Chapter 247: The White Shirt
Vivian’s POV
Zahliver gave me one of his signature eye rolls and nodded, tugging the shirt down over his torso with casual indifference. But I was not prepared at all. My mate in a tight, white shirt? It was like the universe had just handed me a wonderful gift.
The fabric hugged him in all the right ways, almost too well. It clung tightly to the hard lines of his chest, stretched taut over his flat stomach, and outlined every single muscle like it had been painted right onto his skin. Unlike his usual dark black shirts, this one left very little to the imagination. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling very dry.
Mate... shirt... mine. The thoughts racing through my head were not even full sentences anymore. My wolf and I were running purely on instinct at this point.
I moved without thinking at all, drawn forward like a magnet. Zahliver did not flinch or speak a word; he just stood there quietly, watching me with a flicker of warm amusement in his stormy blue eyes. My hands, trembling slightly, reached out and pressed flat against the white cotton stretched over his broad chest. It felt warm and smooth beneath my palms, and I could feel every steady breath he took.
"Vivian?" His voice was low and husky, tinged with something intensely close to desire.
I blinked up at him slowly, fluttering my eyelashes like I was not already a second away from completely losing my mind.
Whatever magical spell that simple shirt had cast over me, I was definitely not ready to try and resist it.
In a sudden flash of movement, I launched myself right at him, wrapping my legs securely around his waist. My fingers tangled deep into his dark hair as I pulled his mouth down to mine with a rush of excitement.
He caught me effortlessly, his strong hands gripping my waist and holding me tight. With a low rumble in his throat, he spun us around in a quick motion, gently pressing my back against the sturdy wall of the closet. The impact barely registered in my mind because I was far too busy kissing him.
My body trembled slightly, a rush of energy pulsing through me. I tugged gently on his hair, earning a deep, rumbling groan that vibrated right down through his chest and straight into mine. My lips trailed away from his mouth down to his warm throat, finding the exact spot I had marked earlier. My mark.
I pressed a soft kiss against the skin.
His hips shifted slightly, and another low growl rumbled from deep within his chest. He pressed closer, and a jolt of pure happiness raced straight up my spine.
"Vivian," he warned gently, his voice strained and thick with emotion. "Stop for a second, or I am going to lose focus."
I grinned against his warm skin, pressing more soft kisses up along his neck until I reached the shell of his ear.
"No way," I whispered quietly, letting my teeth graze the sensitive edge of his ear.
That earned a sharp intake of breath from him and an even tighter squeeze around my waist. I giggled softly okay, it was more like a breathy laugh and slid my mouth back down toward his neck, my legs wrapped even more securely around him.
"Vivian... seriously," he groaned, trying his absolute best to sound firm, but his relaxed body completely betrayed him. "I do not want to damn it " His breath hitched, his words getting cut off by the close proximity between us.
His hands flexed against my back, and mine traveled slowly down the strong line of his spine. Then my tongue flicked out, just barely brushing lightly over the skin right above his mark.
That was the final straw for him.
"Fuck!" Zahliver growled softly, his muscles tightening beneath my touch as he pulled me entirely flush against his chest.
Smirking triumphantly, I pressed one last quick kiss against the mark on his neck, savoring the sharp hitch in his breathing. When I finally pulled back just an inch, the look in his dark eyes heated, narrowed, and intensely focused made me grin even wider.
"I really like the shirt. A lot," I said innocently, though my giggling completely gave away my teasing game.
His eyes narrowed further, but now there was a distinctly playful glint hiding deep behind them. Leaning in close so that his lips brushed lightly against the shell of my ear, he whispered in a voice that was low and teasing, "I am definitely going to get you back for this later."
A delicious shiver ran straight down my spine. "Oh, I certainly hope you do," I whispered right back at him.
He slowly peeled himself away from me, setting me carefully down onto my own two feet, which still felt a bit wobbly. With a quick glance down at his clothes, he groaned playfully and shot me a mock glare.
"Now I have to go change my shirt," he muttered, wagging a finger at me in fake reproach. I just blinked back at him with wide, completely innocent eyes.
Laughing out loud, I slipped out of the walk-in closet carrying my chosen outfit for the day, walked over to the edge of the bed, and sat down. A few moments later, Zahliver emerged wearing a fresh set of clothes new pants and a different top.
I quickly threw on a comfortable black cardigan over a simple top and laced up my favorite black Converse sneakers. A fast detour to the bathroom mirror let me pull my hair up into a neat ponytail after running a brush through it. I added a touch of subtle mascara, a hint of soft pink balm on my lips, and my matching diamond stud earrings and necklace nothing over the top, just enough to feel put together for the day.
Define "decent" outfit? my wolf teased in the back of my mind.
I stared right at my reflection in the mirror and mentally flipped both her and myself off.
The bathroom door creaked open behind me a second later. I turned around slowly, catching sight of Zahliver peeking out from the doorway with suspicion written all over his face.
"If I tell you I am wearing ordinary blue jeans today, are you going to jump me all over again?" he asked, only half-joking.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I pretended to think it over very seriously. "Mmm... that depends. Let me see the evidence first."
He rolled his eyes dramatically but stepped out fully into the room. The second my gaze landed on him, all thoughts of playing it cool completely vanished. Those jeans fit him like a glove, hugging his frame perfectly.
"Good girl," he said with a smug smirk as he walked right up to me. I chuckled softly and grabbed his hands, pulling him just a bit away so I could inspect him properly.
"Where on earth have you been hiding this outfit from me? Is there a secret dimension hidden inside your side of the closet? Like Narnia, maybe? Because I am pretty sure I would have remembered seeing these before," my eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.
"Oh yeah, absolutely," he deadpanned smoothly. "They were hidden right behind the ugly Where’s Waldo sweater. How on earth did you manage to miss that?"
I stuck my tongue out at him playfully, and he leaned forward with a mock snap of his teeth in the air. I let out a squeak of surprise and leaped backward.
"New rule starting right now," I announced, pointing a finger at him. "You are officially required to wear a lot more color from now on."
He lifted a single dark eyebrow at me. "And what happens if I refuse?"
"Then you will never find out which of your outfits make me want to jump your bones. For all you know, I might just see some other guy wearing a similar outfit and jump him instead."