Christiana buys me two new shirts, just in case.
She insisted on paying for them too, which means they’re the first ones I wear after everything’s washed. The pack and I helped clean up her apartment, so she got most of the deposit back—although everyone hanging outside the landlord’s office on our bikes probably helped matters along.
When I slept next to Christiana in the tent afterward, I’ve never been more at peace. A new rhythm loops between us now, where I can sense how Christiana feels, and always know her every move.
Touching her is easy—to be honest, it’s half of what I think about—and what I’ve come to expect of newly bound mates, but we haven’t gone further than that night in the desert yet. Christiana has her hand on my heart almost constantly, lingering where the buckshot healed through. Even though there’s no scar to show for it, she says it makes her feel better knowing that everything is exactly where it’s meant to be.
I don’t know how to prepare for what comes next. My wolf’s eager and so am I, but every time I think about pushing forward, something sticks in my mind. What if it’s not good for her? What if I’m not everything she wants me to be?
“Hey.” Christiana brings me back to the present, her fingers slipping just under the hem of my shirt. The touch is light, drawing invisible circles around the small of my back, the warmth of her body pressed against my side. “You might be the first person to win a staring contest with a fire if you keep up that frown.”
Guess I was zoning out. “Sorry. Mind was all over the place.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that.” Christiana’s hand slides an inch higher, and the solid warmth of her hand is an instant distraction. “But I was wondering if you wanted to go swimming with me tonight.”
My eyes flicker around the campsite. Talisa’s polishing her newest art piece, a wolf that spins and unfolds on itself with a slender frame of metal, while Alejandra is dead asleep at her feet, curled up on her sleeping bag. Connor and Royal are watching something on his phone, sharing one earbud apiece and oblivious to the rest of the world. After everything we’ve been through, seeing the pack back to their old selves means everything.
“Just the two of us?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She smiles, bright and open. “I never got to take you out on a date.”
I raise a brow. “Sounds like you’ve been making plans.”
“Maybe.” Christiana tilts her head up, kissing me softly on the lips. “I like that I can make plans again. That I’m not worried about what might happen tomorrow.”
I can’t help but smile too, cupping her jaw so I can return the kiss. “Wherever you want to go, I’m there.”
“God,” she murmurs against my mouth, “you say things like that and I don’t want to wait another minute.”
A shiver ripples up my back, blood hot and electric, but Christiana’s hand slips away from my skin and some rational thought comes back. “I’m only telling the truth.”
“I know, but honesty from you feels a lot different than from everyone else.” A faint flush of heat spreads across her face. “This whole mate thing is still kind of unbelievable, but then I feel it and I know. Doubting is impossible.”
I understand exactly how Talisa felt years ago, riding a wave of joy that swells with the slightest provocation. When Christiana laughs or smiles, when her eyes linger on me, taking in the whole of what I am, it rises again, strong as the first time. She’s so beautiful, I lose myself looking at her every morning we wake up together. Alejandra teases us about the tent, but even the thin veil of privacy is nice in its own way—I’ve never had a barrier like that before.
Dinner is a simple affair like usual, although Vera has started offering the use of her pantry for a little more variety. Our diet is kind of high on protein for the average human, and the last thing I want is Christiana getting sick. She’s taken it as a chance to experiment, cooking with whatever’s on hand to try to make something new. Most of her meals are delicious, but even if they weren’t, I’d eat every last bite with her watching.
Royal gives my shoulder a light tap as I ease the fire down for the night. “Heard you’re going swimming tonight.”
Wiping hints of ash off my hands, I stand up. “Is that your way of asking for an invitation?”
“No.” They laugh. “The opposite. You’ve got whatever time and space you need.”
I frown. “That’s a very specific warning.”
“Micah, you never actually relax when you’re thinking about us.” Royal gestures around the camp. “But don’t worry about the pack tonight, okay? Just enjoy yourself.”
The temptation to argue arises, but I bite my tongue. Royal’s being tactful, and if I protest, the others won’t be. This is a gift, and honoring that means more than alpha stubbornness rearing its proud head.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
They squeeze me in a brief hug before drifting off, and Christiana comes up to me with her arms full, holding a dark, heavy blanket I’ve never seen before. “Is that what you bought shopping with Connor the other day?”
“Maybe.” She smiles. “Come on. Let’s go down to the water.”
I follow her on the path out to the lake, which she knows as well as I do now. Christiana sidesteps the branches and split rocks like she’s done it a thousand times, ducking a long-armed pine to reach the soft grass along the shore. She lets the blanket unfold to the ground, then snaps it against the air to open it the rest of the way. The black fleece settles like a cloud over the ground, slipping out of her hands.
