Page 56 of Spellbound & Speechless
“Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me.” He’s still holding my hand, and I don’t want to pull it away. I don’t want to break the spell.
“I feel like I have a lot to thank you for.” I move forward—it’s like a magnet pulls me to him. “You’ve been keeping me safe since I came back to town, haven’t you?”
He nods.
“Why?” I ask.
A simple question, a single word, settles between us like a wall. Silence creeps up, solidifying the barrier between us, and I wonder if I should have said anything. Perhaps the answer is too obvious.
He’s just keepingallof us safe, but I’m the most accident-prone, I suppose.
“You know why,” he whispers harshly. “Don’t make me say it.”
I don’t, not on a level I can put into words. There’s a more profound feeling, an inner knowing, but I can’t quitegrasp it. It’s as if the magic is beyond my reach, confounding me as much as astral magic does.
My mouth opens, and I prepare to ask what he means, but the words don’t come. He’s close enough for me to count his long, dark lashes. I can dive into the ocean of his eyes, but would he let me in?
His lips part, but I don’t think it’s to speak. There’s desperation behind his gaze. I don’t know if he’s begging me to kiss him or run, but I can’t keep running. I ran from what I cared about for so long. I won’t do it again.
I close the space. My lips barely brush against his, just to test the waters and invite him in with me. Last time, he turned me down, and I expect him to do it again.
He doesn’t. His lips part against mine, his tongue delving in to taste me. A moan reverberates between us, and I don’t know if it’s his or mine.
Mac pulls back long enough to suck in a quick breath, and his mouth is on mine once more. Devouring.
I grip his shirt to keep him close.
Don’t go. Don’t run. Love me.
His strong fingers curl into my hair, keeping my face close. I push against his chest, guiding him down onto the bed, one of my legs slinging over to straddle him. His moan isn’t a moan anymore—he growls, his teeth scraping against my lower lip.
I rock into him. His hard bulge presses against my core. Energy awakens, a soft, affectionate vibe settling around us. It’s a sort of magic I haven’t felt in a while, and I crave it. I need it like I need water. It gives me life.
His fingers dig into my hips before I can bask in the magic we’re creating, before I can get a proper taste of him. Oh, he’s making me hate him again. All I want is one taste, to push my tongue into his mouth the way he did mine, butMac won’t give it to me. He’s in the habit of denying us what we so badly want.
I may have doubted it before, but now I know he wants me. Knowing that does little to erase the questions in my mind, starting with… why? Why won’t he take what he wants when I offer it on a silver platter?
He pulls away, and I gasp.
His eyes grow wild and wide. “I have to go.”
“What?” I tumble onto my back as he moves to his feet. I grip the bedsheets, my knuckles going white. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s a full moon. I can’t.”
Why does that matter? Sure, werewolves have trouble controlling their transformations during a full moon, but most take potions. It makes no sense for him to bring it up in this context.
Or maybe I’m lust-addled, too shaken to put the pieces together. He says it as if it makes all the sense in the world, and I feel silly for needing to question him.
“What does that?—”
Before I can finish the question, he’s sprinting from the room. All I can see is his mussed curls and his dark T-shirt as he disappears, slamming the door behind him.
“—mean?”
Chapter 20
