Page 57 of Wolves & Watercolors
“Yeah, that seems like the largest amount of magic you’ve created, don’t you think?”
“Nothing happened,” she snaps, her cheeks flushing.
I tilt my head, studying her. “You’re being evasive. If it really was nothing, you wouldn’t act like this.”
Dark hair ripples over her shoulders as she shakes her head adamantly. I should let it go, but something keeps me pushing. “Aurora, you can tell me.”
She drags her hand down her face and goes to sit on the wide edge of a garden bed. “I wasthinkingabout stuff, and I guess I was…” she looks away, her ears turning pink. “Excited.”
“Excited.”
“Oh my gosh, can we just move on?” She presses her lips in a thin line.
“I still think it’s our best example, and it’s worth figuring out,” I mutter, sitting beside her and resting my forearms on my knees, hands loosely folded.
“Cedar!” she scolds. “I was fantasizing. Okay? Happy now?” Hands going to her face, she hides behind her fingers as her cheeks darken further.
“Fantasizing? About what?”
A growling noise of frustration rips out of her. Hands clenched, she turns to me, face flaming. “Someone.”
My brain splutters for a moment. That’s fine. She’s allowed to fantasize about anyone she wants. Taking a slow breath, I try to push away the jealousy unfurling in my gut, but it’s not enough to keep my questions back.
“Who?”
“You! I was thinking about you, you gorgeous idiot.” Delicate hands come up to her face again, hiding her blush as she falls sideways into me. Her shoulder hits my chest, and my arms come up to steady her on instinct.
Me?
“What?”
Aurora
Cedar stares back at me, and I start praying that the ground eats me whole. But considering the weird stuff happening around me, that’s probably unwise. Maybe I shouldmake a run for it. Surely this level of embarrassment will kill me if I stay here and let it.
Before I can decide what to do, Cedar’s hands grab my waist and pull me over. I slide off the bench and onto his lap until I straddle him. One of my hands grips his shoulder and the other tangles in the collar of his shirt.
His stormy eyes meet mine for a second that feels like an eternity. I can’t breathe, can’t think. There’s only the overwhelming draw to him.
Tentatively, he brushes his nose against my cheek until our mouths touch briefly. I seek him, angling my head until I can kiss him properly. His hold on me tightens.
Why were we talking when we could have been doing this?
The rough way he pulled me onto his lap contrasts with the soft, gentle way he kisses me. I melt into him, pressing my hips forward and dragging my hand down his chest.
There’s a solidness to his form that I’ve never experienced before. The boys in Los Angeles build muscle in the gym and they’re meant to look good. Cedar’s body has been earned through hard work and wild runs through the woods.
I can taste cinnamon and sugar as he strokes his tongue against mine. It’s intoxicating. His thumbs brush the bottom of my breasts and I let out an embarrassing whimper. It’s all I can do to grab his hand, slide it under my shirt, and hope he gets the message. He does.
We break apart, and I gasp for air to calm my racing heart while he whispers praise against my skin. My back arches at the reverent feel of his hands, his lips tracing my jaw and working down my throat. Only my grip on his shoulders keeps me from floating away.
Every caress sends tingles racing through my veins, burning pleasure warming my core, stars behind my eyes.
Cedar lets out a startled yelp and something brushes my hand. Blinking past the sunlight, I spy stems of greenery wrapping around his elbows and waist, moving across my hands, curling around us.
Getting upset will only make it worse. He must realize that too, because he whispers, “It’s okay. Not a big deal.” A soft kiss to my cheek softens my shock.
Realizing what I have to do, I plaster on a cheerful smile and wink at him. “Totally. Let me just chill out and figure out how to undo this. Or you can use those big muscles to bust out of it.”
