This time I’m ready, my gaze tracking every detail before they fade.
Becks spins and I’m met with a faceful of man chest.
“You did that on purpose,” he accuses, the cutest scowl on his face.
“I did,” I admit with an impish grin.
He doesn’t seem to know what to do with my honesty besides huff.
“Your scales are beautiful. The iridescent teal was like nothing I’ve seen before. I don’t know why you’re embarrassed by them.”
A touch of color appears high on his cheeks. Is Becks blushing?
I grin wider.
“I’m not embarrassed by my scales,” he says gruffly. “It’s that they appeared when I didn’t want them to. To a shifter, losing control of your shift is humiliating. It usually only happens in the first couple of years after your powers emerge, or when?—”
He cuts himself off.
“Or when what?”
“Never mind,” he says, which only makes me want to know more, but I’ve pushed him enough tonight.
“Thanks for coming to make sure I’m okay,” I offer.
Becks’ gaze slides down my body, lingering as if he needs to see for himself.
Goose bumps pebble my skin again, but this time it’s not from the cold.
Clearing his throat, he runs a hand through his unruly hair. Soft tendrils go every which way, making him look both adorable and irresistible at the same time.
“Glad it wasn’t anything. I’m just a little on edge,” he admits. “I’ll go see if there’s anything on the ground outside your window. If it was a bird, it might have broken its neck.”
He passes close enough that his arm grazes mine, but I catch his hand before he can leave. He glances back at me over his shoulder.
“You can’t go outside now,” I argue. “It’s a blizzard out there. You’ll freeze.”
The cocky grin he gives me makes my stomach bottom out. “I run hot, remember? And I could use a little cooling off right now.”
He squeezes my hand then slides out of my grasp and disappears. I’m left staring at the closed door behind him, wondering how I’m going to get back to sleep after that comment.
“You want to . . . ride me?”
Heat flashes to my face, burning my cheeks. “That’s not what I said.”
Becks smiles so wide, dimples I didn’t know he had appear. “Actually, that’s exactly what you said.”
“Well, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, the look on his face saying he’s clearly enjoying my discomfort. “I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just want to be clear about what you’re asking.”
“Just forget it,” I grumble, and try to stomp back to the cabin, but it’s difficult in knee-deep snow, courtesy of the storm from last night.
To my surprise, I was able to fall back asleep after the window incident. I woke to the aroma of bacon, stumbling down to the kitchen to find Becks making a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns.
He was, of course, shirtless again.
A shirtless Becks making a delicious breakfast seemed like a dream, so I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t still sleeping. I wasn’t.
