â~Wait.~â
But he didnât wait.
Instead, he lifted her from the bed and held her against his chest as he made his way to the bathroom. She squealed, but he ignored it as he hurried her to his intended destination.
Once they were in the bathroom, the scent of lavender and the steam rising from the bathtub were hard to miss.
He set her down on the floor, the cold ceramic tiles chilling her bare feet.
âIs thatâ¦for me?â
Alexander nodded as he moved towards the tub. He picked up a blue bottle and poured some of its contents into the bath.
He dipped his arm into the water, stirring it to create bubbles on the surface.
âMaya suggested I get this. You might need it afterâ¦â He cleared his throat, and she wondered if the look on his face was guilt. âItâll help.â
He shouldnât feel guilty. He didnât ~do~ this to her. Well, he sort of did, but it wasnât his fault.
She was in this too. Regardless, this was a shared experience, not a solitary one.
She had to admit, the bath looked inviting, andâwell, it would be refreshing to cleanse herself of the lingering scent of sex and sweat that clung to her like a second skin.
âThank you.â
He acknowledged her with a nod, his gaze meeting hers. âIâll give you some space.â
A pang of discomfort hit her chest as he suggested some alone time. She watched him exit the bathroom, uncertain. Olivia bit her lower lip, contemplating whether she should ask him to stay.
His company was intoxicating, but in a positive way.
After spending so many hours together, the thought of being away from him was daunting. And he wasnât ~away~. He was just on the other side of the wall, likely lounging on the bed.
She couldnât be like this, she couldnât be dependent.
It was the primal instincts, the heat. They were messing with her head.
She took a deep breath before pulling the hem of her shirt and lifting it over her head.
She tossed it aside on the floor and then gradually submerged herself into the bath. As the warm water enveloped her, she felt her sore muscles start to relax.
She leaned back against the edge of the tub, resting the back of her neck on the cool rim of the bathtub. She hadnât realized how much she needed this until she was in it.
Sheâd never experienced this level of soreness before.
Then again, sheâd never had so many rounds in her ~life~. She lost count after the sixth time. Heat flushed her cheeks and it wasnât due to the steam filling the bathroom.
The noises sheâd made, the words sheâd uttered. Every time she recalled theirâ¦two days together, she wondered how sheâd ever be able to face him again. Meanwhile, he was perfectly ~fine~.
He was interacting with her as he always did, his gaze on her remained the same. Nothing had changed for him.
Of course, nothing had changed for him; heâd been waiting for her from the start.
Olivia sank further into the water until it reached her mouth, the bubbles tickling her nose. Sheâd lost herself in him. Sheâd trusted him without a second thought.
Her body had craved his in a way sheâd never experienced before. Even now, she could still feel his touch on her, his breath on her ear, the kisses on her heated skin.
She tightened the inner walls of her core and then frowned. ~Nope~. Definitely needed a break in that area. She was already having trouble walking. She didnât need to exacerbate the situation. ~Get your thoughts out of the gutter, Liv~.
It wasnât her fault though; heâd been soâ¦~selfless~. Heâd pleasured her repeatedly, prioritizing her orgasms ~first~. Sheâd used him a lot more than he had used her.
Now that she thought about it, he was probably sore too. She knew he was a ~big bad alpha~ but they hadnât taken a break. Heâd drawn her a bath, thinking of her needs first, but was he okay?
In all of this, she hadnât paused to ask him. He had fed her, provided her with water, allowed her to rest, and now this. What about him?
âA-Alex?â she called out, her voice slightly shaky.
He was much more at ease with nudity than she was. Part of her assumed he hadnât bothered to put on anything other than his briefs. When he sauntered back into the bathroom, her suspicions were confirmed.
What else did she expect? It was okay. Because what she wanted to ask him required a lot more nudity.
Yes, she could do this.
She could.
âCome.â
âWhat?â
She pursed her lips, trying to maintain eye contact with him.
