His bear huffed.Coward.
Patient,Kirk corrected silently.There’s a difference.
They reached Isla’s car, parked in the shadow of a towering pine. Kirk waited as Isla opened the back door, then carefully leaned in to settle Percy into his seat. The boy murmuredsomething indecipherable but didn’t wake as Kirk gently secured his seatbelt, making sure it lay flat across his small chest.
“Is he comfortable?” Isla asked, peering over Kirk’s shoulder.
“I think so,” Kirk whispered, stepping back from the car. He closed the door with a soft click, careful not to disturb Percy’s sleep.
And then they were alone, standing close together beside the car, neither making a move to end the evening. The moonlight silvered Isla’s hair, and for a moment she looked ethereal, almost magical. Kirk’s fingers itched to touch it, to see if it felt as soft as it looked, to check she was real.
But she was real; he could feel the warmth radiating from her body, smell the scent of her skin.
Kiss her now!his bear demanded.
Not yet,Kirk said firmly.I want her to lead.
Isla broke the silence first. “I wanted to thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “For today. The foraging, letting us cook in your kitchen... Percy had the time of his life.”
“And you?” Kirk couldn’t stop himself from asking.
Her eyes met his, and he saw the moonlight reflected in them. And more. Desire. Longing. “Me too,” she admitted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed cooking like that. Since I’ve enjoyed... anything... like that.”
Those words carried weight, and Kirk wanted to ask what she meant, wanted to know everything about her—her past, her dreams, her fears. But he held back, sensing she would tell him when she was ready.
“I’m glad,” he said simply.
The moment between them felt so fragile that he did not want to break it. Kirk sensed that whatever happened next wouldchange everything. He took a small step back, giving her space to choose.
His bear growled in frustration.What are you doing? She’s right there!
I’m respecting her boundaries,Kirk replied silently.If this is going to happen, it has to be her choice.
For a heartbeat, Kirk thought he’d misread the situation entirely. But then Isla reached out, her fingers catching the sleeve of his flannel shirt. The gesture was small but unmistakably deliberate.
“Kirk,” she said, his name a question and an answer all at once.
And then she was moving toward him, closing the distance he’d created. Her free hand came up to rest against his chest, directly over his thundering heart. Kirk held perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe as she rose slightly on her toes.
Is this happening?his bear asked, suddenly hushed with wonder.
It’s happening,Kirk confirmed, his own thoughts slowing to a crawl as Isla’s face tilted up toward his.
The first brush of her lips against his was tentative, questioning. Kirk remained motionless, letting her set the pace, letting her decide how far this would go. Her mouth was soft, warmer than he’d imagined in his countless daydreams.
And then something shifted. Isla pressed closer, her kiss growing more certain, more deliberate. There was no desperation in it, no frantic need, just a calm certainty that left Kirk breathless.
He cupped her face and brushed his thumbs gently over her cheekbones as he returned her kiss with equal care. The world narrowed to this single point of contact—her lips on his, thecatch in her breath, the moonlight washing everything silver around them.
Our mate,his bear sighed in contentment.Finally.
When they finally broke apart, neither rushed to put distance between them. Kirk’s hands remained cradling her face, and Isla’s fingers were still curled in the fabric of his shirt. Their eyes met in the moonlight, both knowing something had shifted between them, that they had taken a step forward and could never quite go back.
“I should go,” Isla whispered, though she made no move to step away.
“Yes,” Kirk agreed reluctantly. “It’s late.”
Slowly, as if it physically pained her, Isla released her hold on his shirt and stepped back. The night air rushed into the space between them, cool against Kirk’s heated skin.
