Page 29 of Shifters' Fated Summer
I could feel his smirk as he dragged his tongue across my collarbone. His lips lingered at the hollow of my throat. He could move lower, tug my shirt off, devour me.
My hands went to his waist, toying with the hem of his shirt. I wanted to strip it off him and run my tongue over each of those tattoos.
“I think that should do it,” Luca said, but made no move to get off of me. I shifted my hips, trying to gain somesemblance of sanity, but instead, I brushed against his ready cock.
Last night, his voice in my ear, his hips pushing into my ass, his piercing, it all rushed over me. I shuddered, swept up in the memory as Luca’s weight pressed me into the mattress.
Hesitantly, he pulled back and sat up. I propped myself on my elbows and dazedly stared at him, knowing my skin was deeply flushed. My lips parted, wanting to ask, to beg, but I swallowed it down.
His dimples pressed into his cheeks as he stared back, lost in his thoughts. With a slight shake of his head, he climbed off the bed, gathered our breakfast plates, and headed for the door.
“Do you want to see the rest of the house?”
Disoriented, I scrambled up and straightened my clothes, trying to make it look like I wasn’t just five seconds away from dry humping Luca. My hair stuck up in the back, and it took a moment to untangle it.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly as I passed him, heading into the hallway.
My feet stumbled. I’d never been told I was beautiful before. Evrin called me delicious, exquisite, heavenly. But not beautiful.
Luca’s hand went to my lower back as the other held our stacked plates. “Come on, wildcat.”
Chapter 10
Debrief
My first foray into the pack house didn’t exactly go well. But I was thinking clearer now. Exhausted, anxious, but somehow better than I’d felt in a long time. For as long as I could remember.
Maybe this was my new life, slow mornings with Luca, delicious food, warm showers, and a beautiful, bright room of my own.
The second level opened up, and I took in the lake in the morning light. It shimmered like a sequined dress, and my eyes stung from the brightness.
Luca led me down the stairs. A few people milled about. Finn sat on the huge sectional with a laptop balanced on his knees. Beside him, a younger woman sat with her legs curled up under her, playing on some electronic device.
In the kitchen, two werewolves I didn’t recognize were cooking together. The towering man slid an arm around the woman’s waist, and when she turned to kiss him, I was surprised to see a rounded belly.
Cade appeared around the corner, from the hallway I thought led to his office. His voice filled the room. “Time for a debrief!”
There was such command in his tone, I jolted forward a step. His eyes narrowed on me, but he said nothing.
“You can hang out while we have our meeting,” Luca said, rubbing low on my back with his warm palm.
“Can I join you?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. Luca’s eyes flicked to Cade. From the tightness in his jaw, the Alpha heard my question.
The two men held a silent conversation, and my gut churned. Finally, Cade huffed. “Bring the stray if you must.”
I bristled at the insult. So much for Luca’s scent-marking making people more friendly to me. There was no winning with the asshole Alpha.
Finn walked past, laptop tucked under his arm, and the couple from the kitchen followed.
“Are you sure?” Luca asked, leaning far closer than was necessary.
“Yeah, if I’m considering joining your pack, I want to see what it’s really like.”
His eyes brightened and he gave me a grin that sent heat swirling low in my belly.
Ignoring my impending sense of dread, I followed Luca into another office room, this one with a long table and seats lining the walls.
Harper sat near the front, beside the seat Cade was sliding into. Her lip curled as she looked up at me, and her friend whispered behind her hand.
