MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

4. VALERIA: MEETING THE BIG BAD WOLF

I stared at him from beneath my lashes. David sat in the chair by the fire with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. My eyes slowly trailed over him. He had showered a few minutes earlier. David was muscled with six-pack abs. He even had those v-lines I heard girls whispered about whenever I found the courage to venture out. It led straight down before disappearing into the band of his grey sweatpants.

I had the urge to walk over to him and climb onto his lap.

He'd wrap his arms around me and hug me close to his chest. Then he'd press his lips against my forehead and asked me whether I needed something before he tugged me into bed.

I blinked back the sudden tears that filled my eyes. Longing filled me. Aunt never held me. I had to learn to do everything on my own. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I closed the book and placed it on the couch next to me. My eyes darted back to him. It looked like he was asleep.

Just for a little while. I'll sit on his lap just for a little while.

Getting up, I slowly made my way towards him. I hesitated in front of him. My eyes dropped to his lap and then up to his face. How are you planning on climbing on his lap without waking him, Valeria? I bit my lip as I shifted from foot to foot.

"What's wrong?"

A shocked gasp fell from my lips when he suddenly spoke. I moved backward and stumbled over something. His reflexes were faster than I expected them to be. Within a second he had grabbed my arm to stop my fall. He tugged on my arm to pull me closer. A squeak fell from my lips when his arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me onto his lap. His skin was warm against mine. I shivered. I hadn't realized how cold I was until now.

"Your skin is cold," he muttered. "Why didn't you tell me that you were cold? I would've turned up the heat."

"I didn't realize," I whispered.

My mouth fell open when he suddenly stood. I clutched his shoulders and stared at his face. His eyes locked with mine when he gripped my thigh and guided my leg around his hip. I wrapped my other leg around his hip without him having to tell me to do it.

"Hold on, doll."

I shivered, hugging him tighter. I like him calling me that. He suddenly bent forward, making me gasp. I glanced over my shoulder to watch what he was doing. David threw a few more logs into the fire and then straightened. He glanced at me and gave me a small smile.

Walking over to the couch, he paused in front of it. David reached back to grip my ankle and moved them a little higher up his back so he could take a seat on the couch. Within the next five seconds, I found myself straddling his lap with a thick fluffy blanket wrapped around me.

I sighed and pressed my face against his neck. His body tensed when my nose brushed against his skin. I thought nothing of his reaction and repeated the action. His scent filled my nostrils—man and soap and something else I couldn't place.

"You better stop doing that, Val," he rasped.

"Why?"

"You're initiating foreplay."

"What's that?"

I sat up. His eyes instantly locked with mine. I swallowed when his eyes flashed black before returning to their normal colour. David gripped my hips and moved me backward on his lap so I sat near his knees.

"Foreplay?" He questioned softly.

I nodded.

"Well . . ."

He licked his lips which drew my attention to them. I stared. The image of his lips wrapped around my nipple flashed through my mind. What would it feel like if he kissed me there?