My heart stuttered in my chest, something cracking open inside me, and I pulled back just enough to look at him — this beautiful, earnest, too-much Alpha who had just handed me his whole heart.
"You don't scare me." I traced my thumb across his cheekbone, catching the tear that lingered there, my voice soft. "And you don't have to take it back."
His breath caught, hope and disbelief warring in his expression, his amber eyes searching mine desperately. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, soft and sweet, feeling him tremble against me, feeling his purr start to build. "I'm not ready to say it back yet. But I'm getting there. Is that okay?"
"That's more than okay." His voice was rough with emotion, his arms tightening around me, his scent wrapping around us both like a blanket, warm and sweet and utterly content. "That's everything, Aster."
Ice cream came next — a shop with forty-two flavors and a teenager behind the counter who looked mildly terrified of Kol's enthusiasm.
"Try the honey lavender." Kol bounced on his heels, pointing at the display case, his amber eyes bright, his voice eager. "No wait, the salted caramel. No, the strawberry basil. Actually, can she try all three?"
The teenager looked at me with barely concealed desperation, and I bit back a laugh.
"Just the honey lavender." I decided, watching Kol's face light up at my choice, his grin stretching wide.
"That's my favorite too!" He turned to the counter, practically vibrating with excitement, his words tumbling out. "Two honey lavenders. No, wait, one honey lavender and one salted caramel so we can share. Unless you don't want to share? Do you want to share? We don't have to share."
"We can share." I tugged on his arm, pulling him back from the counter before he overwhelmed the poor teenager completely, amusement warm in my chest. We ate our ice cream on a bench in the town square, watching people go by, our shoulders pressed together, his knee bouncing with residual energy. The honey lavender was perfect — sweet and floral with a richness that lingered on my tongue.
"Good?" Kol watched my face with barely contained hope, a smudge of salted caramel on the corner of his mouth, his amber eyes bright.
"Perfect." I leaned over and kissed the caramel away, feeling him go still with surprise before melting against me, a purr starting to build in his chest, vibrating against my lips.
"You can't just do that." His voice came out strangled, his amber eyes dark with something that made heat pool in my belly, his breath coming faster.
"Do what?" I took another lick of my ice cream, watching his eyes track the movement, watching his throat bob as he swallowed.
"Be perfect." He groaned, dropping his head back against the bench, his purr intensifying until I could feel it through the wooden slats. "You're killing me, Aster. Absolutely killing me."
I laughed, the sound light and free, and he turned his head to look at me with such naked adoration that my breath caught.
"I like making you laugh." His voice was soft, sincere, his hand finding mine and threading our fingers together, his amber eyes warm. "I'd do anything to hear that sound."
The drive home was quieter, the sun setting behind us, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Kol's terrible singing had faded into comfortable silence, his hand resting on my knee, his thumb tracing absent patterns on my jeans.
He pulled over at a scenic overlook about halfway home — a small gravel lot overlooking a valley that glowed golden in the fading light.
"I wanted to show you this." His voice was soft as he put the truck in park, his amber eyes reflecting the sunset, something vulnerable in his expression. "I found it a few months ago, when I was doing deliveries. I've been waiting for the right person to share it with."
I looked out at the view — rolling hills and distant trees and the kind of vast, open sky that made you feel small in the best way — and felt something settle in my chest.
"It's beautiful." My voice came out rough with emotion, my throat tight.
"You're beautiful." He wasn't looking at the view anymore, his amber eyes fixed on my face, his expression open andvulnerable, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had such a good day, Aster. The best day. And I just..." He trailed off, his throat working. "I wanted you to know that. That this was perfect. That you're perfect. That I?—"
I kissed him before he could finish, climbing across the bench seat to straddle his lap, my hands fisting in his shirt. He made a sound of surprise against my mouth, his hands coming up to grip my hips, and then he was kissing me back with everything he had.
This kiss was different from the ones before — deeper, more desperate, his mouth hot and hungry against mine. His hands slid up my back, pulling me closer, his chest rumbling with a purr so loud I could feel it vibrating through the steering wheel, through the seat, through my whole body.
I broke away to breathe, and he chased my mouth, whimpering when I pulled back, his amber eyes dark with want.
"Aster." My name came out broken, desperate, his lips swollen and wet, his hands trembling where they gripped my hips. "Please."
"Please what?" I traced my finger along his jaw, feeling him shiver, feeling his hands tighten on me.
"Just... please." He didn't seem to know what he was asking for, just that he needed it, needed me, needed this moment to never end, his amber eyes pleading.
