CHAPTER 475: DON’T TELL ME TO LEAVE

******************

Chapter 475

~Tempest’s POV

The walk back to the pack house was quiet, but the air between Koda and me buzzed with something that hadn’t been there before—or maybe it had always been there, just waiting to break free.

When we reached the heavy oak doors, Koda slowed, his hand brushing lightly against the small of my back as he opened it for me.

"After you," he said softly.

I stepped inside, the familiar scents of home wrapping around me. It felt warmer tonight somehow—like the walls themselves were exhaling with relief.

We moved together down the hall toward my room, our shoulders brushing occasionally, neither of us speaking, both of us feeling the same unspoken pull.

When we reached my door, I paused, fingers hovering over the handle.

Koda shifted beside me, clearing his throat. "I should probably—"

Before he could finish, I turned, heart hammering wildly in my chest, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He stiffened in surprise for half a second, then melted into it with a low, rough sound in his throat.

I meant it to be a quick kiss—a thank you, a goodbye—but the moment our lips met, something snapped between us.

Koda deepened the kiss almost instantly, one hand finding my waist, the other sliding up to cradle the back of my neck as he stepped forward, backing me gently into the door.

Without breaking the kiss, he reached around me, twisted the handle, and nudged the door open.

He pushed us inside, kicked it closed with his foot, and pressed me back against it, his body solid and warm against mine.

I gasped into his mouth at the sudden boldness, my hands clutching at his shirt like a lifeline.

"Don’t tell me to leave," he murmured against my lips, his voice rough, pleading. "Not tonight."

"I won’t," I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

He kissed me again—harder this time—his hand sliding down my side, tracing the curve of my waist, his other hand tangling in my hair.

My body arched toward him instinctively, craving more.

The kiss turned urgent, desperate, full of everything we hadn’t said out loud.

His lips left mine only to trail hot kisses along my jawline, down to the sensitive spot beneath my ear. I whimpered softly, my fingers fisting in his shirt.

Koda growled low in his chest, lifting me slightly off the ground as he carried me to the bed.

I landed with a soft thud, Koda following me down, bracing his weight on his arms so he didn’t crush me.

Our eyes locked, and for a long, suspended moment, we just stared at each other—breathing, trembling, wanting.

"Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely, voice full of restraint and something deeper—reverence.

Instead of answering, I pulled him down to kiss me again. That was all the permission he needed.

His hands roamed my sides, my waist, never straying too far, always waiting for a sign to go further. He kissed me like he was mapping every inch of me, like he wanted to memorize me, piece by piece.

I moaned into his mouth, tugging at his shirt, needing to feel him—skin to skin.

He pulled back only long enough to yank the fabric over his head and toss it somewhere across the room.

My hands immediately roamed his bare chest, feeling the heat of him, the strength beneath his skin. He shuddered under my touch, his muscles flexing involuntarily.

Koda dipped his head, kissing a path from my mouth to the hollow of my throat, his teeth grazing lightly against my pulse point, making me shiver.

My hands slid up to his hair, tugging gently as his kisses grew lower, slower, more deliberate.

My shirt soon joined his somewhere on the floor.

His mouth found my collarbone, nipping and soothing with kisses, as his hands framed my waist like I was something precious.

The world beyond my door ceased to exist the moment Koda’s mouth found mine again. This kiss wasn’t rushed like the others—it was deep, languid, a slow burn that ignited every nerve ending in my body.

His hands skimmed up my ribs, the roughness of his palms a delicious contrast to the sensitivity of my skin. He traced the curve beneath my breasts, teasing but never taking more than I offered.

His restraint was exquisite, maddening.

I gasped as he kissed along my jawline, down my throat, lingering at the hollow where my pulse thrummed wildly beneath his mouth.

His breath was hot against my skin, his hands reverent, mapping every inch of me like he was learning a language we both already spoke.

"Koda..." I breathed his name, half a prayer, half a plea.

He growled low in his chest—a sound that vibrated through me—and trailed his hand slowly down my body, fingers brushing over my hipbone, my thigh.

His touch was maddeningly slow, dragging sparks across my skin with every pass.

