Page 89 of Come for Me
A tinge of guilt hits, knowing I haven’t helped ease any of the worries he holds. Between dealing with my defiance and the attacks of the kingdom, this poor guy can’t catch a break.
Crawling toward the end of the bed, deciding to give this man a bone just this once, I run my hands across his chest from behind. He tenses under my touch, and my wolf whimpers.
Mate doesn’t want us touching him.
I pull my hands away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Bullshit.
“Then, why’d you get all tense when I touched you?”
“I was trying not to move.” He hangs his head, rubbing his hands together, strong forearms resting on his thighs. “Figured if I did, you’d stop.”
Oh.
He doesn’t turn as he waits for my response, but his honesty renders me speechless.
Dax sighs, rubbing the back of his neck before rising from the bed.
Mate thinks we don’t want to touch him. Mate’s hurt. Mate needs us. Do something!
Instinctively, I grab his hand. “Wait!”
Dax’s eyes meet mine, his lips parting.
Now speak. Tell him.
“I . . . I do . . . want—to touch you.”
Surprised by my admittance, Dax gawks at me as his heart races. Closing his mouth into a tight line, he recovers, tilting his head.
He doesn’t believe me.
For a guy with the power to see intentions, he must see I’m telling the truth. But considering everything I’ve done, he has every reason to question.
Mirroring his actions, I tilt my head, giving a small smile, gently tugging him back down to the bed. I resume my graze, adding a kiss to his head and neck, right where my mark would go.
Finally melting into my arms, he leans back into me as my hands roam his body.
Gratitude fills the air. I’m grateful that, despite everything we’ve been through, both of us are able to share such an intimate moment without any games or points to be made.
We share the silence, aside from the grunts coming from my mate whose back I’m massaging the thousandth knot out of.
“Have you ever heard of a massage?”
A sound between a laugh and a grunt follows the rolling out of a nodule under my thumb.
“Yes. Is this your way of saying you want me to find another masseuse?”
I dig my elbow into his shoulder, and the most adorable, inner childlike cackle comes out of him. My heart swells, and I go back to soothe out the knots.
“I’m kidding. Besides, I’ve never been big on people touching me.”
“How come?”
“My father wasn’t a nice guy.”
