7. Briony

Imake it the whole day before guilt compels me to go to Evander's house.

Being the beta, everyone knows where he lives.

Including me.

I feel terrible.

I've always thought that Evander had a bad attitude. That he didn't care, that he was an asshole for no reason.

However, in the van, I realized something.

Evander does care. Very much. He cares about a lot of stuff, including how to do his role in the pack.

He just doesn't think he's as good as Thorne.

I'm not one to get in the middle of their sibling stuff, but I do need him to know one thing. I want him to realize that, back there at the fox compound, he wasn't just a good beta.

He was a great one.

I could have called him. I debated doing that. But, on top of the fact that I feel really guilty for thinking the worst of him basically all the time, I have something else on my mind.

That kiss.

Okay, it wasn't a kiss. But damn. It was not a kiss, and it was better than any kiss I've ever had in my life.

It's like a compulsion. I don't just want to see him again.

I have to.

So now, it's twilight, and I'm outside of Evander's house.

I'm an idiot.

Evander Alderwood doesn't want me here. I should just text him. He and Thorne asked me to talk to the council tomorrow, and I'm happy to do that, so I should just wait to see him tomorrow when we prep for the meeting.

I shouldn't be here.

I feel like I should go, and I'm about to turn when the door opens.

"Briony?"

I turn back, and immediately wish I had just left.

Evander doesn't have a shirt on. He's wearing gray sweatpants that hug his hips, but I can't really even process that right now.

Because his chest is taking up one hundred percent of my field of view.

I mean, I live with wolf shifters. I've done so my entire life. I'm not exactly unfamiliar with a man's naked chest, as wolf shifters often walk around totally naked.

But I know with certainty that I've never seen Evander's chest before. Because if I had… my life would have changed.

As it is now.

"What are you doing here?" he rumbles.

I look up at him and realize he must have been sleeping. "Oh. Um. Sorry. I should have called. It's a bad time. I'll just… I'll just see you tomorrow," I say hastily.

Turning to leave, I manage one step before Evander's hand is around my wrist.

"Stay," he murmurs. "I just took a quick nap because I was going to run up to the fox compound tonight and see how it's going."

"Ah. Um. That seems pretty important. You should do that."

"I will. But why are you here?"

I pick at the edges of my hair. "It's nothing important."

"Important enough to come up here?"

"Well yeah, no, I…"

He tugs at my wrist. "Stay. Come in. Let me get you something to drink."

"Really, Evander..."

"It's my duty as beta. Hospitality. Please," he smiles.

That sleepy smile does it. With my heart absolutely throbbing in my chest, I nod. "Okay."

Five minutes later,I'm sitting on Evander's couch, sipping a remarkably well-made iced tea.

He put on a shirt.

Sadly.

But we haven't spoken, and it feels more than a little awkward.

I sip the tea, and the rattling of the ice sounds like a gunshot, it's so loud.

I wince and put it down, my eyes darting to the door.

"So," he prompts. His voice is a deep rumble that makes my hair stand up. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Oh. Um. I…"

"Briony. You had no problem yelling at me in front of the whole pack at the Blue Moon Bash. What's up?"

I give him a look. "That was different."

"Different how?"

"Because then I was… you were…Oh fine," I huff. "I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job as the beta out there."

His eyes glitter. "Really?"

"Yeah. I can tell it's important to you, and you did good. The other wolves respected you, Zander followed your orders, and the foxes… Well, they feel as safe as they can. If they choose to stay, it's because of what you did back there."

"That's good to hear, Briony. Especially from you."

I blush. "Especially from me?"

"A compliment from your biggest critic is a lot more meaningful than one from your biggest fan."

"I'm not your biggest…" I frown at his expression. "Okay. Maybe I have been a little critical."

"A little?"

"Just a hint," I say mildly.

Evander laughs. He's sitting on the opposite end of his L-shaped couch, but that doesn't make me feel comfortable. In my house, he takes up too much room.

In his, he's everywhere. Everything smells like him. Everything reminds me of him.

It's too much.

Evander studies me. "I thought maybe you wanted to talk about what happened right before the fight."

Every single nerve in my body stands on edge. I gulp, carefully examining the path that a drop of water is making as it drips down the glass of my tea. "What?"

"In the van."

"What happened in the van?"

"Briony," Evander moves forward, sitting so his elbows are on his knees and his eyes are staring into mine. "You're one of the smartest people I know. I know you know what I'm talking about."

"Um…"

I definitely know what he's talking about. But under no circumstances does it mean that I'm prepared to talk about it.

"In the van. When you almost kissed me."

That gets my attention. "Excuse me? When I almost kissed you?"

"Yes. That," he says, settling back with an irritatingly satisfied smirk.

