Chapter 23: Chapter 23

SLADE

I crawled back into bed, my heart still beating wildly in my chest. That girl just about gave me a heart attack when I heard her screaming. I tried going back to sleep, but I was restless.

I didn’t know how long I had been trying to fall back asleep, but I was surprised when my door slowly opened.

I watched the figure enter the room and eyed them cautiously until I was hit with that familiar smell. Lavender. I let out the breath I had been holding.

“Slade?” she whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I can’t sleep. Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?” My heart just about exploded. ~OF COURSE!~ was what I wanted to say, but I just responded by scooting over and throwing back the covers.

She slipped into the bed and lay close to me, her head on my chest. About fifty things were running through my mind, all of them extremely inappropriate, but I knew she just needed comfort.

And I was more than happy to offer it. Loving the closeness, I could hear my wolf groan. ~I know, man, I know~ was all I thought as I comfortably fell asleep.

***

In the morning, I woke up with Addison tangled in my arms. I enjoyed holding her all night. And enjoyed waking up to her even more. Her dark-brown hair was curling around her cheeks and shoulders.

Her cheeks were a bit flushed from the warmth of the bed. I wanted to kiss her. Well, I wanted to do more than that. But the things I wanted to do didn’t exactly follow the doctor’s orders to take it easy.

I laughed in my head as I closed my eyes and enjoyed holding her some more until I felt her stir and opened my eyes to meet the deep, turquoise eyes I wanted to swim in.

“Hi,” I said, smiling, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She beamed at me. “Good morning,” she whispered.

“Did you sleep better?” I asked.

“Mhmm, thanks for letting me stay. I felt comfortable with you,” she said shyly.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she took a breath. That made my breath hitch, and I kissed her. This time more passionately and with a fervor.

She came right back with her own fire, and we were entwined and breathing heavily. She stopped and smiled at me, squinting her eyes as I kissed her nose.

She wiggled and rolled over, about to get out of bed, but I grabbed her waist and pulled her close to me. Holding her like that, I put my face in her hair, inhaling her scent.

She was soft and warm, and I felt my body responding to her. I wanted to touch every inch of her.

“You are supposed to take it easy,” I breathed.

“Mhmm,” she said, stretching, which only made me crazier. I needed to calm myself.

“How about you go take a bath in that tub you love so much. I have some things to do this morning.”

Addison turned to me surprised and then pecked my lips and jumped out of bed.

“If I had known you would let me use this tub, I would have gotten myself attacked by a bear sooner!” She grinned sarcastically.

I fired back, “If I had known you would spend the night with me, I would have let you get attacked sooner as well.”

Addison feigned a surprised gasp and made her way to the bathroom. “You’ll be punished for that!”

I smirked. “What could you possibly do to punish me?”

And with that, she walked into the bathroom, and I watched as she turned the water on and then slowly walked to the door with a smirk before closing it, the lock on the bathroom door making a very distinct click.

“Touché,” I said to myself.

I had a bit of paperwork to do this morning before heading out to the training fields. When I finished, I was on my way down when I ran into Addison walking down the stairs from the floor above.

“Hello, Alpha,” she said, teasing me. She knew I wanted her to call me Slade, but I was pretty sure she did it just to push my buttons.

“Hello, Luna,” I threw back, even though I knew she loved it.

She smiled at me as she continued down the stairs. I turned to her. “When I’m done at the training fields, do you want to meet me in your office and we can go over your duties?

“We will have a pack meeting sometime this week to announce the changes and answer any questions. Sound good?”

Addison nodded. “Works for me. I will be out back with Hannah, find me when you’re ready.”

As we parted ways, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek and rushed off. I watched as she left, the graceful way she moved, the sway of her hips. It could drive a man insane.

My wolf groaned, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold myself back. I was seriously starting to fall for this girl.

I took out my pent-up tension on my sparring partner and felt refreshed after a good fight.

I hadn’t been able to spend as much time training as I used to, and I was glad Addison would be helping out and freeing up a bit more time for me to do the jobs I enjoyed.

Training the pack’s protectors was one of them.

I was sweaty and flushed from the heat, so I removed my shirt to wipe the sweat off my face. Walking back into the house, I made eye contact with a wide-eyed Addison.

“You like what you see?” I joked.

“I-I was just about to tell you to put a shirt on before you poke someone’s eye out.” She smirked. In two bounds, I was inches from her. I grabbed her arms so she couldn’t back away.

“Ready for our meeting?” I said in a husky voice, rubbing my hands up and down her arms. It sent sensations through my body, and I felt both of us react to it. I liked that I could get her all flustered.

After taking a minute to catch her breath, Addison pushed against my chest.

“Ha! And have you drip your sweat all over my brand-new office? Go take a shower, you caveman.” She tightened her lips into a teasing smile. I pulled her back into me, my face in her neck.

“As you wish, Luna,” I whispered. I felt the shudder from Addison, and it took everything not to drag her upstairs with me. “See you in ten.” And I strolled up the stairs.