I found Killian and Jasmine shortly. They’d gone about halfway around the lake, then headed into the woods just until they were out of sight from camp. They had found a spot on a low log to sit, and Jasmine had tucked herself into Killian’s arms.
“It really isn’t your fault,” Killian was saying. “Owen has always been like that. He doesn’t say what's really on his mind. His home life wasn’t great, and even with us, he’s still guarded.”
I should step back and give them space. Clearly, Killian had calmed her down, and I risked upsetting the balance they’d achieved. But I stayed where I was, watching. I wanted to be closer. I wanted to hold her, too, and to reassure her. It felt like the least I could do.
I was still hesitating when Jasmine looked up. Her expression changed, turning into a smile. When she gestured for me to join them, I pushed aside my doubts and headed straight to them. When I sat next to her, she wrapped one arm around me, though she still snuggled into Killian. The result was a little uncomfortable, leaning against her as I was, but her sweet scent filled me and made my wolf relax.
“You didn’t have to do that for me,” she murmured into my neck.
The feeling of her lips on my skin and her breath wafting over that sensitive area made me stir and harden. I hoped that the relaxed fit of my jeans would keep it from showing.
“Didn’t have to do what?” I asked, distracted.
“Defend me like that. I’m grateful for you, but I also don’t want to cause more trouble between the four of you. With everything that has been happening, the pack needs you to be unified now more than ever.” Her fingers curled into mine, and she pulled me even closer. Gods help me. I was practically on top of her, and her scent was making it hard to think about anything else.
I tried to put an arm around her, but she and Killian were plastered so close together I couldn’t wedge my hand between them. I gave up and instead started to trace my fingers up anddown Jasmine’s spine. She shivered in response, which only made my wolf hungrier.
“It’s amazing,” I murmured. “Even after the pack treated you like dirt, you’re still compassionate and caring. You still think about what is good for them. And for us. I understand why the Goddess picked you. Who else would be good enough?”
Jasmine shook her head, her nose brushing my jaw as she did so. “Don’t say that. It sounds like a line you’re giving to get me to open my legs for you.”
Images of her on her back, legs wrapped around my waist as I slowly fucked her while toying with her clit and making her back arch filled my mind. I pressed against my jeans, and if Jasmine looked, there would be no hiding the fact.
“I know it sounds like a line,” I said, trying desperately not to let my voice give away how horny I’d become. “But it’s also true. You understand what the pack needs from the perspective of how bad it is at the bottom.”
Killian shifted closer. It took only a glance to see that he was as affected by her presence as I was. He tried to put his hand between us, and I flashed him a canine to warn him to back off.
Jasmine must have seen, because she squirmed in our hold. “Let go. You’re both getting too close. I can’t breathe,” she complained.
My wolf whimpered, pained by the thought that she didn’t want me touching her like this. I let my hand fall to the ground, and I reluctantly leaned away, giving her space.
“Now that’s too far!” Jasmine squirmed, growling in a way that was most unlike her.
As I chuckled, confused and yet pleased, her scent hit me even harder. All thoughts were driven from my mind, and all Iwanted to do was to pull her into my lap and start kissing her. I froze on the spot, understanding lighting a fire in my low belly. She really was too far away from me, and I wanted her closer. Much closer, so that our bodies would fuse and become one entity.
There was only one reason why we were being so affected by her, and why she was simultaneously wanting to push us away and bring us closer.
“You are having a difficult day, aren’t you?” Killian chuckled. He kissed her, almost as an unconscious motion.
And they both froze. Lips still touching, eyes wide. It was clear that the kiss caught them both off guard, but neither of them wanted to break apart. Instead, they drew in closer to each other. Jasmine pulled herself up, half on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck. I watched, mute, unable to make my mouth move in the way I knew it had to.
I should tell them.
Oh, but then they might stop, and I was enjoying this too much. The way Jasmine tilted her head, the way she rocked her body against him. The way his hands splayed over her back, his thumbs rubbing in small circles just at the base of her ribs. Jasmine whimpered into Killian’s mouth, and he swallowed it with a groan.
The sight was just so hot as the sounds of their kisses filled the air. They slanted their heads one way, then the next, and when they pulled back from each other, a string of salvia connected them until it fell to Jasmine’s chin and she licked it away.
“Oh,” she murmured.
Killian nuzzled her cheek. “Oh? Does that mean you liked it?”
“I liked it,” she said faintly, then asked, “Did you?”
He laughed. “Yes. I quite enjoyed it. You taste delicious.”
Jasmine shimmied her shoulders, and Killian loosened his grip on her. While his eyes were still full of stars, hers were widening. When she glanced at me trepidatiously, I understood. She had figured it out, too, and was now looking for an escape.
I slid closer again, putting one hand on her upper back and the other on her hip. “It’s alright. We’re here to help, Jasmine. You don’t have to go through this by yourself.”
