And then he kissed me.
I’d imagined this moment so many times. Wondering if it would be weird, if we’d try it once and decide we had no chemistry and were better off as friends. As his lips met mine, all of that seemed laughable when a jolt of heat swept through me, so intense it was a wonder we didn’t catch fire.
I wanted to take my time, savour this first kiss, because I’d thought it might never happen. But Max’s tongue met mine, a guttural groan escaping him as he started to grind against me, and all thoughts of slow were swept away by the heat flooding my veins.
I wrapped a leg over his hip, switching our positions before he realised what I was doing, and his laughter rang out through the trees.
He grinned up at me, the barest hint of fang peeking out, and fuck me, if the thought of him biting me, marking my skin, didn’t make my own teeth ache.
Reading my mind, Max cupped my jaw, thumb trailing over my still-human teeth. “Do it.” He tilted his head slightly, baring his throat in an invitation I was powerless to resist.
Not that I’d bite him there. We were nowhere near ready for anything like that.
Not yet.
Ignoring that voice in the back of my mind, I focused on the now. Of having Max laid out beneath me with the moon shining down on us, surrounded by the scent of the forest, of pack. I gave in to the pull and let my fangs slide out, the sharp pain adding an edge to the pleasure already building inside me.
He hissed as I nipped the base of his throat. Arched his back as I rolled my hips, meeting me thrust for thrust as I picked up where he’d left off.
Strong hands gripped my hips, the slight sting of claws urging me on.
I gave up trying to make this last, too keyed up from our run and weeks of trying to hide my growing feelings. It was all I could do to hang on until Max went rigid beneath me.
“Fuck.” His eyes screwed shut, claws digging into my skin as he growled low and rough, cock pulsing between us.
I gave in with a moan of my own, burying my face in his shoulder as I came with his scent filling my lungs and the taste of his sweat-slicked skin on my tongue.
We lay there like that until our breathing evened out, and we couldn’t put it off any longer. Sudden nerves threatened to set in, where I’d never experienced that before with Max.
But it wasn’t like we could ignore what had just happened.
Fuck it.
This was us.
Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I caught sight of the mark I’d left on his shoulder. I didn’t think I’d bitten him, but the evidence was there, fading even as I watched. I resolutely ignored the flare of possessiveness in my gut.
Calm down, Jake. Way too soon for anything like that.
“So,” I said, my voice uncertain. “That happened.”
“It did.” Max’s lips twitched, his smile growing and chasing away all the nervousness I’d started to feel. “Thank fuck.” He beamed up at me, full of the infectious joy I was used to seeing radiate from him.
I should’ve known better than to think it could ever get awkward between us. I laughed, unable to help but be swept along by the happiness rolling off him. “I wasn’t sure if…”
“Me neither.” His expression softened into something far more intimate, and I wasn’t prepared for the way my stomach fluttered or the sudden tightness in my chest. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for the past few weeks, but I didn’t know how to bring it up. Or if I should,” he added, quietly.
“Same.” I sat up, not really wanting to, but I couldn’t discuss this with him still underneath me. That didn’t mean I resisted trailing a finger over the mess we’d made of his stomach.
His gaze darkened again as he watched. He made no move to stop me and my wolf liked that a lot.
So did I.
But I forced myself to pull back after a moment. If I carried on, he’d smell like me for days, and I wasn’t sure we were ready to go public with this. I didn’t even know if there was anus. Yet.
“Hey.” Max grabbed my hand and drew it towards his mouth. His eyes never left mine as he slowly and deliberately licked my fingers clean. “Let’s go home, clean up, and talk.”
“Talk?” I murmured, still caught off guard by the feel of his hot tongue.
