The Amber Shift

Thirty-Nine

Noelle

The days after we return from Dante's are awkward. Corbin is still tiptoeing around me, Asher is following me around like a lovesick puppy, and Killian has kept his distance. I spend my afternoons with Remi in the study, working on our school assignments, but nothing more. And Elijah, he is more appealing to me than ever. He's been right here by me since we left Colombia, and the only other thing that would make me happier is if we could be together.

For the past two days, I haven't so much as been kissed. My need to touch and be touched grows by the minute, and I'm positive that I'm about to explode. I need a release, anything to blow off some steam. I should go to anyone but Elijah with my dilemma, yet here I am, knocking on his door.

He answers, his hair disheveled, shirtless, and delicious looking. Propping his forearm on the doorframe above his head, he asks, "What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I should be, but I can't stop thinking about...the ache."

"Do you want me to call someone up to help?"

As tempting as it is, I have no desire to be around anyone but him right now. "No."

Elijah rubs the back of his neck and gnaws on the inside of his lip. "Do you want to go for a run?"

I perk up and nod, a grin spreading over my face. "That sounds like the second-best thing you could do with me right now."

With the tip of his chin, he motions me inside. I don't miss the way he moves to the other side of the room, keeping his distance from me. A spark of joy ignites in me that he needs to take such precautions when we're alone. At the same time, I wish he would give in.

"I'm taking it that you haven't ran in your wolf form since the full moon." I shake my head. "Now that the fear is gone, I promise you running is a very close second to sex." He hooks his thumbs in the waist of his joggers and pushes them down his muscular legs.

I avert my eyes, but of course, end up glancing back at his naked form. I can't help it; he's truly breathtaking. All muscles with broad shoulders, defined abs, sculpted pecs, and perfectly toned arms I want wrapped around me. That doesn't even mention what lies below his waistline.

I clear my throat and look down at my clothes. I hadn't changed before coming to his room, and I certainly don't want to ruin this outfit by ripping it to shreds during the shift. "Do—do you want me to go undress in the bathroom and shift in there? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

His warm chuckle fills the room. "You can wear a potato sack and I'd be turned on, princess. Besides, you got an eyeful; I think it's only fair I get the same."

My cheeks heat and I shake my head as I unbutton my jean cutoffs and push them down my thighs, kicking them to the side. "Fair enough," I agree, slipping my fingers under the hem of my shirt and tugging it over my head. I'm standing before him completely naked, the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra or underwear unable to be ignored. His bed still separates us, but the magnetic pull is there all the same.

I hold my arms out to my sides and shrug.

He shakes his head and smiles. "Let's get running before you break me down and I do something I shouldn't."

"That doesn't sound so bad to me."

Elijah shifts, and I follow his lead. He jumps up and knocks the door open with his paw. We run through the hall, down the stairs, and slip out the kitchen door. The night is cool with a fresh breeze blowing through the forest, and running automatically makes me feel better, freer, less tense.

Better?

I look over at him and bare my teeth. Absolutely. But still not as good as that thing you shouldn't do would feel.