The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Celine doesn’t provoke anyone, nor does she play games with people.

She simply smiles, worries about others, and treats them with such natural warmth that they end up gravitating toward her without even realizing it.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get that out of my head.

The moment she looks at me, I’m paying attention to her. The moment she touches me, I end up thinking/about it for hours like a complete idiot.

Sometimes I’m satisfied with things as simple as her being the one who reaches for my hand when we walk together or resting her head on my shoulder in the car without realizing how much it means to us.

Zack and I need more than that.

Not because she owes us anything, but because every day it becomes harder to ignore the desire to have her close, to feel that she chooses us the same way we chose her a long time ago.

We slept together last night, but it doesn’t count as a victory.

I want her to come close because she wants to, not because the bond pushes her toward me or because circumstances force her to do it.

I want her to seek me out the same way she sought out Thomas the moment she saw him appear in front of the castle.

The thought irritates me even as it crosses my mind.

That is why, although I am still angry as hell and my pride is still protesting everything that happened this afternoon, I choose to stay quiet and wait.

Because sooner or later, her own instincts will bring her closer to me.

And when that happens, I have no intention of wasting the opportunity.

I take my Luna’s hand, and we enter the castle together.

The idiots who are so charmed by her follow a few steps behind us, but instead of staying with Jack and Thomas to discuss work, I decide to go upstairs with her to our room.

I know she has many questions and that she’s worried, but I have my own problems too.

After watching her hug Thomas as if I hadn’t spent hours imagining ways to rip the head off anyone who got too close to her. I decide that I deserve a little revenge.

So when she asks about him, I answer vaguely while slowly and deliberately removing every wet piece of clothing I’m wearing.

I watch her as well.

She took off her damp jacket, shoes, and sweatshirt the moment she walked in, but at some point she stopped paying attention to what she was doing.

I notice it in the way her movements become slower and in how her questions start coming farther apart while she watches me place my pants on a chair beside the rest of my clothes.

Perfect.

1/4

17

O

GO

O

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

I turn my back to her so she has a better view of the man she clearly hasn’t been paying attention to all day.

My hands move up to my hair, tousling it slightly before I remove the watch and the gold-and-platinum chain my mother gave me when I turned one hundred years old.

I place both items on the nightstand with complete calm, as though I am unaware of the fixed stare following my every

movement.

I am.

Very much so.

And when I finally turn around to step into the shower, she is still exactly where I left her.

Motionless.

Her concern about Thomas is gone.

The questions are gone too.

Only her eyes seem to retain any activity as they slowly travel over my body and then dart back upward with obvious delay once she realizes that I’m looking at her.

Good.

“What’s wrong, Celine?” I ask.

My voice doesn’t harden. Quite the opposite.

It comes out deeper, calmer, and far more provocative than it should.

“… nothing. Are you going in first?”

The answer takes too long to arrive, and I have to suppress a smile.

Even now, she’s still looking at me.

Zack is practically purring inside my head.

I walk over to her before she can come up with another excuse and place my hands on either side of her waist.

“No, Celine. We’re going in together.”

Judging by the way she’s looking at me, I suspect she’s completely forgotten what she wanted to ask.

I lift her effortlessly and carry her into the bathroom with me.

The steam hasn’t fogged the mirrors yet, but the humid air is already beginning to fill the room.

I sit her on the counter and position myself between her legs, close enough to feel the warmth of her body even through the clothes she’s still wearing.

“Don’t look at me like that if you don’t want my wolf doing something we might regret later.”

Celine nods and lets out a long sigh that seems to get trapped in her chest before finally escaping.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s strange seeing you almost naked. You hadn’t done that before, and it caught me by surprise. Besides,

2/4

17

O

GO

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

1…

on under

i interrupt her before she can continue stumbling over her own words.

Whenever she gets nervous, she always does the same thing.

She starts an explanation and ends up getting lost halfway through it.

“Why did it catch you by surprise, Celine? Have you never seen a naked man before?”

She immediately lowers her gaze.

Her fingers seek refuge in her own hands, and she begins picking at one of her cuticles with obvious nervousness.

“No.”

?

The answer surprises me.

And I like it much more than I would ever be willing to admit in front of anyone else.

“And now you’re embarrassed because I’m standing half-naked in front of you?”

Celine lifts her head again.

Her hazel eyes shine beneath the warm bathroom light, and for a moment she seems to gather every ounce of courage she possesses before answering.

“No. I’m embarrassed because you caught me staring at you.”

A smile threatens to appear, but I manage to suppress it.

I take her hands before she can continue tormenting her fingers and guide them to my chest.

I leave them there, resting against my damp skin, feeling the slight shiver that runs through her at the contact.

Her palms remain still for several seconds.

Her eyes do not.

Now that she has me closer, she can see me better.

She can see the old scars scattered across my body, the marks left behind by battles forgotten decades ago, and every imperfection time has etched into my skin.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed, Celine, because I’m yours. Only you can touch me, only you can hug me, or look at me the way you’re looking at me right now. Do you understand?”

Her breathing seems to quicken slightly.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify