Just a taste, the wolf was pleading with him.
Blaze knew he shouldn’t.
Astra had a hell of a long, intense day. She had tended bar like a pro. The last thing she needed was to be mauled by a horny wolf. But her body was right there. Pressed so close to his, and it made him lose his senses. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck. He had fully expected her to freeze in his arms. She should have pushed him away.
She didn’t.
Astra actually moved her head back, giving him even more access to the soft skin of her throat. He took full advantage of it and kissed her again, this time letting the tip of his tongue drag along her pulsing vein.
“Go to bed, Astra,” he forced himself to say before kissing her forehead softly. “Sweet dreams.”
Without another word, he went to the living room and settled on the couch. He held his hands in front of him and forced his legs to remain still, or he would go to his bedroom where his mate was sleeping in his bed.
But that couldn’t happen.
Not yet.
Chapter Thirteen
Astra
Astra slid on the jeans and black sweater, thankful that whoever had brought her clothes had known her size. The jeans were just tight enough to put her ass on display, and the shirt was a V-neck that had just the right amount of cleavage. She had a shifter to impress, and she wanted to make sure she looked good.
She braided her hair into a fancy-looking side braid. It was a simple enough hairdo but it looked amazing. She always liked how it made the different shades of her red hair stand out.
“Whoa.” Blaze’s eyes were roaming over her with burning hunger when she left the bathroom.
She looked down at herself, and she tried to see what he was seeing.
“I hope that’s a good whoa,” she teased. She wanted to kick herself for the edge of self-consciousness she heard there.
“It’s a good one. You look…” he cleared his throat and looked away. The tips of his ears were red, and under his tan, there was clearly blushing going on.
Astra didn’t want it to make her happy that he was that affected by her, but this was exactly what she had wanted from him. A reaction. A good one.
“The clothes fit,” she said shyly, tugging at the hem of her shirt.
“Yeah, they really do. You almost look too good to go down to the bar.”
She felt her eyebrows go all the way up in surprise. “Are you serious?”
“I mean, you’re a beautiful woman, Astra. Shifters are men just like humans. They can spot a beauty from miles away.”
“I think there was a compliment in there somewhere.”
Blaze nodded. “There definitely was.”
“Thank you.” Astra was proud of herself for not having her tone sound like a question.
They walked down to the bar together, and Astra made sure she was behind Blaze. As much as she liked knowing he found her appealing, she also liked watching his butt. The man had a nice toned ass and long powerful legs. He took the stairs two at a time and he was waiting for Astra at the bottom, holding the door for her.
As she walked past him, she let herself give him a quick kiss. What else was she going to do? Not give the man a nice thank you for holding the door for her? She had been raised better than that and she definitely wanted to touch him again.
Blaze put on some music over the bar’s speakers, keeping the volume just loud enough for them to hear, but still low enough to invite conversation.
“How did you sleep?” he asked her as he busied himself putting cutlery on all the tables.
She had barely slept. She was worried about her sister and her cousins and the fact there was a murderous group of witch hunters after them. That had definitely played into her sleeplessness, but there was also more to it than that.
Astra had slept in Blaze’s bed. He had insisted. She could imagine the tall, beefy shifter had been uncomfortable on the sofa, but she had appreciated his chivalry. He had changed the sheets on his bed, but it had done nothing to take away his delicious male scent from the bed. She had definitely not cuddled the pillow while pretending it was him. Nope. That would have been absolutely crazy, and she was sane.
“Good. Well. Thanks for letting me take your bed. We can change it up tonight. You take the bed, I take the couch.”
“Not on your life, love. That bed is yours for as long as you’re staying with me.”
Blaze’s words made her shiver. Why did it feel like he was saying so much more than he was? The words were heavier than just their outward meaning. It was clear by the raspy quality Blaze’s voice suddenly had and the way his eyes were intently watching her for a reaction.
She had to admit she had reacted to his words. Astra was fully blushing now. To keep her reaction away from Blaze, she turned away and busied herself by replenishing the salt and pepper shakers. It required some concentration, but she really didn’t want to stick her tongue out, very aware of her own body, but also of Blaze’s proximity to her.
The brunch rush wasn’t anywhere as busy as she thought it would have been. She had anticipated that the shifters would be in the bar, desperate for some greasy breakfast food to soak up all of the alcohol they had ingested the night before.
Astra knew it took more for them to get drunk, and that it was actually nearly impossible for them to have hangovers, but if she had their metabolism, she would take advantage of it and ingest all of the pancakes and sausages she could.
There was a big lull after one when Rick showed up.
“Rick,” she said, genuinely happy to see the older man.
“Hey, there, beautiful. How was the rest of your night?”
“Beautiful?” Blaze called out. “Are you flirting with my woman?” He was clearly being silly and teasing, but for Astra, hearing him say that was a lot.
She tested how it felt in her brain to hear him call her his. She waited for the panic because they hadn’t known each other long enough for that. She waited, but none came.
“I feel bad for all that’s going on,” Rick said as he walked behind the bar. “Between managing the bar, and the pack, and keeping the witches safe, you have a lot going on, Blaze. I’m going to take care of the bar today. You two go rest up. I’m sure you have some things to deal with. Don’t you?”
Astra didn’t miss the look that passed between Rick and Blaze. She wished she could understand what was happening, but there was no telling what the two men were talking about. Astra had the insane thought that maybe they were communing through their wolves. Was that even a thing? She would have to ask Blaze about it.
“Come on, Astra,” Blaze said, nodding toward the back door that led to his apartment.
“Wait, what? What just happened?” she asked.
“We’re going upstairs for a bit.”
He held out his hand, and she took it. They walked all the way up to his apartment, and it was only then that Astra noticed that it was barely two o’clock in the afternoon.
“Do you really think Rick can handle the bar from this afternoon all the way through close? He retired for a reason.”
Blaze shrugged. “He helps out every now and again. He says it keeps him young. And you’ve had a rough go lately, so you shouldn’t be in the bar. You should be resting.”