The door to her bedroom was shut, but he opened it and headed straight for the one that led to the bathroom, which was cracked open. Wisps of steam billowed out from the opening. Using all his stealth and quickness—before he could change his mind—he fully opened the door, crossed the tile floor in a few quick strides and dragged the shower curtain back with a loud jangle.
Standing under the powerful showerhead, Lauren’s eyes snapped open in shock. She stood there frozen before her hands went to cover her naked breasts. But not before he saw the light brown color of her tightly beaded nipples. Instantly his cock hardened to the point it was almost painful. He wanted to drag her hands away, to look his fill of her luscious body.
In a delayed realization, it hit him that she’d had one of her hands between her legs. Had she been stroking herself? The thought of that was insanely hot. Before he could dwell on that mental image, she blindly grabbed for a washcloth and slapped it at him, hitting his shoulder with a wet snap. She dropped it when she realized she’d left one of her breasts exposed to hit him.
“What the hell are you doing?” Her voice was a screech of panic. “Get out of here now!”
He crossed his arms over his chest as he struggled to keep his eyes on her face instead of roving over her body like he craved. He shouldn’t have come in here like this but he didn’t care. He needed her to see him, to acknowledge the heat burning between them. Needed her to want him as much as he wanted her. “Why the fuck did you leave like that?”
“I’m not having this conversation while I’m naked.” Her eyes narrowed on him in warning. And damn it, he still couldn’t scent any desire coming from her even though he knew damn well she’d had her hand buried between her legs a minute ago. Had she been thinking of him while she stroked herself? His cock swelled even more.
“Would it make you feel better if I was naked too?” he murmured, ready to strip completely. His blood pounded hot and heavy through his veins, pulsed in his cock. The wolf was there, clawing for freedom and the chance to take what it wanted. Lauren. Wet and naked and willing, responding to his every touch, each nip of his mouth on her smooth skin.
“No,” she snapped before grabbing the shower curtain to cover herself. She held it up above her breasts, the water splashing over it and spraying everywhere. “Have you lost your mind?”
Max certainly felt like it. He’d never reacted to a female this way. Before he could respond, she continued.
“You don’t get to tell me who I can or can’t talk to. I’ll take phone numbers from every guy in that bar next time I’m there. We made our deal and that was that I was to stay with you, which I’ve done. I even helped out at your pack’s bar. What I didn’t agree to, was letting you push me around or harass me while I’m naked in the shower.”
He was silent for a moment as he watched her breathing become erratic. The rise and fall of her chest was unsteady and the anger rolling off her was palpable, but he also scented something else. Desire. Triumph rolled through him. His inner wolf growled in pleasure. Everything she’d said was true. He shouldn’t have come in here, but there was no reining his wolf in right now. Max didn’t want walls between them.
“Were you touching yourself when I walked in here?”
She hissed in a breath, but didn’t respond. Just swallowed hard and glared at him. Holy shit, she had been.
“What were you thinking of? Me?” Yeah, it was arrogant to ask. But he needed to know.
She rolled her eyes, but he didn’t miss the way she subtly trembled. “You wish.”
He did. Knowing he needed to clear the air, he said, “That woman from earlier kissed me, not the other way around. We’ve been done for a long time. She came in tonight and was drunk. You saw me pushing her off. Nothing more. And I’m not sleeping with anyone right now. Haven’t been for over six months.” Let her make of that what she wanted.
Lauren’s hand slackened slightly, the shower curtain dipping low enough to show the soft swell of her breasts, but still covering her. “Why do you think I care?”
He saw the indecision warring in her eyes, and pounced on it. “You care for the same reason I wanted to claw Derrick to shreds for giving you his number. For the same reason I wanted to do the same to every male you flirted with tonight. You’re mine.” Admitting that made him feel vulnerable, but he knew he had to put himself out there.
Her lips parted a fraction, surprise in her gaze. She watched him, her eyes wide and that same scent of desire still rolling off her. It was growing stronger each second that passed, but she still didn’t say anything or reach for him.