Page 22 of Howl About That

But she hadn't consciously chosen this closeness. She'd fallen asleep exhausted and overwhelmed, and her subconscious mind had simply sought comfort where it could find it. The last thing he wanted was for her to wake feeling vulnerable or exposed.

Control yourself.

Easy to think, nearly impossible to execute when every breath filled his lungs with her scent and when the warmth of her body pressed against his side made his pulse race.

She stirred against him as consciousness began to return. Keiro held perfectly still, not wanting to startle her, but his wolf was practically vibrating with anticipation. Her breathing changed first, becoming less deep and regular. Then her muscles tensed as she realized where she was and who she was pressed against.

Poppy's eyes flew open, those bright blue depths meeting his molten gold gaze for one electric moment before she registered their position. Her pupils dilated as she took in the sight of herself curled against him, her leg thrown over his thigh, and her hand splayed across his chest.

"Oh my god." She pulled back so quickly she nearly fell off the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize?—"

Her cheeks flushed pink as she looked around the bedroom, taking in the masculine décor, the floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing Manhattan's skyline, and the expensive furnishings that screamed wealth and control.

"How did I get here?" Her voice carried that sharp edge he was beginning to recognize as her default when she felt exposed or vulnerable.

"You fell asleep in the car on the drive here." He kept his voice gentle, non-threatening, even as his wolf protested the distance she'd put between them. "You were sleeping so soundly, and I didn't want to wake you. So I carried you up."

The flush in her cheeks deepened, and he watched her process that information. She'd been unconscious and vulnerable, and he'd taken care of her without taking advantage. The surprise in her expression suggested that kind of consideration wasn't something she'd ever experienced.

"I—" She started to stand, clearly planning to flee, but Keiro moved faster than thought. His hand closed gently around her wrist, not restraining but requesting.

"Poppy."

She froze at his touch, and he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his arm at the contact. The mate bond flared, demanding more, demanding everything, but he forced himself to maintain control.

"I know things are complicated." His thumb brushed across her pulse point, feeling her pulse race beneath his touch. "And I know you might feel embarrassed right now, but I really liked having you curled up beside me."

The admission hung between them, raw and honest. Her breath caught, and for a moment he thought she might pull away entirely. But then her shoulders relaxed slightly, and some of the defensive tension left her posture.

"I am embarrassed right now. Embarrassed by how I instinctively curled up against you in my sleep." Her voice was quieter now, more vulnerable than he'd ever heard it. "But I can't deny that I felt safe in your bed. That I feel safe with you."

Her words hit him like a revelation, satisfaction and possessive pride roaring through his chest. This fierce woman, this Alpha who'd spent years fighting the world alone, felt safe with him.

Professional boundaries demanded he release her wrist and pull back. Logic insisted they maintain the careful distance they'd established for their business partnership. But the mate bond pulsed like a living thing, and her scent was wrapping around him, and he was tired of fighting what felt as natural as breathing.

Keiro sat up slowly, his movement bringing him closer to her on the bed. His hand rose up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the elegant line of her cheekbone. Her skin was impossibly soft beneath his touch, and she leaned into the contact despite herself.

"Poppy." Her name was a rumble in his chest, rough with barely controlled need. "I want to kiss you so badly right now."

Poppy didn't answer with words. Instead, she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.

The kiss started tentative, almost questioning, her mouth soft and uncertain against his. But the moment their lips met, the mate bond exploded between them like wildfire. What began as gentle exploration blazed into desperate hunger within seconds.

His wolf surged forward, demanding he claim her, mark her, make her his in every way possible. The rational part of his mind that had spent sixteen years controlling every impulse, every desire, every moment of weakness—that part simply evaporated under the assault of her mouth moving against his with growing confidence.

Her lioness was clearly surging forward too, because her tongue sought entry into his mouth with bold determination. He opened for her immediately, groaning low in his throat astheir tongues tangled and danced in perfect rhythm. The kiss became consuming, became everything he'd imagined and so much more. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, and he was lost in the sensation of her. Completely, utterly lost.

The line had been crossed, and there was no uncrossing it.

NINE

POPPY

The moment their lips met, every coherent thought Poppy possessed evaporated into sensation. His mouth moved against hers with a hunger that matched her own, and her lioness purred with primal satisfaction deep in her chest. The kiss was not gentle or tentative anymore, it was a claiming. His tongue slid against hers and the taste of him sent heat spiraling through her veins as her hands fisted in his shirt, holding him to her as if he might disappear.

A distant, rational part of her mind screamed that this was a mistake and that she should stop. She was still angry with him, wasn't she? He'd humiliated her, upended her life, and created a political nightmare with a single, arrogant bid. Professional distance was the only sane path forward.

But the memory of last night—of him fighting beside her with brutal efficiency, of his careful hands cleaning her wound, then today—of waking up curled against his solid warmth after the first true rest she'd had in years—those memories were louder than the voice of caution.