Howl (BW version)

Why do you like him?

Chapter 14:

Bright woke slowly, the sound of silence in his ears. Eyes cracking open into slits, he surveyed the dark space. Tendrils of light extended from behind the heavy shades on the window, but none penetrated far enough to reach the bed. The entire hotel room was quiet, save for the quiet murmur of gentle inhalations and exhalations of breathing beneath his ear. Taking a moment to orient himself, he realized that throughout the night his head had ended up lying upon Win's chest, the crown of his skull just under Win's chin. His arms were loosely wrapped around Win's waist, hugging the other close. His torso fit awkwardly but comfortably between his bodyguard's legs.

Bright felt a smile tug at his lips momentarily, satisfaction filling him. Win hadn't slipped out during the night. Not that Bright thought he'd have been able to—he seriously doubted his alpha would have allowed Win to break his grip—but the fact that he hadn't tried hard enough to wake up Bright spoke volumes. Not wanting to wake up, he pulled the warm body in his arms closer, inching up to bury his head deep into the smooth nook of flesh on Win's neck.

After not having touched his bodyguard in so long, the feeling of skin against skin was luxurious, like having warm silk pressed to his cheek. It was a wonder that he'd been able to sleep through the entire night without once waking. Especially since it had been a full moon. Especially with Win so close, his scent filling Bright's nostrils, leaving an unerasable imprint on them. It wasn't that he'd never noticed Win's scent. It had been, after all, the very first thing that had drawn him to the bodyguard, that first night when they'd met. On some level, Bright suspected that if Win hadn't stepped close enough to check his gunshot wound that night, he'd have never known of the existence of the person he'd eventually call his mate. It had been that first inhalation of that crisp yet musky scent that had sent Bright's stomach clenching and put his alpha on alert. Fleetingly, Bright wondered if he'd have been able to pick Win out of a crowd as his future mate if they hadn't met that night.

Taking a breath, Bright pushed away his thoughts, relishing in the way his own scent seemed to mix with Win as he exhaled. The smell made him feel heady, his lower body growing heavy. There was no doubt that Win would likely wake up pissed to find Bright on top of him, probably send Bright murderous glares and make threats until the lupin moved. But some small part of Bright couldn't help but wish that the conversation—or rather, the one-sided rant on the part of Win—was a precursor to something more. Something like cuddling (although, he was technically doing that now, albeit without Win's explicit permission). Maybe a little more kissing that didn't involve his alpha.

He thought back, trying to remember if any of their previous kisses had held the same sweetness, and hesitancy of the one from the previous night; if any other's had been marked by an absence of his other half. Immediately, his rut came to mind. Bright only remembered flashes of what had happened during his rut, most of them emotions of satisfaction and possession. The only memory he had of actually touching Win's lips was a somewhat fuzzy one from the club. Red, swollen lips; tongue pushing back against his own, not in a fight so much as a dance; small little sounds that he doubted Win even realized that he'd been making—and the feeling, the feeling of something building in the pit of his stomach—

Bright snapped his eyes open. Realizing that there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep with those thoughts, he reluctantly withdrew his arms from out under Win. He needed to put some space between himself and the sleeping, defenseless figure of Win. Pushing up onto his forearms, he paused long enough to peer at Win's sleeping face. When Win had last been in his apartment, he hadn't been in the right state of mind to admire his bodyguard's features. Unsurprisingly, all the tension held in Win's face disappeared with slumber, his appearance less cold, less mature, and more like a child's. His eyelashes threw a shadow upon his cheeks, his eyebrows relaxed above his closed eyes, lips slightly parted to allow air to rush past them free and his two front teeth slightly peeking.