Chapter 21
Modess frowned hard, hands still gripping Hillary’s thighs. “I didn’t do anything. You climbed on me!”
“Oh my God!” She tried again to climb off him, but Modess wouldn’t release her.
Expression hard, he declared, “You wanted this, Hillary.”
“No!” she shook her head as mortification seared her cheeks. “I was dreaming!”
The bastard actually had the nerve to smile at her. “No. No dream. It was one hundred percent real.”
When his eyes lowered to her bare breasts, Hillary gasped and covered her chest.
“No sense in hiding now, love.” His eyes slid from her chest down her belly to rest between her legs where they were still connected. “I’ve seen it all now.”
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed again. “I can’t believe you…”
His eyes shot to hers. “Can’t believe I what?”
“I can’t believe you…” She shifted and stifled a moan at the pleasure the movement caused. “Look! I don’t want to discuss this with you still…” Her eyes lowered.
“While I’m still what?”
“You know!” she snapped.
“I know. But, I wanna hear you say it.”
Lifting her chin mutinously, she looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t want to discuss this while you’re still inside of me, a-hole!”
“Oh no,” he grinned, hands gliding up and down her thighs enticingly.
She felt him harden inside of her and closed her eyes against the punch of lust that tore through her.
“I haven’t tried that hole.” He bucked his hips and when he did, Hillary’s eyes snapped open with a gasp. “But I intend to.”
Eyes finding his, she pleaded. “Please.” She nearly begged him to take her again and had to swallow down the plea. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
Creaming around him while he was still nestled inside of her, she knew he felt it when his jaw clenched and he gave just the slightest roll of his hips. Fuuuuuck! Letting her head fall back, her breathing had suddenly gone from zero to a thousand. She clawed her hands on his shoulders as she tried to convince herself what was best. Summoning every ounce of her sanity, she muttered, “Please…let me go.”
When she lowered her head, Modess was grinning like the devil. To her dismay, he rolled his hips and stole a feminine mewl from her before asking, “You sure?”
No! Absolutely fucking not! Unable to speak, Hillary only nodded, eyes pinching shut as she bit her bottom lip so damn hard she tasted blood.
“Fine.”
The instant he released her hips, she pushed to her knees until he slid out of her. The feel of a rock hard cock leaving her still needy depths had her biting back a growl of her own. But, she felt taken advantage of and she sure as hell wasn’t going to reward Modess’ ill behavior with a second round no matter how empty she felt without him inside her.
Scrambling from the bed, she stomped to the bathroom. Turning at the door, she leveled a lethal glare on a grinning Modess before slamming the door so hard the pictures on the wall rattled. Alone in the bathroom, she planted a hand against the closed door and then lowered herself until she was kneeling on the floor. Right now, she was fighting every instinct she had to go back into that bedroom and have Modess fully sate her heat. Honestly, what would it hurt? They’d already been together…right?
NO! She shook her head. She couldn’t give herself to him like that. She just couldn’t. Already it didn’t feel like it did when she allowed Blake to aid her. No, back home there was no emotion. It was almost robotic when Blake eased her heat. He was just a nice guy that was willing to go out of his way to help her and in return she promised to never form any feelings for him. Not that she’d needed to promise. She’d never felt anything for Blake except friendship. It was different with Modess. Already, her inner she-wolf was preening with head held high like they’d accomplished some great feat. Had they? No. She shook her head. They’d seduced the Alpha of Blood Lust while in full heat. No shifter, Alpha or not, could resist a female in heat.
Oh God! Tilting her head back she swallowed hard at the sudden urge to apologize to Modess. He was right, after all. She’d climbed on him. She’d taken him. Shame seared her. But as her mind went back to how she’d climbed on top of Modess’ big body and how exquisite it had felt to slide onto him until he was fully sheathed inside her, she gasped. Desire shot through her and stole her breath as her breasts grew heavy and her sex moistened, prepping for him. The ache she’d felt earlier was back with a vengeance and she didn’t know what she was going to do.
She heard Modess moving on the other side of the door. Not wanting him to scent her need, she sprang to her feet biting back a moan that the friction of just walking caused. Seconds later, the shower blasted on and she was standing beneath the spray, panting.
This promised to be the most miserable week of her life.
***
An hour later, Hillary was padding down the stairs to where she could scent steak and coffee wafting from the kitchen. The front door was wide open letting in the earthy scent of the mid-summer night. Two moths beat frantically on the other side of the screen door, trying to get closer to the lights inside the house. Outside, crickets chirping with a rhythmic cadence served only to mock her rapidly beating heart. Nervousness flitted through her at the prospect of seeing Modess, but what could she do? Avoid him for a week? Hell no! They shared a room! Hopefully, that would change after the speech she’d prepared. Twisting her fingers together, she lifted her chin and stepped into the kitchen with feigned confidence.
Modess was spearing steaks onto a large plate. Without looking at her, he jerked his chin toward the dining room. “Dinner’s ready. Have a seat.”
Unsure what else to do, she went to the dining room and a corner of her mouth ticked up. The table was set just like he’d done before with him at the head of the table and her right next to him.
Claiming a seat, she waited as he stalked into the kitchen with the plate of steaks. He speared one and settled it onto her plate and then the other onto his. She noted he’d given her the larger. “I can’t eat all that.”
