7. Dante

7

My feet slip on the polished wood as I tear around the last corner leading to the red room, where my girl is waiting for me. Of course, she doesn't know it's me she's waiting for.

With my heart pounding in my chest and my cock a steel bar fighting with my zipper, I don't even try to stop my momentum when I reach the door. With a twist of the knob, I throw it open wide. Amy's startled scream has my heartbeat doubling and I finally force myself to come to a stop, if only so I can savor the way she spins around and sees me for the first time outside of the diner.

Her eyes are wide as she clutches at her chest, trying to calm herself after scaring her by busting into the small room like the Kool-Aid man.

With one hand still on the doorknob and the other braced on the frame, I watch her, waiting for the moment… for her expression to change… for recognition.

And then it does.

Her hand moves from her chest to her mouth and her eyes narrow to slits when she realizes where she's seen me before and why I'm familiar.

"You," she whispers with a soft gasp. Her brows drop down over her eyes in a frown, "But… why?"

I can't hide my smile when I say, "Because. You're mine."

She looks confused but I'm already rushing towards her, my instincts taking over even as my brain is warning me that this might not be the best way to go about explaining shifter mates to her. My long strides eat up the distance between us until my arms wrap around her waist and I'm flipping her up and over my shoulder before she has a chance to fight me.

"Hey! Wha—" she squeals the moment her feet leave the ground, followed by the clatter of one of her shoes when I spin around to race with her back into the hallway.

"Put me down!" she screams. Fists and legs flailing as she fights and squirms.

I band my arms around her thighs, breathing her heady scent through the gland behind my teeth. She's pissed, but she's also the tiniest bit turned on and each blow from her fists on my back has my cock jumping. It takes everything in me not to drop her to the floor and rip the sparkly dress from her, right here in the middle of the hallway, so I can bury my face between her thighs.

"We're almost there," I say, not sure if it's to her or me. My hand slides up the back of her thigh to her ass before giving her a swat that makes her squeal again and her arousal to bloom. The scent, along with the way her cheek jiggles under my hand, makes me moan. "Behave, or I'm going to end up fucking you right here."

"You wouldn't dare," she snarls at me.

"Test me and find out," I warn, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing.

I'm practically sprinting to where our assigned room is, when the sounds of deep moans and higher pitched keens can be heard filtering out from the other rooms we pass. The couple in the room across from ours is especially loud.

"Oh, Fuck! Harder. HARDER! Yes!" It's followed by a scream that echoes through the hallway. Amy's entire body tenses and her scent flares, forcing me to grind my teeth to keep from throwing her up against the wall so I can rub up against her. I want my scent all over her.

"Was that…?" her voice comes out high pitched and breathy.

"One of the girls from the auction," I answer her question as I fumble to unlock the door. "Let's see if you can be louder than she is. Yeah?"

"What?" Her hands press flat to my back but before she can start screaming again, I'm through the door and kicking it shut behind me.

I don't stop until I've crossed to the enormous bed that takes up nearly the entire room. Bending over, I toss her onto her back, where she lands with a bounce in the middle of the cream comforter.

Reaching behind me, I grab my t-shirt and pull it over my head. My cat is pacing in my mind. The urge to claim her riding me hard, especially with the way her gaze trails across my inked skin, it's almost like a physical touch. I give her a flex, to keep her watching a little longer, before tossing my shirt to the side. Next, I toe off my shoes and climb up onto the mattress after her. One hand going to my belt as I prowl towards her. Fingers working deftly to loosen the leather before pulling it free.

"N-no. Stay back." Amy's eyes are wide and her bare foot slips when she tries to push herself backward. "Don't come any closer. I—I'm not ready yet."

I curl my fingers around her ankle and lick my lips just before I pull her towards me.

"But this is what you agreed to," I purr.

Her eyes drop to my mouth, and I don't miss the flick of her tongue across her bottom lip before she gives herself a little shake. "What if I changed my mind?"

My stomach drops. I don't want to force her. I would never. But I need her, and finally having her like this…

"Did you, really?" I ask as I slide my hands up the sides of her legs to her hips where I ball the beaded fabric of her gown in my fists and pull her against me so that I'm straddling her legs. The scent of her need hasn't diminished, and it's giving my cat conflicting cues.

She props herself up on her elbows and her eyes dart to the side, avoiding looking at me.

"Amy," I lean forward, forcing my way into her line of sight. "Do you want this?" Do you want me? Is what I really want to say, but I'm too much of a coward to ask. Too afraid that she might say no. That she will reject me.

Her eyes slide away again. Her heart is pounding, but there is very little fear in her scent. Mostly confusion and lust.

"I need to do this," she finally says. "I agreed to."

My cat is thrilled with her answer, but my heart is no longer into it.

"You don't. You can walk out that door right now and I won't stop you," I promise her through gritted teeth.

"But—" her wide eyes find mine this time, "—the money."

"Fuck the money. If that's all you want, I'll give it to you and more. Whatever you need."

Brows that are more golden than red drop low over her eyes. "I don't understand. Then why am I here?"

I lean back and run a hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face. "You're here because it was the only way I could think to be with you. It was the only way you would give me a chance to talk to you," I lean into her again. "It was the only way I knew that you'd let me help you."

She blinks and her mouth falls open.

"Amy," I start softly. "I get why you turned me down. I know that your life is complicated and the last thing I want to do is add more to that."

"Oh, you do?" she scoffs as she sits up and folds her arms across her chest. "And you thought that getting me to auction myself as a sex slave would help me?"

"That's not what this is," I groan. "Damnit, I'm fucking this all up! You're my mate, Amy! The other part of my soul. We're not complete without the other."

She blinks again and a single tear falls from her lashes when she slowly shakes her head and I want to roar with frustration.