Fated By Starlight by Krista Street

Chapter 14

~ AVERY ~

We only had one pint of berries in the fridge, but it was enough to make the jam. I mashed the raspberries, added the sugar, and then slid the mixture into a pan to boil. Once it was cooked, I set it aside to cool.

“Now for the buttercream.” I offered my commander a tentative smile.

Wyatt still sat at the counter as the scent of the baking cake filled the kitchen. “Where did you learn how to bake?” he asked.

I shrugged and grabbed the butter. “I taught myself with the help of cookbooks. I moved a lot growing up, so when we arrived somewhere new, it took a while to make friends, so initially I always filled my time by baking.”

His arms stayed crossed as he hunched over the counter. His wide frame looked massive in the small kitchen. “Have you made anything else this week?”

“Just a batch of almond scones the other night. Charlotte and Eliza have become my guinea pigs as I try out new recipes.”

“I imagine they’re not complaining.”

“They haven’t yet, but since it’s only our first week together, that may change. Charlotte did make a comment about me trying to fatten her up.”

Wyatt laughed, and that strange feeling swam through me again. He was still here, hanging out with me on a Saturday night while I made a sponge cake with raspberry jam and cream. It was all so . . . domestic. Something I would expect to do with my boyfriend, not my commander.

Fluttering began anew in my stomach as I struggled to make sense of it. I didn’t know what was going on, but even if I still felt a bit intoxicated, it didn’t stem my enjoyment of having Wyatt in my kitchen.

Just being near him felt good.

After I added the icing sugar and milk to the butter, I whipped it all together and held out a dollop of buttercream for Wyatt to taste. “Do you approve?”

Wyatt took the spoon and slipped it in his mouth. His lips wrapped around the spoon until he licked it clean. I wondered if that was how he’d suck on my breasts or clit if we ever—

I cleared my throat and twirled around. “I think the cake’s almost done.”

I bent down and opened the oven. Sure enough, the cakes were a lovely golden brown and pulling away from the pans’ edges. I grabbed my hot mitts, then carefully extracted the cakes from the pans to let them cool on a rack.

Behind me, the energy off Wyatt swirled.

“Will I get to taste the final product?” he asked huskily.

Hearing his deep voice made my stomach tighten. It had been months since I’d been with a man, and while I knew I could have gone home with Nicholas the other night or with Tim tonight, I hadn’t wanted that.

Only one male interested me now.

The same one that had haunted my dreams during my adolescent years.

“Of course.” I gave him a wide smile. “That’s why I made it.” I checked the jam again. It was still warm, and the cakes were hot. “As long as you’re happy to wait for everything to cool.”

“I have time.”

My heartbeat picked up for what felt like the millionth time. Now that my hands didn’t have anything to do, I suddenly felt flustered.

“Are you thirsty?” I didn’t wait for him to reply and instead went to the fridge. I rummaged around in the compartment, letting the cold air from the appliance cool my libido. As each second passed, it felt as if my head cleared a little more.

Yet, all that did was bring more questions to mind.

Wyatt Jamison was alone with me in my apartment. He’d whisked me away from the bar, telling me the Institute needed me, only to recant and say I could call them tomorrow. None of that made sense.

Man, I need a drink. And I needed one badly. Sober Avery and hot off-limits-commander Wyatt didn’t mix.

“We bought a six-pack the other day. Do you want a beer?” I asked over my shoulder.

“Are you having one?”

“Most definitely.”

He ran a hand through his hair, and another wave of power pushed off him. I wondered if he was even aware of it.

But one thing I knew for certain, he was feeling as charged as I was.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” he finally said.

After he took his beer, I popped the top on mine and took a long swallow. I knew that I’d be hungover tomorrow, but at the moment, I didn’t care.

I set my drink down, then crossed my arms on the counter and leaned forward.

Wyatt’s gaze dipped for a moment before it snapped back up. I glanced down. My cleavage was on full display.

Warmth spread to my toes.

Wyatt just checked me out. Totally and completely checked me out.

WTF.

What was going on here?

Dating was against the rules between a commander and his subordinate. But the way he’d just looked at me, and the fact that he was here in my apartment after showing irritation twice tonight when males showed me attention, and the way he’d acted the other night while I’d been having dinner with Nicholas . . .

My eyes widened when the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

Of course.

My commander felt something for me, and I was pretty sure the SF wouldn’t be okay with it.

Regardless, I had the ridiculous urge to grin like a Cheshire cat. Giddiness made my head swim even though the practical side of me knew Wyatt would be in trouble for pursuing this. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that a male wolf pursuing a female would not be dissuaded.

