Kindred by J. A. Redmerski

against his body. His fingers spread to hold my head in his hands, his thumbs resting on my cheeks. He’s always so gentle, yet so dominant with me that it makes me mad for him.
    This is what got me into trouble three months ago.
    It takes everything in me to resist him. Absolutely everything. And during the week before every full moon, when Isaac’s hormones are in overdrive, it makes it that much harder to abstain. He has never crossed the line and the second I back out, he always backs down.
    It’s when my body doesn’t want to back down that makes Isaac more dangerous. When his human and animal instincts know that I want him even if I’m only pretending not to.
    Like the night three months ago.
    Like right now.
    Full moon is still nearly four weeks out…maybe I can prolong this moment for a just a little longer and get away with it.
    I kiss Isaac harder and feel his chest melt into me. His hands slip underneath my bottom, lifting my body up, my legs wrapped around his waist. He breathes in more deeply, his mouth still crushed against mine.
    For only a moment the kiss breaks and I hear him whisper playfully, “I’m onto you,” and he pecks me softly once. Twice.
    My lips graze his. “How so?” I whisper back and graze them again.
    He nudges his mouth underneath my chin and I lift my head and close my eyes as the warmth from his lips trails down my throat in little kisses. “Like jumping off a cliff into water,” he says and my whole body quivers as the tip of his tongue gently traces a path along the side of my neck. If my eyes could open right now, my vision would be fuzzy. My breath comes out in a soundless shudder.
    I tighten my legs around his waist and go to lay my head on his shoulder, but he pulls away from my neck and smiles at me, easily finding the demure tone that my face carries.
    He’s seen it before.
    “I’m sorry,” I say and this isn’t the first time I’ve apologized for this, for running toward the edge of the cliff again and again, but stopping just in time because I still haven’t found the courage to jump off.
    Isaac kisses my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment and then he carries me over to the chair. Leaning over, he sets me down and then kneels on the floor between my legs, resting his hands on my thighs.
    “You promised you wouldn’t say that again,” he says.
    I start to look away, but I don’t.
    “When are you going to believe that it doesn’t bother me?”
    I gaze down at him, trying to find the right words.
    “I just know that most guys I’ve ever known hate it,” I finally say, even though we’ve vaguely had this conversation before. “I was called a tease once or twice.”
    Isaac shakes his head, partly at how inexperienced guys can be, but also because sometimes it still bothers me and apparently it shouldn’t. The truth is that I never cared what any other guy ever thought of me. It’s Isaac’s opinion that makes me second-guess myself sometimes.
    He lets out a sharp breath and takes hold of my hands. “I’m going to be blunt so maybe you’ll believe me this time.”
    I’m only a little worried.
    “If you had given in to me sooner,” he says, but then backtracks. “Let me start over—If you were anyone else and you gave in to me sooner, it would be a complete turn-off and we wouldn’t be together to be having this conversation.” His expression is very matter-of-factly.
    “It’s one thing I really don’t get about human guys,” he goes on, “that screwed-up mentality some of them have. They have no patience. I mean damn, it makes me crazy that you get me all worked up like that and decide, ‘ummm, maybe later’, y’know? But crazy in a good way, because when it does happen…well, you get the idea.”
    I’m blushing now and looking away from his eyes this time because I think I might burst into laughter if I look.
    Of course, that’s exactly his goal.
    “Look at me,” he says and I do, but his face is serious again.