Page 25 of Restoring His Howl

Chapter Nine

When Dillon woke, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep. The wolf had retreated, and his very nude body was tucked against Cinders’ equally naked form. He drank in Cinders’ image. God, the man was pretty. The sheet only covered the lower half of his body. The strength in his body, the whiskers on his cheeks, his muscles, his long lashes… And with his arm across his belly, he could be a model. He’d be perfect in almost any pose, really. Dillon noticed a tattoo on the outside of Cinders’ wrist.

I am Cinders

Fitting. He’d never forget himself.

Dillon sighed. He couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Until he’d come to the Sanctuary, he hadn’t had the opportunity to figure out who he was. But he had a chance now.

The wolf whined within him. It wanted to claim Cinders.

He paused. The rational side of him screamed to take his time and figure out if he and Cinders would make it. Maybe, he should be a single for a while and date Cinders. What if someone better was out there? What if the person he was supposed to be with was Cinders all along, but he passed in favor of searching? They could be together a long time. Or they could split in a year. Christ, figuring out his life was hard.

Cinders was right. Dillon had fallen for Cinders from the start.

“You’re staring at me.” Cinders opened his eyes. “I’m hoping you like what you see.”

“I do.” He spotted the tent in the sheets. His mouth watered. “You’re hard,” he blurted. Why couldn’t he think before he spoke?

“Erections tend to happen when you sleep with a hot guy.” Cinders smiled. He stretched then scratched his thigh and pulled the sheet tight across his dick. “You’re hard, too.”

“Yeah.” He hesitated. Cinders was safe. Dillon’s heart hammered. He could touch and explore the jaguar shifter all he wanted. He could let go. Was he ready?

Cinders stroked Dillon’s arm. “May I touch you?”

“You are,” Dillon whispered. He wasn’t sure why he’d whispered, but too late. He knew what Cinders meant, though. Cinders had given Dillon control—something Dillon hadn’t had often.

“May I?” Cinders rolled onto his side and faced Dillon. He cupped Dillon’s cheek. “I want you to make love to me.”

He almost asked if Cinders was serious. Instead, he kept his mouth shut. He rubbed his cheek on Cinders’ palm. They were going to do this.

Cinders kissed Dillon’s knuckles. “Won’t take long.”

“Yeah, it will. I don’t have the stuff.” Besides, he had to work himself up to sex. Jesus. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d fucked without being forced. “I didn’t get supplies.” He hadn’t thought he’d need them. Christ, he was poor at planning.

“Don’t worry about it.” Cinders left the bed and wiggled his bare ass. “I’ve got some.”

“You do? Where? Your costume was small and tight.” He should stop blurting things.

“Yeah, but there are plenty of hiding spots.” Cinders picked up his boot. “When you lose your clothes for a living, you get creative with where you keep stuff.” He opened a pocket on the side of his boot. “See? Perfect for tips, keys, ID and condoms.” He held up a rubber and a small bottle of lube. “I’m always prepared.”

“You carry around condoms?” Jealousy hit Dillon again. He didn’t like the idea of Cinders being with anyone else—or Cinders thinking about being with someone else, since they hadn’t broken up. Then again, they hadn’t gotten together.

“Ready doesn’t mean I’m always willing, but I put them in there in case things went right with you.” He abandoned the boot and returned to bed. “I had a chat with Markas. That’s why I brought these with me.”

“You…what?” Christ. He could only imagine what Markas and Cinders had discussed. “Damn.”

“I did it for your safety. I didn’t know what you’d told him about what you’ve gone through, but if Avan was sniffing around, others might, too. I doubted anyone would be so low to expect you toperformfor them, but I was wrong about Avan. I thought Markas should be made aware of what had happened. I had no desire to smear you. My only thought was to protect you.” Cinders tossed the lube and condom on the bed. “Seriously.”

“Thanks.” Jesus. So much for his erection…

“Dill, you were traumatized, and Avan only made it worse. I might have been angry with you because you didn’t tell me, but that didn’t change my attraction.” He climbed onto Dillon’s lap. “I’m still head-over-heels for you.”

“Yet, you danced for Oscar.” Dillon flattened his hands on Cinders’ thighs. “I’m guessing you enjoyed it. I saw you.”

“I was a jerk to make you feel jealous.” Cinders wriggled on Dillon’s thighs. “I knew it would work, and I’m ashamed.”

“Made me sick.” Jealous, destroyed, irritated…all of the above.

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