the mirror, going straight to the shower cubicle and turning the water on. There is astack of towels on a small shelf above the tub, so I grab two. There is no complimentary shower gel, but one of the guys must have showered while I was asleep, as there is a bottle on the rack inside the shower. I flick it open and smell it, the masculine scent filling my nose. It will do.

Slowly and carefully, I strip out of my clothes and test the water with my hand, adjusting the temperature until it is perfect and I can stand under the spray.

I take my time washing and use the shampoo left in the shower to lather up my hair. Cade is in my mind the entire time, his face, his body, his touch on my skin. I can’t stop thinking about him.

When I close my eyes, his face dances in front of me. I quickly open them again, ignoring how my pussy is tingling. There is a deep ache inside me that I want him to fill, as wrong as that is. He’s already made it clear that he does not want to touch me while Dalton’s mark remains on me. I scrub my skin harder as if I can remove his scent from my body.

My skin is red, and I don’t know if it has made a difference, but it hasn’t changed my thoughts. I feel Cade everywhere, and I wish he would kiss me again, but this time mean it.

I should get out from under the spray. The water is starting to go tepid, but I don’t move. Instead, I stand there, letting it cascade over my head. My body is still singing from Cade’s touch, there’s still heat between my legs. I need to do something to take the edge off.

Cade makes me want things I’m not sure I’ll be able to have. He makes me want better for myself, a matewho will not hurt me or try to control me, although Cade does that too, even if it is not in the same way as Dalton.

I push him out of my head, not wanting him to take up space that I have reserved for Cade.

My pussy throbs.

I know it’s wrong, considering Jackson and Cade are right there, but I slide my hand down my belly. Biting my lip, I glance at the door as if they can see through the wood and know what sins I am committing.

Closing my eyes, I slowly rotate my fingers around my tormented clit. As soon as I touch myself, my hips jerk, and I suck in a breath. This is going to be fast and furious. I feel as if I have all this tension built up inside me that I need to release.

I swirl my fingers again, applying a little more pressure. My eyes drift closed as I enjoy the throbbing. Dalton never touched me like this. I would never have allowed him to, and he wasn’t interested in my pleasure anyway, so the waves of it rolling through me are stronger than anything I have ever felt.

I keep my eyes closed as I envision Cade’s face. My fingers tease, making those sensitive nerves thrum as my breath feels trapped in my throat. I try to stop the noise, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop the pants and the little moans I am making as my orgasm starts to build.

My eyes open, and when they do I see a large figure standing in the room. My scream dies in my throat when I realize who it is.

Cade.

The greedy desperation in his eyes, locked onto my fingers between my legs, makes my pussy throb even harder.

“I thought you had passed out,” he murmurs, placing some fresh clothes on the edge of the basin. “You’ve been in here for ages.”

“I’m okay.”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, uncertain whether I should say or do something. My fingers are still between my legs, making it very clear what I was doing before he stepped inside the room.

As if realizing this, his eyes lock on my pussy before they lazily drift to my breasts. The water is now almost cold, but that need between my legs demands I finish what I started.

The scent coming off Cade is strong, and I can smell his arousal as he steps toward the cubicle. I should probably cover myself, turn the water off, and tell him to get out, but I don’t move.

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