In Deeper by Christy Gissendaner Read Free Book Online Page B

second.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    It was the hardest thing she’d ever done to stand before him in nothing but her underwear and wait for him to make a move. She’d come to his room with the purposeful intent of fucking Micah. Now she’d lost control to him. How did Micah do it? Muddle her thoughts until she saw nothing but him?
    Cool air brushed over her nipples, making them tighten into hard peaks. She craved his touch, needed him to ease the ache inside her. The carpeting muffled the sound of his approach, but he’d crept closer. She wanted to look back at him again, but kept her head facing forward, waiting for him to touch her. The air shifted, bringing with it the tantalizing hint of male wolf and lust.
    She closed her eyes and willed instinct away. When two wolves mated, it was easy for animal form to take over. She’d never been a fan of sex that way, and it hadn’t been hard to resist. But with Micah, everything that was off-limits became as natural to her as breathing. She took a deep breath, followed by another. Each inhalation brought more of the intoxicating blend of his scent.
    He touched her. He brushed feather-light fingers across the gentle curve of one buttock. She sucked in a gasp. Tingles exploded at the simple, tender caress. She was going to spontaneously combust if he didn’t touch her again.
    She clenched her thighs tight and struggled to remain in the position he’d commanded her to assume. The inclination to turn around and view his virile body spread like wildfire across her tenuous control. Her knees buckled first, and she fell toward the bed. Her elbows broke the fall, and she cursed her lack of grace. Micah took away every ounce of self-possession she owned and tossed it to the winds.
    He chuckled a moment before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to a standing position. She was tall, and despite her slim figure, not a featherweight. He lifted her as if she weighed less than nothing. His forearm flexed and held her in place with her spine pressed to his chest. The prod of his erection sent another shock wave throughout her.
    It had been so long since someone had held her. There hadn’t been time before, when their lust had overruled their inhibitions and brought them together in a fast-burning fire. Unlike that night, Micah seemed intent on keeping things slow. She was OK with that. More than OK.
    “Celeste,” he murmured her name and nuzzled his nose against the back of her neck. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
    Resignation colored her tone. “You never do.”
    “You should go.” His voice turned stern, but the arm around her waist tightened. She gloried in the obvious proof that he wanted her.
    “Why do you push me away?” She wanted the truth. Had to hear it from his lips.
    “You’re too much for a guy like me.” He broke off to dip a soft kiss on her shoulder. “We’re from different worlds.”
    “Not that different.”
    She felt Micah shake his head. “There’s a reason Randolphs and Proctors have never mated. You’re on a pedestal. I don’t want to be the one to bring you down.”
    She twisted in his arms and faced him. “If I’m on a pedestal, it’s because you put me there.” She framed his face with her hands. “Look at me, Micah. I’m more than the spoiled rich girl you think I am. I’m more than your brother’s beta. I’m a normal girl, and like everyone else, I’m allowed to have feelings.”
    His expression tightened. “You shouldn’t have them for me.”
    “Why not?” She lowered her hands to stare at him. Anxiety filled her while she waited for his answer, an answer that didn’t come. “You say we’re from different worlds, but we’re not. The blood that flows in your veins is the same as mine. We both know what it’s like to hide our true selves from the world. I’m tired of hiding. All my life, I’ve been the perfect shifter. You said it yourself. I attended all the best schools. I allowed my father to mold