SIX
RIVEN
Last night's kisses lingered in my thoughts.
Indigo’s lips were so soft beneath mine, and when he allowed me entry, our tongues danced and dueled and my cock engorged. I’d been pressed against him, and he had to have felt my arousal because his dick was hard, too.
As we kissed, his scent intensified, making me dizzy. My wolf was clamoring to mate him, but I pulled back, though it’d taken all my strength when Indigo whimpered and mewled.
I’d vowed to myself there’d be no intimacy until I showed him who I was, but that promise was unraveling.
Bare feet padded across the hardwood floor, and Indigo appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled.
“Morning.” He gave me a shy smile. “I half expected to find you already gone on your daily mountain man adventure.”
I sat up. “This mountain man is taking a snow day.”
“So we're trapped?” He peered outside.
“Never. The main paths will be cleared by the afternoon. Do you have somewhere to be?”
He giggled, a delightful flush spreading from his cheeks to his throat. “What does one do on a snow day in the mountains?”
“Caffeine first.” I moved past him toward the kitchen, allowing my hand to graze his arm.
While I made coffee, Indigo assembled ingredients for pancakes. Neither of us had addressed our kiss—or kisses, plural.
I took over the cooking because he burned the first pancake, and I had visions of another sticking to the ceiling if he tried to flip it. After we both tucked into our breakfast, Indigo put down his fork.
“About last night.”
My heart rate increased.Here it comes.
It’s galloping, my wolf intoned.
“I wanted to check in.” He attacked the pancake again. “That it wasn't just a moment of snow-induced madness.”
“It wasn't for me.” I reached across the counter to take his hand.
“I’m conflicted.” He nibbled his bottom lip. “I don’t live here. I’m not a snow person, I can’t chop down a tree or whittle a piece of wood, so what are we doing?” He shoved a huge chunk of pancake in his mouth. “And yet…”
I could hardly breathe, and my beast stopped talking to listen.
“It’s almost as though I belong here.” He waved his fork in the air. “Which is bonkers, right? I'm a city accountant with an apartment, no job, but a life waiting for me. But this place and you feel like home. Make it make sense.”
His words settled around me like a hug, and I was tempted to kick my heels and dance around the room.
Don’t. My wolf had seen me dance.
Perhaps we could be a mated pair. I swallowed a mouthful of pancake and almost choked. “Not so strange.” I skirted around the truth. “Sometimes we find connections in unexpected places.”
“A connection? Yes.” He nodded.
“It's the beginning of one.” I met his gaze and counted the seconds until I continued. “If you want it to be.”
“I do. But it scares me. Relationships involve a lot of back and forth. This is too easy.” He set down his fork after stabbing the air with it. “What happens when I leave? When witness protection ends and I go back to the city?”
That was the question I couldn’t answer. “I don't know. I can't imagine not having you in my life.”
