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CHAPTER FOUR: HARVEST MOON - PART FOUR
God! Walking away from Dawn was the hardest thing he’d ever done. When all his instincts, drunk on the scent of her arousal surrounding and filling him, screamed at him to take her. And she’d have let him. She’d have welcomed him into her bed. Dragged him there, by the look and sound and, Lord, the smell of her.
Fuck, he’d wanted to let her.
Except he shouldn’t. He hadn’t been with a woman since before he turned. Even as he’d kissed her, he’d felt his claws long to grow, his bones to crack, and his fur to sprout. The wolf inside him had roared, reaching through him to touch her, to taste her.
And it’d scared him. It’d been so hard to be gentle with her, to softly stroke, when he wanted to…
What?
Bite her? Was that what he really wanted?
He did want to taste her, he knew that much. Wanted to run his tongue and lips over every inch of her. Wanted to know what that honeyed scent tasted like when it pooled hot and fresh on his tongue, when it slicked his lips and face. The man inside him knew exactly what he wanted from her, in vivid and unignorable detail.
But what did the wolf want? Until he knew for certain, he shouldn’t touch her. Couldn’t let the man get carried away, in case the wolf did too.
And, though he’d never admit it, part of him — the once-human part — hesitated at the idea of them together. Not that he didn’t want it, didn’t want her. But the how’s of it all gave him a bit of a humbling pause. Don’t get him wrong, he’d thought of them together — the heat and softness, the sweet give and take — before. A lot, actually. But the exact details, the logistics and positioning… He wasn’t sure yet, making him feel fumblingly — embarrassingly and excitedly — sixteen again. So he’d walked away.
Until next time. Because there would be a next time. He knew it. Clutching the cookies in his hand, he smiled as he walked down the hallway toward Building A.
“Have a good night?”
Russ stiffened as he let out a growl through gritted teeth. His nose wrinkled. Tucker. His fists balled and turned around, hating that the man had surprised him. He shook his head, knowing it never would have happened if his head hadn’t been so full of Dawn.
“Tell me, boss,” Tucker asked as he leaned against the hallway wall, “why do I have to leave Dawn alone, when you clearly don’t.”
Russ felt his claws and fangs lengthen, felt scruff grow on his face. He rolled his neck and shoulders, feeling his back hunch and his spine shift. He was glad Dawn’s door was shut and she was safe inside, because he knew he must look terrifying. He could feel the monster looking out through his eyes, could feel it grip his throat. “What are you doing here?” Skulking around her apartment. Spying on her.
“I live here,” Tucker pointed out.
“Not in this hall, you don’t.” Russ grunted and stalked toward Tucker, making the man back up, back away, from Dawn’s door. “Get out.”
Even as he moved backward, Tucker glared at Russ, resentment burning in his gaze. “So that’s why you want me to stay away from her, isn’t it?” He slammed up against the hallway door. “Can’t stand me being around, when you want her for yourself, huh?”
Russ was barely paying attention to what the other man was saying. The wolf in him couldn’t care less about human speech. It only cared about the jealousy stinking up the hallway, overwhelming and stealing the sweet memory of Dawn from him. And the wolf was livid. Russ curled his fists so tightly the bones cracked, his claws cutting into his palms. “Get. Out.”
“Because you know you’d never have a chance with her, not with me here, right?” Tucker grinned cruelly. “That’s why you’re trying to get rid of me.”
Russ could feel his jaw clench, threatening to shift, to morph into a muzzle full of ravenous fangs. Before he lost the ability to speak, he glared at Tucker, letting the beast bore into the other man’s soul. “Stay away from her or else.”
He could smell the man’s fear, even as Tucker lifted his chin defiantly. “Or else what?”
Russ was pretty sure that was a question neither of them wanted answered. Not when the idea of Tucker’s throat in his fist or his blood in his mouth sounded so satisfying. Reaching deep down for any semblance of control, Russ growled. “Leave. Now.”
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