It felt too good. Way too good.
I nudged him, pushing at his shoulder until he rolled onto his back and swung a leg over, straddling him.
He let out a surprised huff, hands coming up automatically to steady my hips.
“Don’t tell me you’re tired already?” I teased, still a little unsteady, warmth buzzing through my veins.
His eyes were dark, mouth curved into something loose and satisfied.
He looked relaxed. Content. Like this wasn’t just sex to him, like he wasn’t already halfway out the door.
That should’ve been my first warning.
I leaned down anyway, pressing a kiss to his mouth, then his jaw, letting my lips trail lower.
His skin was warm beneath my lips, damp with sweat. I traced the line of his collarbone with my tongue, tasting salt, feeling the way his breath hitched under me.
That was when his hand came up.
His palm cupped my cheek, thumb brushing lightly along my jaw, guiding me back up until our faces were level again.
He kissed me softly. More a brush of lips than anything else.
It lingered just a second too long, unhurried, intentional. When he pulled back, it was slow, like he was savoring it.
Something in my chest jolted.
My wolf stirred, suddenly alert, a low, pleased hum rolling through me like a purr.
Recognition. Warmth. The urge to lean in closer instead of away. I froze.
Mark smiled at me then, like this was exactly where he wanted to be.
“Hey,” he murmured. “We can just lie here for a bit, if you want.”
That did it.
Mark shifted onto his side and tugged me down with him, settling behind me, an arm slipping around my waist.
His chest was warm against my back, his breathing steady and deep. My wolf practically melted at the contact, curling inward, wanting to nuzzle closer, wanting?—
Stay.
The thought came unbidden, heavy and insistent. I went still.
This wasn’t supposed to feel like this.
This was supposed to be a distraction. A mistake.
Something sharp and reckless to dull the sting of my ex’s name still echoing in my head.
I hadn’t planned on liking him. Hadn’t planned on the way my wolf reacted, or the way my chest felt tight instead of empty.
I told myself it was the alcohol. The heat. The convenience of a warm body and an open bed. It had to be.
Mark’s arm tightened slightly, instinctive, like he could sense the shift in me.
He pressed a slow kiss to the nape of my neck, right where I could feel my pulse quicken.
