13. Adrianna

13

ADRIANNA

" H ey! You're not supposed to be faster than me," Janie exclaims as we both come to a stop outside her restaurant. A grin spreads across my face, excitement blossoming in my gut when I don't feel remotely out of breath.

"What can I say? Beginner's luck?"

Janie rolls her eyes at me as she shoves at my shoulder. "Fuck off, we both know it's not that. Unfortunately for me," she grumbles, making me snicker as her playfulness turns into another arm link as she sighs. "For real, though, that was some awesome shit. Your speed is amazing, and your hearing and sense of smell are on par, too. You're rocking it," she insists, validating me in ways I didn't even know I needed.

"The speed is blowing my mind," I admit, squeezing her arm in a wordless thank you for her help. "When Cassian used his speed to move me, I always wound up trying to hold back a mouthful of vomit by the time we stopped, but now that I'm the one in control of it; it's slightly addicting."

Laughter echoes around us at my admission when words cut through the air, making us pause.

"Having fun?"

I whip my gaze around to find Cassian leaning against the tree to my left. He looks too freaking hot with his shoulder flat against the bark and his legs crossed at the ankle.

"No, I hate her. That's why I'm laughing," Janie says with a snort, earning an eye roll from the man in question.

"Very funny."

"I know," she preens, tugging me along toward him. When it's clear she's not naturally letting go, Cassian cocks a brow at her.

"Can I steal her back now?"

Her grip tightens playfully, but before they can get more into it, a worrying thought falls heavy on my chest.

"Where are the others?"

Cassian sighs, scrubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Beau arrived."

"Beau?" I repeat dumbly, and he nods.

"Yeah, said his white lie was enough to keep the two of us here for the night, but not the others." He says it all calmly, like there's no reason to worry, but I've learned there's always a reason to be concerned.

"Are they going to be okay?"

A smirk dances over his lips as his eyes narrow in on mine. "They might die of jealousy from the night I get alone with you, but otherwise, I'm sure they'll survive."

Janie's hold on my arm relents as she shoves at me, pushing me toward Cassian. "Ew, the pair of you go. I can smell the pheromones from here," she mutters, winking when I glance back at her.

"Janie," Cassian grunts and a burst of laughter parts my lips.

"What? It's true," she insists, heading back toward the restaurant without a single glance over her shoulder.

"I think we've been dismissed."

"I think you're right," I agree, still riding the high from spending a few hours with the crazy woman.

"It's a good thing I got your steak to go then, isn't it?" he states, lifting a paper bag off the ground, and my eyes widen with excitement.

"You're amazing, thank you."

Wordlessly, he takes my hand with his other before guiding me through the trees. He doesn't try to use his speed or question me on mine. Instead, he seems content to stroll through the darkness.

"Where are we supposed to stay?" I ask after a while, and even though only the moon lights the sky, I see the apprehension in his gaze.

"In my old unit."

Uncertainty twists in my gut. "Is that going to be safe?"

His lips purse for a beat before he nods firmly. "It's the safest place here. I had Brody weave so much magic around it that it's impossible for anyone but us to get in. Which is exactly why it stands untouched," he explains, waving the paper bag in the direction of a small building barely noticeable in the darkness.

I can't tell if it remains as untouched as he says, but he doesn't falter as we near the property. It's a two-story unit with a few windows dotted around the place, but in such low light, I can't make much else out.

He releases my hand to grab the door handle, and I watch in awe as a fizzle of magic dances around his fingers at the connection before the lock clicks open. He waves for me to step inside first, turning the light on as he follows me in, and I take a moment to get familiar with my surroundings.

A small wooden dining table sits to my left, surrounded by a few kitchen cupboards and appliances, while a black leather sofa faces a television to my right. The staircase is against the far wall, breaking up the space as I assume it leads to the bedroom and bathroom.

"It's surprisingly… cozy," I admit, following Cassian toward the dining table as he grins.

"Maybe. It used to be the unit where women would stay in when in heat, but my father decided it was better suited for me."

I can't tell if that fact makes him happy or not, and even though I've been a wolf for all of two minutes, I'm aware of female wolves being in heat and what that can mean. If these walls could talk, I can't imagine how much sex they would recall. I quickly shut the thought down when I consider the fact that Cassian could have had sex here too.

Fuck, who am I kidding? He definitely did.

"What are you thinking so hard about that you're letting your steak go cold?" he asks, breaking my train of thought.

I shake my head, cutting the distance between us as I take the seat he pulled out for me. "Nothing important," I mutter when he continues to stare at me. A stare that only intensifies when that's all I give him, but instead of admitting the little green monster that's perched on my shoulder, I opt to stuff a piece of steak in my mouth before I can make a fool of myself.

