Chapter 55

Trishanna blanched. James wanted to touch her? A flash of what happened in the past made her clench her teeth as a sour taste entered her mouth. Her jaw ached and her fingertips hurt, maybe from clenching her fist too hard. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind. She turned to tell him where he could go, but her anger drained out of her at the look on his face. It was like he knew she would say no. He looked like he was beating himself up for even asking, yet in spite of all of that, there was a desperate hope in his eyes. He wanted to feel the baby, his baby. How could she deny him that right? Everyone knew how much werewolves cared for their young, especially Alphas. She bit her lip before she slowly nodded.

James was taken aback. He and his wolf were sure they had rushed things and were cursing their impatience. "Are you sure?" he asked, cringing at how unsure he sounded. Boy, he was doing a marvelous job at messing things up. Trishanna shook her head but smiled at him. "I'm not too sure", was all she said. James held his breath and slowly stretched out his hand towards her middle, careful not to startle her. His palm hovered over her bump, and he paused, looking at her face for any sense that she didn't want this. When her expression remained the same, he lowered his hand and made contact with his young. At first, nothing happened, but then he felt her belly move under his hand. Soon he could feel the little pokes of his pup's kicks and the feeling was like nothing he'd ever experienced. 

Trishanna was fascinated by the look of awe on James' face. He looked like he was floating on cloud nine. The heat of his hand seeped into her skin and sent little waves of warmth through her, melting the corners of her hatred of him. She closed her eyes at the look of sheer joy, wondering if it was just her hormones, or if the pup knew that this was his father. Her eyes opened just in time to see his head lower and soon she could feel his lips press against her stomach. Tingles erupted from the contact, and she shivered. Thankfully James seemed unaware of her reaction as he was absorbed in talking to the pup. he stroked the bump, and she could feel the little one settling down, the rhythmic movement seeming to lull both of them to rest. 

Soon the pup settled for his afternoon nap and Trishanna lay back closing her eyes. Never would she have believed that James' touch could feel soothing, but the warmth she was feeling both inside and out, made her drowsy. Her lids grew heavy and soon she fell asleep to the sound of James' low voice as he spoke softly to her belly.

James smiled as he watched the mother of his child asleep on the blanket. His wolf's tail looked like a windmill on steroids. They were so happy that if he died right now, he didn't think heaven could be any better. He noticed the way her body reacted but acted like he didn't. No need to make her walls go back up. He didn't want to lose the contact, but he knew he couldn't stay there forever. He removed his hand and Trishanna frowned, whimpering a little, shifting closer to him to find back the warmth. James' heart pounded. What should he do? Put back his hand? Move back even further? Maybe he should wake her so she could rest in her bed. Scratching his head, he listened to his wolf's suggestion.

With a sigh, he hoped that she would not wake. Linking someone to clear their picnic remnants, James stood and leaned over to scoop Trishanna in his arms. Her head nestled on his shoulder, and he prayed that his pounding heart wouldn't wake her or give out on him. Slowly he made his way back to the house and up the stairs to her room, never noticing that there was a shadowy figure hidden in the trees, watching their every move.

James laid Trishanna on the bed. She looked so lovely that without a thought, his hand caressed her face. Would the baby take after him or her? If it was a girl, she would be beautiful. He silently chuckled as thoughts of building a tower in the backyard flitted through his mind. Maybe a son would keep him from needlessly killing all other males. He sat on the bed, breathless at how much Trishanna had changed. Maybe if he treated her right from the beginning, then there would have been no bad feelings between them. He vowed to make it up to her and do everything in his power to win her back, and he could already feel the bond between him and his pup growing, just like in his dreams.

His eyes caressed her face and lowered to her body. He could see that her breasts were a bit larger, preparing to nourish his child. Looking at them made his member stiffen, and he bit back a groan. Now was not the time for such thought, but just holding her in his arms brought back memories of their night together. Leaning closer, he sniffed her neck, a strong desire to claim her taking over. He could feel his wolf fighting for control, his canines elongating. His tongue lightly traced her marking spot, and her moan pulled him out of the red haze clouding his mind. Shit, if she woke up to find him leering over her, all his good work will be for naught. Pulling his wolf away, he got up and left, remembering at the last second not to slam the door.

He made his way to his room and stripped, heading straight to the bathroom. The desire for her that he had pushed down all the weeks erupted, and he opened the shower to the coldest setting. Please, please, please, he begged in his mind, willing away his erection. After five minutes, he realized that it wasn't working. Not even the repulsive thought of another female worked. Clenching his teeth, he took matters into his own hands, literally. Stroking himself, his mind replayed the night with Trishanna in exquisite detail. His moans filled the room and soon he roared her name as he found his release.

Sighing, he leaned his head, against the cold tiles, watching his stuff go down the drain. He was so screwed.