Pack Mentality

Chapter 4

When Seth woke up curled around Becky's warm body, fear darted around in his thoughts like a moth seeking light. After that first time on the couch—neither of them had lasted long—they ended up against the wall and then somehow on the floor before they ever made it to the bed, passion chipping away at his control with each touch, each kiss. Whenever Becky would pause for a breath, he had checked his hands to make sure he hadn't started to shift. Now she was spooned against him tightly, barely enough room for sweat between them, but from what Seth could see, he was still resolutely human.

Sleeping next to her was almost as good at the sex, and he was pretty sure he never wanted to fuck a woman who couldn't push him down and hold him there ever again; her eyes had been as wild as a forest then, and for a moment he wasn't sure which one of them was truly a wolf. Halfway through their sex-shortened sleep, Becky rolled over to face him, still half-asleep, and he was amazed by now naturally they fitted together again. He had no idea what she was saying when she started moaning in Irish, but he loved it all the same.

Becky whimpered occasionally in her sleep, cuddling closer whenever Seth moved, so he nuzzled the back of her neck, pushing long curls out of his way. "Good morning," he murmured against her shoulder.

"Has been so far," she replied sleepily, pressing back against him.

Seth was about to roll her over when he realized what had woken him up: the sound of footsteps approaching. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door and he leapt out of the bed, grabbing for his shorts and nearly tripping as he yanked them on. "Dean," he muttered, "I'm going to kill you—"

But it was Roman at the door with a smile and two travel coffee cups, one stacked on top of the other. "Morning, Seth." He gave Seth a knowing grin as he took in his rumpled hair and shorts that Seth only just realized were on backwards. Then he peered around Seth's shoulder and added, "Morning, Becks."

As he took the coffees, Seth started to lie and say she was in the bathroom, but when he followed Roman's gaze, he saw long tendrils of red curls peeking out from the covers; she had obviously tried to duck under the blankets, but hadn't quite made it in time. Heaving a sigh, Becky pulled the blanket back just enough to peek out. "Morning, Roman. Thanks for the coffee."

"Sure thing. Dean's saving us a table for breakfast," Roman added, stepping back. "See you two down there." When he was further down the hall, he shot Seth a wink.

"Sorry." Becky was scooting to the side of the bed, already looking for her clothes. "I should have got up early and snuck out so they wouldn't bug you. . . ."

Seth could hardly tell her that his friends had been trying to set him up with her, so he just shut the door and tossed her bra over to her. "It's fine. We're all adults, right?"

"Yeah. I'll just. . . ." Becky started to head to the bathroom, grabbing her toiletry kit on the way, but Seth was standing between her and the en suite's door. "Seth. . . ."

He wouldn't have asked if the desire in her eyes didn't rival the delicious tension in his shoulders. "We don't have to go right now," he pointed out, voice husky as his gaze drifted down her body. Small bruises were blossoming around her hips and along her inner thighs and he wanted to taste them all, press his tongue against them to see how much resistance they gave.

For a moment, he expected her to shake her head and politely decline, to say they should get going before they gave everyone even more reason to spread rumours. Instead she almost leapt at him, dragging his head down to hers and kissing him hungrily. "Well, we both need a shower, right. . . ?"

As they stumbled into the bathroom, Seth trying to kick off his shorts while Becky turned on the water, he wondered if her fascination with the rain the night before was actually part of a water kink. Not that he minded. They even somehow managed to get mostly clean, though Seth eventually had to put her down so she could wash her hair without tangling it beyond all hope. "Take your time," he said, letting his hand trail down her back as he stepped out of the shower. "My hair's easy."