Page 18 of Shifters' Fated Summer
Now that he said it, I realized I was starving. Even before succumbing to the withdrawals, I had been hungry. Warily, I lifted the plate from the mattress between us and picked up the fork. The chicken was mild and only lukewarm. Comforting.
Relieved, I shoveled half the plate down before my stomach protested.
“Take it easy, wildcat,” Luca said, his smirk returning. “That’s probably enough for now. I promise you can have more food whenever you want. We don’t limit it around here.”
Licking my lips, I set the plate on the bedside table and paused. The small cabinet held a lamp, a small stack of books, and now a bowl full of shiny red apples. My gaze flicked back to Luca. Was this because of me?
This man read me like a book, seeing all the things I thought were hidden. No one had ever paid such close attention to me, and it made me feel stripped bare. It made me squirm.
Forget the werewolf. I needed to discuss my exit.
Now that I was done with the venom withdrawal, they should let me go. But the idea sent anxiety prickling through me. It was easier to focus on this moment and not what would come next.
“Let’s get you that shower,” Luca said, standing.
“Thanks,” I said, unfurling my legs. Pushing off the bed, I attempted to take a few steps, but my knees collapsed. My thigh and hip took the brunt of the fall, and my fingers clawed in the comforter hanging off the side of the bed as if the fabric could anchor me.
Luca crouched beside me. “You’re a bit of a disaster, aren’t you?”
“You try walking after detoxing off venom, asshole,” I grumbled. We were close enough I could see the gray swirling through the blue of his irises.
He grinned, wrapping blazing hot hands around myribcage and pulling me up. Somehow, his touch didn’t scare me the way I expected. The fear was still there, but it was also comforting.
With one arm tight around my waist, he led me with hobbling steps across the room and into the hallway.
“Just turn the water on and I’ll sit on the floor of the shower,” I demanded.
Luca shook his head. “No way. Ihave a much better idea.”
Chapter 7
Privacy
My knees wobbled, and Luca dipped, scooping under my knees and tipping me back against his chest. My bare feet dangled, bouncing with each step, but I was too weak to protest. It was too easy to curl into his chest, cocooned in his pine-scented body heat.
He took me down the long hallway and through the second-to-last door. I knew instantly this was his room. The air was the same forest smell mixed with the scent of baking cookies, with a hint of thick blankets and old wood.
A far door opened to a private bathroom. Similar to the hall bath, blue and gray streaked tile lined the floor and the wall of a glass shower. But unlike the former, Luca’s bathroom had a tub. He set me on the white, marble counter and busied himself adjusting the knobs and testing the water temperature to his satisfaction.
I frowned as he scattered what looked like small, white rocks into the water. He noticed my expression and his mouth curved slightly, his lip ring glinting in the low light. “Salts. They’ll help your muscles feel better.”
“Interesting.” Bracing my hands on the end of the marble, I inched forward. “Help me down, and I can manage from here.”
Icy blue eyes roved down my body. “I don’t think so. I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on you.”
“So I don’t get privacy?” I quipped.
Luca straightened, bringing him eye to eye with me. “Wolves don’t really do privacy.”
Huffing, I crossed my arms. I should fight him on it, but the idea of him in the room watching me was oddly thrilling. His lips twitched, that dimple flashing briefly, as he set me on the ground, one arm around my waist.
“Hold onto the counter.” I did. Luca turned his head, his eyes on the far wall as his hands slid from my waist down to the top of the loose pants. I bit my lip as his thumbs hooked into the waistband and slid them over my hips and down my thighs. Cool air rushed over the skin he revealed.
My intake of breath was shaky. His hands moved behind my knees and helped me step out of the pants now pooled on the tile floor.
Those clever fingers skimmed up over my bare hips to find the hem of my shirt. “I’ll hold you steady so you can take this off,” he said, his voice so rough it didn’t sound like him.
“Okay,” I breathed. He stepped closer, his clothed thighs bracketing my naked legs, and hooked an arm around my waist again, pulling me against him.