“There we go.” Christiana turns around to face me, slipping off her shoes. “Better lose those clothes if you want to get in the water.”
I have a better idea. “Or you could help me take them off.”
She’s too eager to hold back, stepping forward and slipping her fingers under the shoulders of my vest. Christiana removes it with something like reverence, drawing the leather down so slow it feels like a caress. By the time it slips past my fingertips, my nerves are alight, heat prickling under my skin. I catch a flash of desire in her eyes before she turns away, folding my vest and setting it on the corner of the blanket.
Who knew such a simple kindness could be so magnetic?
This time I close the distance, pressing against Christiana’s back. My hands slide up her stomach, taking the soft cotton of her shirt along with it. “You’re coming in the water too, right?”
“Yeah,” she answers, breathless.
Once Christiana’s shirt is gone, I have even more room to explore, kissing along the back of each shoulder, brushing the dark waves of her hair aside to nuzzle the graceful column of her neck. She shivers and turns around suddenly, taking firm custody of my shirt to yank it up and over my head.
“You’re so distracting,” she whispers, but makes no protest when my hands slide up her back instead, seeking the tiny, fragile clasp of her bra. “I was thinking about this the whole day. Looking at you, touching you.”
“You were doing plenty of both earlier,” I murmur.
“Not like this.” Christiana laughs softly. “Not the way I wanted to.”
Her nails trace up my back, leaving behind a hot trail that makes me shiver when the night wind brushes over my skin. The contact breaks so I can slip her bra out of the way, but when Christiana’s hands return, she’s working my belt open instead, quick fingers bringing the zipper down without a sound. I’ve taken off my boots a thousand times, but focusing on that with her fingers hooked in the band of my boxers is almost enough to stagger me.
I have to sink down to my knees to get her pants off, accommodating for the difference in height, and when I glance upward, Christiana’s face is bright red. Her breath catches when I nuzzle my cheek against her hip, tasting the salt of her skin with a kiss. The heavier scent rising between her thighs stirs tension between mine, heat answering heat. Fingers sink into my hair, rubbing at the back of my neck, and she lets out a soft moan.
“You have no idea how badly I want you to—” She bites her lip, then shakes her head, guiding me to stand. “Let’s get in the lake.”
We do, and I shudder. It’s like stepping into an ice bath. I’m burning from head to toe, desire working its will, but there’s nothing I want more than to feed that fire. Christiana’s hands find my shoulders so she can pull me down into a deep, searching kiss. My teeth find her lip and she muffles a gasp against my mouth, pulling back with blown pupils. Her heartbeat is like thunder, chasing every lightning bolt of pleasure.
“I really thought we’d swim a little first,” Christiana admits with a flustered grin. “But I guess we didn’t the first time we kissed here either.”
“Is that why you wanted to come to the lake?” A smile pulls at the edge of my mouth. “To be like that again?”
“I thought it might help you relax.” Her body shifts forward, the curve of Christiana’s thighs meeting mine. “And maybe we could go a little further?”
Considering the last few days, she has to have noticed the tension. Even if we didn’t have a mating bond, it’s undeniably obvious. I wish more than anything I could set these nerves aside. “Or all the way?”
“If that’s what you want.” Christiana’s tone is soft, but the need in her eyes is undeniable, luring me in.
“I do.” More than anything. “Just, I’ve never—”
She interrupts me with a soft kiss. “Micah, it’s okay. I’ll show you everything. I’ll give you everything. And then you can take as much or as little control as you like. How’s that sound?”
What have I done to deserve her? “Perfect.”
The next kiss makes my breath catch, and I need her closer.
“Can I pick you up?” I ask.
“Yes,” Christiana whispers, quick and breathless.
I do, and the moment her legs are off the ground, Christiana wraps them around my hips instead, and the heat of her core is pressed right against my stomach. She’s wet in a way that has nothing to do with the water, and that knowledge knocks every cogent thought out of my head. I kiss Christiana on the lips, then down her jaw, seeking the pulse in her throat so I can feel it quiver against my teeth.
Her back arches, breasts pressing against my own, and the combination of softness and friction makes my hands tighten over the curve of her ass. I could hold Christiana up like this for hours, simply feeling her body flush with mine. When I knead at the firm muscle underneath my palms, she moans, nails biting crescents into my shoulders.
“Should have had you pick me up before,” she mumbles, tilting her head to steal another kiss. “Mm, this is so much easier.”
The problem is, I don’t know where to go from here. Kissing is simple enough, but I want to offer more than my hands wandering with no rhyme or reason. “Tell me what I can do.”
