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He doesn’t have to ask. I lean forward, much less tentative than before, and I press my warm lips to his. I’m fucking flying. His damn lip ring adds another whole dimension to the kiss. I can feel it against my lips, and I run my tongue along his bottom lip to get him to open for me. Dare responds, parting his mouth to let me inside. He moans, and it’s the sweetest sound I have ever heard.

His hands come together behind my neck, and his fingers run through my hair, starting at the hairline. I grip his face on either side, being careful of his swollen cheekbone and covered scratch, and I gently tilt his head to get a better angle at the kiss. My tongue consumes his mouth, and he gives right back. We’re licking and kissing and biting without abandon, and it’s the best fucking kiss I’ve ever had in my entire life. I feel Dare melt into me, and I don’t ever want to stop.

I crowd him against the counter and push my hips against him. There is no reason to try to hide my hard cock at this point. I mean, I’m in sweatpants that aren’t concealing me much at all. He sighs and pushes back against me, and he’s hard too. He sucks my tongue, and I groan.

We finally pull off one another, and I touch our foreheads together as he chases the kiss, giving me a peck on my swollen bottom lip. We’re both breathing hard now, our dicks pressed against each other’s groins and our breaths mixing in the small space between us. With a deep inhale, I straighten up a bit and look at him. His irises are blown black, and he’s smiling.

“Did that hurt your cut?” I ask, removing my hand from his neck and gently touching the spot on his lip with my thumb, where it’s started to bleed again.

He shakes his head, reaching over to grab one of the washcloths. Then he dabs at the cut.

“I’m pretty sure nothing hurts right now,” he says with a chuckle.

He reaches for me and pulls me in, and I turn to kiss him again. That’s not what he’s going for though. Dare angles his lips away from me and pulls me in tightly for a hug. A hug. He’s warm and solid, and I can feel the corded muscles of his back as I run my hands up and down his shoulders, to the middle of his back and up again. He sighs, pulling me closer. I didn’t think there was any room between us, but he makes it happen.

It’s sort of weird at first, but I eventually relax into him as well. We stand like this, wrapped in an embrace, and lose track of time. My dick starts to calm down, and I think his does, too. Eventually we pull away, and I’m hit with the reality of everything that just happened.

I kissed him.

We kissed—and it was hot. It was amazing. It was blistering and euphoric.

As much as I don’t want to, because I could kiss Dare all night long, I let go of him and step away and out of his space.

A chill hits me, being out of his warmth. Reluctantly, I move farther away from him, over to the refrigerator, and I grab another bottle of water. I drink it down quickly as Dare does the same with his. When he lowers the bottle from his lips, he’s just looking at me, a bewildered expression on his face.

“What?” I ask, smiling at him.

He takes a deep breath. “That was . . . You’re a fantastic kisser.”

I let out a belly laugh, throwing my head back. Looking at him again, I see he’s smiling, and I love that. “You’re not so bad yourself, lycan.” I reach my hand out as his brow furrows. “Come on. Let’s get you comfortable and go to bed.”

Chapter 20

Darian

I’m sort of stupefied by what just happened. Lev cleaning me up and helping me was the most romantic and erotic thing I’ve experienced in a long time. His gentle touches and soft voice won me over immediately, and I couldn’t help myself. His touch alone was sending me. I got the sense that he wanted to kiss me, but I thought he probably wouldn’t do anything if I didn’t push it. And I’m so glad I did.

That was the hottest, most amazing kiss I’ve had, maybe ever. After the intimacy and contact, I needed him to hug me. I was crashing hard. Tonight was a lot, and I needed him to just hold me and make me feel safe. And he did exactly that.

Now he’s leading me to his bedroom.

When we get there, he clicks on the soft light by his bed and turns to me. He tells me to hold on one second and disappears again out into the kitchen. He comes back with two strips of gauze, holding them up to me. His cheeks turn pink.

“I forgot to wrap your hands,” he says, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

I offer him my left hand, and he gently wraps the gauze around my knuckles, securing it with a knot that kinda hurts when he tugs. I jerk a bit, and he gives me a pained look.

“I’m sorry, I know. But—”

“It’s fine,” I interrupt, clearing my throat and giving him my other hand.

He does the same, and I don’t flinch this time, instead I just stare at his gorgeous face. He brings my knuckles to his lips and gives them a gentle kiss before releasing them.

“Thank you.” It’s all I can manage to say to him.

It’s safe to assume that I’m spending the night since he’s got me in his room. That thought sends a chill through me. This is so different from the other night. I want him to share his bed with me tonight. I did last time, too. I almost asked him to stay and lie with me, but I was too scared. I hope tonight is different.

Lev goes to his chest of drawers and pulls out a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “You can wear these if you want to.” He hands them to me. “There are toothbrushes in the cabinet under the sink and towels there, too. Let me know if you need anything.”