She sat on the bed, hair mussed, skin still flushed from the moment before the noise interrupted.
I sat beside her. “Heart still racing?”
She nodded. “Yes, is yours?”
I huffed a breath. “After you opened that door wearing nothing but a sheet? Yeah.”
Her cheeks pinked, but she didn’t look away.
I reached out and gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
Slow.
Soft.
Giving her time to pull away.
She didn’t.
“Wolf,” she whispered, breath trembling, “when you went out there, I thought—
I thought I might lose you. And I realized something.”
My pulse kicked. “What?”
She swallowed. “I don’t want distance between us anymore.”
Very slowly, she reached out and touched the center of my chest.
Right over my heart.
I covered her hand with mine.
“Nora…” My voice broke low, edged with everything I’d been holding back. “You have no idea how much I want you.”
Her breath hitched. “Then stay. Not just in the house. In my bed. With me.”
Something molten unfurled inside me.
I leaned in, brushing my forehead against hers. “Are you sure? You’ve been through a lot tonight.”
She nodded, steady this time. “I’m sure.”
I lifted her chin with two fingers, kissed her slowly—this time not rushed, not frantic, but deep and tender and aching.
The kind of kiss that meant something.
She sighed into my mouth, and I eased her back against the pillows, the sheet sliding away as she pulled me down with her.
Her hands roamed my back.
Mine explored her curves, reverent and hungry.
“Nora,” I murmured against her neck, “I promise you this. You’re safe. With me. Always.”
Her whisper came warm and breathless:
“Then take me.”
