Since there would be no changing his mind, she simply nodded. The shifters around them closed ranks.
Jace touched her elbow. “You okay?”
She nodded and opened her mouth to answer, but Stephen cut her off. “I’m taking Kate home, so she can get some rest. We’ll stop by tomorrow and pick up her car.”
“Michelle and I can take her.”
“No.” Stephen leveled a hard stare at her brother, who answered with a lift of his brows.
Gee rolled his eyes. “Since you don’t need me any longer, duty calls.” He lumbered back inside the bar, followed by a chuckling Damien who saluted as he filed passed.
Jace placed a kiss on her forehead. “Call me if you need me.”
Kate allowed Stephen to lead her down the sidewalk to his truck. His deep blue eyes never left hers as he settled her in the passenger seat and secured her seatbelt.
“I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” He ran the back of his forefinger over her cheek.
Before she could protest, he slammed the door and crossed in front of the truck, his intense gaze locked on her the entire way. The weight of his stare sent a nervous flutter to her lower belly.
She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. For once, she wasn’t sure she could resist Stephen tonight.
***
Surprisingly, Kate hadn’t argued when he’d brought her to his home rather than hers. After her numerous reassurances she was fine, he’d retreated into his bathroom to shower in the hopes he’d shake some of his unspent tension, but to no avail. His muscles pulsed with the need to punch something or someone. Specifically, the assholes who’d dared to touch his mate.
Stephen swiped the fog away from the bathroom mirror, leaned against the sink, and stared at his reflection. Anxiety stood out in the lines of his face while his dilated pupils almost dominated the splash of color in his eyes. Below the surface, his restless Wolf paced. As he struggled to maintain his control, his body vibrated with tension.
He tried to dispel the image of that human bastard’s hands on her from his mind, but it was no use. Every primal instinct inside him demanded blood. There was no question of whether or not his and the man’s paths would cross again. Stephen would make certain they did. The Collins bastard had sealed his fate when he’d laid his hands on Kate.
Straightening, Stephen grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and opened the bathroom door. Immediately, his gaze fell on Kate’s sleeping form in his bed. Faced away from him, she lay curled on her side in the same position he’d left her in before his shower.
Stephen moved to the empty side of the bed and eased down on top of the covers, careful not to wake her. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her side. His gaze swept over the dark hair spilling across his pillow, then traced the feminine line of her body down to the gentle swell of her hips.
Shifter men notoriously guarded their mates, and Stephen was no different. Even though he’d not claimed Kate yet, she was still his to honor and protect. If something had happened to her tonight, he would’ve lost it altogether.
The bed shifted beneath him, and fabric rustled as she turned to face him. The bathroom light he’d left on illuminated her features in the darkened room. Her tired eyes focused on him, and she laid her hand on his bare chest. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the soft touch.
“Is everything okay?” Her husky voice washed over him.
“Go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t.” Her fingers moved over his skin. “Stay with me?”
Air whooshed out of his lungs at her words. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sunshine.”
Her hand slid down to his stomach. “Please, Stephen.”
How the hell was he supposed to ignore that?
She shifted and rolled onto her opposite side, leaving him to stare at the delicate curve of her back. Against his better judgment, he eased beneath the covers, close enough that the heat from her body saturated him. And yet he didn’t dare touch her. He couldn’t, not without taking more than she was willing to offer.
Unfortunately, Kate had no qualms about sliding the last inch backward until her frame molded against his. He attempted to shift his groin out of reach, but she scooted her ass against his hardening length, the towel he wore and the T-shirt and boxer shorts he’d given her hardly a barrier between them. He gritted his teeth as a wave of lust shot straight to his dick. Fuck, she was playing with fire.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” He growled into her hair and wrapped his arm around her waist.
She stiffened, and her breathing grew labored, causing the undersides of her breasts to graze his forearm. “No.” She rasped. “I don’t feel like fighting tonight. I want you.”