Page 126 of The Hunt
He was already shaking his head.
“No, this time it’s not going to be a lie. You’ll be my real girlfriend. The reasons behind our relationship are our own business.”
“How real?” I asked warily.
“As real as it’s already been. We spend time together. We talk to each other. We hug each other.”
“So everything we’ve been doing? Nothing will change?”
The corner of his mouth quirked up.
“If you want to follow through on any of your urges to lick me, I wouldn’t be opposed.”
I rolled my eyes at him and, in that moment, realized I wasn’t as hungry as I’d been when I’d gone to bed. It was always like this after those cake dreams. Was I regaining control? Could I help him like he was asking?
If I were honest with myself, I loved spending time with Fenris. Heck, last night proved how much I craved his attention. I’d interrupted his pack run for a hug. But was putting a label on our time together safe? Would it subtly change something for me? And what about Ashlyn? I couldn’t let either of our problems with the stifling adult authorities who controlled our lives interrupt my efforts to find her. Yet, I wasn’t actively doing anything to aid in the search. It was all the druids and Megan now. Maybe if I said yes to Fenris, Adira would shift her focus to hiring a druid to find Ashlyn.
“I can see I lost you, which is a bit of a blow to the ego since I was asking you to be my girlfriend. What were you just thinking? Don’t forget our unconditional honesty deal.”
“I purposely did not agree to that deal, and even if I had, you didn’t go to bed like you were supposed to. But, in a gesture of goodwill, I’ll tell you. I think those cake dreams help me somehow. Yesterday, I felt like I was going to die I was so hungry. But just now, you flirted with me, and my vision didn’t even change.”
His grin widened.
“We should test this.”
Before I realized what he meant, I was on my back and his teeth were grazing the skin over my collarbone. A shiver of need raced through me. My vision shifted, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. But, I fisted my hand in the sheets as I fought for control of the hunger that had surged up from nowhere.
“Come on, nibbles,” Fenris said. “Give me a try. Just a little bit of teeth like this.” He nipped my skin again, and another shiver rocked through me.
In the next second, he was pinned under me. I had the flat of my hand planted in the center of his chest as I straddled him.
He grinned up at me.
“Time for a ride?” he asked playfully.
“Fenris, we need boundaries if we’re going to try this.”
He chuckled, the low sound making my middle clench.
“Boundaries are for pesky brownies, not boyfriends.”
“Boundaries are for everyone. Respect mine, and I’ll help you by agreeing to be your girlfriend for however long you need me. Mistreat me or push me too far, and I’ll walk away from you.”
“Not run?”
“You’d like that too much.”
His hands settled on my hips.
“I would.”
Sighing, I reined in the hunger.
“You have no fear and no common sense. It’s a dangerous combination. I can see why your dad’s desperate for you to find your mate. But he’s delusional if he thinks a female is going to temper either of those traits.”
I pried Fenris’s hands from my hips and scrambled off him and the bed.
“Boundaries, Fenris.”
