Page 71 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

His plea set off a chain reaction inside of me. It felt like my heart was trying to turn over in my chest. My insides went hot and cold. And I desperately wanted to lean into him and keep kissing.

Fighting it all, I straightened away from him with a sigh.

“No deal, then. I’m not willing to trade my freedom for a fleeting sense of enlightenment. Besides, you’ve already told me that I own you and you do pretty much what I want…except for this, apparently.”

He didn’t get mad about the no and didn’t try to hold onto me as I got off his lap.

“You keep saying you want your freedom, but what if it's not freedom you want? What if it’s control?” he asked as I sat next to him.

His words made me pause and consider the last few weeks.

I’d had freedom to do what I wanted at home…

as long as I told them what I was doing.

When they said no to something, no matter how justified the reason, that was when I lost my temper.

That was when I reacted. Did I really just not like being told what to do?

I hadn’t liked Mom arranging the job for me, but I’d accepted it to play nice so they would be more willing to let me go.

However, when Bennett had tried to force me to go to work with him by taking the keys, I’d reacted.

When he tried forcing me to wear clothes I didn’t like without giving me a reason, I’d reacted.

“I think you’re right.”

“Do you want to hear another thought?”

“Sure.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side. I rested my head against him, waiting.

“I’m willing to let you control whatever you want, and I’m willing to give up whatever control I have to be with you.”

My heart gave a wild thump against my ribcage.

“What do you mean?”

“You already know I’m willing to hand over anything to you. Properties. Bank accounts. Cars. It’s all yours. It’s the other stuff you’re worried about. Now that we know, we can adjust accordingly.

“You don’t want me to control who you talk to or where you go, so I won’t.

Will I get jealous? Yes. Will I need reassurance?

Yes. But I won’t interfere. You want to go to school without me following you?

Okay. We can talk on the phone, and I’ll be able to see where you are during the week.

And maybe, when you can, you come home on the weekends to see me. ”

I tipped my head back to look at him, a tightness gathering in my chest.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

I searched his gaze and saw no hesitation there, but his mask was in place.

“Will you need to go back to keeping my old clothes?”

“Maybe. But that’s my problem, not yours…unless I take something of yours that you like.”

“What about mating? Are you willing to wait, or are you just saying this to get me to say yes to mating?”

He kissed my forehead. “I’m not stupid. I know what will happen if I claim you and go back on my word. Rejection can happen at any time, not just in the beginning.”

“So what are we saying?”

“I’m saying I’ll be anything you need me to be and do anything you need me to do for even just a small chance to remain in your life.”

His mask slipped, showing me his sincerity and hope. It was a hope I shared, but I was a realist too. Being with Bennett wasn’t just about the two of us.

“Us being together isn’t just about me accepting you,” I said. “We both know I’ve already pretty much done that. Why else would I be kissing you?” A tremor ran through him. “If the pack can’t accept me, we’ll never have a day of peace in our lives.

“You’ve seen the mental scars I have from school. Nightmares. Startling easily. Swinging first, checking to see who it is after. I don’t want to keep living my life constantly being on guard. I want to heal and move on. I want to be happy, Bennett.”

He crushed me in a fierce hug. Thankfully, my arm was out of the way.

“That’s what I want for you, too. If the pack doesn’t accept you, we leave. It’s that simple. I will always choose you over the pack.”

He was saying all the right things, but I still wasn’t convinced that staying with him was the right choice for both of us.

“Let’s wait and see how things go on Saturday before making any promises, okay?”

He slowly shook his head. “No. My promise stands. You’re first, Wrenly.

Always. I thought I was putting you first by sending you away to school to give you time and space to mature, but I see how messed up that was.

I wasn’t listening, and I won’t do that a second time.

We’ll communicate and listen to each other and find ways to meet both our needs without either of us sacrificing more than we’re willing to give. ”

He kissed my mouth again and lifted the TV remote, which I hadn’t seen him grab.

“Now, what movie do you want to watch?”

* * *

I woke up with a leisurely stretch against Bennett’s side.

“What time is it?” I asked without opening my eyes or moving away.

“Time to pay up. Where’s my morning kiss?”

I snorted and kissed his chest. Just a peck, nothing more, but I still found myself pinned under him a second later.

“I will pee this bed if you don’t let me up.”

Chuckling, he kissed my forehead and got off of me.

