She considered this, her expression thoughtful. Then she stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Her hands came up to cup his face, her touch achingly tender.
“I choose you,” she whispered, rising on her toes to press her lips to his.
This kiss was different from all those that had come before—not uncertain, not impulsive, but knowing. Kirk wrapped his arms around her and drew her close as moonlight washed over them.
His bear rumbled with deep satisfaction.Our mate. At last.
Chapter Fifteen – Isla
The clearing was quiet after Kirk shifted back to human form. Isla’s fingertips traced the shape of him with a new kind of wonder. Moments ago, she had been touching his fur—thick, warm, alive with wildness. Now she was touching his face, and yet he felt exactly the same.
“You’re still you,” she whispered, her voice full of wonder.
Kirk nodded, barely breathing as she touched him. Her eyes moved over his face as if searching for a hint of the creature that had stood in his place. The mystery was gone, but what remained felt deeper. More certain.
“Are you afraid?” Kirk asked softly.
Isla shook her head slowly. “No.” She slipped her hands around the nape of his neck. “I’m not afraid of you, Kirk. I never was.”
Her lips met his in a kiss that was slow, deliberate, and full of intent. She knew exactly what she wanted. Him.
Her mouth opened under his, inviting him deeper, and Kirk responded with a groan that rumbled up from his chest. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, palms flat against his skin, exploring the hard planes of his abdomen, the solid strength of him.
Desire moved through her so sharply that it stole her breath for a moment. She was his. His mate.
She relished that word and all that it meant.
“Isla,” he said, as their kiss broke. “I want you to remember that you always have a choice. At any point, if this all becomes too much…”
She silenced him by pulling him back into another kiss, her fingers tangling in his hair. “I choose you,” she whispered against his mouth. “I choose this.”
The forest surrounded them, ancient pines standing sentinel in the darkness. The clearing felt hidden from the rest of the world. For once, Isla wasn’t thinking about the life waiting for her beyond this night. She was here, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
Kirk slid his hands to her waist and guided her backward until her shoulders met the trunk of a broad pine. His mouth left hers and moved to her neck, each kiss drawing a fresh shiver from her.
“I’ve wanted this since I first saw you,” he murmured against her skin. “Wanted you.”
“Show me,” Isla breathed, her head falling back for him.
Kirk slipped his hands beneath the hem of her blouse, his touch leaving trails of heat across her skin. With deliberate care, he lifted the fabric, his eyes meeting hers in silent question. Isla nodded, raising her arms to help him remove it.
He looked at her with such open hunger and desire that Isla felt beautiful in a way she hadn’t in years. His gaze traced the curves of her breasts in their simple cotton bra, the soft swell of her stomach, the constellation of freckles across her shoulders.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, bending to press a kiss to the hollow of her throat.
Isla’s fingers found the buttons of his flannel shirt, working them free one by one. She pushed the fabric from his shoulders, revealing the broad expanse of his chest, dusted with dark hair that narrowed to a trail disappearing beneath his jeans. She traced it with her fingertips, loving the way his muscles tensed beneath her touch.
Kirk reached behind her to unfasten her bra, his movements unhurried. As the garment fell away, he cupped her breasts in his large hands, thumbs brushing over her nipples until they hardened into tight buds. Isla gasped at the sensation, arching into his touch.
She whimpered as he lowered his head, taking one nipple into his mouth while his fingers continued to tease the other. The wet heat of his tongue sent pleasure through her in sharp, breathless waves. Isla’s hands clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as he suckled and licked, drawing sounds from her she hadn’t known she could make.
The night air cooled her flushed skin as Kirk turned his attention to her other breast. Isla’s hands weren’t idle, exploring the broad planes of his back, the hard ridges of muscle, the warmth that seemed to radiate from him even in the cool night.
Then she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans, fumbling with the button in her eagerness. Kirk helped her, pushing the denim down his legs along with his boxers. He took a step back and kicked them away as her eyes feasted on the sight before her. Kirk, her mate, magnificent in his nakedness.
With a groan, he closed the distance between them and nuzzled her neck. Isla slid her hand down between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his length, stroking him slowly. Kirk’s eyes fell closed, his breath hitching as she moved her hand up and down, feeling him harden beneath her touch.
“Lie down with me,” he ground out, his voice rough with desire.