âIn the bath.â
That was all he needed. She watched as he discarded his briefs, revealing his naked body once more. He took two long strides and then he joined her in the bath, settling himself behind her.
She had to adjust her back and squeeze her body between his legs but they both fit in the bath.
A sense of familiarity and comfort washed over her as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer.
She could feel his arousal at their proximity and she groaned. âPlease tell little Alex to not even think about it. I can barely walk.â
He playfully bit her ear.
âI think we can agree thereâs nothing little about little Alex.â
She rolled her eyes, a laugh caught in her throat. â~Okay,~ can big Alex tell little Alex to go to sleep?â
âItâs not big Alexâs fault he was ~attacked~.â
She raised her hands, slapping her own cheeks. âCan we not?â The pleading. The ~pleases~. Heâd never let her forget, would he?
Alexander let his hands drop, letting them skim the waterâs surface.
Olivia shut her eyes, letting the calming aroma of lavender ease her tension. It felt right. Sharing a bath with him, feeling his proximity. It was almost frightening how much she yearned for his touch.
It was a desire, caged, clawing to break free.
~Heâs good to us~.
She couldnât dispute that. He adored every part of her. He treated her better than anyone ever had. He prioritized her needs.
How could she argue with that? Yet, she couldnât shake the feeling that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Could it all be this easy?
Could she fully commit to him without any reservations, without anything going wrong?
He seemed so sure, as if all the pieces would just fall into place.
How could he have such faith?
In her?
In the universe?
As she sighed, her shoulders curling inward, she couldnât help but feel his weight against her smaller body.
âAlex?â
But he didnât respond. As she turned to face him, she understood why he felt different; he was ~asleep~.
His head was tilted, resting on his shoulder, a soft snore vibrating through his body.
Now that she had a chance to really look at his face, she noticed the signs of fatigue sheâd overlooked before: the lines at the corners of his eyes, the dark circles, the tight lips. He was worn out.
Of course, how could he not be after ~fucking~ her for two days?
But it was more than that.
She could feel it, a nagging sensation in her chest.
Then she remembered his late nights, the times he didnât come to bed, or when heâd said he was busy. Had he been overworking himself to devote all his time to her?
For two days, he did nothing but be with her, breathe her in, taste her. No food, no water. Just them. She had no doubt that her heat affected him, but it was ~her~ heat, not his.
The attraction was probably not as intense for him, yet he stayed.
He took care of her.
Alex hadnât asked for anything in return. Heâd even drawn a warm, soothing bath for her. He was ensuring ~she~ was comfortable.
She raised a hand to his face, her thumb gently stroking his skin. He didnât stir. Not even a twitch. She smiled at him, her heart fluttering.
Heâd done so much.
She wanted to do more for him too.
As her gaze wandered over him, she noticed a ~nasty~ injury. Her eyes widened at the sight of the bite mark on his neck. ~Oh my god~. Had she done that?
He hadnât tried to hide it, but sheâd been so exhausted and then so hungry that she hadnât noticed. She couldnât even ~remember~ doing it, but it was clearly her doing.
She let her hand drift down, her fingers tracing the mark. ~It was warm~. God. She felt like a fool. Sheâd bitten him. She knew she was supposed to be a wolf, but ~geez~, she didnât think sheâd ever take it to such an extreme.
Did it look swollen? Did it hurt? He hadnât mentioned it. He hadnât touched it. Maybe it was worse than it appeared?
Guilt churned in her chest as she turned her back to him, pressing against his chest again.
Sheâd apologize later. For now, the water was still warm, and Alex deserved to rest. She took his arms and wrapped them around her. He let her. She closed her eyes, hoping to clear her thoughts.
She couldnât avoid this any longer.
Whatever was between them was here to stay.
It couldnât be denied, it couldnât be pushed aside.
She ~wanted~ to know him.
She ~wanted~ to understand the man behind the facade.
She was ready.