Homecoming Luna

Chapter 14: Keep Your Panties On

• •• •••Merlara's POV••• •• •

"What does that mean?"

He only smiles bigger.

"What do you want it to mean?"

Disoriented, I blink up at him. It'll take me a long while to get used to his transforming grins. When he smiles, skittish butterflies take flight in my stomach. His usual perfectly calm face and his smiling face are like day and night. Bright as hell day and night.

Having no response to his question, I turn and lead the way, resuming our walk out. He chuckles after me, low and throaty.

At the jolly sound of clinking metals, I turn to see him pick up my phone and keys and hand them to me. I'd totally forgotten they exist. I take them, careful not to touch him which I'm sure he notices.

The rest of the walk out is silent with my brain skittering a mile a minute in every direction. I try not to pay too much attention to his half naked self following closely behind as we walk through the tannin brown woods.

I wrap my arms around my middle. My entire body still tingles from his warmth. His presence is both comforting and unsettling. But how much more slower can I walk and not be obvious? Silently, I chastise myself. It's enough that I'm in practically nothing, showing too much skin. Coming off pathetic would crown it all.

The foliage and huge twisted roots gnarled with age that flanks the winding trail become less thick. After what seems like eternity, we arrive at an opening where the tree groves give way to the sprawling sky. I see a Range Rover packed to the side.

With a little hesitation, I skirt around it and start in the other direction only for Daen's voice to stop me.

"And where do you think you're going?"

I turn around to find him standing by the car but staring after me with a mix of frown and amusement between his eyes

"To my compound. My dorm." When he stays silent after a beat, I add, "Uhhhh I'll get your shirt to you?"

His voice goes all gravelly as he says, "You're gonna walk all the way to your compound—" Heat pools in my abdomen as his eyes skewer my body, setting my skin on fire. "—looking like that? Bare assed? And barefoot?"

I feel my forehead wrinkle.

"It's not that far. Besides the treelines—"

"Get in the car." He growls, low.

He comes to stand close. Close enough I can see the purple swirling in the deep pools of his eyes.

I know that look. It's the look that says 'keep shut, f*****g jump when I say so and save yourself the stress' yet I find myself looking back in the direction I was headed, unsure as my body fights the command. The sheer power behind his words have my leg muscles itching to do his bidding but with great effort, I stamp down. The effort of resisting to do his bidding has my muscles quivering and sweat breaking out on my forehead. Last thing I want is to be seen dropped off by him for whatever reason. My plan was to re-enter the forest and search until I find a change of clothes. Wouldn't want to walk around smelling of him either.

Sincerely speaking, I need the walk to clear my head. Especially after this entire dose of him standing too close, looking gorgeous as ever. I can't imagine being in that little a space with him. I'd rather walk.

His eyes drop to my neck and I can tell he hears my ratcheted pulse and racing heart.

A gentle smile enters his eyes holding my gaze.

"Do I make you nervous?"

I shake my head. I know what he's asking and the answer is no. I easily hold his eyes even as I feel my face heat up at the intense probing look in his eyes.

Softly, he grunts, "Good."

I feel all sorts of things around him and I wish nervous is one of them. That might at least keep a strong lid on my hormones.

His hand grips my jaw, bringing my gaze to his. Then slowly, his hand moves down to hold my neck. His big hand, easily wrapping around it.

I watch something spark and flicker in his gaze a second before he mutters something under his breath. Too low to hear. He says it like some sort of dawning realization. There's an undone look in his liquid black eyes and I take credit for it. I don't know why but I do and it makes me feel incredibly powerful.

"Know how good you look right now?" His sexy voice drops noticeably lower. So low I almost couldn't hear him even with his lips floating close to mine. The sensation of his teasing breath on my face alone is tantalizing. "With my hand around your neck? And you in my shirt?"

I let out a shaky breath even as I slightly lift my jaw in defiance, eyes squinted. That possessive s**t doesn't fly with me, but hearing him, I strangely find I don't mind. Not even in the slightest.

For heavy seconds, we stand this way. Challengingly looking at each other. He's so much bigger than my frame. Beyond his large broad shoulders and dark eyes, I see him and only him. The longer we hold gazes, the heavier the turbulence swaying between us gets. It's simply intriguing.