I huff. "No. I did not almost kiss you. You almost kissed me."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did," I glare at him. "Or it was just an accident, and we were really close together. But I definitely didn't almost kiss you."

"Yes, Briony. You did."

"No, you almost kissed me!"

I don't see him move. One second, he's on the couch opposite me, the next, he's tugging me up, and I'm standing, my arms wrapped around his waist for stability.

Evander's blue eyes are a little wild. I can feel his chest moving as he stares down at me.

"If I wanted to almost kiss you, Briony, it wouldn't be on accident in a van."

"No?" I whisper. I'm sure that he can hear my heart right now, because it's beating louder than it ever has.

He shakes his head. "No. Because it would be like this."

With one hand, he tilts my chin up. With the other, he slides his fingers into my hair, tugging lightly at the base of my scalp. It takes everything in me not to moan.

And I can't stop my lips from parting in a little pant.

"Do you want me to kiss you, Briony?" he whispers.

"Um…"

"You have to say it. You have to ask, Bri. I've been waiting for so long. I won't… I can't do it unless you ask," he whispers.

Waiting?

The word swirls around my skull, which is probably why, instead of saying no, another word drops from my lips.

"Yes." I barely say it. It's a whispered whisper, quiet and soft like a mouse.

But when Evander kisses me, it's like a hurricane.

I groan, throwing my arms around his neck as he devours my mouth.

He's warm. His hands skate over my ribs and up, pressing against the underside of my breasts. I gasp when he moves his lips to my neck, kissing a path down to my collarbone.

He comes back up and kisses my lips again, and I sigh.

When Evander pulls back this time, his blue eyes shimmer. "I knew it," he whispers.

"What?"

"You taste like blackberries."

"Oh, is that good?"

He laughs. "The best."

Evander leans in again and kisses me senseless. My mind is completely shot. All I know is that right now, I want more.

So much more.

With that in mind, I break free, and I whisper in his ear.

"More, Evander."

He stops and looks at me. I can tell that he's a little shocked. "Really?"

I nod. "Really."

It's insane. But I've never been kissed like this. With this much passion. This much want. Every movement of his lips feels like it's perfect, meant for me.

Like I'm everything he needs.

Evander smiles, and then I squeak as he puts an arm under my butt, lifting me against his chest. "You want everything?" he growls.

All I can do is nod.

Seconds later, we're in his bedroom. Evander's hands cup the sides of my body, lifting my shirt. I let him tug it over my head, then help him to pull the jeans off of my legs.

I sit back on the bed, my arms behind me, my breasts heaving in my bra.

Evander's eyes are so dark, they look like the sea before a storm. "You're so beautiful, Briony," he whispers.

It's hard not to throw my head back with pride. "Come touch me," I whisper.

Evander stands back, shrugging out of his pants in a move that would have been comical if I hadn't been so damn impatient.

I want him inside me.

Like, yesterday.

He leans over me, his bare chest so close that I can feel the heat radiating off of it, and he's about to tug his black boxers down when something flickers in his eyes. He freezes, then looks at me. "Don't move," he growls. Seconds later, he reappears, condom in hand.

I don't tell him that I didn't give a shit about the condom. My cheeks color as I realize that I had been about to fuck Evander without any birth control whatsoever.

Well.

Whoops.

He rips into the foil with his teeth, and I watch the muscles across his chest and arms flex as he rolls the condom over his impressive erection.

My eyes rove over his body. His beautiful skin flows over his tight muscles, and freckles dance on the surface as he moves.

Evander is beautiful too.

And for today, he's all mine.

My eyes drop when he takes off his boxers, and I can't help but gasp as his thick cock pops out.

Oh dear.

Oh wow.

I'm… yeah. I'm interested in that.

Condom situated, Evander turns his gaze to me. His lips quirk into a smile and his eyes go slack with lust.

Slowly, I take off my bra. I hook my thumbs in my panties and pull.

Watching his reaction is priceless. I arch my back slightly, offering my breasts to him. "I want you," I purr again, just in case he forgot.

Evander moves. He lays down on the bed, then grabs my ankles, then my hips, pulling me up so I'm on top of him. He stretches out beneath me, his fingers lingering on the edges of my hips. Lightly, he traces some of the old stretch marks that dance up my body.

His eyes linger on my hips, then my chest, and then finally, they slide up to my face.

I arch my eyebrows and look at him. "Got anything to say?" Something about him makes me too bold.

I kind of like it.

He shakes his head. "No, Briony. I'm speechless."

I blush and look away. I feel his hands on my chin, and gently, he tugs so that I'm looking at him again.

"Don't look away. Not now. Not ever," he murmurs. "I want you to see what you do to me. You're so beautiful. I need you to know how crazy you make me."

