Forced To Love You

Competition

I realized about a minute after Christian went into the bathroom to shower that I needed to brush my teeth. I didn't want to go to bed with sugar on my teeth though I knew the consequence that could come from entering the bathroom while Christian was showering.

I took a deep breath before forcing myself to walk into the bathroom. There was enough steam to cover the mirror as well as the shower door so all I could see was a very blurry and vague outline of his body.

Thankfully that didn't include his dick.

I went to the sink and grabbed my toothbrush. I ran cold water over it before putting the toothpaste on top. I'd just started brushing when the shower turned off.

Fuck, that was fast.

"Can you hand me a towel?" So much for him not knowing I was in there.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight for a minute before I walked to the cabinet where the towels were folded away and grabbed a large one. I took it to the shower and turned away as I handed it to him through the opening of the door.

"I'm not shy. You don't have to look away." There was a hint of amusement in his voice. He was enjoying this.

"Well, I am."

He took the towel and I went back to the sink. "I forgot you're a virgin. I guess that means everything sex-related, too."

"I'm not a total prude. I've seen enough. I went to high school with sex-hungry boys."

"So I have competition? Is that what you're saying?" He stepped out of the shower and I had to practically force myself to stay facing the sink.

"That's not at all what I'm saying."

"If you'd open your eyes, you'd see that I have more than enough-"

"Christian, please stop talking."

He laughed and walked over to where I was. He opened one of the drawers below the sink and grabbed his deodorant. "It won't make you uncomfortable once you've had sex."

"What, your dick or the comments you're making right now?"

"Both. Maybe." His arm slid around me as he reached to put the deodorant back. The second his arm brushed against my back, I jumped and headed for the door. I could hear him laughing as I walked out of the bathroom.

I left the door cracked as I bolted from the room. I immediately jumped into bed and pulled the blankets completely over me.

I'd never been so uncomfortable in my entire life.

Christian stepped out a few moments later and walked to the other side of the bed. "Do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

"You can sleep in here." I rolled so I was facing away from him. "Just don't... try anything."

He walked to the doorway and turned the light off before he returned to the bed and got under the covers. "Goodnight, Blair."

I tried my hardest to calm my breathing so it wouldn't be obvious that his presence made me nervous. It wasn't a bad nervousness but I didn't like him knowing that he made me feel something. "Goodnight, Christian."

---

When I woke up the next morning, Christian was gone from the bedroom. His phone and watch that had been sitting on the bedside table were gone and were replaced with a small note written on a notepad.

Went for a run. Breakfast will be brought up at eight. Please, eat something.

So short and to the point. Yet still so bossy.

I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. My hair had fallen from the bun it was in and I sighed at the thought of having to deal with it. The thought of being a no-effort type of girl was appealing but that didn't seem to be me anymore.

I glanced at the analog clock on the bedside table and saw it was a few minutes after eight. Christian timed breakfast almost perfectly.

I pulled my hair from the messy bun I'd had it in the night before. It was now just barely staying in the elastic with many pieces flying away around my face. I ran my fingers through my hair as I made my way to the living room.

I stopped just inside the doorway as I spotted the bouquet of flowers on the coffee table. There were twelve beautiful red roses sitting inside a glass vase.

I was a bit surprised to see them.

Slowly, I made my way over to them and pulled the notecard from the middle of the bouquet. I opened it and saw just a simple 'C' signed in fancy cursive writing.

"I hope you like them." I looked at the door to see Christian standing in the doorway. He wore only a pair of khaki shorts. Even his feet were bare.

It took me a second to speak. I couldn't stop staring at his muscles. I knew he had muscles and a nice body but seeing it made my brain stop working for a few minutes. I swallowed before I spoke. "Aren't you cold?"

He shrugged as he shut the door behind him. "My fur keeps me warm."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Fur?"

He walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a sip of the straight black java. "I shift when I run."

"Oh, right. You're a... a wolf." I couldn't tell what it was about saying 'wolf' or 'werewolf' that was so hard for me. Maybe it was because it shouldn't have been real. Or it was because I didn't want to believe it. Especially since I was one.

His lip twitched and he took another sip of coffee to hide his smile. "I can show you how to shift, if you want."

My eyes widened. No way did I want an Alpha to show me how to do it myself. I also didn't want him doing it considering he was my mate. It was just too uncomfortable for me to even think about knowing how unfamiliar it all was to me. There was no way shifting would come easy to me.

He laughed. "Think about it."

I shook my head and watched him head toward the bathroom. Something caught my eye and I called out to stop him. "Christian... your nails."

He looked down at the hand that held his coffee cup and cursed under his breath. "Shit, sorry. They usually retract by now."

"Retract?"

"When I shift back, they usually retract within a few minutes."

"Do they always... come out?"

"Not always. Mainly when my emotions are running high. You know, if I'm angry or stressed or-"

"Or what?" My curiosity was getting the better of me.

"Horny," He said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

All my seriousness faded and I rolled my eyes. "Go take a cold shower. You stink."

"You could join me if you wanted."

I turned back to the flowers and put the card back between the holder that stuck out from the middle of the bouquet. "No, thanks."

"Can I at least get a thanks for the flowers?" He almost seemed... disappointed that it hadn't happened sooner.

"If you hadn't distracted me by trying to lure me into the shower with you, I would have thanked you sooner. But thank you. They're beautiful."

He nodded. "Expect more every now and then. I know the florist pretty well."

"She's your beta's wife."

"Exactly." He disappeared into the bathroom and the shower started not long after.