Unable to keep her eyes open, Lina fell asleep almost as soon as she climbed into Kane's bed. It was different from the bed in her dreams but just as comfortable. She had lingered in the shower, afraid to go to sleep and wary of the memories that might surface in her dreams but she couldn't help but relax when she was surrounded by the strong scent of Kane the bedding held. She woke up the next morning curled up under the heavy comforter, cuddling a pillow to her. Her dreams had been... interesting, to say the least, but held no memories other than ones featuring the kisses that she and Kane had shared.
Her clothes were folded on a chair near the bed and Lina eyed them curiously. It looked like the unlocked door had been an invitation for someone to come in, even if it wasn't Kane. She slid out of the bed and padded over to the chair. The clothes were clean. Someone must have done that for her while she slept. She smiled and thanked the person in her mind, making a note to ask Kane who had done it so that she could pass along her appreciation in person.
She took another shower and then got dressed. The only thing she couldn't find was a brush. She did find a comb to use. She was sitting on the bed struggling with some of the knots in her long hair when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Kane walked in dressed only in a pair of plaid lounge pants. "Good morning."
Lina froze, her hands stopping mid-stroke. She stared at his chest, struck again by how muscular and chiseled he looked. She suddenly realized what she was doing and looked away. Her cheeks had to be bright red with how hot her skin felt.
"Oh," she mumbled, "um, good morning." She looked down, focusing on the struggle to pull the comb through the handful of hair she held in her fist.
He crossed the room and bent down over her, kissing the top of her head. "Having trouble?"
His casual touching should have bothered here but it didn't. Not in the way she expected at least. She squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease the ache brought on by the simple greeting and his warm scent filling her. "Just trying to get the tangles out. My hair is really fine so I have to use a brush usually. It's a bit harder with a comb."
He took the comb from her limp fingers. "Here, let me try." He crawled up on the bed, sitting behind her. Picking up a handful of hair, he gently began to comb at the bottom and work his way up to his hand. She could see him in a mirror on the wall, a small smile on his face.
Lina was acutely aware of him so close behind her and the gentle movements of his hands.
"So, did you sleep well last night?" he asked casually.
Lina blushed. "Yes," her voice came out in a squeak. She cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Did you?"
"Well, the couch is comfortable," he said. "I did come in to get some pants to sleep in but you were so buried under the covers I couldn't see more than the top of your head. I hope I didn't wake you." He didn't mention the fact that she left the door unlocked and she decided not to either.
Lina shook her head. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Kane leaned forward and kissed the spot where the hair pulled when Lina moved. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Does that feel better?"
Lina laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, thanks. My fault anyway. It's just been a really long time since anyone brushed my hair."
Kane set down the comb, already done working out the knots. He ran his fingers through the damp strands that slid through his fingers and fell to lie smoothly against her back.
"Why? Your hair is beautiful and so soft. How could anyone not want to touch and play with it?" he asked.
A pleasurable sensation from his caress made her shiver. She shrugged.
"Well I enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me." He pushed her hair aside and dropped a kiss on her shoulder, nuzzling her as he gave her a hug from behind. He growled quietly, squeezing her in his arms.
"Are all of your kind this touchy?" she asked, leaning back into him. She didn't know why she felt so comfortable with him but she decided she wasn't going to question it. She resolved to just enjoy herself. Things would work themselves out.
"Am I bothering you? I thought since you know what I am and seemed okay with it yesterday. I just. . . ." He tried to pull away.
Lina felt bad, grabbing his arms and holding them to her stomach so he couldn't step back away from her. "No! It's not that. Jeez, I'm always saying things the wrong way around you. It's just, I noticed that Carrie's husband spent a lot of time touching her yesterday and today you are touching me a lot more than you have any other time. I was curious."
"Oh." Kane moved back on the bed, pulling her with him. "Our kind is definitely a lot more physical than most humans, I guess. We enjoy touching close friends and family. It's not as taboo as it is for most humans; we touch for comfort or to share scents. Things like that affirm the bond between members of the same pack."
"I've never been comfortable with a lot of touch," Lina said with a shrug, "but I like it with you. It's like how I feel about you gets stronger every time we are close. Maybe your pack has the right idea."
Kane nodded, stroking her hair. "That's the bond. The pheromones our bodies emit affect you as well, so while you don't have an inner wolf driving you to claim or accept me as your mate, your natural desire for me would be more focused when we are close. It helps draw our mates to us."
Lina stiffened; his body was making some sort of chemical to make her feel this way? "What? Are you telling me that because you think I'm your mate you are emitting smelly pheromone to make me want you, to take away my choice? That, "she was almost spluttering in agitation, "that's so wrong!"
"No! No, you always have a choice. All our pheromones do is help us recognize our mates by the strong pull we feel for them. They don't actually control us or you. You feel more at ease with me sooner than you might with a regular human and your attraction might be stronger when we are together than what you feel away from my presence but the pheromones can't affect you if you weren't already attracted to me as a mate." He rubbed her arms and shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness. "I told you last night, I won't force anything on you. I promise that I would never hurt you like that."
Lina had tears in her eyes. She could hear the pain in his voice when she accused him of manipulating her, and had to acknowledge the absolutely sincerity when he made his promise. She knew he would keep it; his word meant more than anything to him. In the months she had known him he never went back on a business deal or tried to cheat a client. In fact, he was the most honest person she had ever met. . . About everything but being a werewolf, that is.
"I believe you," she whispered. She relaxed, sighing as she leaned back against him. Turning her head, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you. The thought of having my choices taken from me terrifies me. I can't live like that again, with some guy ordering me around and expecting me to obey him all the time."
Kane snorted, "Well, I'm the Alpha of a werewolf pack. I am used to ordering people around and being obeyed. An Alpha is naturally dominant, so it is in my nature, but I don't want to control you. That's not what I want in a mate. I want someone who will talk with me, stand up to me when I'm wrong and challenge my decisions, someone who is my equal." He squeezed her.
