“We went old school,” he said. “Paper maps. Nico sulked for three days.”
I huffed a quiet laugh.
The more he talked, the more I relaxed. The sound of his voice blended with the quiet night. A cool breeze picked up, brushing against my arms, and with it came a now familiar scent.
My coyote leaned toward it instinctively.
At some point, our footsteps slowed. I looked up and recognized the area. We’d walked all the way to Levi’s cabin.
I shifted my weight. “I should probably?—”
The words caught before I could finish. His gaze was fixed on me. His eyes darkened, something sharper settling into his expression.
We were standing closer than I’d realized, close enough that all I could think about was the curve of his mouth.
I wanted to close the distance. Wanted to pull him in and press my lips against his.
Levi’s eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to mine.
Oh. This is a bad idea.
I should leave. I should step back now before I did something I’d regret. Instead, I stayed exactly where I was.
Levi seemed to notice. “Tell me to stop.”
That would be the smart choice. The safe one. Everything depended on keeping him at arm’s length.
Levi leaned in slowly, giving me time to pull away. I didn’t.
Our lips brushed. For a split second I froze, the contact so gentle it almost didn’t feel real. Then something in me shifted. I leaned in, chasing the warmth.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair, steadying me. I let out a moan before I could stop it.
His lips were softer than I’d imagined, and when he tilted his head slightly, the kiss grew firmer, more certain.
The faint spice of his scent wrapped around me, grounding and dizzying all at once. My hand curled into his jacket without thinking, drawing him closer until there was barely any space left between us.
When we finally pulled apart, Levi rested his forehead lightly against mine, trying to catch his breath.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
“Still okay?” he asked softly.
I stared at him, not trusting myself to speak right away.
Chapter 11
Levi
The moment the cabin door closed, the quiet wrapped around us.
Mason was standing a few feet away looking at me like he wasn’t entirely sure how we’d ended up here. Truth was, neither did I.
The evening had slipped by in a blur. One moment, I had picked him up from Tony and Nico’s place. The next we were walking back to my cabin.
Somewhere along the way, we kissed.
Now he stood in the middle of my living room, the lamplight soft against his dark hair, and my wolf stirred deep in my chest.
