His eyes squeezed tight, and he drew in a breath. “Okay.”
“Rudy?”
When his eyes opened, they glistened with tears that made my chest ache. “Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now. That’s not a question. I’m not asking, and I don’t care if you go all wolfy; it’s not going to stop me.” I’d never needed to kiss anyone as badly as I did him.
A flash of hunger lit his misty eyes, and he simply nodded. His hands stayed on my waist as I leaned closer. His eyes slammed shut again, and his nostrils flared, his lips parting slightly. Fucking hell, this man. Angling my head, I closed the distance and covered his mouth with mine.
I could feel his body stiffen, and his hands tightened on my bare waist as our mouths were pressed together, waiting, unmoving. And then the pause broke, and I felt a rumble crawl up his throat and thrum into me. Rudy’s hands slid around my back, folding his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. His lips began to move against mine.
I was no expert kisser, but the sloppy desperation of it didn’t stop me from meeting him with as much vigor as he was giving me. A spark of electricity zipped through me, igniting every part of me. With the way Rudy inhaled sharply, I knew he must have felt it, too. A fang brushed against my lip, making my blood heat from within. It was man and wolf, hunger and need, but something so much deeper than that, too.
We felt connected beyond the tongues that tasted and teased, the teeth that nipped, and the lips thatnibbled. It felt as if my heart was pulled into his chest and his into mine. When I pulled back at last, we were both panting, breathless, and awestruck.
“Wow,” I managed to whisper, not entirely sure I was still in my own body.
Rudy stared at my mouth as if completely entranced. He reached up and swiped my lower lip, where I could now taste a hint of copper. There was a drop of blood on his finger that he put to his lips and sucked off. My jaw fell open at the sight and the unexpected way it turned me on.
Rudy’s eyes turned to that pink glow of his wolf’s as he grabbed the back of my neck and leaned forward, swiping his tongue along my mouth in a move that was definitely prompted by the beast within. “You’re mine, Bowen.”
It was spoken in words as well as the guttural sounds of the wolf, a perfect blend of the two. Though I could tell as soon as the wolf retreated, when his blue eyes rounded and his cheeks flamed red.
“Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
I huffed out a laugh as I touched my fingers to my lips in wonder. “Actually, I think you did. I heard you both.”
Rudy winced. “Okay, maybe, but I, uh, wasn’t thinking. I was…reacting. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I clasped his face in my hands. “No, Rudy, no! Nothing like that. All you did was blow my fucking mind. Holy hell, Rudy.”
Needing to make sure he knew he wasn’t scaring me off, I leaned in and pecked a quick kiss against his swollen lips, careful not to linger. If I did, I wasn’t sure either of us would be able to stop it.
Rudy’s eyes roamed over me, and he gave a slight shake of his head. “Gods, you’re incredible, Bowen.”
“Yes, you are,” Aurelia’s voice in my head made me jump, startling Rudy in the process.
“Holy hell! A little warning next time, maybe?” I turned my head to find the little dragon sitting on the top step near the steel door.
“I did attempt to alert you, but you were otherwise occupied.”
I shook my head with a laugh and patted Rudy’s cheek before withdrawing from his arms. “We’ll continue this later.”
His eyes flashed once more. “Yes, later.”
“Your clothes are in the upper room. Once you’re dressed, I would like you to meet me on the roof. It will allow us some privacy, and it is the best place for me to soak up the morning sun before it’s gone.You know how to get there, yes?”
“Yes. I went to the observation deck last night, hoping to catch a view of the sunset flight, but the clouds were too thick to see anything.”
Rudy slid a glance between me and the dragon. “What’s happening?”
“She wants to talk on the roof,” I said.Rudy stood up and stretched. “Okay. I’ll let the others know I’ll be unavailable for a while.”
“Please tell the wolf that isn’t necessary. I will look after you.”Aurelia was gone as quickly as she’d arrived.
Climbing out of the mattress on the floor, I crossed the room to stand in front of him. “Thank you, but I think it will be easier if it’s just the two of us. I need whatever answers Aurelia can give me. My whole life, I’ve wondered why I was different, why I had this thing no one else did. I need to know what it means. Why me? You can understand that, right?”
“Yeah, of course. I was just… fuck, Bowen, I was so scared last night. I don’t know if that’s a feeling I'll be able to forget easily. I don’t like leaving you.” Worry creased his brow, and I hated seeing the fear in his eyes.
