the bite, but her human side wasn’t ready.
She’s ready, man!
his wolf insisted.
Only her body.
That’s enough.
He shook his head at the beast. No, it wasn’t. Not yet. She needed to be ready with all her soul. She’d already been savaged by a stranger, and this moment was too delicate to mar with a bite. He swallowed hard, coaxing his canines back into his gums, then snuggled Stef closer. It wasn’t a night for claiming. It was a night to hold, to kiss, to comfort.
His wolf snorted.
You mean her doing that to you, or you doing that to her?
A warm, pleasant haze fell over him. Fate skipped past on a tumbleweed, unthreatening, unconcerned. He could stay wrapped in this woman’s body forever. Because Stef didn’t judge, didn’t push, didn’t demand. She was just there for him, as she always had been. And if words like love, fate, and destiny usually had him smirking—
yeah, right
—tonight he let them soak into him like a balm.
But night and bare human skin didn’t mix—not for long, anyway. When Stef shivered, he stood and offered her a hand up, quietly admiring the smooth lines of her body. It was just like seeing her come out of the house earlier that day, freshly showered. She had an air about her, a glow, like she’d shed a layer of emotional grime and brought her inner beauty closer to the surface.
Naked, side by side with her, winding home, he should have felt awkward, but it felt so right. The way was long and slow in bare human feet, but she walked silently, warm hand clasped in his. That was new. Not just walking hand in hand with a woman—because what kind of pansy-ass romantic did that?—but walking hand in hand with Stef.
His wolf seconded the sentiment with a possessive growl he couldn’t quite hold back.
She turned, eyes swirling with color. “Hmmm?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled, gripping her hand tighter and wondering why it didn’t feel weird. Shouldn’t they be kicking a ball to each other, chewing gum, comparing bubbles? He studied her profile, bathed in moonlight. No, he decided. The kids were in the past. This new and very grown-up thing was his present. Hell, maybe even his future.
Kyle sucked his lower lip, thinking that one over as he walked. There were a million complications to that scenario—starting with a shit of a wolf named Ron and his badass alpha, Greer. Too many variables he couldn’t control. Working criminal cases for the state was much easier than this. He could stay detached, cool, professional. With Stef, though…Well, the night was proof he hadn’t been anything close to detached or cool or professional.
Not detached. Attached
. His wolf grinned.
Tell me you didn’t like that?
They were a mess of sweat, burrs, and dust by the time they reached the bottom stair of his porch. They’d been ambling along like the outside world didn’t exist, but shit, there was his truck and his house, telling them it did. His chest tightened, knowing that any moment, she might pull away and end this magical night.
“Kyle,” she started.
Not a protest. A plea.
Her hand was stroking his back, and before either of them moved one inch closer to rational thought, he pulled her against his chest and claimed her mouth in a hurricane of a kiss. A triumphant flash hammered his body when her tongue reached back for his, hungering for more.
He got lost in her so quickly, so hopelessly, that when the porch step creaked under them, he wondered if it was a warning. Was he letting himself feel too much, too fast? But there was no fighting this insatiable thirst, and all he could do was quench it—or at least try. Stef tasted of everything good: like warm milk, an innocent pleasure from a long time ago, back to comfort him with its familiar flavor one more time.
They got as far as the top step before folding into each other again, letting quiet coos and gentle touches escalate into a breathless blur. For a while, she took the length of him in her hand and stroked with a
She’s ready, man!
his wolf insisted.
Only her body.
That’s enough.
He shook his head at the beast. No, it wasn’t. Not yet. She needed to be ready with all her soul. She’d already been savaged by a stranger, and this moment was too delicate to mar with a bite. He swallowed hard, coaxing his canines back into his gums, then snuggled Stef closer. It wasn’t a night for claiming. It was a night to hold, to kiss, to comfort.
His wolf snorted.
You mean her doing that to you, or you doing that to her?
A warm, pleasant haze fell over him. Fate skipped past on a tumbleweed, unthreatening, unconcerned. He could stay wrapped in this woman’s body forever. Because Stef didn’t judge, didn’t push, didn’t demand. She was just there for him, as she always had been. And if words like love, fate, and destiny usually had him smirking—
yeah, right
—tonight he let them soak into him like a balm.
But night and bare human skin didn’t mix—not for long, anyway. When Stef shivered, he stood and offered her a hand up, quietly admiring the smooth lines of her body. It was just like seeing her come out of the house earlier that day, freshly showered. She had an air about her, a glow, like she’d shed a layer of emotional grime and brought her inner beauty closer to the surface.
Naked, side by side with her, winding home, he should have felt awkward, but it felt so right. The way was long and slow in bare human feet, but she walked silently, warm hand clasped in his. That was new. Not just walking hand in hand with a woman—because what kind of pansy-ass romantic did that?—but walking hand in hand with Stef.
His wolf seconded the sentiment with a possessive growl he couldn’t quite hold back.
She turned, eyes swirling with color. “Hmmm?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled, gripping her hand tighter and wondering why it didn’t feel weird. Shouldn’t they be kicking a ball to each other, chewing gum, comparing bubbles? He studied her profile, bathed in moonlight. No, he decided. The kids were in the past. This new and very grown-up thing was his present. Hell, maybe even his future.
Kyle sucked his lower lip, thinking that one over as he walked. There were a million complications to that scenario—starting with a shit of a wolf named Ron and his badass alpha, Greer. Too many variables he couldn’t control. Working criminal cases for the state was much easier than this. He could stay detached, cool, professional. With Stef, though…Well, the night was proof he hadn’t been anything close to detached or cool or professional.
Not detached. Attached
. His wolf grinned.
Tell me you didn’t like that?
They were a mess of sweat, burrs, and dust by the time they reached the bottom stair of his porch. They’d been ambling along like the outside world didn’t exist, but shit, there was his truck and his house, telling them it did. His chest tightened, knowing that any moment, she might pull away and end this magical night.
“Kyle,” she started.
Not a protest. A plea.
Her hand was stroking his back, and before either of them moved one inch closer to rational thought, he pulled her against his chest and claimed her mouth in a hurricane of a kiss. A triumphant flash hammered his body when her tongue reached back for his, hungering for more.
He got lost in her so quickly, so hopelessly, that when the porch step creaked under them, he wondered if it was a warning. Was he letting himself feel too much, too fast? But there was no fighting this insatiable thirst, and all he could do was quench it—or at least try. Stef tasted of everything good: like warm milk, an innocent pleasure from a long time ago, back to comfort him with its familiar flavor one more time.
They got as far as the top step before folding into each other again, letting quiet coos and gentle touches escalate into a breathless blur. For a while, she took the length of him in her hand and stroked with a
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