Page 13 of Tracked By Hound

Hound

Her beautiful golden eyes are bright with unshed tears. Her expression—a confusing mix of frustration, hurt—and raw vulnerability, pierces me right through the heart.

She’s angry at me, that much is obvious, and yet I've no clue what I’ve done to have her looking at me the way she is. Almost like she isn’t sure if she wants to slap me, run, or cry.

I’m usually pretty good at reading people, picking up on subtle cues, but right now, I’m practically grasping at straws trying to make sense of her feelings. Maybe it has something to do with her being trapped in here for the time being. Perhaps talking to her brother made everything seem more real. I should have known the easy air about us would not last, all things considered.

Space.

Isn’t that what is best in this situation? Letting her come to me instead of expressing the weight of my desire for her and scaring her off, or worse, pressuring her into a situation she doesn’t want. She doesn’t want to be here, and given the choice, I imagine, she’d take the first bus back home.

“Chelsea—”

“If you don’t want me, just say so.” She sniffs, folding her arms protectively over her chest. “It’s probably on brand for powerful, gorgeous men like you to treat women like this.”

I blink at the accusation, ignoring the subtle compliment she tosses in there, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t intentional. “Chelsea, what are you talking about?”

I watch her take a deep breath, and for a fleeting moment, I’m almost sure she’s about to tell me, but her gaze hardens again and she looks away. Her knuckles are white as she grips the towel like she’s trying to physically restrain herself from speaking. I want to walk to her, release the grip, and calm her down, but something about her demeanor holds me back. I’m afraid going to her will only make things worse. She probably doesn’t want me, the man who brought her here in the first place, anywhere near her. Not when she’s so vulnerable, dressed in nothing but a towel and looking so fucking gorgeous. So fucking irresistible it makes my hard cock ache in my pants. I’ve been hard from the second I walked into the room earlier and saw her on my bed dressed in a nightgown so sheer I could practically see the outline of her tits. Watching them pebble against the silk of it had nearly driven me to madness.

Goddamnit!

I want to touch her.

I want to do more than touch her, and it takes pure will to keep me rooted to the floor. “Chelsea…”

“If you're set on pretending that nothing happened last night, then I’ll do the same,” she finally says, not meeting my eyes, but I hear the heartbreak in her voice. I take a step forward, but she looks up, pinning me in place as those honey brown eyes meet mine. “You know what? No, I’m not going to pretend that nothing happened.” I watch as she starts pacing before stopping to glare at me. “Is this what you do? Bring women to your bed and then treat them callously the next morning?” Then she’s back to pacing again. “Was breakfast in bed supposed to be somekind of consolation prize? ‘Here, eat this and pretend I didn’t give you the best freaking time of your life.’”

Oh.

Tension eases from my muscles as the reason for her attitude clicks. “You didn’t like the food?”

My poor attempt at a joke is met with a scathing look that would set my body ablaze if it wasn’t already burning with need for this beautiful woman. “The egg toast alone could win a culinary award or something,” she hisses. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a jerk.”

It’s clear that I read her wrong and made a great error by trying to give her space. Something that neither of us wanted nor needed. I make a mental note to never accept relationship advice from Axel again as an easy smile stretches my lips. I start toward her, and she backs up, gasping when her back connects with the wall, cheeks flushing when I cage her in.

“I don’t bring women to my bed or treat them callously,” I say, equally amused and surprised by the quick flash of jealousy in her expression before she looks away. I lean into her and grab her chin, tilting her head up so her eyes are on mine. “Kitten, I don’t bring women to my bed or my apartment, period.” I add the last bit before she can try and find a flaw in my statement. “In fact, you’re the first woman I’ve ever brought to the clubhouse.” I run my thumb over her silk-smooth skin, loving the feel of it. “Everyone is already making a big deal out of it.”

She visibly swallows, but I note the look of pleasure that crosses her expression at my words. “Well, I would hope that you don’t make it a habit of kidnapping women and bringing them here.”

“You’re the exception,” I promise, sliding my hand up to cup her jaw. I watch as her cheeks flush and the pink deepensto a red. Her eyes briefly stray away before they meet mine once more, the vulnerability in them shattering any walls I had erected around my heart.

“You’ve been acting strange all morning. Like…um, you don’t want… I mean, do you regret last night?”

Regret?

Jesus Christ, I’ve been replaying it over and over in my mind all morning; it was all I could think about. She was all I could think about. How can she be blind to how fucking hard it’s been for me to keep my hands off her? And now, she’s close and smelling of my soap. The need to take what I’ve been denying us both all morning is strong as I slide my hand to her nape and into her hair, wrapping her long curls around my fist and tugging lightly. I watch that perfect mouth part on a gasp, eyes blinking up at me with need. “Is this what you wanted?” I growl, wrapping my free hand around her waist and pulling her up against my chest. “A repeat of last night?”

“Yes,” she whimpers, her tits rising and falling quickly. “I mean… No, I just…”

“Just?”

Her eyes drop to my mouth, and I feel her breath quicken, “I just… You kidnapped me.” And then her eyes are back on mine. “I shouldn’t want you, or this.”

“But you do.” She swallows and nods, but I tighten my hold on her. “Words, kitten.”

“Yes. I want you—”

My mouth lowers to hers before she can finish talking, catching her gasp with my lips. I push her into the wall, pinning my hard dick between us as I deepen the kiss. A vicious groan kindles in my chest as her mouth opens for me, letting me in. Totaste…to devour…to lose myself in the intoxicating essence that is her. Just her.

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