Dusk & Dawn

Part III

Kira undid the first button and could've sworn she'd heard a lowly growl coming from the man in front of her, but he instead coughed and cleared his throat, closing his eyes. She giggled, finding him amusing despite his reaction being nothing significant, chalking the growl up to her imagination.

"Are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on the couch between his legs without thinking, but not shifting positions. Xavier was acutely aware of that hand.

"I'm alright." He responded. Having her this close was making it harder for him to hold back the extreme lust he felt. Everything about her was intoxicating, tempting and teasing him, from the scent of her skin to the sound of her voice, never had he wanted to thoroughly consume and simultaneously be consumed by a person more than in this moment.

"Are you sure?" Kira unconsciously shifted her hand closer to him, still not touching him but close enough to make him aware of his almost painful erection. He could hear her heartbeat, beating as erratically as his. He could almost feel the heat radiating off of her skin, drawing him in like a moth to a flame. His head was swimming around in images of her sensual movements, the red light against her skin, the curve of her breasts and butt-

"Water." He choked out, afraid that if she'd even accidentally touch him, he'd lose restraint.

"Okay." Kira said and got up, making her way to the mini fridge by the door. At this point her lust had been tainted by concern, but she did feel his burning gaze on her back as soon as she turned around. She quickly got a bottle of water and turned back to him, only to see his eyes turned to the ground. She didn't know why but that annoyed her a bit. "Here." She said, handing him the bottle.

"Thank you." He responded, eyes still on the ground. Kira watched as he gulped down a good portion and release a shaky breath, closing the bottle and handing it back to her, eyes still downcast. Kira took the bottle and turned to the fridge, feeling his intense gaze on her back once more as she went to the fridge.

"You know, you could look at me. I don't bite." Kira said, placing the bottle on top of the fridge. She stuck her butt out as she placed it there, unsure at this point if her movements were motivated by her professionalism or her blatant desire to be desired by this man. "I promise." She said and turned around, this time met with an unflinching gaze.

Their eyes meeting once more made her stomach drop, knees almost buckling under the unbridled volcanic heat from his eyes. Kira had been used to dealing with lustful gazes, but all of them had felt predatory. This look however, was analytical, almost as if he was trying his best to commit her to memory. He didn't just want to consume her, he wanted to remember her, he wanted to undress more than her clothing. She felt caught between running away and dropping her panties.

Xavier knew the effect he had on her, and it increased the hold she had on him. He knew that mates initial meeting was intense, but he'd never imagined it would be like this. All his Alpha training classes were seriously being put up to the test. He could feel Grant trying to connect with him through the pack connection, but he'd shut everything down. He was virtually isolated with her.

Kira approached him, almost in a trance, the very thing she was scared of happening unfolding in that moment. She was giving into the almost painful longing, hoping to find relief from the emotions that filled her up to the point she felt suffocated. She never broke eye contact as she stopped in front of him.

"M-May I?" She barely managed to choke out through the lump in her throat, raising her hand, wanting to touch his face. Xavier clenched his hands on the armrests. His throat had been completely dried out. He nodded without thinking, and felt her hand gently caress his right cheek. He kept his eyes on hers as he unconsciously leaned into her touch, a sigh escaping him through his nose. Her touch gave him a sense of comfort, almost as if his heart was struggling to believe she's real before this. And maybe to some level, he did struggle to believe it.

Kira recognised the relief he seemed to feel in that moment and it almost made her lean down to kiss him. She instead traced her thumb across his cheek, trying to commit the look in his eyes to memory. She'd never encountered such vulnerability in a person she'd just met, so impossibly curious about her and yet desiring. Her lump in her throat got thicker, and she felt tears pooling her eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked, barely over a whisper. Her glistening eyes tugged at Xavier's heart, but he held back the urge to hide her away from all the world and it's cruelty. He held back tightening his grip on the couch, knowing he'd break it if he did.

"Xavier Alexander Woodmead. Yours." He said, before catching himself. Kira's hand paused. "Truly. Yours truly." He added, and Kira was suddenly overcome by the urge to push him back onto to couch and kiss him while she sat on his lap. "What's your name?" He asked, fighting the urge to pull her to him.

However, there was suddenly three distinct loud knocks on the door. These knocks snapped Kira out of her trance, and she immediately pulled her hand away, looking toward the door. The air around her seemed to suddenly go frosty.

"Well, uh, t-that's our 30 minutes up." She said, refusing to look back at him. She still had at least two other bookings to attend to. Normally, this wouldn't be a bother for her, but for some reason, she didn't want to leave. "Thank you for your patronage, please do come back again." She said, moving towards the door. Xavier felt his anxiety creep up again.

"Wait." He said, making her pause. "Stay. Please, stay." He pleaded, hitting straight at Kira's heart. She didn't turn around.

"Any extra time means you'll be charged double-"

"I'll pay anything. Stay." She finally turned back to him.

A/N: This first meeting is longer than I anticipated but meh I guess. Also, all chapters are unedited so sorry for any typos and redundancies