A look of concern suddenly took his features as he set the empty plate on the table and then bent taking the lid off a pot where it rested on a trivet. He spooned a giant mound of creamy mac n’ cheese onto her plate and then his before forking vibrant green beans onto both plates. “Eat the steak, Cupcake. Having a heat is exhausting. You’ll need your strength.” His face suddenly pinched in anger as he shoved macaroni around his plate. “Especially if you refuse assistance.”
Looking at him, she wondered how he knew that a heat was exhausting and decided Wanda must be the source of his intel.
Suddenly, Modess lowered his head. “Grandfathers we thank you for the gift of bounty at this table. We ask that you continue to keep our pack strong and fierce. Amen.”
“Amen.” Lifting her head, she studied her plate. She was honestly impressed at how good everything looked. Cutting into her steak she offered conversationally, “I thought you couldn’t cook.”
Modess cut into his own steak and grinned. “I don’t know how to cook the foods you make, but I think every man worth his salt knows how to grill a steak and make mac n’ cheese.”
She agreed and took a bite of steak that was tender and flavorful. She could taste that he’d seared it in a pan with butter and not oil. There were also hints of garlic salt and black pepper, but the sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions, and melted bleu cheese crumbles on top were what made the meal. “It’s delicious!”
He nodded and grinned around a bite.
They finished their meal in companionable silence and it took a ton of concentrating for Hillary to keep her eyes off Modess large, capable hands. It didn’t help that he kept licking his lips to collect the butter that dripped there from his steak.
After dinner, he cleared the table while she rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. She had to admit, this didn’t feel as awkward as she thought it was going to. Setting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, she tensed when Modess leaned back into the counter beside her, arms crossed over his chest with a sudden mischievous glint in his eyes. Toweling her hands dry, she stilled at his words.
“Remember you moaned my name?” he asked through a cocky grin.
Anger surged to the fore. “I can’t believe you!” She spun on him. “You’re rude!”
He countered, “You did this!”
“You’re seriously going to sit there and act like you did nothing wrong? How dare you!”
His grin didn’t falter. “Easy, Cupcake. You can’t blame this on me. You wrapped that tight little pussy around my dick! And lest you forget, I’m a fucking wolf. What else could you expect me to do besides oblige?”
“I expected you to be a good guy and not take advantage of a poor defenseless woman who was dazed in a cloud of sleep.”
His brow quirked. “Poor defenseless woman?” He snorted. “Hardly. If anyone is the victim here,” he jabbed a thumb into his chest, “it’s me.”
“You!” Hillary shrieked, eyes rounding in incredulity. “You’re joking! You have to be joking! I was asleep, Modess!”
“And I was trying to sleep, but no. You pressed that hot little body up against mine and licked my neck. Look!” He turned his head and pointed at his throat to a spot she hadn’t noticed all through dinner. “You gave me a fucking hickey.”
Hillary felt all the blood drain from her face.
“I was almost out and then all of a sudden your hand was down my pants.”
Flinching, Hillary lowered her head as shame seared her. Here she was lashing out at Modess and it had been her. She knew it had. She’d molested him! She was shaking her head, eyes closing against the emotion that flooded her. “Modess, I’m sor…”
She didn’t get to finish. One second she’d been apologizing and the next she was lifted off the ground and pinned against the wall. When her eyes snapped open, Modess’ face was inches from hers and his brows were speared down into a deep frown.
“Don’t!” he growled. “I was teasing you, Cupcake. Don’t you go feeling bad about what happened between us. It was powerful, special. I don’t regret a single fucking second of it, and you’re not going to either. Are you?” When she didn’t immediately respond he pressed, “Are you?” She shook her head, but he growled, “Say it.”
“I…I don’t regret it.”
He released her and she watched as he rose to his full height. “I’m going to shower. Shut off the lights before you come up.”
“About that…”
He didn’t even stall as he headed out of the kitchen. “Not up for discussion, Cupcake.”
Her eyes tracked him as he left the kitchen. She wanted to balk at his order but what else could she do? If she left his house, every male shifter within five miles would scent her. She didn’t know how it worked here at Blood Lust, but back home she had no choice but to go to Blake because it was considered a distraction for a female to be in heat and not find a male to sate it. She didn’t want to be attacked by any of Modess’ male shifters, and while she didn’t know if any of them would even approach her, she didn’t want to take her chances with Henry and his friend still holding a grudge over the whole Simone thing.
Lights off, she closed the front door and slowly made her way up the stairs. Before she even entered the bedroom, she could feel her cheeks searing. It felt strange being back in the room with Modess because of what they’d done earlier. She hadn’t ever slept with Blake and then hung out to play house. Usually, back at Shadow Wolf, when she went into heat, Blake would come to her cabin, service her, and leave. She had zero experience with this odd post-act interaction.
In the room, she slammed to a halt. Modess came out of the bathroom wearing only a white towel knotted low on his hips as he used a second towel to dry his hair.
Hillary scooted around him to shut herself in the bathroom. It took her extra long to get ready for bed because she’d had to shower again due to the sight of a mostly naked Modess. He had to know what the sight of him like that was doing to her right now. Long minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom in her stupid satiny night gown. It was all she had and she made a mental note to borrow something less…sexy from Wanda.
Plaiting her hair into a damp twist as she walked, her feet stalled when she looked up to find Modess relaxing, bare chested, with one arm thrown behind his head and his abs flexing as his hips were covered by blankets on the bed.
“What…what are you doing?” Her head snapped to the side and she noted the cot he slept on was gone. “Where’s your bed?”
Lowering his arm, he peeled back the blankets beside him and flashed his bare thighs as he patted the bed. “Right here, Cupcake. Climb on in.”