Page 33 of A Brighter Yellow
Anna shifted in place. “I didn’t say that.”
“Kind of sounded like it,” said Ochre.
Anna whined. Not metaphorically. An actual wolf whine of distress, and the sound cut right through him. He reached out a hand to her before he’d even thought about it. She dropped the blanket, grabbed his hand, and flung herself down on top of him.
He let out a grunt as she landed but soon found he had air for nothing else as she planted her lips on his.
“Anna,” he said, trying to get words out between kisses. “Anna, slow down.”
“I hate slow,” she growled. “I want you. Why can’t I—”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and bridged upward, flipping her over. He dropped his weight onto her and settled his hips against hers. She made a noise somewhere between surprise and pleasure. He deliberately and slowly licked her neck, and underneath him, she went rigid and then shivered as he reached her earlobe.
The hand that wasn’t holding his slid along his back, finding the hem of his shirt, before sliding under the fabric and along the skin of his spine.
“You can have me,” he said, putting tiny bites all along her earlobe. “But you have to sllllllow down.”
“I hate slow,” she said again, but softer this time. Ochre let his tongue caress the curve of her ear, and she let out a little gasp, her nails digging into his back. Ochre knew it was the wrong time to think about the fact that she could transform at any moment. Her claws could sink into his flesh. And he also knew that ought to scare the shit out of him, but instead, it sent a pulse of adrenalin coursing through his veins, making his breath come quick, and his dick harden. He put his lips on hers and sank into them slowly, letting his tongue tease against hers gently. She tasted like sugar from the fruit loops she’d eaten. He put his free hand down, stroking the soft flesh of her thigh, before pushing upward until he had a handful of ass. He rocked his hips into her, and she gave a little whimper, but this was the sweet kind of distress. He pressed again, and she broke away from his lips, turning her head with a moan and arching up into him.
Ochre kissed along her neck, taking his time to enjoy every little bit of her. She overwhelmed his senses, and the more time he spent with her, the more aware he was of the burning fire of the mind and soul under her skin. She was the brightest gold light, and tasting her was like taking in fiery hot brilliant sunshine. He wanted that heat, and he wanted it wrapped around him.
The only thing between them was her ridiculous cotton shorts. She pawed at his shirt, and he pushed away from her, intending to give in on the shirt. There was slow, and then there was torture. But as he sat up, he found Anna in his lap with her legs wrapped around him. He barely had the shirt off, and her lips were back on his. Anna gave a little wriggle right on top of him, making his hands clench down hard on her ass. She groaned through his kiss.
“Now, you’re getting with the program,” she muttered. Her expression was intensely smug.
“Excuse me?” he demanded, pulling back. Anna stared at him in shock. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you think I’m just supposed to do whatever the hell you want?”
Her face crumpled in unhappiness. “Why can’t I get this right?” she growled angrily, starting to push away from him and stand up.
He grabbed her and pulled her back down. He could feel her anguish like an undercurrent in a river. It destroyed him. Ochre couldn’t understand why he felt so connected to her or why he couldn’t simply let the connection go—he only knew that he couldn’t let her go any more than he could stop breathing.
“I’m right here,” he said, trying to keep his voice soothing and calm. “I’m not going anywhere. But you have to actually talk to me. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
“What?”
“I’m notthattelepathic. For instance, I know you’ve been mad at me. I still don’t know why.”
“I…” Anna stared at him. “I’m not mad at you. You’re mad at me.”
“No,” he said. “I mean, yes, periodically, but no, not really.”
She radiated confusion. “I thought… I thought you were mad at me.”
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because I dragged you into a giant mess?”
“I volunteered for the mess, but now you keep trying to shut me out and do it all yourself. Even though I am right fucking here. I get it. You’re superwoman, but you need to figure out that I’m not incompetent.”
“I really didn’t… That is not what I thought.” Her frustration boiled up, and she leaned forward and headbutted him in the chest. It was bizarre, wolf-y, intimate, and the contact was enough to either knock some sense into him or knock her intentions through his preconceptions because he grunted with sudden understanding.
“Oh,” he said.
Anna wasn’t trying to say that he didn’t know what he was doing. She had been trying to say thatsheknew what she was doing. She thought he’d been undercutting her.
She looked up, and he bobbed his head and tried to radiate his acceptance and apologies.
“Stop doing that! It freaks me out.”
