Page 36 of Wolf's Providence

I felt so restless, so…hungry. I couldfeelhim, his presence humming insistently in the back of my mind. The heat between us only seemed to grow the more I tried to deny it.

My fingers were slick with my need. Holy shit, I was so close. My teeth bit at my lip as I fought the groan I wanted to moan, but I couldn’t let him know what I was doing in here.

The loud thump on the door caused me to yelp in surprise, my hands flying up in fright.

“I need the bathroom,” he said gruffly through the door. “Will you be much longer?”

I couldn’t speak. Desire coated my tongue. My clit still throbbed with unfulfilled need.

“Willow?” His voice was sharp. Tight.

“No!” Hastily rubbing my hands under the water, I turned the water off. “Give me a minute.”

The mirror was fogged over, but as I dried off, I could feel the flush of my skin, and I hoped to God he thought it was from the heat of the shower.

And then I remembered his sense of smell.

Oh shit.And now I knew why he had sounded so…strained. He could smell me. Now I wanted to stay in here for a whole different reason.

Wetting a washcloth, I pawed between my legs, hoping to clear any sign of my arousal. This was so embarrassing. What the hell had I been thinking?

He was a shifter for fuck’s sake.

I took a deep steadying breath and stepped away from the sink. I couldn’t hide in here forever. Wrapping my towel around me, I picked up my jammies, and with a quick prayer it wouldn’t be awkward, I opened the door.

A solid, immovableforcestood in front of me, his eyes burning with a heat that instantly spiked my own. Caleb didn’t move, his nostrils flared, and I heard a soft groan as his eyes burned a path down my body.

I just stood there, my heart beating too fast, watching the rise and fall of his shoulders. The room was dim, shadows danced around his silhouette, and I felt the bond between us, strained so tight that it was almost vibrating.

“Caleb,” I whispered, unsure why I was whispering but needing to break the silence between us.

He still didn’t move. I recognized slowly that he was holding himself in check. His eyes burned into mine. “Go to bed, Willow.” His voice was low, gruff, but controlled.

I hesitated. The bond beat like its own heartbeat between us, and I knew he felt it too, as it grew stronger and stronger. My body ached with desire. Need. I didn’t want to deny it.

I wanted to be closer.

“Caleb—”

His hands flexed and I remembered the last time he had been in front of me, barely holding on to his control.

I stepped back automatically, and I saw the flash of pain as he recognized why.

“Go to bed, Willow,” he told me again, his voice tinged with regret. “I won’t touch you.”

He was past me and locked in the bathroom before I had the chance to explain. Standing there, clutching my towel, I stared at the closed door. “I didn’t mean that,” I told the door softly, knowing he could hear me. “I’m sorry.”

Crossing over to the bed, I felt something inside me twist. We’d been through hell together, nearly lost each other, more than once, and the weight of that was enough. I didn’t need to add to our misery by overreacting to a man I cared so much for.

Quickly, I dropped my towel, pulled on my jammies, and scrambled under the covers, hoping that layers of cotton would smother my lingering smell of arousal to the sensitive shifter’s nose. Turning with my back to the door, I focused on the wall.

I heard the toilet flush, the faucet turn on, then off, and then the snick of the door as Caleb entered the room.

“I don’t want to fight,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“We’re not fighting,” he assured me.

I felt my throat tightening. “You’re mad at me?”

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