“The way you talk when you’re excited or nervous. A string of sentences running together as one.”
“Rambles, you mean.” I scooted more toward the center of the bed. Wiggled, really, like an excited little worm inching toward some rich soil. “When my brain freezes up, my mouth’s like, ‘no worries, bud, I got this.’ And then the next thing you know, you’ve heard my entire life story, as well as the life story of old lady Ethel who likes to gossip about her husband-stealing friend Janice.”
Lake barked out a laugh. It was so sudden and robust it even seemed to takehimby surprise. Color flooded his cheeks as he dropped his gaze to his lap.
“I like your laugh,” I said, feeling a bit shy too.
“And I like your rambles.” Lake shifted, and the side of his leg lightly knocked against my knee. I thought it was an accident, but he lightly bumped me a second time, a smile so close to forming on his lips.
“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Wolf?”
When that smile fully formed, it was crooked and showed his teeth. “Mr. Wolf?”
“Sorry. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Don’t worry. We’ll work on a pet name.” The wording then registered, and I balked. “Wait. Not that I think you’re a pet. Oh god. It means like a cutesy name or nickname you give to someone you’re close to. Not anactualpet. I wasn’t implying that you, as a demi-wolf, were a—”
A rough noise left him. Another laugh, this one more controlled than earlier but still just as warm. “No offense taken. I knew your meaning.” Lake slid his hand across the bed toward my knee but stilled his advance before reaching it. His expression slipped into a deep concentration, evident in the crinkle of his brow. “This is so strange for me.”
“What is?”
“Wanting to touch someone,” he said. “Wanting them to touch me. And unsure how to go about either. There’s a pressure in my chest and a burning in my core, like a fire waiting to be set free. I fear what will happen when it builds and builds, with nowhere else to go but out.”
“Easy.” I uncrossed my legs and crawled closer, stopping with my face only inches from his. The heat coming off his body made my skin tingle in anticipation. “Let the flames soar. Let that fire consume us both.”
Lake swallowed hard. “I have no experience with this, Evan. What if I hurt you?”
“You won’t.” My voice remained steady despite my own nerves. But not because I was afraid of him hurting me. It was the fear of the unknown, the nervousness that came when you laid yourself bare to another person for the first time. And not justanyperson, but one you were slowly, but surely, falling for. “Do you trust me?”
Tension pulled the skin tighter at the corners of his eyes. “I want to. More than anything.”
“Do you at least trust I won’t intentionally do anything to hurt you?”
“Y-Yes.” The glow in his purple irises intensified as his lids fell, giving him an outrageously sexy pair of bedroom eyes, heavy with desire.
“Can I kiss you?” I whispered.
Lake stared at my lips, his parting in response. His breaths deepened. “Please.”
With a small push forward of my head, I kissed him. It was soft; a light pressing of our mouths. Just like the first time we’d kissed, little explosions popped in my chest—in my heart.
Heat spread through my veins, and I thought of the fire he’d mentioned that burned in his core. The touching of our lips had passed it to me, and now, it spread through both of us. An inferno of newly awakened desire. And of something much stronger than desire. Something I’d only ever felt with two other men.
Lake made a sound deep in his throat before increasing the pressure of his lips on mine and lifting a hand to the back of my hair. His fingers sank into the strands as his tongue traced the seam of my lips. He explored my mouth, as if familiarizing himself with the feel and taste of me.
“Evan,” he said with a sigh, pumping his hips upward. “I… I need…”
“What do you need?” I straddled him but didn’t sit all the way down.
Desperation burned in his eyes. “You. Skin on skin.” He pushed his face to the base of my throat, releasing a shuddering breath. “Heart to heart.”
“Yeah?” I lowered my body on his, loving his sharp intake of air as my ass pressed against his bulge. He was rock hard. I slid my hands down his bare chest, admiring the valleys of lean muscle. Lake had a runner’s body, toned but not bulky. When my fingers smoothed across his waistband, he froze. “Can I take these off?”
“I…” Lake shook. With nerves? With eagerness? Maybe both. “No one’s ever seen me like that before.”
“If you aren’t ready for beneath the clothes stuff, we can stop,” I said. “I never want you to be uncomfortable with me.”
The wariness in his eyes retreated, revealing something soft. “I’m not uncomfortable with you, Evan. Quite the opposite. I just… I’m not as experienced as your men. And I fear I’ll disappoint you.”
“You won’t.” There was no way he could. My feelings for him were quickly blossoming into a deep affection that went far beyond the physical. If he came after two or three thrusts, I didn’t care. “The first time is never perfect, so try not to put too much pressure on yourself.” I rolled my body, grinding against his hard shaft. “And what better way to improve than with lots and lots of practice?”