I blush again, but I don't look away from him. "I thought you were speechless."

"I am. Because there's no way I could find anything to say that feels like it captures how lucky I am to be here with you right now," he whispers.

"Seriously, Evander. You're making me…"

"And you're making me so crazy, I can't stand it."

I look back at him then, meeting his eyes as he studies me.

"I want this. I've wanted this for… a while," he whispers.

I blink. "What?"

"I just… I need you," he says. "I want to give you everything, Briony. Will you let me?"

I have a strange feeling that he's talking about much more than just his dick, but I shake it off.

I'm only focused on here. Now.

This.

So I nod. "Yes, Evander. I will."

Evander drops his fingers to my hips again; then slowly, they skate up my skin. His hands trace the path his eyes started. He cups my breasts, and I start to rock myself harder against where his cock is pressed between us.

"Are you wet for me, baby?" he whispers.

Always, I want to respond.

Instead, I smirk at him. "Guess you'll have to see for yourself."

I stand up on my knees slightly. With one hand, I grab Evander's hard length, positioning it at the entrance to my core. I feel him there, perched against me, and I sink down slightly.

We both gasp.

"Oh, fuck," I pant.

Evander's… thick.

I've never been someone who believes that penis size matters. I think that there are plenty of ways for men to be insecure about their bodies, plenty of ways to make sex pleasurable, and generally the whole situation is one big fleshy puzzle, anyway.

But somehow, the way Evander slides into me feels… different.

I gasp as I slowly try to take more, getting accustomed to him as I move.

From beneath me, his breath comes in harsh pants. "Fuck. Briony. Shit. I…"

"I know," I breathe out.

Every inch is a stretch. I feel sweat roll off of my head and down between my breasts. Evander is so still, I can tell it's taking every scrap of his self-restraint to keep from moving.

Finally, my ass brushes the hair on his legs, and his fingers grip my hips so tightly, I think I might bruise in the shapes of his hands.

It's an image that's so sexy, I moan and spasm, rolling forward to where I'm impaled on Evander.

He shudders. "Briony. You gotta warn a guy before you move like that."

"Oh, like this?" I roll my hips again, practically salivating at the delicious friction that comes with the movement.

"Fucking hell," he bites out. His fingers press harder on me again. "Do that again."

And I do.

I think in the past, being an "on top" girl has not exactly been my favorite. I don't necessarily like how my body's on display, and I don't always feel like my past partners have really been interested in the position. Will definitely never was.

But with Evander, I feel powerful.

He responds to everything. When I roll my hips, he grunts with pleasure. When I shift back slightly on my legs, leaning away, he anchors me with his hands on my thighs. He presses up when I come down, bouncing me slightly as he moves underneath me.

I'm so full, spread around him. Every motion brings a new level of friction and tension that's so hard to describe. It's like when Evander is inside me, everything just… fits.

When I come this time, it's a surprise.

Stars explode across my vision. I shriek, totally taken unawares as the orgasm rips through me. Before I even come down, Evander flips me again, and he positions himself between my thighs without ever pulling out. He hammers into me, his hands gripping random parts of my body. I hold on, to him, to the sheets, to whatever I can reach.

I want him to feel the same way I do.

My legs are bouncing, but I'm doing my best to keep them wrapped around his hips. Evander's movements are jerky and uncoordinated; I can tell he's close.

I dig my nails into his ass, urging him closer, reveling in the flex and pull of his strong muscles as he pounds into me.

"That's it," I gasp as he makes grunting sounds. "I'm so close," I whisper.

"Say my name," he grits out.

I don't miss a beat. "Evander," I moan, in what I hope is a sexy voice, but very well could be something entirely unsexy.

I don't care.

I just want him to feel as good as I do, and I want him to feel it right now.

He shouts. He flexes again, and his groan echoes in the room. Seconds after I feel him pulse inside me, his hand cups my jaw and he lifts my face up.

He brushes the tenderest kiss against my lips, and it makes part of me melt.

We're both insanely sweaty. The air hits the moisture as Evander pulls away to dispose of the condom, and I shiver. I lean up on my elbows, watching his naked body walk in the darkness. A light flicks on, and I see him in the bathroom.

He's so attractive it hurts.

When he gets back into the bed, his arms curl around me and he tugs me under the sheets. I wiggle a little, and Evander grunts. "Do that again and you won't get any sleep tonight."

I wiggle.

He laughs. "Give me a minute, Briony. But I definitely want to do that. A lot," he whispers.

I've wanted this for a long time.

I need to ask him what that means.

But, as I settle into the bed and feel his arms around me, the question becomes less and less urgent.

I'll ask him.

Tomorrow.