“Honestly...” Christiana shivers, having to pause to draw in a ragged breath. “It feels like I could grind against your abs and get off while we make out, but that really wasn’t my plan.”
A wave of fresh arousal leaves me aching, and delight burns in her gaze.
“You like that idea, huh?” She rolls her hips, slow and deliberate, spreading slick heat across my skin. “Your eyes went gold.”
Now I can see my mate that much better, dark hair spilling over each shoulder, the roundness of Christiana’s face welcomed by the distant moonlight, her full lips and brown eyes I can fall into with a single glance.
“Whatever makes you feel good,” I growl. “That’s what I want.”
“Pull me against you,” she whispers into another kiss.
The next time Christiana rolls her hips, I welcome the thrust, using my hands on her ass for leverage. A whine catches in her throat, eyelids briefly fluttering closed. I have to hear that sound again; once isn’t anywhere near enough.
“Like that,” Christiana gasps, “although we should probably...get out of the water.”
“Only if you want. It’s easy to hold you up.”
“And being held in your outrageously nice arms is one of the hottest things that ever happened to me,” she confesses with a smile, “but the more of my body you can touch, the better, you know?”
I certainly can’t argue.
The blanket is incredibly soft under my shins as I carry her out of the water and drop down, laying Christiana down on her back. Her smile gets even wider, knees falling slack around my hips and then spreading farther. I can’t help staring, memorizing every dip and curve of her body, following the shadows to where they join between her thighs, the field of dark curls there damp and glistening.
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper. The words aren’t anywhere near enough to express how it feels to take her in—the First Wolf blessed me, and I nearly let Christiana slip out of my hands. “I love you so much.”
“Oh, Micah.” She draws me down into a hungry kiss, tongue seeking mine before she breaks away by an inch. “I love you too. Come here.”
I’m about to protest that I’m as close as I can be when Christiana takes hold of my wrists, bringing my hands to her breasts. I’ve never thought much of my own—other wolves care more about power than aesthetics—but being able to wander at will makes me curious what it would be like to have her touch me that way. I’ll find that out later, once I’ve had my fill of her.
My mouth follows the path of Christiana’s collarbone before I dapple kisses even lower. Her fingers sink into the back of my hair, tightening when my lips meet my hands, seeking a hardened nipple. I must be doing something right, because she whimpers high in her throat when I suck, learning the dark nub with my tongue.
“Just like that.” Her breathy praise strikes like lightning, dazing me for a breath before I remember what I’m supposed to be doing. “Micah.”
Subtle pressure from her palm guides my mouth to her other nipple, and I risk a hint of teeth. Christiana’s hips jerk up off the blanket, pressing against me just long enough for the friction to be a tease. My hands fan down her ribs, across the soft rise of her stomach, claiming every inch of her I can while keeping my mouth occupied.
Christiana’s knees press in on either side of my shoulders, the muscles in her thighs taut with tension. “Keep going. Please.”
I glance up, my mouth full of her, and the sight of her flushed face and parted lips almost stuns me in place. Instinct drives me to suck a bit harder, watching bliss flash through Christiana’s eyes before I relent, kissing and nuzzling my way down her stomach. She spreads her legs wider to let me fit between them, although a jolt of nervousness stops me at the curls between her thighs. Of course I know myself well enough, but this is different.
“Taste me,” Christiana whispers, “I can see how much you want to.”
That I can’t deny. A broad sweep of my tongue against swollen folds parts her open, and I groan deep in my throat as Christiana’s taste hits me. I want more, and her swift moan of encouragement bids me to hook my arms underneath her thighs, pulling her hips close as they can be. Every slow lick teaches me something new—where she’s the most sensitive, where wetness gathers and smears slick against my chin—and when my nose bumps against the swell of her clit, Christiana gasps sharply.
“Get your mouth around me.” The plea is in tandem with a light tug of my hair, short-circuiting any other urge beyond giving her what she wants.
She’s so hot and desperately wet between my lips, and even a brief flicker of my tongue against her clit earns another breathless moan. I try to build the pressure slow, sucking until her hips twitch, then lapping at the slickness that spills free. Her palm gripping the back of my head makes me growl, and she answers with a whimper high in her throat.
Oh, I like that sound.
“I want your fingers too,” Christiana says, voice strained. “I have to know how you feel inside me.”
Fuck. I have to think past the heavy throb of arousal between my own thighs to remember how hands work, relaxing my grip on her hips so I can fit my arm between our bodies instead. My fingertips brush her labia, sticky with heat, and I slide one inside of her slow but deep. She’s tight yet giving, the subtle stretch easing me in, and Christiana’s free hand clenches into a hard fist around the blanket.