"Know what, Mint?" Eyes gleeful, he leans down a fraction. "I can't wait to f**k you."

He breathes into my mouth just as my lips part in a silent gasp, cheeks flushing violently.

"And best believe it'll be soon."

Tremors wrack through me at the fervent promise. I become increasingly excited. Still, I arch a brow at his sure confidence which only seems to amuse him.

He continues in a rasp, his attention drawn to my lips.

"Thoroughly f**k you again and again and watch your skin flush all over. My tongue chasing the flush of your skin. Exploring every inch and dip."

I actually imagine it. Big mistake because the visual makes me tingle all over, which in turn causes me to blush mighty shades of red.

His darkened eyes come up to meet mine. He sees the sheer excitement evident in my face before I could hide it. He smirks and his thumb abandons my neck to travel up, caressing my lower lip. Almost as if there's more he's imagining but isn't saying.

"f**k you so raw I'll leave you so sore it'd be amazing how you'll be begging for more still. Pump you full of my c**k you'll forget your name. And you'll take every inch like the good girl that you are, your voice hoarse from screaming down the five realms."

The effect of his barely audible voice breathing into my face combined with what he's saying has me visibly breathing hard. At this point, I can't tell if the wetness I feel in between my legs is from my swim or from the sopping wetness of my clenching and unclenching s*x. All but dripping.

"You know I'm holding back from f*****g you against this car hood. Don't push your luck," he says warningly.

He releases me and agitatingly runs a hand through his hair, his muscles bulging and rippling with the action. It seems like every muscle in his body is working furiously. His cut jaw too.

"So now, be a good girl and get in the fuckin' car. Or move an inch and I won't be responsible for whatever happens next. Your call."

With that he turns, going around to the driver's side.

I don't need to see my reflected face in the tinted glass of the car to know I look like a frightened animal as I scamper into the car without further prompting.

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• •• •••Daen's POV••• •• •

"Where are we?!"

I watch Merlara sit up, alarmed. Her wide eyes flick everywhere, then glare out the windscreen, finally registering our surroundings.

"My place."

My answer only makes her sit up straighter.

My house, a modern duplex and not at all modest, is seperate from the Pack house and is in a secluded part of Upper Pack with its own backdrop of private greenery. The Pack house is where all the pack affairs, administrative and whatnots are held with offices and teams of staff for myself, my Betas, Gamma and Delta.

I turn slightly to my right, expecting a protest. The entire half hour the drive lasted, I expected her to object the moment I took the opposite turn that leads to this far side of the pack but she didn't. I'd looked to see her flighty and miles away. In between gripping the steering wheel so hard and breathing through my mouth, I hadn't noticed much else either.

"Hey," I call softly.

She turns sharply to me, like she's surprised I'm here. Yeah, me too. She's jumpy as hell. She looks ready to take flight.

"Slow, breathe in."

My hand leaves the console by my right to make calming motions and air whooshes out of her and in as she follows through.

I feel my lips curve into a smile. Way she is, anyone would think she ran a twenty mile course in a flurry minute.

When I see colour seep back into her face, I kill the purring engine and get the hell out to draw oxygen into my deprived lungs as well. Hell, that command was more for me than her!

She gets down too. I see her looking around everywhere, at everything. Her body is angled like she's about to take flight any second from yesterday.

"In a hurry to beat it?" I round the car to where she stands. "Do that after you've changed into something better. Then decide if you wanna be on your way or sit in on the questioning. It'll be in the building out back."

I see her brain working overtime, wondering why it's so. If not ever, I rarely conduct Unit business in my home, especially of this nature. There are facilities in place for that and more.

"I'll get someone to show you there."

I also make sure to keep my Units' businesses seperate. No Red messing around in a Black's and vice versa. So the invitation to her as a Black is one only I can give. One I know she'll jump at but I see her contemplating my offer.

I eye her naked feet, then the long way to my front door. All leveled with coarse gravel.

I curse low just as I turn and heft her into my arms, turning towards the house. She makes an abrupt sound of surprise then helplessly throws her arms around my neck.

