She couldn’t help herself. The pull between them was magnetic, irresistible, and she found herself crossing the kitchen toward him like a moth drawn to flame. When she reached him, she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his, her hands fisting in the front of his uniform shirt.
This kiss was different from the desperate claiming of the night before. Slower. Deeper. A languid exploration that tasted of gratitude and promise, of everything they’d shared and everything still waiting to unfold between them. His hands came up to frame her face as he kissed her with a thoroughness that made her knees weak.
I could kiss this man forever,she thought dizzily, melting into the solid warmth of his body.
But he pulled back before she was ready, his breathing slightly uneven as he rested his forehead against hers.
“I feel bad that you didn’t get to eat dinner last night,” he said, his voice rough with lingering desire. “That’s why I made breakfast. You need to eat something.”
The concern in his tone, the way he was already thinking about taking care of her, sent warmth flooding through her chest. She glanced at the plates he’d prepared—perfectly golden eggs, crispy bacon, and buttered toast cut into neat triangles. It looked like something from a magazine, and her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
“I am starved,” she admitted with a laugh, suddenly ravenous. Two years without sex, followed by the most intense claiming of her life, had apparently worked up quite an appetite.
She attacked the food with embarrassing enthusiasm, barely pausing to chew as she shoveled forkfuls of eggs into her mouth. Rune’s low chuckle made her look up, and she found him watching her with obvious amusement.
“What?” she asked around a mouthful of bacon.
“Nothing. It’s just... refreshing to see you actually eat.”
She couldn’t suppress her grin. “Trust me, after last night, I could eat a horse.”
The heat that flared in his eyes at the reminder made her pulse skip.
“I really don’t want to leave so soon,” she continued, “but I need to get my thoughts and feelings down on paper while they’re fresh.”
His smile was knowing. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with me and last night, would it?”
“Maybe,” she said with mock innocence, then scarfed down the rest of her food with renewed urgency.
After her stomach was bursting with nourishment, she found her yellow sundress on his couch—not crumpled on the floor where they’d tossed it in their frenzy but carefully arranged. The thoughtfulness of the gesture made her chest tight with emotion she wasn’t ready to examine.
“I’m going to get changed now,” she said softly as she met his intense gaze.
“Take your time.”
Once in his bathroom, she splashed water on her face and tried to tame her wild hair into something presentable. Her reflection looked different somehow—glowing, alive in a way she hadn’t seen in years. The woman staring back at her had been thoroughly claimed by an Alpha, and it showed in the brightness of her eyes and the satisfied curve of her mouth.
When she finally emerged, Rune was waiting by the front door, holding his leather jacket.
“I really need to go,” she said, almost apologetically.
He nodded immediately, understanding flickering in his eyes. “I need to get to work too.”
No argument. No disappointment. No demands for more of her time or attention. He simply accepted her need to create, respected the urgency that was clawing at her insides.
“Here. Take my jacket,” he said, holding it open for her.
She slipped her arms into the sleeves, the leather warm and supple against her skin. It was far too big, hanging loose around her shoulders, but it smelled like him and provided a comforting weight that felt like protection.
Outside, the spring morning was crisp and bright, the forest alive with birdsong and the rustle of new leaves. Once at her car, he cupped her face in his large hands and kissed her again—slow, grounding, a promise without words that made her toes curl in her sandals.
“Be careful,” he murmured against her lips. “And good luck with your writing today.”
She pulled back and smiled, her heart doing something complicated in her chest. “Thank you for the inspiration.”
The drive back to her cabin felt surreal, like the world had shifted half a degree and now everything was sharper and more vivid. Colors seemed brighter, sounds clearer, as if someone had adjusted the contrast on reality itself. She kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other pressed to her thigh, grounding herself in sensation while her mind raced ahead to the blank document waiting on her laptop.
Her body still hummed with echoes of the night before—not just from the incredible sex, though God knew that alone would have been enough to fuel a dozen novels. It was the safety she’d felt in his arms, the way he’d made her feel utterly cherished and protected.
