“Yeah, it’s not just a werewolf thing!”
Reed grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me into the alleyway we were standing in front of. His voice dropped to a furious whisper. “No wolf talk in public! No one here knows about us.”
I glared back at him, trying not to notice the fact that his face was inches from mine. “Fine.”
“Fine,” he shot back, also glaring.
Then I kissed him. I didn’t think about it. I didn’t let myself worry about the fact that I was livid with him, or that I had never kissed another man. I didn’t let myself think about him being a werewolf—a supernatural creature I knew nothing about, except what I had learned in movies, most of which was probably wrong—and I sure as hell didn’t let myself think about the fact that this man was my fated mate.
Reed let out a noise of surprise the moment our lips touched. His whole body went tense. For a split second, I thought he’d pull away.
Then, an instant later, he relaxed.
His lips were warm and a strange mix of soft and firm, very different from what I was used to, but the difference sent a thrill of excitement and expectation up my spine. When my hand cupped his jaw, I could feel the faint brush of stubble. He tasted like mint and smelled faintly of cedar—probably his bodywash or shampoo. But underneath that, he smelled like pinewood. It reminded me sharply of Christmas—back when my mom was still with us and had always insisted we get a real Christmas tree.
I backed him into the wall of the building, deepening the kiss. My tongue met his and he let out a soft, desperate noise. I could feel his arousal against me. And my own cock began to grow hard, pressed against him—his simple masculine firmness banishing any lingering doubts from my mind that I might not enjoy being with another man. When his arms—strong, with lean muscles taut through the fabric of his shirt—wrapped around my back and pulled me in close, I became fully hard.
The world around us stopped existing. It was only him and me.
It wasn’t just that it was another man and it was my first time. It washim. A sense of wholeness, of completeness, swept over me. An inner knowing that he was mine snapped into place.
“What the hell are you doing?” a woman’s voice demanded.
I sprang back from Reed as if he’d suddenly caught fire and snapped around to face the woman standing at the mouth of the alley, staring at us in disbelief. She was in her late twenties, tanned, dressed in jean cutoffs and a pink crop top, with her blonde hair pulled back into a severe ponytail.
“Lacey—um—” Reed cast me a guilty look, his cheeks going red. His lips were swollen and thoroughly kissed—the exact way mine felt. The evidence of his arousal was clear through the bulge in his jeans. “We were, err—”
“I have eyes. I know what you were doing. What I don’t know is why.” Her gaze narrowed in suspicion as it landed on me. “And who the hell are you?”
“Harris,” I said automatically. “I’m—err—” I broke off, not sure who she was, how she knew Reed, or what the hell I was supposed to say. I finished lamely with, “Uh—new in town.”
Lacey arched an eyebrow, her gaze sliding over to Reed. “It’s about time you got your rocks off, but don’t you think that maybe now is a bad time?” She paused. “Also, if you’re out here going to town with some rando in an alleyway, who’s manning the bar?”
Reed let out a long breath, running his fingers through his hair. “Right. That’s a good point.”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll go watch the bar. Whenever you’re ready, I have an update from Daniel. About that very important thing we were doing earlier.”
With that, she turned and headed off in the direction of the bar.
When we were alone, Reed said, “You need to leave.”
I whirled to face him, outrage flashing through me. “What?”
He gestured between the two of us. “This, right here? Yeah, no. I can’t do it.”
“Why the fuck not? Because some random woman called you out for kissing me?”
“Actually, I thinkyoukissedme.”
“Answer the damn question! Give me one good reason why I ought to leave.”
“I’ve got responsibilities here, Harris. I can’t let myself get confused about what’s important.”
Anger surged through me again, sharp and hot. I seemed to be having very strange, very intense physiological reactions around him.
“And your fated mate isn’t important?”
Reed grimaced. “You don’t even know what those words mean!”
