Page 15

Move closer, my bear urged.

I shifted until my knees touched hers, both of us sitting cross-legged. Everywhere our skin connected there was a hum of electricity. Nora looked up, her eyes meeting mine, and I could see that she was conflicted. She felt the attraction, I was sure of that, but she didn’t know if she could trust it.

Touch her.

Following my bear’s instincts, I reached out my hand, stroking her hair a few times before pressing my palm against her cheek. Her skin was soft as silk. She closed her eyes and relaxed against it, releasing the tiniest of sighs.

“I don’t know why I can’t stop thinking about you,” she whispered.

The confession made my bear puff up with an excited pride.

“I have the same problem.”

“What are we going to do about it?” she asked.

I wasn’t sure if she wanted an answer, but I gave her one anyway.

“This.”

I leaned forward and used my hand to draw her head forward until our lips met in the middle.

Nora

When Ollie pulled me towards him I went willingly, and not just because I’d gotten a gander at that defined chest and washboard abs. No, the fact was I wanted to kiss him, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that he was just a man and a kiss was just a kiss.

The joke was on me though because this wasn’t just a kiss. I’d had lots of kisses over my lifetime and every single one of them faded in comparison to this. It was like someone flipped a switch and every nerve in my body suddenly started firing. And when Ollie slid his tongue inside my mouth, I was gone. Gone.

I moaned, pushing to my knees to get closer, then remembering that kneeling irritated an old injury. The problem with being in my fifties was that there were a lot of old injuries that I had to baby now. I didn’t know if Ollie sensed my discomfort or he just wanted to get closer, but without breaking the kiss he grabbed my waist in his giant hands and dragged me onto his lap.

I straddled him, very aware that he was naked and I was still fully clothed. For some reason that made me even more excited. I dug my fingers into his bare shoulders and pressed myself against the expanse of his chest, wanting to get closer. Needing to get closer. I’d never felt this kind of blind passion before. I’d analyze it later though, because right now all I wanted to do was enjoy this kiss.

Ollie’s hands moved up and down my back, stroking me through my shirt. Between us I felt my nipples hardening into sharp points, the sensation almost painful against the hardness of his chest.

“Mate.” The sound was more of a growl than a word and it made my heart rate speed up even more.

Ollie ran his lips along my jaw, moving up to my ear and gently nipping the shell of my ear before moving to the other side and repeating his action. I tilted my head to the side, my breath coming in short pants that probably would have embarrassed me if my brain had been engaged at all.

He pulled his head back, his eyes bouncing between mine, and I realized he was checking to see if I was okay with what happened. I cupped his cheeks, his stubble rough beneath my palm, and this time I took control of the kiss. Flexing my legs, I pushed him down on his back, spreading myself on top of him like a human blanket. He shifted, opening his legs, and I settled between them, shamelessly grinding my pelvis against his erection while I kissed him like my life depended on it.

I was about ten seconds away from ripping off my clothes and demanding that he fuck me when someone called my name. I flew off Ollie like someone hit me with a stun gun. I rolled up to seated, frantically looking around. I’d been too engrossed in the kiss to register anything other than my name.

Sage came around the side of the house, her shrewd eyes taking in the scene. Ollie was sitting behind me, obviously naked, and I had no doubt my lips were red and swollen from his kisses. I felt a gust of cold air and realized that my shirt was shoved up nearly to my bra. I wasn’t sure which one of us had done it, but I made quick work of pulling it back down, covering my belly.

“Hi Ollie, nice to see you,” Sage said calmly, like she found people making out in her yard every day. “You’re staying for dinner, aren’t you?”

Ollie looked at me, silently asking what I wanted.

“Stay for dinner,” I said. “We just need to find you some clothes.”

“This is Greysden,” Sage laughed. “Everyone has extra clothes. I’m sure we have something that will fit you. I’ll leave it in the first floor bathroom.”

“Thank you,” Ollie said, though his eyes were still on me.

“Are you okay with me staying?” he asked as soon as she was out of sight. “I can make an excuse if my being here makes you uncomfortable.”

“I was just grinding against you like a horny high schooler, Ollie. I think we’ve passed the point where I’m comfortable with you.”

I pushed to my feet, wincing as I realized my panties were soaked. Ollie’s gaze fixed below my waist, and although he didn’t say anything, I saw his nostrils flare. That was when I remembered that shifters had a sense of smell that was about two thousand times stronger than full humans. There was no way he wasn’t fully aware of how excited I’d gotten during our make out session. My face burned with embarrassment.