Page 31 of Pack Giroux

"I'm sorry if I was too rough with you," he apologizes, his warm breath blowing across my still hard nipple at his mouth.

Ever the sweetheart worried about everyone else. "You weren't. I promise."

"Mmm," he hums into my chest. "We should go put you in the bath. I just really don't want to move right now."

I laugh softly, running a hand through his dark hair. "So,don't. I don't want you to move, either."

We chat and doze for at least an hour before he says that he doesn't want us falling asleep without taking care of me. So, he walks across the hall naked as the day he was born, not caring that I'm watching it swing between his legs as he does so.

"Stop looking at me like that," he warns. "Or we'll be going for round two."

"A threat I'm willing to risk it all for," I tease.

He drops a kiss to my lips before lifting me up like he did carrying me in here and taking us over to the bathroom. I could tell him that I know how to walk, but I like the way he's treating me as though I'm something precious. He pulls the gown down the rest of my body, letting it fall to the floor as he sets my feet down. We step into the warm water of the tub, and I lean back against his chest.

We spend a good long while in the tub talking while he washes my hair and body. I confess to him that I love having my hair washed like that, and he vows to do it at any time I want him to. I tell him some of the harder things about the compound, like the punishments and how I felt knowing I was to be given away to a pack with no choice. He simply listens and talks when he needs to as he offers comfort in ways of his hands massaging my tense muscles.

By the time that we're done, I have nothing left in the tank and have to be up in a few hours for class. We crawl into his bed naked, and I have a good internal laugh at Raine being right about the gown and the nakedness before I pass out draped across Grady's chest with his arm holding me tight.

The next morning, I wake up in the same position we fell asleep in. Probably because it's only been a few hours. Unfortunately, I can tell by how much sunlight is blinding me through the windows that I'm going to be so late. Jumping out of bed, I grab the robe I wore in here last night while Grady groansfrom the bed.

I give him a quick kiss and run from his grabby hands trying to keep me in bed with him. Booking it across the living room, I don't stop to look at who's in the kitchen, though I can see out of the corner of my eye that someone is in there. Possibly two people. Grabbing the first jeans and shirt I come to in my closet, I take them out with me while I throw on some panties and a bra before yanking them on after. Stuffing my wallet, keys and phone in my pockets, I grab a pair of socks and my shoes and race back out into the kitchen.

Raine and Emerson are standing in the kitchen staring at me in surprise while I pull my socks on and stuff my feet into my shoes. Kinkaid sits at the table wearing the same expression.

"Can anyone give me a ride to campus?" I ask hurriedly. "I'm going to be so freaking late."

"Come on, babe. I got you," Jameson tells me with a quick, light smack to my bum on the way by.

He can smack me on the bum whenever he wants for being my savior. Once we get on the elevator, it's a waiting game to get to the bottom floor. The whole ride I'm bouncing on my toes. I take note to remember later how good he looks this morning in a pair of tight jeans and one of those half button down shirts that hug his muscles. He smells so good, too. Like he just stepped out of the shower then went and baked a blueberry pie.

"Any other day," I say out loud. "Any other day and I wouldn't care."

"What's so special about today?" he asks, spinning his keys around his fingers.

"The fact that this is the one class where the professor takes attendance and will fail people for missing," I tell him, worry settling in my gut. "I can't fail. I'll lose my scholarship and have nowhere to go."

"Well, I can't speak for the first part of that, but I can for the ‘having a place to go’ part," he says. "You're always welcome at our place."

I would kiss him for that, but I feel puke-ish from stress and I'd rather not. We finally make it to the garage, and he matches my speed as we run across to where I know they park. All too late, I realize he's heading right for the skinny motorcycle parked between the SUV and convertible. He unlocks the SUV and fishes two helmets and leather jackets out of the back, handing me one of each. I watch in stunned silence as he throws a leg over the bike and backs it up to where I still stand flabbergasted.

"You're going to have to put those on if you want a ride," he says, pointing toward the stuff in my hands. I copy him, pulling the jacket around my shoulders.

"I've never ridden a motorcycle," I confess quietly.

"Until last night, you hadn't ridden anything," he teases.

I'm not sure if it's a ploy to trick my mind into forgetting what I'm about to do, but it works. I'm shockingly not as embarrassed as I thought I'd be, either.

I get ready to pull on the helmet then stop. "Why was everyone being weird this morning?"

He snickers, pulling his helmet on. "We're just not used to beautiful girls running through our apartment first thing in the morning, flashing us."

My eyes widen. "Oh, okay." I slam the helmet over my head, hoping it'll somehow swallow me whole before we make it to campus.

I throw a leg over the bike, and he shows me where to put my feet before he adds, "Don't be scared. Hold on and lean into the turns."

For the first bit of driving in the city, he keeps a hand on my thigh reassuringly. Once we hit the highway, though, hetakes his hand back, needing it as he hits the gas hard. I swear to God it feels like we are flying. I keep a tight hold around his stomach, loving the way his muscles flex underneath my hands. We make it to campus in half the time it would've taken in a car. I may not actually be late at all now. Slinging a leg over like I did to get on, I step off his bike and onto the curb.

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