“I will get him something from my bag,” Sorin offered.
He returned with a pair of jeans and a shirt and handed them to Jacquelyn.
“Uh, what am I supposed to do with these?” she asked Sorin.
“Wait, hold on,” Jen said, holding her hands up. “This is obviously a job for a woman who appreciates a fine looking specimen like wolf-man up there.”
Jen tried to take the clothes from Jacque, who stepped back, holding the clothing out of Jen’s reach.
“Like I’m going to let you, the nymphomaniac of our posse, take these clothes up to Fane. Seriously, how delusional do you think I am?” Jacquelyn asked her.
“I could really use some clothes, Luna. You keep your room kind of cold,” Fane told her through their connection.
“I’m bringing them, but you better have a towel or something wrapped around you,” Jacquelyn said sternly.
“I make no promises, love. You will just have to risk it.”
Jacquelyn huffed out a breath and headed up the stairs. All the while, Jen and Sally were letting out cat calls. Fane could hear the girls from Jacquelyn’s room and could only imagine how red his Luna’s face was.
He heard her knock very gently on her bedroom door. Fane grabbed a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around his waist.
“I’m decent, Luna. Come in,” Fane told her.
Jacquelyn walked in and her head was down with her hair falling in her face so she could not see anything in front of her. She reached out and tried to hand Fane the clothes, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her all the way into the room. She let out a shriek as she collided with Fane.
“Sorry, love. Didn’t mean to pull you quite that hard,” he said with a sly grin.
“Uh huh, sure you didn’t,” Jacquelyn said as she twisted her wrist to get free of his grasp. Fane let go easily, but did not step away from her, so Jacquelyn took the initiative and stepped back.
“What are you doing? Don’t you think you need…” Jacquelyn began, but stopped mid-sentence when she let her eyes wander over Fane’s torso. Fane realized she was looking at his markings and it made his wolf happy that she noticed them.
“What do you think?” he asked her.
She begun to walk around him, circling him like a predator seeking out its prey. Her eyes narrowed as she followed the lines of the marks. A couple of times her hand reached out like she wanted to trace the marks. It took all of Fane's control not to lean into her hand. Like the wolf, he craved her touch.
“It’s beautiful. I didn’t realize the marks would cover so much of you, but you said that they come across your chest because you’re Alpha, right?” Jacquelyn asked, still completely mesmerized by the marks.
“That is correct. I have more marks than others and my marks match my mate’s.” Fane reached out and ran a finger across Jacquelyn’s neck as he said this. Jacquelyn slapped his hand away. “No touching while you’re standing in nothing but a blanket,” she told him, trying to sound firm but not able to wipe the grin off her face.
When she finally stopped and just stared at him he couldn’t help but tease her. “Have you gotten your fill or do you need a few more minutes? I’ll be happy to let you study them if you’d like,” Fane told her with a wink.
“Yeah, I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?
“Well, if you are not going to take advantage of me while I am so vulnerable, I suppose I should get dressed.” Fane grinned.
When she didn’t respond or turn to leave Fane decided to shock her into action. He acted like he was going to unwrap his blanket. “Of course, if you want to watch me dress you are welcome to. Seeing as how you are my mate, you could even help if you’d like.”
Jacquelyn turned bright red and abruptly turned around to face the door. Fane dressed quickly and tried to keep his mind out of hers, although he was very curious as to what she was thinking about.
“Ok, love, you can turn around.” He was slipping his shirt over his head as she did.
“You know you’re beautiful, don’t you?” Jacquelyn asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you, all of you. Your skin is beautiful, you’re all buff and built, your eyes are incredible. You’re just beautiful,” she explained.
“Well nobody has ever told me that, so no, I did not know I was beautiful. Thank you,” he said, placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head.
“You are exquisite. Did you know that?” he asked her.
“I wouldn’t say exquisite. I mean, I don’t think I’m Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts, but I suppose I don’t break the mirror,” she responded.
“No female I have ever seen holds a candle to you, Luna.”
They were quiet for a moment. Fane was looking at her face, her beautiful green eyes and endearing freckles. He let his eyes wander down her neck to her shoulders and then arms, where the red marks that were quickly becoming bruises caught his eyes. He growled low.
“Come here please, Jacquelyn,” Fane told her.
Jacquelyn had stepped back a step at the sound of the growl.
“I am not growling at you, meu inimă. I merely want to look at the marks that mongrel left on you,” he explained.
“It’s nothing. They don’t even really hurt anymore,” Jacquelyn fibbed.
“Jacquelyn, love, don’t tell me un-truths. I know when you aren’t being honest with me.”
“Who are you, Santa Claus?” Jacquelyn retorted.
“Just come here, please. Or do I need to come over there?” Fane asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“Pipe down, I’ll come to you.”
Jacquelyn walked over to him and he gently touched each arm where the bruises were. Jacquelyn flinched, unable to hide the fact that his touch hurt. Fane leaned down and kissed her arms gently over the bruises, wishing that he could heal them. He had failed to protect her, his mate. She'd needed him and he had not been there.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I was not there to protect you. I should have been.”
“Fane,” Jacquelyn reached up and ran her hand down his check, “this was not your fault. You were not allowed to be there, and how was anyone to know that psycho fur ball would hurt his so-called mate? You have nothing to apologize for so just knock it off. Got it?”