Page 21 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her shivering belied her words.“Just need a minute by the fire.”
I shook my head, recognizing the early signs of hypothermia.Without asking permission, I sat behind her and pulled her back against my chest, wrapping my arms around her.She stiffened momentarily before melting into the embrace with a soft sigh of relief.
“This is becoming a habit,” she murmured as she laid her head against my shoulder.
“Survival,” I reminded her, though the word felt hollow even to my own ears.This had crossed the line from necessity to something far more dangerous, though I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
“You know,” Felicity said after several minutes of silence, her voice stronger as warmth returned to her body.“For someone who tries so hard to be unapproachable, you’re surprisingly good at this.”
“At what?”I asked, my voice rougher than intended.
She gestured vaguely with one hand.“This.Taking care of me.Being human.”
If she only knew how accurate her assessment was, how much of my life had been spent learning to be human when half of me was anything but.
“Don’t get used to it,” I said, attempting to maintain some semblance of distance even as my arms tightened fractionally around her.“Once we’re back in civilization, it’s business as usual.”
She turned her head slightly, just enough to meet my eyes.The firelight cast golden highlights across her face, making her eyes seem to glow with amber warmth.“Is that what you want?To go back to being the cold corporate wolf?”
The word choice sent a jolt through me, though she couldn’t possibly know its significance.My wolf stirred beneath my skin, inching closer to the surface than I’d allowed in years.
“It’s who I am,” I said, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears.
Felicity shifted in my arms, turning to face me more fully.The movement brought her face temptingly close to mine, close enough that I could feel her breath against my lips.
“No,” she said with quiet certainty that shook me to my core.“It’s who you pretend to be.This—” she placed her palm against my chest, directly over my pounding heart.“This is who you are when no one’s watching.When there’s no one to impress or intimidate.”
Her touch burned through my shirt, branding me in ways I couldn’t articulate.My breath caught, every muscle tensing with the effort of maintaining control.Her scent now mingled with my own, marking her as under my protection in ways she couldn’t understand.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I managed, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears.“You don’t know me.”
“I think I’m starting to,” she countered, her gaze unwavering.“The real question is whether you’re brave enough to let me.”
The challenge in her words ignited something primitive within me.My hand moved of its own accord, cupping her cheek with a gentleness that contradicted the storm raging inside me.Her skin was softer than I’d imagined, warm silk beneath my calloused palm.She leaned into the touch, her eyes never leaving mine.
“Felicity,” I whispered, her name a warning and a prayer.“This is a bad idea.”
“Probably,” she agreed, yet she made no move to pull away.Instead, her hand slid up to brush against the stubble that lined my jaw, her touch tentative yet determined.“But I’ve survived a plane crash and freezing temperatures.I think I can handle whatever this is.”
If only she knew what this truly entailed, what I was, what a mate bond with someone like me would mean.The rational part of me screamed to pull back, to maintain the barriers I’d constructed over a lifetime.But my wolf had never wanted anything as desperately as it wanted her in this moment.
“You have no idea what you’re getting into,” I said, one last attempt at warning her away from the precipice we stood upon.
A small smile curved her lips, the first genuine smile I’d seen from her that wasn’t shadowed by pain or worry.“Then show me.”
The last thread of my restraint snapped.I closed the inch of distance between us, capturing her lips with mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly blazed into something fierce and consuming.Her mouth was soft and yielding beneath mine, a perfect counterpoint to the cold world outside our shelter.
She responded with unexpected intensity, her fingers threading through my hair, pulling me closer as if she’d been waiting for this moment as desperately as I had.The taste of her, sweet and intoxicating, sent my senses spiraling beyond control.My wolf howled in triumph, a sound I barely contained within my chest.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily.The kiss ignited a fierce hunger that threatened to shatter the human facade I’d maintained for so long.Her lips were pliant yet demanding against mine, tasting of survival and something uniquely her that called to both man and beast.When I finally pulled back, it took every ounce of control I possessed not to claim her completely.
Felicity’s eyes slowly opened, pupils dark with desire, her breathing ragged in the silence of our shelter.The firelight danced across her flushed skin, highlighting the pulse hammering at the hollow of her throat.My enhanced senses caught the subtle changes in her scent, the sweet musk of arousal mingling with her natural fragrance, creating a heady aroma that made my wolf strain against its chains.
“That was…” she whispered, her voice trailing off as she searched for words.
“A mistake,” I supplied, even as every fiber of my being rejected the lie.My hand remained cradling her face, thumb tracing the delicate curve of her cheekbone in silent contradiction to my words.
She narrowed her eyes, refusing to let me retreat behind convenient barriers.“No.That wasn’t a mistake.”Her fingers tightened in my hair, preventing me from pulling away physically or emotionally.“That was inevitable.”
