Page 25 of Outcast
Despair. Loneliness. Fear.
The night’s darkness kept his eyes shadowed, but the depth of his pain shone clear to me. I wore those emotions daily and was intimately aware of how suffocating they could be.
Pieces of his dark locks fell into his eyes, but he was so unattached from this moment that he didn't feel it. He wore the same black joggers from earlier but had added a black shirt as well now, completely blending in with the night. The light from the moon backlit him slightly, giving him a faint glow.
"Seth?" I questioned, not sure what he needed from me at this moment. I knew what I wanted to do, but we were practically strangers despite our bond, and I didn't want to fuck it up with presumptions.
Shocking me, he stepped forward and pulled me into his embrace. I barely had enough time to shift the edges of my blanket into one hand to the side before he crushed me to him. My free arm went around him, and I began stroking my fingers against his back in soothing circles.
Breathing in his crisp cedar scent, my wolf curled up in my mind, feeling at home in his arms. I pressed my face firmly against his chest and marveled over how he managed to make me feel so small even with my height of five foot nine inches.
He inhaled a deep breath and stepped back from me, running a hand haphazardly through his hair. Nibbling on his bottom lip for a few moments, he released it and explained, "It's you for me, Kira. I walked away from Jameson because I won't allow his destructive behavior to impact this gift that the fates gave us."
His voice caught for a moment, and he coughed to try to cover it before continuing, "But, he is my family, and knowing he’s going through some dark shit mentally tears me up inside. I know it isn't my job to fix him, but he has no one else."
Before I could soothe him, he rushed on. "Everything changed tonight, and my mind is a fucking disaster. All I knew was that I needed to be with you, to hold you. I tried to stay away to give you and Milo time together, but honestly, waiting around just locked me into my own head and I stewed over all of these worries with Jameson and the pack’s reaction to our bond.”
My heart fractured a bit at his admission, that he thought he wasn't allowed to come see me just because I was with Milo. I refused to let our dynamic start that way. I belonged to both of them, equally, and I'd be damned if either of them ever felt like they needed to wait their turn so to speak.
Lifting up onto my tiptoes, I reached for the back of his head and pulled it down, melding my lips to his in a gentle kiss. It was tender and loving, like two lovers in a tentative embrace, learning each other for the first time. Nothing like the Seth that I had seen in the previous day.
This was a man baring his heart for me to see and hoping I didn't crush it in the palm of my hands. It spoke volumes of his character, and I found myself falling for him faster than I imagined possible.
We stood in each other's embrace and simply breathed in each other's essence. His hands moved to cup my face gently, before he pulled away to kiss the tip of my nose.
"Boop."
I scowled up at him from underneath my lashes, doing my best impersonation of an angry face.
Pretty sure I was crushing it. Mental pat on the back.
He simply smiled at me and pressed his lips to my forehead. Apparently he found my angry face cute or something. I was okay with that if it got me forehead kisses. Why did those feel so fucking good?
It made me feel all warm and gooey, like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
"Do you want to come in? I was just about to take a shower. I know Milo wouldn't care if you stayed," I offered, not wanting him to go back to his house alone.
He looked behind me into the cottage, and I reassured him, "Milo is asleep, but even if he wasn't he wouldn't care. He accepts that you are my mate just the same as him."
A small smile pulled at his lips, and I couldn't pass up the chance to tease him. My hand flew to my chest, and my mouth opened in mock surprise. "Did you justsmile? Not a dickish grin, or a scowl, but an honest to Goddess smile?"
His lips pulled up more, and his beautiful smile revealed itself along with a light chuckle. "Get your ass in the cottage before you freeze to death," he demanded.
I obliged because I really was freezing. My nipples were so cold that I wouldn't be surprised if they’d turned purple. The door shut as I walked to the kitchen to grab my discarded glass of water and continued towards the bathroom in the hallway.
The silence behind me made me pause and look to see where Seth had gone, and I found him awkwardly standing near the front door still. Was he nervous?
"Hey, come on, I'm taking a shower. You can come with me." I ended my statement by dropping my blanket to the floor and walking to the bathroom, sashaying my hips a bit more than normal for emphasis.
His footsteps quickly followed me, and I paid him no mind as I turned on the shower, praying that it would heat up quickly. Shuffling behind me drew my attention, and I found him stripped out of his shirt, with his eyes glued to my ass.
"You like what you see?" I teased, shocked at my comfort in my naked state.
Dragging his joggers slowly down with his thumbs, he smirked, a devilish look on his face as his dick sprang free. It was longer than Milo's but a bit narrower, and I bit my lip, wondering if I would be able to take him despite the dull ache that lingered from earlier.
"You like what you see?" He tossed my words right back at me.
I pursed my lips and tapped a finger against them, "Hmm, jury's still out."
