Crimson Moon

Fourteen

What was he doing? What. The fuck. Was. He. Doing. He couldn't even blame his wolf for grabbing Lou and kissing her without warning. Nope, that was all Cain. She was sweet, flustered about upsetting him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were just begging to be kissed. All logical thought had left his mind when she was standing so close to him, almost touching him.

    His arms could still feel how soft she was, how pliant she had been in his arms a moment ago as he'd kissed her breathless. He couldn't even pretend that she hadn't affected him; he was out of breath too. He hadn't expected her to give in to him the way she had, especially not kiss him back. Grabbing her like he had was about the most disrespectful thing he'd ever done in his life, especially considering the way she viewed males.

    So why was he having such a hard time not reaching for her again and continuing where they left off?

    Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, clouded with desire, and he had to avoid watching her chest heave as she tried to calm herself down. Blood flushed her cheeks from her arousal. That just sent his own blood rushing south instead of to her cheeks. Unfortunately, he couldn't even casually adjust himself. That would only draw her attention to his tightening pants. Thus far she had not even glanced away from his face, completely focused on him rather than on his body. He couldn't help but find it a little flattering.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. She reached up slowly trace her bottom lip, her brow furrowed in confusion. His own still tingled from the contact with hers. His wolf growled in desire, begging Cain to have her again, to make her theirs.

She shook her head. "I don't-- I don't think you need to apologize."

"I absolutely do, Lou. I told you that you can trust me. That wasn't exactly me proving that."
    She stepped toward him and he fought the urge to step away, to keep the distance he'd put between them. "Cain, you've saved my life multiple times-"

"That in no way means you owe me anything," he snapped. "I don't expect anything from you. Nothing."

She nodded slowly. "I know, I wasn't trying to say that. I just wanted to tell you that I do trust you."

He grimace, hating the way those words affected him. He felt warm inside and his wolf sat up proudly, even a bit smugly. But he knew the truth. He'd done nothing to deserve her trust other than do what any wolf should do for another. Poor Lou was just so used to complete jackasses that she didn't know any better. She trusted him simply because he treated her like a person, like how she should have been treated her whole life. He took advantage of her naivety.

Upon realizing that's what he'd done, it was like someone throwing a bucket of cold water over him. He stepped back, feeling sick with himself. He suddenly couldn't meet her gaze. "That doesn't give me any right to grab you like that," he snarled, clenching his hands into fists.

She blinked in surprise at the vehemence behind his words. "But I didn't fight back."

He could still smell her arousal, still see it in her eyes as he glanced back up at her again She still wanted him. His body tightened in anticipating, his wolf egging him on, but he prided himself on his control, and he had lost it twice around her in as many days.

"Lou, I didn't offer you refuge to get you into bed," he told her sharply. He had to end this, had to make her realize that he was no better than those other males. He hadn't taken advantage of her by force, but he felt like he had taken advantage of her emotionally. She trusted him because he treated her with an ounce of respect. "I didn't save you from a moose or pull you out of a freezing lake to get you into bed."

"I might've thought that at first, but I don't think that anymore."

His brows pulled together angrily. "You've had that much of a turn around in a day? Lou, think about what you're saying. 24 hours ago you threatened to remove my balls for me for touching you."