I should say we need to checkon Bram and Liz.
I should.
But the words never make it out.
Instead, I rise onto my toes, curl my fingers into his shirt, and pull him closer until our mouths meet. Slow and full of everything, we’re not rushing.
Andthisfeels exactly right.
His mouth is warm and sure against mine, like he’s been waiting for this moment and refuses to waste it. The kiss starts gentle, deliberate, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. It never does with him.
I sigh into it, the sound slipping free before I can stop myself, and Cade responds instantly—his hands sliding down my back, pulling me closer until there’s no space left to question. My body fits against his like it was made for this, like it knows him even when my head overthinks everything else.
His mouth tilts, deepening the kiss, and the low sound he makes against my lips sends a shiver straight through me. Need coils tight in my stomach, hot and sudden, and I curl my fingers into his shirt just to stay upright.
Gods, this man.
His tongue brushes mine, unhurried but insistent, and I moan softly before I can swallow it back. The sound seems to undo him just as much as it does me. His grip tightens, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of my neck, thumb pressing gently beneath my ear like he’s grounding both of us with just his touch.
My hands wander, tracing the hard lines of his chest beneath his shirt, the strength there unmistakable even through the fabric. Every inch of him feels solid. Real and mine.
He breaks the kiss long enough to rest his forehead against mine, breathing hard, our noses brushing. “Rowan,” he murmurs, my name rough like it’s pulled from somewhere deep within.
I barely register the sound before I’m tugging him back down, chasing his mouth again. This time there’s no hesitation. Just heat and want. The quiet desperation of two people who have been holding themselves apart longer than they should have.
His lips trail along my jaw, down my neck, and as I tilt my head back without thinking, a soft, needy sound slips free while his breath ghosts over my skin. He pauses there, teeth grazing gently, not biting, but I know exactly what it is… A promise of what’s to come, when it’s right, and I nearly lose myself with the anticipation.
“Cade,” I breathe, my hands sliding into his hair, anchoring myself.
He stills. Not pulling away, not advancing, just holding me there, chest heaving, restraint vibrating through him like a live wire. When he looks at me again, his eyes are a dark gold, full of want and care in equal measure.
“I’m right here, and we have all the time we need,” he says quietly, though it sounds like he’s reminding himself as much as me. “We won’t rush this.”
I nod, even though every part of me wants more. Wants him.
He presses one last, lingering kiss to my mouth—slow, deep, and full of promise—before resting his brow against mine again, bringing us both back down from the edge.
And somehow, even with my pulse still racing and myskin humming where he’s touched me, I don’t feel disappointed.
I feel wanted, chosen, and cherished.
So much so that it’s easy to forget we have responsibilities outside of this room until a sharp scream rips through the walls from down the hall.
“Liz!”
Cade and I break apart instantly, adrenaline slamming through me hard enough to make my pulse stumble. Cade’s already moving, one arm coming around me as we bolt for the door.
If something happens to her because we were too distracted…
We race down the corridor toward the meeting room, boots pounding, my wolf clawing forward in my chest. Images flash through my mind—Bram turning, Malrik’s influence flaring back to life, blood on the floor?—
Cade slams the door open and freezes.
Liz has Bram pinned flat on his back, one knee planted firmly over his chest, one hand twisted into his flannel at the collar. Bram’s arms are spread wide, palms up in surrender.
Both of them laughing.
Not polite chuckles or evil snickers. Full, breathless laughter.