When his fingers brushed the waistband of my pants, he paused, lifting his head to meet my eyes. His pupils were blown wide with need, but he waited, giving me one last chance to stop this.

Instead, I reached for him, guiding his hand where I needed him most.

He hissed through his teeth, his forehead pressing against mine as he let out a shuddering breath. His hand moved deliberately, exploring, learning what made me gasp, what made me tremble.

I clutched at his shoulders, nails biting lightly into his skin as his mouth moved lower, trailing kisses along the top swell of my breast, each press of his lips setting me aflame.

He shifted lower, pulling the strap of my bra down with agonizing slowness, baring my skin inch by inch. His mouth followed the path he made, tongue flicking lightly over my exposed skin, a soft groan rumbling from deep in his chest.

"Koda..." My voice broke on a moan as he worshipped me with his mouth, his hands everywhere at once—firm, grounding, worshipful.

He cupped one breast, his thumb circling my nipple until it pebbled beneath his touch, then he leaned down and took it into his mouth, sucking lightly. I cried out, arching into him, desperate for more.

His free hand splayed across my stomach, holding me down as he lavished attention on me, switching from one breast to the other, nipping and soothing, teasing me until I was a writhing mess beneath him.

He shifted again, moving lower, dragging my pants and underwear down with one smooth motion. His kisses followed, leaving a hot trail down my stomach, over the curve of my hip, down my thigh.

He knelt between my legs, looking up at me with such heat and reverence that it stole the breath from my lungs.

I reached for him again, fingers threading through his hair, guiding him where I needed him most.

He didn’t hesitate.

His mouth was hot and sure against me, tongue flicking and swirling, drawing gasps and moans from my lips without mercy. He found a rhythm, a pattern that made my hips jerk against him, my hands clutching tighter in his hair.

"Koda—" His name tore from me on a broken cry.

He groaned against me, the vibration shooting straight through my core. His hands gripped my thighs, holding me open for him as he devoured me like a man starved.

Pleasure built inside me coiling tighter with every flick of his tongue, every scrape of his teeth.

I was close—so close—and he knew it.

He slipped one finger inside me, curling it just right, and the world shattered.

I came with a cry, my body arching off the bed, my vision going white at the edges. Koda held me through it, never letting up until I sagged back against the mattress, boneless and trembling.

He kissed his way back up my body, slow and gentle now, his touch soothing, grounding. When he reached my mouth again, I kissed him with everything I had, tasting myself on his lips and not caring in the slightest.

He braced himself above me, breathing hard, his forehead resting against mine.

"You’re incredible," he rasped, voice rough with emotion.

I dragged my fingers down his back, feeling the tension in his muscles, the barely-leashed restraint.

I wanted him—every part of him.

And he wanted me.

But just as I reached for him, just when the air between us turned molten again, when the tension in the room became unbearable, when I arched into him with a needy sound I couldn’t hold back—

My phone rang.

We both froze.

The shrill sound of my ringtone shattered the cocoon we had built.

Koda’s forehead dropped to my shoulder with a growl of frustration.

"Leave it," he whispered against my skin, kissing me again, trying to reclaim the moment.

But something in my gut twisted—an instinct I couldn’t ignore.

I pushed gently at his chest. "I have to check."

Groaning, Koda rolled off me reluctantly, propping himself on one elbow as I fumbled for the phone on the bedside table.

I glanced at the screen.

Snow.

And the message flashing beneath his name made my blood run cold.

"Tempest. It’s urgent. Pick up."

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I answered on the second ring, voice still breathless. "Snow?"

His voice was grim. "We need you. Now. It’s about the alliance. And a threat we didn’t expect."

Beside me, Koda sat up fully, sensing the shift in my body.

"I’m on my way," I said, snapping back into soldier mode.

The call ended.

I turned to Koda, my hands already trembling slightly.

He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch gentle even as worry clouded his eyes.

"Let’s go," he said simply, already pulling his shirt back on.

Duty called. Again.

But this time...

This time, I knew that when the dust settled, when the war was over...

Koda would still be waiting for me.

And I would be waiting for him.