"Ohhmm!! I can walk." She protests but soon gives up when I keep going.

She squirms against me as if trying to get comfortable, put a little space between our bodies but it only has the opposite effect. Her ass cheeks are literally rubbing all over my naked torso.

Moon help me!

When I imagine all the things I want to do to her. All the wicked, wicked things that spin in my head on repeat. Things that will make her so gooey she would lose days from the mere exhaustion of it. Things that will keep her in my bed screaming her pleasure incessantly. But I remind myself that she's far too delicate.

"Swee'mint, you gotta stop doing that." Hell, I can't even recognize my own voice but it has the desired effect because she stops squirming and holds onto my neck tighter. Her eyes having nowhere else to look, stay on mine and remain there.

Torture amplified and magnified.

By the time I clear the distance into the house, I'm more worked up than ever. I drop her into a standing position and with the pretense of closing the door, I put a little space between us.

I make a quick work of discharging her into the care of one of my housekeepers and getting the hell out of there. First, upstairs where I take an ice cold shower and change. Then off into the pack to delegate my attention to everything I've got on schedule and more just to rid myself of a certain blonde-redhead.

By the time I'm done and home, it's somewhere before midnight.

The house is quiet but my ears perk up as I take the stairs and round the corner. I walk towards the open doorway of my room and the sight I see has me stopping in my tracks. My eyes grow a little wide with delight, then intrigue. I watch for a moment, then decide it's a harmless situation.

I leisurely lean against the door frame.

"If you wanted to get to know me better, we could sit down over some booze. That would be more productive than snooping around my shit."

At my voice, Merlara startles but not much. Like she knows I'm here but is still jarred by my voice breaking the quiet.

"I—" Turning, she shakes her head, pointing behind her. "I wasn't. I wasn't snooping."

I give her a blank stare. Then proceed into the room fully and close the door. I take off my jacket as I slowly advance in her direction, tossing it and my tie onto the bed. I undo my shirt buttons as I go. Her eyes go big, tracking my movements like I've got a glinting knife pointed in her direction.

I hide a smile. I'm amazed at how many emotions her light grey orbs can carry all at once. It's her downfall and it is her charm. One of so many.

"I was just putting back something I borrowed." She takes a hasty step back just as she quickly rephrases, "Something Ogah let me borrow. I . . .you know, I was in here with her. At her insistence. She was cleaning. I tried to help. . ."

I'm surprised to find she's still here but I'm guessing the interrogation must've taken a while.

Ogah must really like her. She never lets anyone past the first floor or even the living space downstairs. I even heard them laughing it up like two besties who's known for ages, even with the decades age difference. Ogah's everything from a mother figure to a certified mama bear. Always in seek of 'a sweet soul' to dote on.

"It's past, uh—" she manages a glance at the digital clock on my nightstand. "—eleven. I need to be up early tomorrow so I . . .uh, gotta go. I gotta get to bed."

I take another step towards her. And so does she which brings her calf against the bed frame, halting her retreat.

I watch her eyes dart down and snap up when I undo the last button just as I come to stand close to her. More than I can say, my body welcomes her body heat.

"Sweet Mint," I tilt my head to the side, as if contemplating. "I've got a bed."

I gesture to the bed behind her.

We lock eyes as she looks from the bed back to me. She's so easy to rile up. And on cue, her face flushes my new favorite colour.

I give her a mock innocent look. "No worries, you can keep your panties on. Wouldn't want you falling on my dick."

Her eyes go wide to their limit.

I shrug nonchalantly, then smile brightly down at her. "Unless they get so wet you've got no choice but to rip them off. In which case, you're very welcome."

A growl rumbles my throat as she does it again. Her tiny, little squirms. Right against me.

"Like that." I lean closer to her. "If you keep that up. You and I, we're gonna have a problem."

My heart beats wildly as I listen to the sound beating of her own thudding heart as a whimper escapes her parted, lush lips. I imagine her contemplating a response.

"What sort of problem?" She says in a murmur, her eyes dancing with mirth.

Hell damn! The look in her eyes is all the encouragement I need.

I put my hands around her waist and merge my body to hers, enough that she feels my throbbing hardness.

"This sort of problem."