Chapter 96

Rowena

“Stay with me.”

Eric’s eyes widened as I pulled him down, my fingers curled into a fist around the front of his shirt. I wanted him close to me, wanted to feel the warmth of his body against mine. But before I could pull him all the way to me, he grabbed my wrist and leaned back just enough to look me in the eyes.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Rowena?” he whispered, his voice low and husky and his breath fanning across my neck as he spoke. “You have drugs in your system. If you wake up in the morning and regret this…”

I frowned, pressing my lips into a thin line. “I won’t regret it. I won’t.”

“But—”

“I won’t,” I insisted.

Eric blinked at me in surprise for a few moments, but my gaze remained steady; if anything, I felt mostly fine. A bit shaken up, but my head was surprisingly more clear than it had been all night. Either the drugs that Adrian had given me were weak, or…

For a moment, my mind flickered back to that day in the gymnasium—the day when my ankle had miraculously healed. I hadn’t wanted to believe it then, but maybe I was starting to believe it now.

Maybe my wolf really would emerge soon. Maybe my ankle had just been the first sign, and now my body was defending itself against the drugs, too.

Or maybe I was just desperate to feel Eric against me, and that alone made me convince myself that I wasn’t high.

Eric stared at me for a while longer before he sighed and slowly lowered himself to me. I shut my eyes tight, and a moment later, I felt his lips press against mine. They were warm and soft, and tasted faintly like alcohol.

Slowly, my lips parted. Our tongues carefully prodded into each other’s mouths, making contact and swirling around one another. The sensation made my lower belly tingle hotly, and I quickly pulled away, panting for air.

“Are you okay?” Eric asked, his blue eyes searching my face.

I didn’t answer—no words could come. I could only nod, breathless, and cup his face in my hands. I fervently pressed my lips to his again, savoring the taste of him. And then I slowly slid one hand down, across the broad expanse of his chest, over his abdomen, down, down to his belt.

My fingers fumbled with the buckle. Chuckling softly under his breath, he moved my hand out of the way and unbuckled his belt for me, then unbuttoned his pants right after.

I felt my face flush hotter than ever, then, as he stood and lifted his shirt over his head to reveal his glistening torso, six-pack abs, and defined v-shaped waist. He slid his pants down too, leaving nothing but his boxer briefs to cover what lay underneath.

Not that it mattered, of course. His erection was straining so hard against the fabric that I could see everything. Everything. Easily seven inches.

“Eric…” I whispered.

He grinned, that familiar smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he helped me to sit up. “Your turn,” he whispered as he slid my dress off over my head.

As he slipped my clothes off, his fingers brushed against my bare skin and the seam of my bra—his skin was shockingly cool, a balm against my hot flesh. His fingers lingered there for some time, tracing slow patterns across my shoulders and collarbone before coming down to slowly slip off my bra straps.

The cups of my bra fell free, revealing my breasts. Instinctively, I went to cover myself—only to have him grab my wrists and shake his head. I shivered as his fingers traced that same pattern from before, only now across the tops of my breasts and finally coming to rest over my hard nipples.

With a trembling hand, I reached out to touch him. His abs were hard and smooth beneath my fingers, his breathing steady. Blinking up at him for assurance, I pushed my hands further down…

Down into the waistband of his boxers.

And there, waiting for me, was his member—hot and smooth and throbbing just at my touch. My fingers wrapped around it, stroking softly and familiarizing myself with his girth. I heard a soft sigh of satisfaction escape his lips as I did.

“I want to see it,” I murmured, propping myself up on my knees and tilting my head back to look at him.

Eric chuckled again, that low gravelly sound that made me shiver, and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. “Take a look, then.”

Slowly, carefully, I tugged his boxers down to reveal him—all of him. Instantly, I felt like I might pass out from the sudden rush of blood to my groin.

Eric, noticing my sudden stupor, clicked his tongue and gently pushed me back onto the plush pillows. He traced a line up my inner thigh with his finger until he reached the edge of my panties, and then he lingered there for a moment, drawing slow circles until my back was arching on its own.

“You’re sure you can take it?” he murmured as he gently pushed the fabric aside to reveal my wetness underneath.

I bit my lower lip and nodded, too nervous to speak.

Eric slipped between my legs then, lowering himself on his arms to pepper kisses along my jaw and neck. I felt a shaky breath slip out of me, my fingernails digging into his broad back—they dug in even more when I felt something warm and hard press into my groin.

“Be gentle,” I murmured, unable to hide the tremor in my voice.

Eric flicked his tongue across the underside of my chin and pressed himself into me. “Always.”

My head tilted back as he slowly began thrusting himself into me, one aching inch at a time. My fingers dug hard into his shoulder at the initial pain, but then… With a gasp, I felt his cock fill all of me like a perfect puzzle piece, and a new burst of wetness exploded out from between my legs.

Eric let out a soft groan and smirked at me. “I think you just squirted, Ro.”

Instantly, my face flushed a deep shade of crimson. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He paused, pressing a warm kiss to the side of my neck as he began to move slowly back and forth, eliciting whimpers of ecstasy to slip from my mouth. “Never apologize. You’re perfect.”

…

I woke up the next morning feeling a hundred pounds lighter, if that was even possible. There was a newfound warmth in my lower belly, like a fire had been lit there. It was only moments after I woke up that the memories flooded through me—how could I forget them, when I had been reliving them in my dreams over and over again all night?

True to his word, Eric had been as gentle as ever with me. The rumors of the cold playboy seemed like ancient history, replaced with a sort of softness that felt like something out of a fairytale.

My cheeks flushed hot as I recalled how he moved on top of me, gently pulling my thighs to his hips. His fingers had dug softly into my flesh, his breath ruffling my hair as he called out my name. I could still feel the heat of him between my legs, that first crack of pain followed by intense, toe-curling pleasure.

Just thinking about it made me throb.

It had been my first time, and already I wanted more. Even now, as I heard the shower running in the other room, I wanted more of him. I could have stayed in this hotel room all day, just tangled up beneath the sheets with him.

When I joined Eric in the shower, he grinned at me from beneath the water. I didn’t even say good morning, already pressing my bare body up against his. He took me right there under the blanket of steam, our bodies moving up against the cool tile walls and over the cold porcelain sink. I wanted to try everything, do everything.

“God, Rowena,” Eric laughed once we dried ourselves off an eternity later, my groin still throbbing from the feeling of him inside of me. “You’re going to drain me dry.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “I’m just making up for lost time, that’s all.”

…

Eric and I walked into the cafeteria bright and early Monday morning, our faces still glowing from a weekend of secret trysts and tangled bedsheets. We had told our parents that there was a fight at the party on Friday and nothing more—I couldn’t bear to tell them the truth, not when I knew they would practically lock me up at home if they knew what Adrian had really done. Especially not with the championship so close.

Eric gave my arm a squeeze as we stepped into the cafeteria.

“I meant what I said, you know,” he said softly. “I’ll protect you. If he says a word to you, just call me. I won’t tell Mom and Dad so long as you trust me, alright?”

I shot him a wry smile. “I know. I trust you—”

Suddenly, the sound of a commotion caused my words to die on my tongue. We turned to see that a crowd had gathered near the bulletin board, and I felt my stomach leap up into my throat.

“The tournament placements,” I breathed. “They’ve been released today.”