A breathy laugh leaves her throat. “Oh God, your hands are big.”
I pause, wary of hurting her. “Too much?”
“No,” she answers quickly. “Start with two fingers. But I bet you can work me to three.”
Christiana’s back arches off the blanket when I add a second finger and return my mouth to her clit. She opens up for me even more as I start to thrust, trying to find a rhythm without losing focus. In that moment, she’s my entire world, every sense I have attuned to her body—nerves and breath, pleasure and heat, the scent of honey and salt on her skin as the sharper taste between her thighs takes over me. I drink deep, following every twitch and twist of her hips.
“More, Micah, mm!” Every syllable is barely chained to the others. She’s so close to falling apart. “Curl your fingers right at the end, suck me, just—”
She gives up on instructions as I slide a third finger inside her, eager to obey. I work my hand faster, hypnotized by how Christiana clenches tight around me, utterly entranced by the fullness of her clit between my lips. Her nails dig into the nape of my neck, and the spark of pain makes my next thrust rough and quick. A curse catches between Christiana’s teeth and I feel her come undone.
I’ve never valued my name more than hearing it on her lips, thrown high with pleasure as Christiana rides out her orgasm. I’m greedy, trying to draw out the bliss as long as I can, sweeping my tongue against her clit and pumping my fingers until she collapses back on the blanket, panting. A faint twitch along my hand makes her shudder, but it’s hard to think of pulling out when I can still feel those subtle aftershocks drawing me in.
The only thing that convinces me is the chance to kiss her again. I slowly withdraw, savoring the sensation as long as I can. Moving up onto all fours, I claim Christiana’s mouth with mine, and she returns the kiss with even more passion than I expect, biting at my lip. A deep rumble rises from my chest, my entire body burning hot when her tongue darts out to steal her own taste back from mine.
“You’re quick on the uptake, babe,” she whispers. “That felt so good.”
Pride blooms in my chest. I can’t doubt her words, not when the truth is written in Christiana’s scent, the very beat of her heart. “Well, you feel incredible.”
“And what are you in the mood for now?” Her palms slide down my back, and even that brief contact steals a groan from my throat. “Because I really want to return the favor.”
Every animal part of my mind answers, the urge to rut and leave Christiana marked with my scent. I shift and straddle one of her thighs, pressing down and seeking friction. She presses her leg up immediately, and a shock of pleasure goes from my clit to the rest of my body, startling a growl from my throat. I roll my hips when she flexes the muscle there, offering a firmer surface to ride, and it feels so good I nearly lose the capacity to speak.
“You want to ride me, huh?” Delight infuses her voice, hands sliding even lower to give my ass a hard squeeze. “You’re so wet.”
“Because of you,” I manage to grit through my teeth. Talking is getting harder by the second.
Christiana kisses me again, hard and hungry, and I muffle another sound against her lip as my hips jerk. With my arms braced on either side of her head, I have all the leverage I need, breath quickening. She gropes and touches me shamelessly, reveling in every part of my body she can reach, and being wanted without hesitation or regret drives away any fear I can summon. There’s nothing but bliss and her, surrendering to instinct to chase release.
“Christiana.” I’m not even sure what I’m asking for, but she’s my mate and she understands.
“You’re close, aren’t you?” She rocks up into me, and pleasure sends silver stars across my vision. “My mate. All mine.”
I tilt my head and bite down on her shoulder, hard enough to leave a mark. The moment my jaw tightens, the threads of tension inside me snaps, and the fluid roll of my hips breaks down to short, jerky movements. Ecstasy shakes me to my core, so much better than anything I’ve ever felt that it’s almost beyond comprehension. Christiana gasps my name, and I have just enough awareness to soothe the bite with a kiss and soft laps of my tongue.
“Holy shit,” she whispers, breathing almost as hard as I am. “That was a lot, Micah.”
“Sorry.” My throat is dry, making each word a little raw. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
A brilliant blush spreads across Christiana’s face. “I didn’t say it hurt. Pretty much the opposite, trust me.”
Oh. Good to know. “Thanks for...showing me the way.”
“I didn’t have to do that much teaching,” she teases, then gives me another light kiss. “But I guess it helps that you were so worked up.”
That’s putting it mildly. Even after that overwhelming orgasm, the idea of more floats in the back of my mind, wondering how much we could get away with before the night ends. I’d happily exhaust myself learning everything she likes.
Except Christiana wraps her arms around my back and pulls me close, holding our bodies together like it’s her only anchor to the world. I carefully shift to return the embrace, draping my weight over her, and wonder how I got so damn lucky.