Chapter 43

His face was buried in my hair as he carried me to the couch and gently put me down. He crouched in front of me and carefully lifted my leg with the swollen ankle.

His warm hands felt good on the puffy skin. I leaned forward, eager to feel his lips again but he pulled back, a teasing smile on his lips. He picked up the bag of ice from where it dropped on the ground and opened it, pulling a cube out.

He popped it in his mouth before tying it shut again and placing it gingerly on my ankle. The cold on my painful leg was enough to distract me for a moment, and when I looked back up he had maneuvered so he was crouched between my legs, a large hand on each side of my hips.

"Oh," I said, as he leaned closer, suddenly nervous. He was so strong, so big, like a looming ocean wave that I had naïvely thought I could hurdle.

"Still angry, are we?" he said softly, his hand toying with my hair.

I nodded, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

"Let me cool you off then," he said. With an exhale of pleasure he leaned toward my neck. His lips, ice cold, touched my skin softly, gently.

His large, hot hand circled the back of my neck and the other squeezed between my seat and the couch, pulling me closer to him. I shivered with pleasure at his touch and leaned my neck to the side.

It was a submissive move I hadn't intended to make, to show my throat to an Alpha, and the effect was instantaneous. His exhale was like a roar and he pressed my body to his, his wide torso parting my legs, hitching my skirt up higher around my thighs.

His mouth found mine and his cold lips and tongue crushed over my mouth, kissing, tasting, devouring. His need was exciting and frightening all at once, and I put two hands on his chest, feeling the strength of his muscles move under my hands.

Instead of pushing him away as I intended, I grabbed at his shirt front and pulled him closer.

He paused, looking down at me with his intense blue eyes, his breathing deep and heavy. I stared back, feeling my own need for him building. I reached up and brushed my fingers under his jawline and up into his hair.

I felt him tremble and he smiled. It was beautiful.

I pulled him toward me and our kiss wiped all consciousness from my mind. I only knew the cool of his mouth, the feeling of his chest on mine, and the deep need I had beginning to pulse throughout my body.

He left my mouth and began to kiss down my throat, behind my ears, inhaling and moaning slightly when he got to my collar bone. He delicately brushed aside the V of my shirt's top button and put his mouth to my chest just under my clavicle.

"Your skin," he said, his voice full of longing that made me want him with every atom of my being. "It's even more delicious than I'd imagined."

He pulled back.

"No," I said, reaching for him, not liking the cold he left when he wasn't pressed against me. "Come back."

His eyes burned into mine. "Do you really mean that? Do you know how long I've wanted this, Elena?"

"I've wanted you just as badly for just as long," I objected, gripping his shirt front.

"Then don't you want to enjoy it and take our time?" He smiled a beautiful, cocky smile at me, his eyes going softer.

I paused and looked sideways. "At the moment, not really."

He laughed and dragged me toward the edge of the couch. He pressed between my legs, thick and hard through his trousers, pressing against my underwear.

I moaned slightly, moving against him. He inhaled sharply at my movement, and one of his hands slid up the outside of my thigh inside my skirt. His strong fingers dug into the flesh of my hip.

His lips were on my neck again, and I found myself arching back, one of his hands pulling my hips into him, the other pulling around my back, making my breasts rise up to meet him as he leaned over me, kissing and nibbling my neck.

My hands were pulling at the hard muscles in his back, willing him into me through his clothing. My blood was pounding in my ears, a hard, insistent pound.

Charles paused. I suddenly realized the pounding wasn't my own blood.

It came again and I laughed, realizing there was someone knocking at the door.

"Shit," Charles muttered, pulling back and looking at me with laughing eyes. He looked down at himself and the bulge in the front of his trousers.

"Can't be helped," he said, half laughing. He suddenly stood and I immediately felt his absence.

"One moment," he roared at whoever was knocking at the door, making me jump and causing the pounding to cease.

His eyes twinkled as he looked at me. He rubbed a hand across his face, like he was trying to wake up.

"You might want to..." he gestured at my skirt.

I looked down and realized I was sitting with my legs totally exposed, the beginning of my pink underwear showing.

"Oh my gosh!" I scrabbled to pull my skirt down and began to straighten my shirt and my hair.

Charles winked at me and moved toward the door.

Crossing my legs sent a spasm of pleasure up through my body and I squeezed my muscles again, imagining him back there as I shifted around to watch the beautiful man I'd just been kissing answer the door.

I took a few deep breaths and began to master myself again.

Maybe this is good, I thought. I was about to rip through his clothing, and then what would happen? I had the terrible feeling that it would be over.

I watched, amused, as Charles kept his hips and legs hidden by the door when he opened it. A cool "yes?" was all he said, keeping it mostly closed and shielding me from whomever was on the other side.

"Oh yes, I've been expecting you."

I stifled a laugh. It was obvious we weren't expecting anyone, but perhaps the person on the otherwise of the door didn't know that.

"Thank you." Charles signed something, and took the delivery bag.

Of course, I thought. I'd completely forgotten about dinner!

Charles shut the door and turned, holding the bag up with a smile. "And here I had thought you were going to be my dinner."

I laughed and tried to sit with more dignity than I felt. "Listen, Charles, I'm sorry about all that. I lost control."

He put the food down and looked at me, then sighed heavily. "What happened to the 'at the moment, I don't really want to stop' comment."

I blushed and looked away.

He raised his hands. "Hey, I was the one who tried to slow it down."

"I know."

"And I love that you let yourself go," he said, his voice soft and deep. His eyes looked into mine and for a moment I wanted to step over the table and into his lap again.

But as I shifted my ankle reminded me that it wasn't going to be possible, at least not that evening. Thank goodness werewolves healed quickly. I'd be fine by tomorrow afternoon.

He smiled. "Maybe I'll get to see that side of you more often? In the meantime, I can see you've tried to bury your feelings, so let's go for the next best thing."

"Dinner?"

"Dinner. But Elena." He paused, putting down the container and looking seriously at me over the open takeout bag. "I have a rather awkward request. I'm not an asking type of person, so forgive me if this comes out wrong."

"Okay," I say, suddenly worried.

What was he going to ask that he hadn't already?