To Love a Beast

Good Talk

Sin awoke in a slow, lazy manner. She didn't know when she fell asleep, but she wasn't complaining.

That was the best sleep I've had in a long time...

Stretching wide, her arms hit something solid. Cedric.

He groaned, shifting closer into her side and continued to sleep. One arm draped over her waist, the other was situated beneath her head.

Sin flushed in embarrassment with the realization that she slept on Cedric all night. The intimacy of the action was not lost on her. Shoving the inconvenient emotion aside, she took the opportunity to study his features.

Cedric was not the traditional definition of handsome, but there was a rugged quality to his angular facial structure that appealed to her.

He is definitely no boy.

Her fingers itched to sink themselves in his soft curls. She wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked. After minutes of debating with herself, she indulged, reassuring herself this was the least he could do for abducting her. For knowledge, she told herself.

So soft...

Feeling the richness of his hair made her wonder how his beast's pelt felt like. Not that Sin planned to meet Cedric's beast anytime soon. The image of his beast lunging for her that first night they met made her shiver and thwarted any urges to examine his pelt.

"Good morning, little mate."

Sin retracted her hand as though burned. Mortification crawled up her neck again, much to her chagrin. She didn't want him getting the wrong idea about her intentions.

"It's not what you're thinking," she said, almost grinning at the cliche catchphrase.

Cedric covered his mouth as a yawn slipped out. A lazy smile splayed across his lips.

"I wasn't complaining. You are free to continue your ministrations."

He leaned his head closer in encouragement, to which she scooted away and out of his embrace. Sin chastised herself for not extracting herself from his arms earlier.

I'm getting careless again. Dangerous, dangerous Lycan...because she was tempted to continue running her hands through his hair.

Fisting her hands to prevent herself from indulging her itch, she sighed.

"Look, Cedric, I think we should talk about what yesterday was."

And I need to get my bearings, she thought. Sin knew her restful sleep was attributed to him and their mate mojo. She was surprised by how good sleeping in his arms felt—too good.

There was a pregnant silence before Cedric spoke, the brief relaxed version of him melted away into a brooding male.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

When his eyes met hers, she nodded. It was his turn to sigh.

"Very well, then. Ask me anything and I promise to answer with honesty."

His back was turned to her now. Her eyes followed his movements as he entered the closet and slipped on a pair of sweatpants.

"Are you sick?" she said. His color was much healthier today, but his pallor from yesterday still remained vivid in her mind.

"No."

"But you were puking your guts out yesterday. You promised to answer with honesty."

His intense gaze fell back onto her.