Rules or not.

“Do you like working for the SF?”

Wyatt took another drink from his beer, his gaze now firmly staying north of my chin. “I do. It’s challenging at times, but I like teaching new recruits when we’re not on assignment.”

I nodded and took another drink. “You’re good at it, teaching us, I mean. You push us when we need it, but back off when you know we’re struggling too much.”

He tilted his head. “Thank you. I try hard to be a good commander, so that’s probably one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever gotten.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

His lips curved up. “Although I have to say that it’s easy to do my job when I have a motivated and compliant group of recruits.”

“Isn’t every group you train like that?”

“Usually, but not always. Sometimes we mess up and accept people into the SF that aren’t a good fit, but that usually becomes apparent within the first few months. Part of my job is weeding out those who aren’t cut out for this work.”

I scrunched my nose up. “That must be awkward.”

He shrugged. “I suppose it could be, but I see it more as helping someone find a place that’s better suited for them. It’s best to know right away if something isn’t for you than to spend years of your life at it only to realize you’ve wasted so much time when you could have been happier elsewhere.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I suppose if we only have one life, we might as well enjoy it.”

His gaze darkened with lust. “Very true. I would love nothing more than to enjoy it.”

My cheeks heated. I grabbed my drink and rounded the corner to join him on the stools, letting the alcohol swimming through my veins embolden me.

He straightened, his arm folding across his lap when I sat next to him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed when our knees brushed as I arranged myself on the seat. With a start, I realized that my miniskirt didn’t leave much to the imagination. It rode up my thighs, leaving ample skin exposed.

But instead of covering myself, I left it. Wyatt didn’t seem in any hurry to leave, and my real-life fantasy was playing out before my eyes. Even if this was all a dream and I would wake up at any moment to find that Wyatt Jamison had never taken me home and spent the evening with me, I didn’t care.

Right here, and right now, he was with me—truly with me—and I didn’t want it to end. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to change into my granny sweatpants to hide my legs. I bet money Charlotte would have approved.

I laughed inwardly as a golden glow rimmed Wyatt’s irises.

The energy around him increased again, and electricity crackled between us. I was so tempted to place my hand on his thigh. He still kept an arm draped over his crotch, and a part of me wondered what it hid underneath.

“Tell me more about your life here,” I said softly. I wanted to learn everything about him that I could. Everything that had happened to him in the last eight years.

He took a deep breath, his attention unwavering. “There’s not much to tell. Unlike you, I haven’t led a very interesting life. I left Ridgeback when I was eighteen and came here and have been here ever since.”

“But you like it enough to stay, right? Do you plan to have a career here? To stay until you retire?”

“Maybe, but I don’t know yet. There are enough wolves in the SF that I could stay indefinitely if I wanted to, but a part of me misses my pack. My brother, Lance—you may remember him—will be the next Alpha of the British Columbia pack when my dad steps down, but I know I’ll always have a place there.” He shook his head, then smiled fondly. “My mother would like me to come home, but I have to stay in the SF for a few more years because of a commitment I made. Besides, there’s still so much I want to do.”

“Like what?”

The light around his eyes brightened as he studied me. “I want to travel more. When we go on assignments, we can go anywhere in the world, but we’re obviously not there to sightsee. So while my travels have broadened, they haven’t been long. But it’s been enough for me to see areas that I’d like to return to. Places I’d like to spend time in.”

I perked up, my smile broadening. “What was your favorite place so far?”

His gaze dipped to my thighs again before he snapped it up. He took another long pull from his beer before shaking his head, as if trying to remember my question. “Um, I enjoyed Thailand. We had an assignment in the south, near the beach in the jungle. It was beautiful and so different than what I grew up with. Monkeys jumped through the trees, spiders as big as my hand dangled from webs, giant rock cliffs soared from the ocean, and the food . . .” He gave a soft groan. “Damn, the food was amazing. I could eat there every day.”

I laughed, then licked my lips. “Mmm, I love Thai food. It’s one of my favorites.”

Wyatt’s gaze dipped to my mouth, his eyes darkening as I continued to nibble on my lip.

My breath quickened, and the urge to squirm grew so strong. When he looked at me like that . . .

His nostrils flared, and a part of me knew that my scent was giving away my arousal, but I couldn’t help it.

“What about you?” he asked. “Tell me about your favorite place in the world.”

“So many places to choose from,” I said breathlessly, then took another swig of my drink. “Where do I begin . . .”