Chapter 271: The Car Ride

Vivian’s POV

When I asked them about why they sounded so weirdly sentimental on the phone, they brushed it off with some joke about how their little girl was finally becoming a grown woman and making big life choices that shaped her future. I snorted loudly at that and reminded them both that I was turning nineteen today, not eighteen. That ship had already sailed a long time ago.

Their happy laughter rang clearly through the phone line. "Details, details," Mom said, and I could practically hear her waving her hand to dismiss my logic.

By the time Zahliver returned to the room, he had my long black winter coat slung neatly over one arm and a dark backpack hanging from his broad shoulder. He handed the coat directly to me, which I slipped into automatically without thinking.

I eyed the backpack resting in his hand with deep suspicion.

"What is that thing for?" I asked.

"It is a surprise for later," he said smoothly, his dark gaze raking slowly over my body in a hot, deliberate sweep that paused right at the spot where my black heeled boots ended and my lavender dress began.

I wrinkled my nose at him playfully. "I happen to hate surprises. And speaking of surprises where on earth did all of those ridiculous gifts come from?" I jerked my thumb backward toward the living room, where brightly wrapped boxes were still overflowing into every single corner of the space. "There is zero chance that all of those are from my regular Facebook friends. Half of them barely even know my last name."

Zahliver glanced casually over my shoulder, looking far too relaxed about the whole thing. "You are the pack Luna now, my love. Mountains of gifts are simply part of the job description."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Part of the job description? That sounds a whole lot like an obligation."

He just flashed a smug smirk, reached out to take my hand, and snatched up the car keys from the hallway side table as he gently pulled me toward the front door.

"It is a bit of both," he replied with maddening ease.

I rolled my eyes as I hurried to follow his long strides. "What on earth am I ever going to do with you?" I muttered under my breath.

He opened the passenger door of the car for me with a playful smirk, leaned his upper body in close, and let his eyes twinkle.

"You already know damn well what you are going to do with me tonight. Now hurry up and buckle your seatbelt."

Then he shut the car door firmly, leaving me standing there staring after him with my mouth slightly open in shock.

By the time he circled around the front of the vehicle and slid smoothly into the driver’s seat, walking with that sinfully confident swagger of his, I found myself instinctively squeezing my thighs together just to keep some level of personal composure.

Gods above. Zahliver and that arrogant swagger of his...

As soon as he sat down behind the wheel, his head turned sharply toward me. He took one deep inhale then a second one and his jaw instantly locked tight, his large fingers clenching the steering wheel so hard I could hear the faint, worrisome creak of strain from the leather.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, quickly starting the engine and immediately rolling down every single window in the car. A massive rush of cool morning air flooded inside, and I had to bite down hard on my inner cheek to keep from giggling out loud.

"Are you having fun with this whole growing sexual tension situation we have going on?" I teased softly.

He snapped his blackened, feral gaze toward me, dark heat blazing fiercely in those striking blue eyes.

"I am absolutely loving every second of it," he growled out, forcing himself to turn back to look at the road with a level of iron restraint that made my breath catch in my throat.

Oh Goddess.

Today was definitely going to be a very long, very challenging day.

As Zahliver carefully pulled the car out of the driveway and onto the main pack road, I started trying to mentally piece together where on earth we might possibly be headed. We had already eaten a massive breakfast, so nice restaurants and fancy diners were completely off the list. I could scratch anything food-related right away.

We were both dressed up nicely him way more than me, honestly and I was wearing high heels, which clearly meant there would be no long nature hikes or romantic strolls through the muddy woods today. And then, to top it all off, there was that mysterious black backpack sitting in the back seat, resting like a secret puzzle right between us.

Okay... so what did all of those random clues actually add up to?

Absolute silence met me inside my own head.

Great. No helpful hints from my inner wolf today either. I narrowed my eyes sideways at Zahliver, hoping against hope that I might somehow be able to read his mind if I just stared at the side of his face long enough. Spoiler alert: I could not.

I let out a heavy sigh of defeat, reached over, and turned on the dashboard radio, giving up on my detective work. He glanced down at me sideways with an amused look, but he did not say a word. Then, like a wonderful gift sent straight from the moon goddess herself, the smooth opening guitar chords of a very familiar song filled the car speakers.

Understand me, just simply do the things I say...

A wicked grin spread rapidly across my face before I could even attempt to stop it.

Give In To Me by Michael Jackson.

An idea a deliciously naughty idea sparked brightly in my mind.

I started off nice and subtle. Just a slow, rhythmic sway of my shoulders. Tapping my fingers gently in time with the beat against the door panel. After a few moments, I began humming quietly along, letting my body move naturally with the heavy bass. From the very corner of my eye, I caught a helpless smile tugging at the corners of Zahliver’s lips.

Oh yeah, you are definitely going to enjoy this.

Turning my body slightly toward the center console, I let my hips sway to the rhythm, raising my arms to stretch gracefully above my head, looping my fingers over the passenger headrest as if I did not have a single care in the world.

Zahliver’s playful smile instantly shifted into something much tighter looking very much like a man trying desperately to keep his last shred of sanity intact. His jaw clenched hard. His grip on the steering wheel turned white-knuckled. His eyes kept flicking rapidly back and forth between me and the asphalt ahead like he was genuinely terrified to blink.

We were rapidly approaching a red traffic light up ahead.

Talk about perfect timing.

Even with all the car windows rolled wide down, I could easily smell the sharp, intoxicating pull of his arousal coiling tightly through the small space between our seats. It rolled off his big body in thick, invisible waves, heavy and deeply tempting. I pushed my own energy forward through our mate bond, letting the raw desire I felt drift toward him like a soft, open invitation.

"Love is a feeling, quench my desire, give it when I want it, taking me higher..." I sang quietly, my voice smooth, breathy, and dripping with tease.

As if it were just a natural part of the song’s dance, I slowly gathered the hem of my lavender dress in my hand and let the fabric inch upward, one agonizingly slow shift at a time. I let my hips dip lower in the seat, letting the smooth motion ripple down the length of my legs. Zahliver let out a low, warning growl a deep rumble that vibrated right through the floorboards of the car like thunder about to break open the sky.

He was no longer just watching me with his eyes; his entire muscular body had shifted instinctively toward my side of the vehicle.

If I pushed this little game just a tiny bit further, he was going to get a very clear, unfiltered view of what I was wearing under that dress.