My gaze shifts to Liam. I’ll probably never have a love like that. The one man I can picture it with is already taken. And even if he wasn’t, he’s not into men. If I had any real survival instincts, I’d move out of his home soon. Staying is painful. Knowing I’ll never have him is sometimes torture. I tell myself his friendship is enough, but I’m lying to myself.
No wonder Kara hates me.
Around 10:00 p.m. we say our goodnights. The drive home is quiet. The roads are dark and the snow has stopped, the sky clear and full of stars. I enjoyed the visit way more than I thought I would. Liam’s parents are warm and kind.
When we walk into the house, Liam asks, “What would you think about going for a run?” He slips out of his coat. “I feel restless.”
“Do you?” After all the wine and food we had, I assumed he’d just want to crash.
“Yeah.” He avoids my gaze, rubbing his shoulder agitatedly. “I’m not ready for sleep yet.”
I unzip my jacket. “Oh, uh, sure. We can do that.”
“I thought it might be a nice way to end the evening.” He studies me, his eyes glittering. “But if you don’t want to, that’s okay. I can go alone.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’d love a run with you.”
He nods his approval and heads toward the back door. “Then let’s do it. We’ll probably both sleep better if we burn off energy.”
We strip on the back porch like usual, the freezing air raising goosebumps across my skin. I try not to look at Liam, and mostly succeed. Mostly. It’s hard not to take at least a peek. He’s got a gorgeous body. Lean, but muscular. My mouth goes dry just looking at sinewy thighs and firm ass. But I make sure he doesn’t catch me looking.
The shift comes on fast. Bones cracking, muscles reshaping, fur penetrating through skin. The pain is brief and then the world erupts into scent and sound. Liam shifts beside me, his black fur gleaming in the moonlight. He shakes himself once, and then takes off into the trees.
I follow.
We run hard tonight. Harder than usual. Through the dense forest and up along the ridgeline, our paws pounding the icyground. The cold burns in my lungs and the wind pulls at my fur. Liam is fast, seemingly restless tonight. I do my best to match his pace stride for stride. It’s not easy because he has longer legs, but I don’t like being left behind. We don’t play tonight. There’s an intensity to the run that feels different, charged with a buzzing energy.
At the ridge, we stop. The valley stretches below us, Golden Peak glittering in the distance. Our breath mists and mingles in the frozen air. Liam presses his nose into my neck as if scenting me. I allow it and lean into him, feeling the heat of his body through our fur. For a long moment we just stand there, under the vast starry sky. As if we’re the only two wolves in the world.
Then he grunts and turns, heading back toward home, and I follow.
We shift into human form on the back porch. The cold bites my bare skin harshly, but my blood is still pulsing hot from the run. “That felt good,” I breathe, reaching for my clothes. “I needed that more than I realized.”
The memory of his hot breath warming the fur of my neck still lingers, but I don’t mention the intimate moment we shared. He wouldn’t like it if I did. Liam prefers to pretend that what we do in wolf form means nothing once we shift back. Since I want to keep running with him, I honor his need to keep the two worlds separate.
But I can sense his heartbeat still, and it’s beating faster than usual. I turn, about to begin dressing, but I’m surprised to find he’s right there. Closer than I realized. His dark eyes glitter with something wild. He’s shifted back into his human form, but it’s as if his wolf still has a hold on him. The primal look in his eyes makes my heart rate pick up, and my dick warms and hardens in response.
We just stare at each other, then he moves forward and I instinctively take a step back. My nostrils fill with his scent, a mixture of wolf, man, sweat, and pine. As I study him, I’m surprised to see his wolf is right there on the surface. It’s bristling in his eyes, and in the way his muscles are coiled, and in the low rough sound of his breathing.
“Liam,” I whisper, a question in my voice.
He takes another step closer, and my shoulders bump the wall of the house. We’re both still naked as he braces his hands on either side of my head. His body touches mine, warm, firm skin brushing mine. I’m in shock as I feel his dick pressing against my stomach. He’s fully erect, his arousal scenting the air around us. I’m hard too, precum seeping from the head of my dick, smearing against his abdomen.
I’m breathless and confused about what’s happening. We’ve shifted and run many times together, and he’s never once looked at me the way he is now. I’ll admit though, from the second we returned home after dinner, something was different. His restlessness was palpable. Even so, the way he’s watching me and leaning into me makes no sense. Not if he’s straight. Not if he’s in love with Kara.
“Isn’t this what you want?” he asks hoarsely.
I blink at him, too afraid to respond.
The heat radiating off him is searing. I feel his pulse reverberating through me. His golden-brown eyes search my face, pausing on my mouth. I swear Ifeelhis gaze on my lips. My legs are weak as I watch him war with himself. The man trying to pull back. The wolf refusing to let him.
The wolf wins.
With a throaty groan, his mouth finds mine. His tongue pushes deep into my mouth, and just the taste of him could make me come. I moan and respond to his hunger, unable to stop myself. The kiss is rough, ravenous, nothing like I imagined but everything I wanted.
His lips are hot and demanding, and when I open more for him, a carnal sound tears from his throat that vibrates through my entire body. His hand slides to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I grab his hips, my fingers digging into bare skin, and he presses me harder against the wall.
Is this really happening?
