Fated From the Start

I'm Here

Harlow POV

"You should probably get headed home babe." Ash murmured into the side of my neck. 

We had retreated back to his private living room after lunch to spend the day watching movies. We had ended up spending it mostly making out, not being able to get enough of each other after so long apart.

"I don't think I will," I replied with a wink.

"Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?" Ash breathed huskily in my ear.

I nodded, not really sure where this idea was coming from, but not yet ready to put distance between Ash and I. 

"You were terrified to talk to us last week because we're wolves, but tonight you're ready to stay in a house full of them?" He raised his eyebrow at me inquisitively. 

"I'm choosing to trust. If you all say I'm safe here then I believe you. Maybe full immersion will help soothe the rest of my nerves." I said with a shrug. "Speaking of full immersion, I think I'd like to meet your wolf again. I promise to take it better this time."

"We'll have to see if he comes back now that you're back," he responded with a sigh, a distant look in his eye.

"Comes back?" I was lost. 

"I haven't seen him since you have…" Ash was visibly distraught. "He blamed himself for you being afraid of us and hid himself in some distant part of my brain."

"I'm so sorry…" 

"Everything will be okay, we have you again." He buried his nose in my hair and took a deep breath, the tension that had built in him immediately releasing. 

"I'm here." A phrase that was quickly becoming our thing.

"Back to the topic at hand though, you are here. Are you super sure you want to spend the night?" He inquired. 

"I am." I stated matter-of-factly. 

"If you're going to make a habit of that, you'll need to make some decisions sooner rather than later. This pack is nosey as shit." He snickered. 

"First decision is what shirt of yours I'm sleeping in," I yelled as I sprang from the couch and darted down the hallway towards Ash's bedroom. 

"Who said you get to wear clothes?" Ash bellowed as he thundered down the hallway behind me. 

"We've been back together one day, what do you take me for? Some kind of floozy?" I laughed as I burst into the bedroom, trying to locate the closet.

"Remember what I said about how if you were a wolf you'd be pregnant by now?" Ash laughed behind me. Sweeping me into his arms and planting another delicious kiss on my lips. God trying to behave myself around this man was taxing. 

"Closet is this way love, take whatever you want." Ash led me to a closet that was literally bigger than my bedroom. His clothes took up only half of it, but there were so many of them. Suits, sweats, and everything in between. 

"Holy s**t! You have more t-shirts than I have clothing…" I mused as I ran my fingers down the racks feeling for the softest one. I landed on a dark v-neck tee that looked like Ash had worn it a thousand times. 

I lifted my sweater from my waist as I went to take it off. As I pulled it up and it covered my face I felt Ash's large warm hands roaming the skin of my torso, a low growl rippling from his chest as he went.

"Oh.." the sound slipped from my lips. I honestly hadn't even thought about the fact that I was starting to take my clothes off right in front of Ash. Exposing myself to him for the first time. I could hear his breathing become more labored as I stood there holding my sweater half up and over my face like an i***t; what did this man see in me? 

Finally his hands trailed up my body and helped push my sweater the rest of the way off. His lips were instantly on mine with heat and aggression like never before. His hands were back to wildly roaming my skin, like they couldn't get enough. And then all at once he was gone, taking the air from my lungs with him.

I opened my eyes and saw Ash flat against the wall, his eyes flashing midnight black and then stormy blue and then back again, he was visibly battling for control. Looks like his wolf is back.

"Ash, babe, you ok?" I asked gently, playfulness in my voice, taking a step towards him.

"If you come any closer right now I'm going to lose all control and tear every shred of clothing from your perfect body." He muttered a warning, clearly still fighting a losing battle. 

"These are my favorite jeans," I said with a smirk, taking a step backwards and pulling his shirt over my head. It fell almost to my knees like a dress. "I'm going to take them off now, do with that information what you must." I winked. 

"You torture me Totty." He sighed with a smile.

"NOT YOU TOO!!" I yelled, whipping my jeans in his direction. 

"What? It's adorable and so are you. Our adorable little tater tot." These godforsaken men. 

I popped the clasp on my bra and pulled it out the sleeve of the shirt. Ash's eyes widened like I'd just done a magic trick and I giggled. His eyes had finally settled on their usual stormy blue, meaning he had won the battle for control, for now. He closed the gap between us again and wrapped his arms around me. 

"You look really sexy in just my shirt," He whispered into my ear, his hot breath hitting my neck as he spoke. "I could certainly get used to seeing you this way."

I slid my arms up around his neck and planted my lips on his. Within seconds he'd lifted me off the ground and was headed from the closet to the bed, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist and his hands firmly grasping my bare ass. The kisses were once again hot and aggressive, bubbling with passion and desire. 

He set me on the edge of the bed before his lips finally left mine, trailing down my jaw and into the nape of my neck.

"Text Will and let her know you're staying the night so she doesn't think we've murdered you." He murmured into my neck.

"We're a little in the middle of something at the moment." I muttered back.

"We're not in the middle of anything, you're not a floozy." He said with a wink and a devilish smirk as he pulled away from me and went to retrieve my phone from the closet floor where I'd dropped it.

"YOU'RE A TEASE!" I yelled after him.

"I'M A GENTLEMAN!" He yelled back.

"In this moment I wish you'd lost that little battle with your wolf in there" I jabbed at him, fake pouting. 

He was back at my side with lightning speed, his lips gracing my ear. "When I finally take you, and I will, it will be all me, completely controlled, and you'll be begging me not to stop." His voice was low and husky and made desire shoot through my core. He pulled back and shot me another devilish smirk knowing he'd achieve exactly the involuntary response from my body he was going for. "Now text Will, we don't need a man hunt on our hands." He held my phone out to me demandingly. 

*Making up going great, not dead, see you tomorrow.* I texted her as instructed. 

"Now do you want to watch a movie and snuggle in bed?" He asked sweetly, crawling into his spot and patting the bed next to him signaling for me to join him. 

"I wanna do a lot of things," I said with a wink as I crawled across the gigantic bed, this thing had to be custom made, "but I'm no floozy, so snuggles and movies it is." I giggled as I sank into the spot next to him. It felt like home being here in his arms, in his bed. I'm so glad I came to my senses.