I reached up without thinking, brushing windblown curls back from his forehead. Seth went still immediately beneath my touch. He didn’t pull away, merely watched me.
We stood close enough to each other now that I could see the reflection of moonlight in his eyes.
“You keep looking at me like that,” he murmured softly.
“Can you blame me?”
His breath caught slightly. This was very encouraging, I decided.
I stepped closer instinctively. Seth didn’t move away. The ocean roared softly behind us while my hand slid slowly down the side of his face.
His skin felt warm, soft and nice. Seth leaned into the touch before he could stop himself. That tiny unconscious movement nearly destroyed my remaining self-control.
I kissed him, slow first at first, then not slow at all as hunger consumed me.
Seth kissed me back, fingers curling into the front of my dress shirt while I pulled him closer against me.
Everything about this felt different tonight, needier somehow. My wolf practically glowed.
Seth moaned when my hands found his waist. I deepened the kiss instinctively, and Seth responded so eagerly it sent heat rushing straight through me.
We stumbled slightly in the sand. Seth laughed breathlessly into the kiss, then kissed me again before I could recover.Dangerous man.
Eventually we somehow made it back toward the hotel still tangled together like idiots.
Kissing in elevators should probably be illegal, especially when Seth smiled against my mouth like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
By the time we reached the room, both of us were breathless and grinning a little stupidly. The second the door shut behind us, Seth pulled me in and kissed me again.
There was no hesitation this time, merely hands and warmth and mouths and wanting.
I backed him gently toward the bed while kissing him slowly, carefully, like I wanted to memorize every reaction he gave me. Seth’s hands slid beneath my jacket first.
Mine followed beneath his shirt moments later. I became distinctively aware of warm skin everywhere.
At one point Seth pulled back just enough to look at me, breathing unevenly, and for one terrible second, something uncertain flickered across his face.
It almost felt like he expected this moment to disappear, the way temporary things always did. That expression cracked something open inside me. I kissed him softer after that.
Seth relaxed beneath my hands almost immediately. This didn’t feel reckless. It felt inevitable.
Seth’s breathing was uneven against my mouth, like he couldn’t quite decide whether to pull me closer or slow things down. That hesitation lasted about three seconds.
His hands slid up my chest again, firmer this time, tugging at my shirt like he’d stopped asking permission from his own nerves.
I let out a quiet laugh against his lips, more breath than sound, and helped him pull it over my head. The cool air hit my skin for half a second.
Seth looked at me properly then. It was as if Seth was silently cataloguing me. My wolf went still inside me in that alert, quiet way it only ever did when something felt undeniable.
Recognition filled both of us.Mine.Seth was ours for the taking, and the moment was now. The thought didn’t feel like panic the way it should have.
Seth’s fingers brushed my shoulder again, slower now, like he was testing whether I’d disappear if he moved too quickly.
I stepped in closer instead, closing the space until there wasn’t really any distance left to question.
He leaned in, pressing another kiss to my mouth, softer this time. It wasn’t rushed like before. It was warm and deliberate, like he’d decided he didn’t need to pretend he was holding back anymore.
My hands slid down to his waist instinctively, steadying him as he shifted closer. Seth exhaled into the kiss, and I felt it like a pull in my chest, something that made the rest of the room feel irrelevant.
