She did not trust herself to speak, giving her answer with a brief nod. Kirk half-smiled at her as he spread his shirt on the forest floor, creating a makeshift bed in the soft pine needles. As he straightened up, their eyes locked, and she held his gaze whileshe removed the rest of her clothes, surprised by how little self-consciousness she felt in the moonlit clearing.
She wanted to be naked in front of him. Exposed to him. To his gaze, to his touch.
Kirk’s eyes darkened, hunger and appreciation plain on his face.
“You are beautiful.” He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to guide her down onto their improvised bed. Then he lay down beside her, covering her body with his own. His mouth found hers again in a kiss that began gently and then deepened into something more urgent.
Kirk slid his hand between her thighs, his fingers finding her already slick with desire. Isla gasped against his mouth as he stroked her, his touch both gentle and firm. While his fingers teased her entrance, his thumb circled her sensitive spot, building a pleasure so sharp she could barely breathe.
“Kirk,” she moaned, her hips rising to meet his hand.
He kissed his way down her body, pausing over her breasts again before moving lower. His tongue traced patterns across her stomach, her hipbones, the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. When he settled between her legs, his intentions clear, Isla felt a momentary flutter of vulnerability.
“Let me taste you,” he murmured, his breath warm against her most intimate place.
At her nod, he lowered his head, his tongue making a slow, deliberate stroke that had her crying out. Kirk’s hands held her hips steady as he worshiped her with his mouth, alternating between broad strokes and focused attention on the bundle of nerves that sent electricity shooting through her limbs.
Isla’s fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to her as pleasure built within her like a gathering storm. Kirk slipped afinger inside her, then another, curling them to find the spot that made her see stars. The combined sensation of his mouth and his fingers drove her toward the edge far too fast to resist.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped, her back arching off their makeshift bed.
Kirk increased his pace, his tongue flicking rhythmically against her as his fingers continued their skilled exploration. The tension built until, when release finally came, it broke over her in waves, her body clenching around his fingers.
Kirk did not relent until she lay limp and breathless beneath him. He kissed his way back up her body, his eyes dark with desire as he reached her mouth again, rekindling her desire.
She reached between them to stroke him again, feeling him hard and ready against her palm. “I want you,” she whispered against his lips. “All of you.”
“Are you sure?” he asked one more time, his eyes searching hers.
In answer, Isla guided him to her entrance, her legs wrapping around his waist in clear invitation. Kirk pushed forward slowly, entering her with exquisite care. The stretch of him was intense but perfect, filling her completely. They both gasped when he was fully inside her, and for a moment, they remained perfectly still, foreheads pressed together.
Then Kirk began to move, pulling back before thrusting into her, slower, deeper. Each thrust was deliberate, controlled, his eyes never leaving hers as he established a rhythm that had her gasping. Isla’s hips rose to meet him, drawing him deeper.
He dipped his head, capturing one of her nipples between his lips. The wet heat of his mouth combined with the fullness of him inside her made Isla cry out, her fingers digging into his shoulders. His tongue swirled around the sensitive peak beforedrawing it deeper into his mouth, sucking gently, then more firmly as her back arched off the ground.
Kirk moved to her other breast, lavishing it with the same attention while maintaining his steady thrusts. His tongue flicked over her nipple, teasing it to an aching hardness before circling it slowly, deliberately. Pleasure radiated through her—his mouth on her breast, his hardness stretching her perfectly, his weight pressing her into their forest bed.
“Kirk,” she moaned, her head falling back as sensation overwhelmed her. “Please...”
Kirk shifted slightly, changing the angle of his thrusts, and Isla gasped as he hit a spot deep inside her that sent pleasure spiraling outward. He captured her cry with his mouth, swallowing the sound as he continued to move within her.
The pleasure built in her the way heat built in a dish—slow at first, then all at once. Her second orgasm built more slowly than the first, gathering with each deep stroke of his body against hers.
“Kirk,” she breathed, feeling the tension coiling tighter. “I’m close.”
He slipped a hand between them, his fingers finding her sensitive bud once more. The added stimulation was all she needed to push her over the edge. Isla cried out as pleasure crashed over her again, her body clenching rhythmically around him.
The sensation of her release triggered Kirk’s own. With a deep groan, he buried his face in her neck, his hips stuttering as he filled her with his essence.
As their breathing slowed, Isla became aware of the forest again—the rustle of pine needles, the call of a night bird,moonlight shifting through the trees. She felt strangely peaceful, more at home in her own skin than she had in years.
The realization came over her all at once: she felt safe. Utterly, completely safe in Kirk’s arms. After everything they had just shared, vulnerability should have been the obvious feeling. Instead, all she felt was safe. Protected by this man who could transform into something wild and powerful, yet held her with such gentle care.
“What are you thinking?” Kirk murmured, his fingers tracing lazy patterns along her spine.
“That I should feel scared or uncertain after everything that’s happened,” she admitted. “But instead I feel... calm.”
Kirk pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Good. That’s how I want you to feel with me. Always.”
