His eyes widen in surprise as if this isn’t the exact scenario he was hoping for when he made that comment. “Really?” he asks tentatively.
“Yeah,” I sigh, shutting off my camera and sliding the strap onto my shoulder. “I mean, I can’t guarantee that I won’t freak out and shut down, but I’m willing to chance it if you are.”
He cracks a smile, taking a step closer. “You won’t throw me off the cliff or anything, right?”
“No guarantees,” I wink, bridging the distance between us with a step of my own.
We gravitate together like two magnets, pulled to one another by the intangible force of our bond. My breathing quickens as we stand toe to toe, lashes fluttering as I gaze up at him nervously.
It’s agoodnervous. A flustered, giddy kind of nervous. One that I haven’t felt in a long time, and one that I’m hoping won’t devolve into all-out panic when he touches me.
Iver lifts a hand, reaching out to gently brush the backs of his knuckles against my cheek. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you,” he drawls in a low, gravelly tone, those gorgeous blue eyes trained intently on mine. “But I don’t want you to feel pressured into this just because it’s what I want. I’ll wait as long as you need me to, Chey. Just say the word, cause you’re worth the wait.”
Warmth blooms in my chest, my heart exploding into a million, tiny pieces. “I don’t wanna wait,” I breathe, pinching my lower lip between my teeth. “I’ve waited my whole life for you, Iver.”
I resist reaching for my camera to capture the smile he beams back at me. It lights up his whole face, making it even more unfairly gorgeous as he shifts in closer, cupping my jaw in a hand and guiding my chin up.
He’s so gentle about it, every movement measured so that I have ample opportunity to put a stop to this. No part of me wants that, though. When Iver leans down, I push up to bridge the remaining distance between us, my eyes slipping closed as our lips brush.
Sparks bloom between our skin, a zip of excitement ricocheting through me as Iver presses forward to seal his mouth over mine. It’s confident but gentle, cautious yet demanding. I give myself over to the potent blend of sensations; the heat of his mouth, the taste of his lips, the swipe of his tongue against the seam of my own. I part them to let him in, pressing closer to deepen our kiss without even realizing it. His hand remains on my jaw, anchored there and never straying, not pushing me to go any farther than I’m willing to.
I lose myself in the kiss. I find myself in the kiss. It’s everything I never knew I needed with the mate I never expected to find. I swear the ground quakes beneath my feet as my whole world shifts on its axis, finally righting itself after years with no discernable direction.
I’m breathless when we break apart, my whole body on fire and buzzing with chaotic energy. Iver smiles down at me, sweeping the pad of his thumb along the curve of my jaw.
“How are you doing?” he rasps, those baby blues staring right through my soul. “Was that alright?”
I smile shyly, licking the taste of his lips from mine. “I’m great,” I pant. “So was the kiss, but…” I trail off with a mischievous smirk. “You’d better do it again, just to be sure.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
the hangout
IVER
Isquint at the picture on my phone as my fingers work to rearrange the various pieces of meat and cheese across the wooden board, trying to get my version to look as close to the photograph as possible. It doesn’t, but that isn’t for a lack of effort on my part. I’ve been fiddling with this thing for the past twenty minutes, trying to twist a piece of salami to look like a rose, and that’saftercutting all the blocks of cheese into bite-size pieces, which took for-fucking-ever. Despite it all, this sad little charcuterie board looks like it belongs on a Pinterest fail post.Should’ve just ordered a pizza.
I’m so focused on my task that the sharp knock at the front door makes me flinch, my breath catching as I whip around and rush over to answer it.She’s here. I’ve been eagerly anticipating seeing my mate all damn day, and she’s finally here at my packhouse, right on the other side of that door.
In light of how well our casual hike went in comparison to dining out, I figured a low-pressure hangout would be better than another formal date. Chey agreed. It takes some pressure off both of us so we can just focus on what matters, which is getting to know one another. The more we do, the less nervous I am around her. And thankfully I’m not experiencing thoseannoying pre-date jitters right now since this isn’ttechnicallya date.
I still want to get it right, though, which is why I put far too much time and effort into prepping our snack. And styling my hair. It takes way longer to achieve that messy, tousled look than you’d think.
Grasping onto the knob, I twist and pull the door open, beaming a grin at Chey when our eyes meet. She’s dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, the top half of her golden blonde hair pulled back in a half-ponytail. My heart stutters in my chest at the sight of her; I swear this girl just gets more gorgeous every time I see her.
“Hey, beautiful,” I croon, stepping aside to allow her entry. “Come on in.”
She smiles shyly as she steps over the threshold and right into my waiting arms.Yeah, we hug now.It’s cool.
Pulling her in tightly against my chest, I bury my nose in her hair and inhale deeply, stifling a groan at how fuckinggoodshe smells. What I wouldn’t give to bottle up that scent and carry it around with me all the time.
“How was your day?” I ask as I reluctantly pull back from the embrace, dropping my arms to my sides.
“Uneventful,” she replies with a sigh, tucking her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans and cocking her head. “Yours?”
“Pretty much the same. Had to deal with some petty squabbling amongst my pack that should’ve been squashed by the enforcers last week, but grown men have a tendency to act like toddlers when given half the chance.”
“Fun,” she snorts sarcastically.
