Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

B olt pulled Regie to the dance floor, moved with her for a few paces, and then realized he'd been rude to everyone else at the table. He glanced over to where his colleagues sat. Arek and Nora grinned back at him with raised eyebrows. They would obviously razz him about his preoccupation with Regie later. But right now, that didn't bother him.

Her body felt so good against his, so right, that he could think only about her. He'd been going crazy since their time together at the Palace of Fine Arts. They needed to talk about her knowing about wolf shifters, but at this moment, he just wanted to enjoy the way her soft curves molded perfectly against his front.

Mine , his wolf purred.

Bolt ignored it.

Instead, he shifted his stand so the raging hard on in his pants wouldn't press against her thigh.

"This feels like a lot of PDA."

"I figured we'd start strong and convince everyone of how in love we are."He chuckled, trying to not show how caught up in her scent and taste he'd gotten. She smelled and tasted so fucking good. "It's what all the fake fiancés do these days."

"I wouldn't know. You're my first one." She leaned back so she could look at him. "Is your colleague going to be okay?"

So much for reveling in the physical feel of her body. She wanted to discuss the incident with Bayden, which made perfect sense.

"We don't know, but we have great medical staff working on him." The wolf pack worried that Bayden had wounds that wouldn't heal, but Ulf had contacted the Viking tribe's medical doctor. And hopefully, she could help them. She'd gone to regular medical school but also had special powers. Bolt didn't want to think of her as a witch, although he'd overlook that detail if she could cure Bayden.

"I'm sorry. I hope they'll be able to help him." She leaned back into his embrace.

"They will." He kissed her temple again, intoxicated by the feel and smell of her in his arms. A languid sense of peace seeped into his body. He'd never felt so calm, and somewhere in the back of his mind, it worried him, but the thought floated away before he could capture it.

He pulled her closer, the scent of wildflowers growing stronger. She fit perfectly against him. His hand slipped lower on her back, the tip of his fingers caressing the top of her tailbone.

She exhaled, her breath hot against his neck."Um. So Arek and Laney told me about the wolf shifter thing."

Despite the serious topic she brought up, Bolt's erection strained harder against the fly of his pants. He grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her toward the edge of the dance floor and out one of the glass doors leading to a balcony.

"What are you doing?" She looked startled.

"I needed some fresh air." He needed cold air, or even better, a cold shower."And we'll get more privacy out here."

She rubbed her arms, looking out at the view. "Well, it's definitely refreshing."

"You're cold." Stating the obvious, genius. But most of his blood had headed south, so his cognitive functions were sorely lacking at the moment. He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks." She smiled up at him and cuddled into the garment.

Her scent mixing with his alerted his wolf. Ours .

If he didn't know it already, his wolf had obviously claimed her as his mate. But that would have to be a future conversation. Right now, there was only one thing he needed to know before he kissed her again. "Does it bother you that I am a wolf shifter?"

She leaned back, her gorgeous blue gaze searching his. "No. Does it bother you that I?—"

Thank Odin, she accepted him fully. The need to kiss her rose with a desperate urgency. Bracketing her face with his palms, he leaned down and claimed her lips.

Regie froze, and he immediately pulled back, but then she leaned in, pressing her hot mouth against his. He groaned and tilted his head to give her better access. She parted her lips, and his tongue slipped into her mouth.

She moaned deeply, driving him wild.

He caressed her back, moving his hand lower, and pressed her firmly against his hard ridge.

Her moan became a groan, and she interlaced her hands behind his neck, pressing herself against him.

He moved them further into the shadows of the balcony so that Regie's back touched the sidewall. Cradling her neck, he tilted her head so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue mated with hers.

She met him thrust for thrust.

Bolt grabbed her hips and lifted her so that she rode the top of his leg. Her thighs clamped down, and she nipped his lower lip. He took a deep breath to keep from coming on the spot. The ice queen had him on fire.

He needed to get closer, needed to feel her heat.In the back of his mind, a niggling awareness of going too fast, too far, tried to make itself heard.

But then his wolf whispered, mine , and it sounded so right.

His lips traced her jawline and down her neck. He licked the part of her cleavage that the gown exposed. When he reached the cleft between her breasts, he sucked her skin and bit down gently. His fingers traced the silky material of her dress down her thigh.

She moaned again as his hand stroked the back of her knee and then moved back up the front of her leg. When he reached the junction of her thighs, he had to stop and take a deep breath.

He rested his forehead against hers.

"Why did you stop?" Regie whispered against his neck.

"Where are your panties?" he growled.This woman would be the death of him.

He felt her smile against his hot skin. "This gown required me to go commando. I didn't want any panty lines to show."She grabbed his hand that touched between her legs. "Higher," she said, guiding his hand to her damp core.

He slipped a finger inside her.

Regie whimpered when he pressed her clit with the pad of his thumb. "That feels so good," she groaned.

He slipped another finger inside and listened to her rapid breathing and increased heart rate until he found the rhythm of pressure she liked best. "Come for me, Babe," he breathed in her ear. "Let me feel you climax."

She moaned loudly.

He licked her throat and nibbled her jawline. Her thighs clamped together harder, and he claimed her mouth with his, capturing her scream as she orgasmed and milked his fingers.

Mine , his wolf growled.

Bolt wanted to argue with the beast, but right now, in this moment, the woman in his arms belonged to them.

To him and his wolf.

Regie's head hit his shoulder as she breathed out a deep sigh. "I can't believe we did this with all the people just inside. I'm so embarrassed."

He frowned. "Did I do something wrong? Why would you be embarrassed?" Did she not feel this same connection?

"No, you did everything right." Regie looked up at him from his shoulder. "But I prefer mutual satisfaction. You didn't come."

True. His dick pressed against the fly of his pants rock hard. But this had been all for her. "When I come, I want to be buried inside you."

She blushed but didn't look away. "Deal."

He retrieved a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket that still hung draped around her shoulders. "Do you need this?"

The pink on her cheeks turned deep red. She squirmed, and he loosened his grip so she could stand on her own. Regie held out the skirt of her dress. "This is so wrinkled." She shook her head. "Everyone is going to know what we've done."

The skirt looked fine to him. Maybe a little creased, but not so anyone would notice, probably. "Do you care if anyone knows?" For some reason, it bothered him. He chose not to examine the reasons.

She gazed at him for a beat, the light from the windows highlighting her beautiful face. "No." She smiled. "No, I don't."

Something inside him loosened, making him feel happy and free, despite the worry about Bayden at the back of his mind. "I'm glad."

"We should go back in." She held up the handkerchief he'd given her. "But I kind of need to...."

"I got you." He turned his back to her, and she used his shoulder for support as she sorted things out. "You okay?" he asked without turning around.

"Yup. You can turn around now." She held up the white square of fabric. "I'm not sure what to do with this."

He took it from her and put it in his pocket. "Souvenir." He winked.

She scrunched up her face. "Ew."

Taking her hand, he led her toward the balcony door. "For you, I mean. You can have it back later."

Her sweet laughter unlocked something deep in his chest. She squeezed his hand. "If I'd known how much I'd enjoy having a fake fiancé, I might have gotten myself one much sooner."

Although he joined in her laughter, the thought of her doing anything like what they'd just shared with anyone but him bothered him way more than it should.

His wolf growled at the thought.

Obviously, they still needed to talk about True Mates, but something made Bolt hesitate. She'd already have had to get used to a bunch of weirdness about him. He didn't want to overload her and have her run in the opposite direction.

And wasn't that just all kinds of fucked up?