I don’t want him to uncover how vulnerable I am. Don’t want him to know or understand my pain. I don’t even want to explore this sudden ocean of grief welling out of me. I can’t trust that he won’t use it against me and my pack.
My body starts to tremble, a violent shaking like I’m going into shock.
Noah’s eyes glow gold, alarm scrawling across his features, but then his lips crash down on mine. His fingers curl behind my neck, angling my mouth toward him.
I gasp against the kiss, more shocked than I’ve ever been. My hips buck with need, the ache between my legs amplifying to a steady beating pulse. The sobs vanish, every nerve ending electrified by this male’s kiss.
My first kiss.
He pulls away like he’s surprised. Like he didn’t know that he was going to kiss me before it happened. But then he plunges in again, kissing me hard, lips slanting across mine as he blankets me with his body.
I rub against his thigh pressed between my legs. My breasts tingle, nipples tightening to tight buds against the flannel shirt he lent me.
His tongue sweeps into my mouth.
I’m kissing him back now, hungry. Greedy.
Wait…no. Oh, Fate. What am I doing?
I press both hands against his chest and push away. “No! I can’t.”
Noah shakes his head as if to clear it. As if he doesn’t know what just happened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–”
But then I tug him back down, needing to feel the intense pleasure of our joined lips again.
There’s power to the connection. Every second his lips stroke across mine heals me more.
His free hand strokes across my shoulder then cradles my breast. I’ve never been touched there before. He pinches my nipple beneath the flannel, and I feel the answering tug between my legs.
“Wait. No. Wait…please.” I push at his chest.
A shudder runs through Noah’s body, as if it pains him to stop kissing me, but he sits back and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes still glow gold.
My pulse races. I want to kiss him again, but I know it wouldn’t stop there. I had chastity culture drilled into me from the time I was a toddler. I know you can’t excite a male wolf and then stop him from claiming you. Not without getting badly injured.
“I can’t, Noah.”
I can’t have sex with this gorgeous male.
I’m not even interested. I don’t know why I enjoyed that kiss so much.
“It’s okay.” Noah moves off me and rolls me back to my side, settling behind me in spoon position, the way he was before. “It won’t happen again.”
He wraps a strong arm around my waist and pulls me back against him. For a moment, I wait, breath held, body singing at his closeness. My heart pounds at his audacity. Is he going to stay in this bed with me? All night?
There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep with him here.
Except he starts softly stroking my hair with his free hand, and it feels so good, I forget about my objections. His breath steadies into a slow, deep rhythm, guiding me into relaxation. The rain outside has slowed to a gentle lull.
I keep my eyes open for a few moments, afraid the visions will come back, but when they drift close, there’s nothing but darkness. Nothing but darkness and the feather touch of Noah’s fingertips stroking my hair. Somehow, by some unknown miracle, I fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Noah
Aster’s peach magnolia scent rolls over me like a heady drug. I didn’t mean to kiss her. I meant to soothe her. To ask why she was crying and say the right words to make it right. Not that words are my specialty.
The idea that she might be crying because I am holding her here as my prisoner gutted me. But then she projected words right into my head and said she knew I wouldn’t hurt her.
I shouldn’t be so shocked. We’re obviously telepathically connected. That was how we’ve been dreaming the same dream. She’s a powerful Seeress. Somehow, she’s created a connection into my mind.
