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There was the hesitation. I knew it would eventually come. My own brain had been poking through my feelings with doubtful inklings that made me want to hide. That was the point of this walk, to clear my head enough to formulate a proper plan.
Turned out I needed a backup plan as well. If this didn’t work out, then I would need to find another place to go. I had to get a car. I had to find a way off this ranch that wouldn’t be spotted by anybody. Security was pretty beefed up around here. That meant I had to be extra careful about where I went and who I spoke to.
Now I just felt like I was back to square one from two years ago. In a strange town without any friends or resources. Just me and my cat, no car, and a heart full of struggles.
When I started to turn away, Liam tightened his grip. “If we’re mates, then we should act like mates.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“By doing mate things.”
I tilted my head back to look up at him. Determination had settled in his expression, such a bold look of commitment that made my heart soften. I had to get out of my head about my insecurities. If I didn’t, then I might ruin whatever this was.
Ifit was anything at all.
“Like what?” I asked. “The date?”
He slid his hand around my hip and to the small of my back, pulling me flush against his body. “No, this.”
He kissed me then.
I should have been prepared for the swarm of his tongue, the desperate heat of his moan vibrating my lips. By now, there was enough tension strung between us to make a convent of nuns blush just from watching us kiss. The things in my mind would make for great smut.
Each time I thought I had my emotions together, they dashed apart into separate corners of my mind, evading capture. Hard as it was to get a cohesive feeling, it was even harder to ignore the transformative effect Liam’s kiss had on my body. Flush with heat, with comfort, and affection, I felt like I could do anything. I felt like the world was ready for me—and like I was ready for it.
I wanted to go out and explore everything I’d never gotten to experience. I wanted to occupy a world where magic existed. I had that chance right in front of me. With this man and his pack, I could see the world with brand-new eyes. I could experience an alternate reality where fantasy was perfectly acceptable and, in fact, the norm.
Here in this world, I didn’t have to feel awkward and odd. I just had to feel like me. I just had tobeme.
All that started with this man who was kissing me like he never wanted to let me go.
Chapter 17 - Liam
The last remaining strands of sunlight streamed through the trees as I guided Anita by the hand on the forest path. “Just a few more steps.”
She giggled. “Liam, I can see where we’re going.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know what’s waiting for us.”
She wrinkled her nose while tilting her head to the left. “I can hear the waves. I’m pretty sure the sea is waiting for us.”
“Well, maybe you’llseawhen we get there.”
Her frustrated groan couldn’t disguise her smile. “Don’t make me push you into the ocean.”
“You can do that as long as you rescue me.”
Crickets.
I paused to glance back at her, noticing her piercing glare with a hint of a grin. I shook her hand gently as I repeated, “You’ll rescue me, right?”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
Waves crashed just beyond the tree line, a reminder of what I had in store for her. I could already sense them, but Anita had no idea who was waiting on the sand. Since I got here, I hadn’t once called in any favors with anyone. It was high time I did.
I nodded toward the end of the path where the soil turned into sand. “Come on. You’re going to love it.”
“Unless it’s a chocolate cake, I’m not so sure about that.”
