Skins & Needles (COMPLETE)

No Calm Before the Storm

Charlotte

Arsen held my hand in his lap the whole drive back from where we parked near the clearing. That night would be my first run with the circle, and we had a couple hours to get ready. My stomach flipped and twisted with the knowledge that this would be the first time we'd be alone in his house since I became a shifter. Arsen had talked about how he couldn't wait to mark me, but I didn't even know the full extent of what that meant. Sex with extra steps? And did being a werewolf mean he could knock me up now? At least he'd been open to the prospect of protection, but the way I felt with him after my first shift almost made me not care. Would the rest of the circle know if he marked me? Would they care? My head spun with all the possibilities this new life offered me, and I wasn't honestly sure what was in store for me when we parked out front, but I knew I was with the right person to take it all in stride.

I thought back to the first time I saw his house, how awestruck I'd been at the two-story cabin in the middle of the woods. I'd been nervous then too, but not for the same reasons. Back then, I was anxious about accidentally getting involved with criminals, in pain from being shot, and unsure where Arsen and I stood after an evening of flirting. Now, I was just excited. Almost buzzed with energy. And when Arsen hit the parking break and killed the engine, my heart leapt into overdrive.

"Home," Arsen said, and then turned to me with a lopsided smile. "I suppose I should have asked if you wanted to live with me."

"Yeah, jeez, what's with all this kidnapping in the middle of the night?" I teased, but couldn't keep the grin off my cheeks.

"I guess I just wouldn't be able to take it if you said no, so I didn't give you the chance," he said, but then his face turned serious. "I really do want you to move in with me, but I won't make you. I know it's far from your job, and you have your own place, but—"

"Yes!" I interrupted, and pulled our tangled hands to my lips. "Of course I want to move in with you. I love you, duh."

Arsen half-smiled, before taking my chin gently and pulling my mouth to his. He kissed me once, hard, and pulled back to look into my eyes with something incredibly burning, before returning his lips to mine with fervor.

Our lips parted immediately, and this kiss quickly went from "I love you" to "I need you." Arsen trailed his tongue along the seam of my top lip, and I nipped at his bottom one, and it wasn't long before we were both breathing heavily. When my fingers found Arsen's shirt buttons, he pulled back with a sharp inhale and stopped my hands.

"Inside," he told me, and I nodded and reached for my door handle. By the time I was out of the truck and shutting the door behind me, Arsen was there scooping me up into his arms.

"Hey!" I squeaked, my hands flying to his shoulders. "What's this all about?"

"I have to carry you across the threshold," Arsen explained as we climbed his steps. "It's the rules."

"Yeah, for when you get married," I said. "And how do you plan on unlocking the door while carrying me anyway?"

"You're ruining my romantic gesture," Arsen scolded while fighting to keep a grin off his face. "My keys are in my back pocket. Can you unlock the door?"

"Oh, now I have to do everything," I sassed, but I felt my attitude dissipate when my hand went into the back of Arsen's jeans and around his perfect ass cheek. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, before kissing me again. In unison, we let out hums of approval. My hand was pulled free from Arsen's pocket as he moved to set me on my feet, only to pick me back up by my thighs. My back hit the door and I gasped against Arsen's mouth. His tongue pushed past my lips as my hands went to his hair, and I felt his hands inch further up my legs.