12

Caden’s POV
Could she be any more breathtaking? Any more intoxicating? Watching my brother kiss her should’ve filled me with jealousy, stirred the instinct to defend what was mine. Instead, it ignited something deeper, something darker. A heat that seared through me.
*”Because she’s happy, and that makes her ours,”* my wolf reasoned, calm and resolute.
No other woman had ever mattered to me. Caleb could have pursued whoever he wanted, and I wouldn’t have cared. But Lily wasn’t just anyone. She wasn’t even in the same universe as the women we’d known before.
Whether she realized it or not, the way she looked at us spoke volumes. Her eyes burned with a hunger that mirrored our own, like she was teetering on the edge of surrender, caught in the same fire that consumed us. She wanted us. She craved us. So why the hell were we holding back?
Caleb and I had always been careful-always used protection. That boundary was reserved for one woman, the one destined to be ours. Lily was that woman. Our mate. The thought of waiting, of denying the pull between us, was a torment I could barely withstand.
But there was one thing standing in our way: her defiance. That sharp tongue of hers and the iron will behind it. The solution, however, was simple: control. Restraint. The raw power of holding her beneath me, feeling her resistance melt into something primal and unrestrained, was the most erotic experience of my life.
*”She’s perfect. But we need her to shift,”* my wolf, Hade, growled impatiently.
I silently agreed. Most shifters couldn’t go long without transforming-it was a primal itch that demanded to be scratched. Watching her now, her chest rising and falling, her body tensed beneath mine, the urge to claim her nearly consumed me. Every inch of her begged to be touched, to be marked as ours.
Her oversized shirt couldn’t hide her curves, and the memory of her reaction to our touches on the field earlier replayed in my mind like a taunt. She’d break eventually. I was certain of it. But the wait might kill me first.
As her struggling subsided, Caleb stood, muttering something about retrieving our clothes and checking on the food delivery. I barely noticed. My attention was wholly on Lily, on the goddess lying beneath me.
“Lily,” I murmured, my voice thick with longing as I lowered my head toward her neck, my wolf holding his breath as I hovered near her marking spot.
“Don’t!” she snapped, her hands pressing against my chest. “Don’t even think about it. We’re not doing that again.”
I’d never force her, not in a million years, but her resistance was driving me insane. A new tactic was in order. Sitting up, I straddled her, forcing her to shift beneath me. She took the opportunity to try and rise, but I was quicker. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I yanked it over my head and tossed it aside.
Her reaction was immediate. She froze, her wide eyes roaming over my chest, my abs, every inch of skin I’d bared for her.
Unlike many in our pack, Caleb and I didn’t have tattoos. It wasn’t our thing-maybe because our parents looked down on them, or perhaps because I couldn’t imagine committing to something permanent like that. But now, under Lily’s gaze, I was glad for it. She wasn’t distracted by ink; she was seeing me. Just me.
Her body moved as if drawn by some invisible force as I leaned back down, my hands settling on her sides. Her pupils dilated, her breathing shallow. The need in her eyes was enough to drive me over the edge.
“You want this,” I murmured, my lips brushing over her shirt-covered breasts. “Your body craves it just as much as ours.”
She didn’t push me away, so I continued, my hands exploring the curve of her waist. The texture of lace beneath her shirt told me she wore a delicate bra, and the thought of seeing it against her pale skin was almost too much. Her nipples hardened beneath my thumbs, and I couldn’t resist teasing them further with my mouth.
Her eyes were shut tight, her body rigid, but I knew she felt it. The spark. The pull. The bond.
Then came the knock.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Lily exhaled sharply and shoved me off, scrambling to her feet. “Now who the hell is here?” she muttered, brushing past me. “This place has a perfectly good shower, you know. Use it and get out!”
I licked my lips, my gaze lingering on her as she stormed toward the door. My instincts warred within me, torn between being gentle and matching her fiery demeanor. Caleb, however, was already at the table, unpacking containers of Italian food I’d ordered.
