A/N: Hey everyone! I'm excited to be back to posting. I've got the entirety of this book mapped out already. Just like Lost in Translation, I won't be keeping a committed update schedule due to my unpredictable day job, but I do write, edit, or revise just about every day, so you can expect updates semi-regularly.
And as always, smut is marked with ***
Read responsibly. ; )
--LOABW 10/29/2024
——————
Saturday, September 28th, 2019
———James———
After my embarrassing confession at the pool, Anthony drove us all back to the apartment. He parked the car and looked at me for a moment through the rearview mirror. I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything.
"Get out. Ben and I are going on a date," Anthony announced abruptly.
"We are?" Ben said as he looked at Anthony in surprise.
"Yep," Anthony replied without taking his hands off the wheel. I laughed as I popped open the door.
"Fine, hint taken. Have fun with Loverboy," I said. Anthony rolled his eyes. I knew he was trying to give us some privacy, and I appreciated it, although it made me a little nervous, all things considered.
An awkward silence fell between us once Marcus and I crossed the threshold into the apartment. Marcus seemed unsure of what to say or do, and honestly, so was I.
"Um, I think I'm going to take a shower real quick. I hate how my hair feels after swimming without a cap," I said eventually.
"Ok," Marcus said. I grabbed a towel from the hall closet and a change of clothes, avoiding eye contact with Marcus as I went.
"Mind if I join you?" Marcus blurted out from behind me. I froze with my hand on the door handle as nerves exploded in my stomach.
"Sure," I said, quickly moving to grab another towel. I felt my face heating up as I turned the shower on and started to undress. Marcus stepped into the small bathroom, closing the door behind him. I didn't turn around but could feel his presence behind me.
I shed my last bit of clothing and quickly stepped under the water without turning around. I had never been shy about nudity before—it came with the territory of being a shifter—but I felt unusually exposed.
Marcus stepped into the shower behind me. I took a deep breath and turned around, keeping my gaze firmly above waist level. Marcus seemed to be doing the same as he smiled at me sheepishly.
"Mind sharing some of the hot water?" he asked.
"Shit, sorry, yeah," I said as I sidestepped out of the way. The shower wasn't that big, so when Marcus slid past me, he brushed against me, and I felt sparks fly across my skin where he touched me. This happened a few times as we went through our normal shower routines.
I wanted to reach out and touch him on purpose, not just incidental brushes, but... I wasn't sure if Marcus would be ok with that. I mean, I know he initiated... whatever this was, but that didn't mean he wanted more, necessarily... At least, that was the thought I had before I felt Marcus press against me from behind as I stood under the spray of the hot water, his arms lightly tracing down my sides.
**********
"What— what are you doing?" I asked with a hitch in my breath.
YOU ARE READING
On Purpose
WerewolfMarcus had never given romance or mate bonds a second thought, figuring it was just something he'd never be interested in. And he was totally fine with that... until he met James. James had waited ages to sense a mate and be swept away in an epic...