“Two minutes, then I demand a redo.”

I bolted for the bathroom and took five minutes. When I returned, the bed was made, and Bennett was missing.

Curious, I checked the hallway. He wasn’t there either. I went to his room and heard his shower running.

“Am I supposed to come in there and kiss you while you’re showering?” I asked through the door.

The door opened, and Bennett yanked me inside. I collided with his wet chest and looked up at him in shock. Soap suds were running from his hair to his eyes. I reached up to wipe them away before they reached them.

“I was kidding,” I said.

“Too late.”

He kissed me hard. A second later, warm water hit my back, soaking my pajamas. I broke away from the kiss, quick to keep my stitches out of the water.

“Bennett!”

“I’ll help.”

He tugged my shirt over my head and threw it aside with a wet plop. I crossed my good arm over my chest and glared at him.

“You know that’s not what I wanted.”

His slow smile made my stomach do flips.

“I think it is. Remember not to use your hand.”

He took a knee and had my shorts and underwear around my ankles as I pushed at his shoulders.

“Keep it out of the water, Wrenly,” he said, his voice rough. “Last warning.”

Then he leaned in and buried his face between my legs. I had to brace my good hand on his shoulder and my stitched one on the wall out of the water to keep my balance as he slowly shattered my world.

As the pulsing stopped, he reached around me, shut off the water, then picked me up.

“What are you doing?” I asked, leaning against him.

“I’m making sure my bed will smell like you for a long time.”

Still wet, he tumbled us sideways onto the bed, rolling at the last second so I was on top of him.

“Mark me,” he said, his hands already capturing my face to draw my mouth to his chest.

Too relaxed to resist, I kissed his chest and left the mark he craved right over his heart.

I lifted my head. “Are you going to wear your shirt unbuttoned to show this one off, too?”

“No. But I wouldn’t mind if you left your mark on my neck again. Yesterday’s faded.”

I pulled myself a little higher up his body to reach his neck.

Our hips aligned. He groaned, and his hands gripped my backside, jostling me partially to the side.

Without thinking, I moved to brace my knees on the bed, opening myself to him to prevent a fall he would have never let happen in the first place.

We both froze at the contact.

“Don’t wolf out,” I said.

“Don’t move,” he gritted out.

I didn’t. I held perfectly still as his grip on my backside slowly loosened, then slid up my back only to travel down again. It felt nice. His hands. Not the hard ridge I was straddling.

“Can I move off of you, yet?”

“Not yet.”

The words were strained. If I didn’t do something to distract him, we would both be in trouble.

“We’re going to be late for work,” I said.

He made a sound between a laugh and a groan. “We don’t need more money.”

He wasn’t wrong.

My stomach growled, giving me a perfect opportunity. Sticking out my bottom lip, I gave him a sad look.

“I’m so hungry…”

He moved fast, catching my bottom lip between his and sucking it lightly before lifting me off of him.

“Go to my closet. Don’t come out until you’re dressed.”

I slipped off the bed and closed myself inside then listened at the door for a few seconds before dressing.

Since the clothes I’d purchased with Miranda were in there and clean, I grabbed those.

The top was lightweight and pretty, and the slacks were easy to pull down with one hand. Plus, Mom and Miranda would approve.

When I stepped out, Bennett was on the bed but sitting, and with a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair looked wet again, too.

The mark on his chest stood out like a misplaced third nipple, making me smirk. But it was already getting lighter.

“Nice hickey,” I said.

“Thanks.” He studied me for a moment. “I think today is going to be a struggle for me.”

“How so?”

“I don’t want to go to work. I want to stay here with you and keep doing the things we were doing.” He closed his eyes and frowned briefly. “I can still feel you and it’s?—“

He rubbed a hand over his face and opened his eyes. His pupils were spasming between fully dilated and pinpoint. I crossed the room, and when I reached him, he spread his knees to pull me closer.

I tipped his head back and marked his neck the way he’d wanted me to do earlier. When I drew back, his pupils were fully dilated and he was back to looking more desperate than tortured.

“Don’t let today be a bad day because of what we did.”

“It won’t be a bad day because of what we did or because of what we didn’t do…yet. But it will be a day that tests my control. I want you so much it hurts. I just want to?—”

He leaned in suddenly so his lips could skim my neck as he inhaled my scent.