“Worked up an appetite, baby?” Caleb teased as he grabbed some plates.
Lily rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her curiosity as her gaze flicked over the spread. “Caden losing at strip poker in there? Guess I’d better catch up.” Caleb laughed, tugging off his shirt.
I nodded approvingly. More skin was never a bad idea.
Lily, unimpressed, grabbed a plate and helped herself to some chicken parmesan, avoiding the pasta and bread.
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who doesn’t eat,” I quipped, noting her modest portion.
She shot me a glare. “I eat just fine. You don’t need to concern yourself with what’s on my plate. I’ve taken care of myself for two decades, and I’m not about to change for you.”
Her sharp words didn’t bother me; they only made me grin. Watching her stab at her food with zero concern for manners was oddly endearing. She wasn’t like the others-those who barely ate or obsessed over their appearance. Lily was raw and unapologetic.
“Baby blue,” I said, my eyes narrowing as I studied her.
She paused, raising a brow. “What?”
“Your bra and panties… I’m guessing baby blue and matching,” I said, grabbing a forkful of stuffed shells.
It was a playful jab, more of a challenge than anything else. I wasn’t expecting much-maybe a glimpse of a strap if she humored me. But even that would feel like a small victory. She needed to loosen up, and I wasn’t above teasing to make it happen.
“Hm, I’m betting black,” Caleb added, shifting to stand closer to her since there weren’t enough chairs. “Winner gets a kiss.”
She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Guess you two are making out with each other then. If all you care about is my underwear, feel free to do my laundry.” Without missing a beat, she went back to her food.
Caleb and I exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between us.
*Oh, say yes! I’ll roll around in clothes that smell like her,* Hade practically howled in my head.
*Or,* Caleb countered through the mind-link, *we could just buy her something we like.*
“You’ll only be adding to the pile after our shower,” I quipped, my gaze fixed on her, testing for any reaction.
She didn’t flinch. Instead, she set her fork down and leaned back, her tone sharp and decisive. “You’re going to eat, and then you’re going to leave. Not up for negotiation. I have an 8:30 class, and I’m never late.”
Her eyes darted between us, daring us to interrupt. “In other news,” she continued, “I’ve decided you each get a date. One-on-one. Then we’ll have one together. But tomorrow is off-limits-I have things to do. So, Tuesday is one date, Thursday is another, and Sunday… all three of us. Your chance to impress me, so think it over and make it count.”
She punctuated her decree with a bite of chicken, chewing as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.
Caleb and I exchanged another glance, this one laced with unspoken admiration.
*She’s so damn bossy,* I said through the link. *Why do I like it so much?*
*Anyone else talked to us like this, we’d have walked away in thirty seconds,* Caleb replied, shaking his head.
“Let’s not change the subject,” Caleb said aloud, his hand darting out to tug her top slightly, revealing a deep red bra strap.
*Oh, shit… red. That’s hot,* I muttered over the link, my wolf practically salivating.
Lily huffed and yanked her shirt back into place. “Hope you’re satisfied because that’s all you’re getting. Thanks for dinner. Let yourselves out when you’re done-I’ve got calls to make.” She pushed past Caleb, but not without a sharp glare.
*We good?* I asked Caleb through the mind-link.
*Yep. Plan’s in place,* he replied as we moved to the couch with our plates.
Now, Caleb and I had a rule. No one outside of our family or business ever got our real phone numbers. Not friends, and definitely not females. All calls or texts went to burner phones we checked a couple of times a week. Experience had taught us that some girls could go off the rails, and the last thing we needed was one of them having direct access.
Caleb was already ahead of the game, setting up voicemail accounts on the burners. He even altered his voice slightly to match his wolf’s name. If Lily called today, she wasn’t getting a response until later in the week. Let her stew for a bit.
The calls were a wild card-a strategic ace up our sleeves. When going to war, you never show all your cards upfront.
But now, my focus shifted to the more pressing matter: figuring out what the hell I was going to do for our date.