Page 10 of Wild & Wanted

She’s talking a mile a minute, spiraling into a panic attack, and unaware she’s even saying it all out loud.

I stand up in a single, fluid motion and step directly into her path, cutting off her pacing. I grab her trembling hands and gently pull them away from her face, placing them flat against the center of my chest, right over my hammering heart.

"Hadley. Stop," I command, keeping my green eyes locked onto hers—steady, patient, and anchored. "Feel that?"

She blinks, looking down at my chest as her erratic breathing stammers. Under her palms, my heart beats with a steady, heavy, relentless rhythm.

"Match my breathing," I murmur, my voice low and hypnotic. "In. And out."

She stays frozen for a long, silent moment, letting my physical steadiness seep into her broken-down walls. Slowly, her shoulders drop. Her sharp, jagged inhales smooth out into deep, shuddering breaths.

"Let's go for a ride," I say softly, breaking the quiet.

She blinks up at me, startled, then glances back over her shoulder toward the dark window. "Now? But it’s the middle of the night!"

I don't let go of her hand. Instead, I give her a wicked, thoroughly unapologetic grin, tugging her toward the front door.

"I know," I say, my voice dropping into a rough tease. "That's what makes it fun."

Out in the cool midnight air, we climb onto my bike. The moment I kick up the stand and we pull out onto the winding, tree-lined coastal highway, Hadley wraps her arms around my waist, pressing her soft curves flush against my back.

We fly through the dark, cutting through the misty mountain air mixed with salty sea spray. With every sharp turn and lean of the bike, I can physically feel the tension bleeding out of her frame, washing away into the wind. It’s the exact same way I feel when I ride. We don't speak. We don't need to. There’s a profound, electric peace in the roaring engine, the dark road, and the two of us against the world.

When I finally cut the engine back outside my cabin, we’re both trembling. And it has nothing to do with the cold.

We dismount, and Hadley turns to me, her eyes shining bright in the moonlight, filled with a depth of raw, unfiltered gratitude that strikes a chord in my newly acquired heart.

"That..." she breathes out, a soft, amazed smile touching her lips. "That is exactly what I needed."

I’m utterly overwhelmed by the vulnerability and emotion radiating off her. She’s stunned that someone actually paid attention, that someone read her internal chaos and knew how to fix it without her having to ask. It tears me apart realizing how rarely anyone has ever done that. I like being this person for her. I want to be this person for her.

Before I can filter the move, my hands circle around her waist.

Hadley sways forward into my space, her dark eyes flickering up from my gaze to my lips. Her little pink tip of a tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip, and fuck, that’s my breaking point. There’s no holding back left in me.

I cup her flushed cheek in my palm, lean down, and rest my forehead directly against hers. We share the exact same ragged breath for a fraction of a second, and then I crash my mouth down onto hers.

It’s not gentle. It’s an instant, hungry explosion of want, a devastating, consuming kiss that I can’t possibly get enough of. I haul her hard against me, backing her up until her spine hits the cold metal side of my bike. The low, lingering vibrations of the engine rattle straight through her body and up into mine, mixing with the heavy thud of our racing pulses.

I want more. I want all of her. I want to map every inch of her soft curves beneath my hands, taste the sweetness between her thighs, and sink so deep inside her that we both shatter.

When Hadley finally pulls back just an inch, gasping heavily to drag air into her lungs, I groan and drop my forehead onto her shoulder. My hands slide eagerly up and down her sides, gripping her thick thighs, her wide hips, and her soft stomach. I love every single square inch of her, exactly as she is.

And precisely because I want her this badly, I force myself to stop.

Not like this. Not tonight, when her world has been flipped upside down and she’s running on fumes and sheer adrenaline. She deserves better than a frantic, half-crazed hookup in the dark. She needs safety.

With a gruff, reluctant breath, I slide my arms under her legs and scoop her up effortlessly into my arms.

Hadley lets out a startled gasp, followed by a soft, melodic giggle that shoots a bolt of pure desire straight through my veins. God, that sound gives me life.

"Wolf, what are you⁠—"

"Hush," I mutter, carrying her up the steps and into the cabin. "Tomorrow is going to be a long-ass day for both of us. You need sleep."

She’s practically already falling asleep against my shoulder by the time I carry her down the hall. I deposit her gently onto the bed in the guest room, a space that stays spotless because I never have a reason to step foot in here.

Standing up from the mattress, it’s physically agonizing to walk away from her. Every instinct in my body screams to crawl in beside her and pull her back into my arms. But I force my boots to reverse, backing out of the room and closing the door softly.