Page 11 of Can’t Help Growling in Love (Harmony Glen #9)
Chapter
Eight
JUNE
My heartbeat skitters at Asher’s quiet question.
Can I smell you?
As far as requests go, it’s fairly innocent.
He didn’t ask to see my feet or anything weird like that, but the thought of being sniffed is strange.
Not uncomfortable, but definitely not something I’ve heard before from a partner.
I dated a ghoul briefly a few years ago, right after the Great Revelation, but he wasn’t really into me because he was still hung up on his ex.
Other than him, all my boyfriends had been human.
But Asher isn’t—so his request is perfectly reasonable.
“Yeah.” I grip my knees with both hands. “Sure, that’s fine.”
He releases a deep breath, and I realize how important this must be for him. He moves our cups to the other side of the bench, then inches closer. Our knees brush, and I relax instinctively at the warmth of him. Asher hesitates a moment, then leans in until his nose brushes my temple.
His inhale is deep, followed by a low groan that goes straight to my chest, warmth blooming and spreading lower, to my belly. He shuffles an inch closer and breathes in again, as if he can’t get enough.
“Incredible,” he murmurs. “Damn, June.”
I’m warm all over now, even though the bench is cold under my ass. “Yeah?”
He nods, and the movement has our cheeks brushing together. So, so close. If I turned my head just slightly, I could kiss his cheek, and if he did as well, we could…
“Can I taste you?”
The words are barely more than a murmur, a whisper of breath against my ear, but they land with the concussive force of an A-bomb.
“Yes.”
The word is out before I can stop myself—and I don’t want to. I’m caught in this moment, anticipation and something sharper singing in my veins. Not fear, definitely not, but maybe…
Asher sniffs my neck, and I tilt my head to the side on instinct.
His lips touch the sensitive skin where my shoulder meets the neck, barely exposed by my clothes.
I shiver, goose bumps flaring up, but I’m nowhere near ready for the first lick.
His tongue drags over my pulse point, raspy and warm, and I close my eyes, a sigh escaping me.
It feels… God, it feels so good, I keep perfectly still, willing him to do it again.
We haven’t held hands, haven’t kissed, or even been on a proper date, but this is fulfilling a need of his, and I love it.
I didn’t know this would happen when I led him down here.
I only wanted to get him away from the coffee shop, but now I don’t want him to stop.
He huffs against my skin, presses a slow kiss to the spot under my ear, then licks my earlobe lightly, as if he’s truly tasting me. It’s weird , I know it is, but it’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself. I want to grasp him and keep him right where he is.
If his rapid breaths are any indication, he’s enjoying this as much as I am, but he finally pulls back, his eyes scrunched shut.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I clench my fingers to keep from reaching for him.
He ducks his head. “Just give me a moment.”
I glance down at his lap, and a gasp escapes me. His hands have turned furry, the fingers tipped with claws instead of fingernails. I focus on his face again and note how his jaw has sharpened. His ears have turned pointier, not quite furry yet, but definitely halfway through a shift.
“Asher.” I hesitate, then ask, “Will you look at me?”
A second ticks by, and another, then Asher opens his eyes to stare down at me. His hazel eyes have turned golden yellow, a piercing wolf’s stare so striking, I can’t help but study him. He sits perfectly still, as if waiting for me to freak out.
Instead, I slowly put my hand on his knee, giving him plenty of time to move away. “If you want to show me your wolf, I’d like to see your other forms, too.”
His lips twitch up in the corners. “Not here.”
“Sure.” I pull back and push my hair behind my ears. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Asher reaches forward and takes my hand between his warm palms. His fur is slowly receding, and he gains more control over himself with every deep breath.
“You’re not bothered by the fact that I’m a werewolf?”
His voice is low, his shoulders hunched. Is he bracing for a rejection?
“No,” I tell him firmly. “Nothing about that bothers me. Are you upset that I’m human?”
He flicks his golden gaze to me. “No.”
“Well, then.” I reach over him for my coffee cup and drink the last, cooling sips. “I’m glad we got that out of the way.”
Asher’s grin is beautiful, his relief palpable.
I wonder if he’s had relationships before where this was an issue.
I understand. My ghoul ex complained constantly that I was too breakable , with lower regeneration capabilities than most supernaturals.
Not all people are compatible, but usually that has little to do with the species, but rather with an individual person’s wants and needs.
My ex wanted me to be more like his ex, and I couldn’t step into her shoes, no matter how much I tried.
With Asher, I don’t want any of that standing in the way. We’ll have to learn about each other, and I’m more than ready to discover everything.
“My shift starts in thirty minutes,” I murmur, unwilling to let go of this moment but desperate to keep my job.
He leans in for another huff and lets out a low sound, almost a moan. “Can I see you again?” He rears back, his eyes back to their warm hazel color. “Maybe somewhere with fewer people?”
I grin as my chest fills up with bubbles of giddiness. “I’d like that.”
“Would you like to visit the radio station?” His answering smile is open and hopeful. “Instead of just driving past it, I mean.”
I smack his knee lightly with the back of my hand. “Stop. No more drive-bys, I promise. But yeah, I’d love to see where you work.”
“Tomorrow?” He fidgets with the pastry bag. “I know it’s short notice, but I’ll be at the station all night anyway, and you could stop by on your way home.”
It’s definitely short notice, but I don’t mind. “Sure. I’m off at around five a.m.”
“Deal. I’ll be there.” He opens the paper bag and takes out a massive cupcake with rainbow frosting and silver sprinkles. “I, um, got you one of these.”
I accept the bag from him and peer inside to find a twin to his monstrous cupcake. “Wow, it’s…”
“Probably really bad for you,” he says, then bites into the pastry, getting frosting on his upper lip. “But so, so tasty.”
Snorting, I scrunch the top of the bag to close it. “Thank you. I mean it. A unicorn cupcake is exactly what I’ll need about halfway through my shift.”
He licks the frosting from his lips, then stops to watch me, his gaze intent, as if he’s trying to imprint the image of me on his brain. I’m doing the same, and I know I should leave, but I don’t want to. I can stay a minute longer.
Asher’s gaze drops to my lips. From this close, I can smell the clean, freshly showered scent of him, and I barely resist the impulse to crawl into his lap. He wouldn’t want me to…
He reaches out to brush the backs of his knuckles over my cheek, then slides his hand to my neck, where he licked me earlier.
I lean into his touch. He gently tugs me forward, and I follow the movement until our lips meet in a soft, tentative kiss.
My eyelids flutter shut. Asher’s tongue darts out to meet mine.
He tastes like coffee and sugar, a hint of vanilla, and something more sinful that’s all him.
My breath hitches as he explores my mouth, licking slowly as if he’s savoring me.
My nipples pebble, and I grasp his knee firmly, needing an anchor in this new, unexpected moment.
All too soon, he pulls back, eyes wide. “Um.”
I can’t help but grin. “That didn’t feel like a goodbye kiss.”
“It wasn’t meant to be one.”
His voice is raspier than before, sending a shiver through me. I bite my lip, then shake my head and stand before I decide that it wouldn’t hurt to be a couple of minutes late to my shift if it meant I could keep kissing Asher.
“I’ll see you soon,” I murmur.
I force myself to take the pastry bag and my helmet and walk away, but when I reach the street and glance over my shoulder, I find Asher still sitting on that bench, watching me go.
A glow of happiness warms me from the inside. I unlock my bike and place the cupcake bag gently in the basket. I don’t even mind the cold wind announcing the turn in the weather. I’m meeting Asher after work, and that’s enough to chase off the chill.