Thankfully, he seems to let it slip, getting comfortable in the chair across from me as I enjoy the best steak of my life.

Sorry, Pearl.

When I can't fit anything else in my mouth, I fall back in my seat, staring around the space again. "This is a full house."

"Yeah."

"How long have you had a whole ass house?" I ask, acutely aware that it's definitely bigger than the home I shared with my father and Nora.

"Since the first day I shifted."

His answer catches me off-guard, leaving me to gape at him before I remember myself. I have to clear my throat before I can speak, which only seems to amuse him. "How old were you?"

"Not old enough." His gaze drops as my frown tightens.

I want to go back to whenever that was and make him feel better, but that's not possible. All I can do now is be what he needs going forward.

"That's insane," I mumble, unsure what else to say, and a sad smile tilts the corner of his mouth.

"That's my father."

"I didn't think it was possible to hate him any more than I already do," I grunt, and he snickers.

"It's always possible."

"Things in this life I didn't believe could be possible are," I blurt, hating the words as soon as they leave my mouth.

"Such as?" he asks, intrigued, and I shake my head.

"Nothing."

"Don't go shy on me now, Alpha." He leans across the table, sliding my empty plate aside as he captures my hand in his.

Rolling my eyes, I avoid his deep stare. "Sweet words and deep thoughts aren't really what we do."

Silence descends around us, stretching into uncomfortable territory before he speaks. "Why's that?" My gaze flicks to his, but when I don't immediately answer, he cocks a brow at me. "Why?" he repeats, keeping hold of my hand as he rises from his seat, edging around the dining table until he's right beside me. He lifts me to my feet so we're toe to toe, then reaches for my chin with his free hand, forcing my eyes to his.

"You cup my pussy, we fuck," I stumble, the truth tasting like lead on my tongue as his gaze narrows.

"Is that all this is to you?"

"No," I quickly answer, panic flickering through my body, but he seems to believe me.

"But you think that's all this is to me?" he finally mutters, tilting his head as he takes me in, and all I can do is shrug.

Is it specifically what I think this is to him? Maybe? No… I don't know, but we really don't do sweet words and deep thoughts, so I actually have no damn clue.

To drive my point home, he keeps his fingers molded around my chin, holding me in place as he releases my hand with the other, swiftly moving to cup my pussy.

"I can cup your sweet pussy and still talk deep with you, Adrianna," he rasps, sending a shiver down my spine as I gape up at him.

"Adrianna, huh?" I breathe, acutely aware that my full name has never fallen from his lips. Not in my presence, at least, and definitely not aimed at me.

"It seems I need to be clear about a few things with you, and that's absolutely fine by me," he states, tightening his hold on my pussy as his thumb presses harder into my chin. "When I make you admit you're mine, when I take everything you have to offer, and when I challenge you at every turn, it comes from a place deep inside me that I didn't even know existed."

His words steal my breath, but the natural need to hide behind humor kicks in. "Your di?—"

"Don't say my dick and ruin my wholesome speech, Alpha," he interjects with a knowing glint in his eyes, and I grin.

He knows me better than I can bring myself to admit.

Inching in closer so our breaths mingle between us, he continues. "I fucking love your humor, your secret smiles, your mind, your body… everything, but more than that, I'm obsessed with learning everything possible. And the excitement of exploring you will forever leave me at your mercy. I want to know every part of you, inside and out. With my mind, my body, my everything."

Holy fuck.

"Cass—" I croak, emotions clogging in my throat as I blink up at him, but he presses a finger to my lips, halting me from breathing another word.

"Not yet." A softness settles in his eyes as he presses a kiss to my forehead. But just as quickly as he does it, he retreats, fixating on my eyes once again. "I left my compound before I even knew you existed, but I know it was for you. I know we're nowhere near done on this crazy spiral that is apparently called life, but I know I'm on the right path with you."

How am I even supposed to consider an appropriate response to that? How am I ever supposed to express a single thing after that?

"You sound smitten," I mutter, at a loss for anything else, and the grin that spreads across his face is like nothing I've ever seen from him before.

"I fucking am, but don't use that humor of yours to mask the beauty that rests between us."

Well, damn. Apparently, he's more than a grumpy face and hot body after all. He's everything and more and I don't know how to comprehend it. What I know for sure is he's here with me, for me, and I know I couldn't do this without him.

Words betray me once again as I lift my hand to cup his cheek. "You're a handful."

"Maybe, but as long as I'm yours and you're mine, I don't care."