Hotel Showers and Luna Duties

RHIANNON

I roll my shoulders against the seat. My upper back is absolutely killing me. It always aches, but sitting in this car all day is starting to take its toll.

“Why are you doing that? What’s wrong?” Isaac asks.

“Ever since my accident, my back hurts. It’s not a big deal.”

“I’ll find a hotel.”

“No, no, we don’t have to stop. I’ll be all right.”

“We’ve gone five hundred miles, we’ll stop for the night.” His tone is serious. He reaches out and places his hand over my shoulder, massaging gently while he drives.

I lean into his touch, reveling in the relief from the pain.

We find a hotel a few exits down the highway.

As we enter the small room, I’m suddenly filled with nerves. We’ve been in close proximity all day, but he’s been driving. We’ll be in the room together, all night, sharing a bed.

“I think I’ll have a quick shower, unless you want to go first?” I don’t miss his eyes darken.

“We could shower together,” he says casually.

“Okay,” I answer calmly.

His eyebrows shoot up, not expecting that response. He kicks off his shoes and walks into the bathroom at lightning speed.

When I make it to the door, I see that he’s already removed his shirt. He’s halfway in the glass shower, adjusting the water temperature.

I step into the small bathroom and begin removing my clothes.

He watches as I slip my pants down my legs and pull my shirt off. It’s almost like he’s in a trance, watching me, unblinking.

I remove my bra, letting it slide down my arms onto the floor.

The trance is broken as I push my panties to the floor. He unbuttons his jeans and pushes them to the floor with his boxers in one motion.

We both stand, naked and staring, as the bathroom fills with steam.

I make the first move, stepping forward toward the spraying water. My shoulders sag as the heat helps to release some of the tension.

I’m so lost in the feeling that, for a moment, I don’t realize I’m alone. Isaac is still standing outside of the shower, his eyes glued to my body.

“Are you going to join me?”

His massive length stands proudly, begging for attention. I blush, but I can’t control my curiosity. I stare at him, memorizing every detail of his manhood.

His shaft is thick and long with a prominent vein running along the side. I reach forward, slowly, my outstretched hand trembling noticeably. I let the tips of my fingers graze his skin.

He’s panting, holding the glass door of the shower so tightly, it might shatter.

As I wrap my hand around him, he twitches and groans loudly. The sound sends a flood of arousal to my core.

I touch the soft skin, surprised that something so hard could also feel so soft.

I try to mimic the motion he made last night, bringing my hand up and down on his length.

He leans forward, placing his forehead on mine. When I speed up, he lets out a moan and grabs my hand, stopping my movements.

“Was I doing it wrong?” My cheeks burn. Last night was so amazing for me and I can’t even manage to give him a simple hand job correctly.

“No, Annie, it was great.” He steps into the shower, closing the door behind him. “I told you last night, I need to know you’re sure. I... I... you need to be sure before we cross that line.”

I’m suddenly very aware of how small this shower is. I rush through washing myself, wanting to get away from his hard, muscular, naked body.

He’s right; again, I need to be sure of what I’m doing before we take things beyond the point of no return.

He stays in the shower for quite a while after I get out. I imagine him touching himself, relieving the pressure, that throbbing ache. I squeeze my legs together to stifle the feeling in my core.

When he comes out of the bathroom, a towel clings to his hips, resting just below the prominent “V” of his lower abdomen.

“Here,” he says as he hands me his phone. “Pick whichever place you think looks good and we’ll order food.”

I choose a local pizza place that promises speedy delivery. I’m equal parts starving and exhausted. The food will also be a welcome distraction from thinking about how he felt in my hand.

We fall into comfortable conversation while we eat. I’m surprised by how much we have in common. We enjoy the same books, movies, and music.

I want to know everything about him. I ask him about being an alpha.

“When I was twenty-one, my dad was injured by a vamp. He has to walk with a cane now. He stepped down and I stepped up.

“Hunter and I are fairly young to be alphas; the next youngest one I know of is thirty.”

“Is it hard?”

“It can be. There are a lot of people depending on you to keep them safe, to guide them. I love my pack so I want to do a good job, so it can feel like a lot of pressure.”

“Does anyone help you?”

“My beta, Noah.”

His eyes hold something—sadness, maybe dejection? His luna will help him. He wants me to help him.

“And your luna?” I ask quietly.

“Yes. The luna helps the alpha. She cares for the pack, but she mostly cares for him, and by doing so, makes him stronger, makes him better.

“Wolves can be explosive, very quick to anger or react, the alpha even more so. The luna calms him.

“Whatever an alpha’s bad qualities, she mutes them, and whatever his good qualities, she amplifies them.”

My eyes sting with tears and my heart aches in my chest. He needs me like that? I’ll be those things for him? It feels like so much pressure to have to make a hasty decision over something so serious.

“We should sleep,” he says quietly.

I lie in the darkness for a long time, watching the shadows on the ceiling from passing cars.

Everything we’ve talked about weighs heavily on my mind. I’m undeniably drawn to him and attracted to him, but I’m still holding back. I’m afraid.

Despite the fears, I can’t help but notice how comfortable I feel around him. I trust him somehow. I wish everything could just slow down.

I feel myself drifting as I listen to his breathing, the sound lulling me to sleep like a lullaby.

~I’m freezing. The air around me is so cold it stings against my skin. Where am I? I look up—everything is made of sharp, rough stones.~

~My wrists ache. I try to rub one of them but my hands don’t move. I’m shackled to the ground. My wrists are caked with dried blood.~

~I’m so dirty…and naked. I strain to hear anything. There is no sound, and the quiet is frightening. I’m stuck against the wall, I can’t move; my shoulders are pinned somehow.~

~I try to call for help but my voice is a hoarse whisper. I hear something…footsteps. I lean back against the sharp, cold wall. Keys jingle and a thick wooden door creaks open.~

~The smell is awful, like rotting flesh. I scream but there is no sound. Red eyes. Red eyes pierce through the darkness.~

~A bony hand grabs my face; long, sharp nails dig into my skin. My neck is on fire. Everything burns…~

I jolt up and thrash around, trying to free myself.

“Annie, Annie, it’s me! You’re safe, it was a dream.” Isaac’s frantic voice pulls me out of my panic.

He grabs me and pulls me into his chest. His heart is beating wildly beneath my ear.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Whoa, hey, don’t apologize.”

I sniffle and cling to his shirt, reveling in his warmth.

“Does that happen a lot?” he asks quietly.

“Yes, most nights.”

“Oh, Annie. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t explain it, but I think it’s a memory. That’s what it feels like. I’m locked up, maybe in a dungeon, and I’m cold and naked. Someone comes in and I only see his eyes before I wake up.”

“Fuck.”

“It seems bad, but I actually feel better now than I ever have after one of those. I actually feel like I can go back to sleep.”

He holds me tighter, kissing my forehead. “Try to sleep, I’ll hold you. You’re safe.”

I drift off again in his arms feeling protected and cared for.