Taking What's His

Chapter 17

Something rough and calloused rubbed up and down my cheek, the pressure so gentle the touch felt almost ticklish. I moaned subconsciously, trying to stay in the realm of unconsciousness even as the darkness began to fade to red behind my closed eyelids.

My eyes stayed shut as I grew aware of my surroundings, the sound of the wind from the open window, the soft mattress that I lay on and begrudgingly the rippling muscles of the chest I was held against. My stomach sank with dread at the thought of starting another day trapped with him.

Even in his sleep the Alpha held me so tightly to his chest as though he were afraid that if he let me go when he awoke I would be gone. I knew he was awake, not only by the fact that he had been touching my face but I could feel his gaze drilling holes into the back of my head.

I clenched my eyes shut, wishing desperately that I could fall back to sleep but knowing it wouldn't work. For the past week in which he had been sleeping in the same bed as me I would lie awake until exhaustion forced me under the blanket of sleep, my heart thundering away in my chest as he held me zealously the way a child would their favourite toy.

"Good morning mate." The Alpha said.

I tried to level my breathing so he would think I had fallen back asleep and hopefully start his day without me. Though things hadn't gone my way since I had the misfortune of meeting him so by now I should have learned not to have such expectations.

"I know you're awake." He whispered, turning me over so I lay flat on my back instead of faced away from him, so close his lips hovered right over my cheek.

Giving in I blearily opened my sleep swollen eyes, almost shutting them again when the very first thing I saw was his face. Whisky eyes looking down at me softened with an expression of such tenderness that it was almost misleading. I turned my face away, trying to push out of his arms and escape to the washroom but unsuccessful as he merely tightened his hold.

"Let go." I mumbled, refusing to face him.

"Why is it that the first thing you say to me in the day is almost always to let you go? How about a greeting instead?"

"Morning." I said, trying to push out of his hold again but he only pulled me in closer making me have to resist the urge to whine aloud. It was too early for his nonsense. I needed caffeine if I wasn't going to be allowed to sleep.

"I do love what sleep does to your sweet voice but that isn't quite how mates should greet each other."

With a sigh I turned my face towards him, raising my brows expectantly knowing he was just dying to tell me how mates should behave.

"With a kiss of course." He said, leaning in and my hand flew up before I could think my actions over, pressing against his throat to keep him from getting any closer.

"M-morning breath." I offered in explanation as he glanced pointedly down at my hand, wordlessly ordering me to move it.

Gripping my wrist in his hand he brought it down to lay on his bare chest. My palm held cradled against the steady thrum of his heart as he leaned in and pressed a soft deep kiss to my cheek, nuzzling his nose against my skin a moment before pulling away.

"God I could lay here forever." He breathed against my cheek, to my horror pulling me further into his arms so I lay draped over him. My chest was crushed against his, the thundering of my heart directly over the slow steady beating of his as though encouraging my heart to match its' pace.

"I need to go to the washroom." I said in the hopes that it would make him release me.

I tried to slip my hands between us to push off of him but there wasn't enough space between our bodies for me to be able to do so. All I managed to do instead was rub my hands all over his bare chest. From the sound of his breathing growing shallow he didn't particularly seem to mind but to avoid eliciting any other reactions from him I decided it was best to give up and hold still.