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I could keep Tess warm—if she’d ever let me.
I squash that thought like a bug.
“Yeah, it’s, uh. The altitude.”
“Mhm.”
Jesus Christ. Never felt so dumb in my whole life. What is this woman doing to me?
We walk for ten or fifteen minutes, chatting quietly about dinner and her job at Flint’s and my hometown on the west coast. And even though we’re not touching, even though we’re just walking and talking between moonlit trees, a wave of peace rolls through my insides.
The agitation that buzzed beneath my skin all day fades away, and I breathe deeply for the first time in hours.
Tess.
Her dark hair looks black in the gloom. My fingers tingle with the memory of those silky strands.
When she steps off the trail, I follow automatically. Maybe she knows a shortcut—maybe ducking between these trees and rounding this boulder will get us back to Starlight Ridge quicker. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
But when Tess turns to face me and backs up against the boulder, raising her chin in challenge, I can’t lie to myself about this anymore.
I know exactly what we’re doing here.
I know it—and I’m done fighting. Guess I’m not that strong after all.
We come together without words, hands grasping, hot breath mingling in the cold night air. When I pick Tess up by the ass and prop her against the boulder, her thighs wrap around my waist and she lets out the sweetest moan.
“Please,” she gasps, tugging me closer by the t-shirt, and I’d rather die than deny her right now. Our kiss is bruising; my head swims. She’s perfect.
“I’m leaving soon,” I tell her between kisses, repeating what I told Evie earlier tonight, but shockingly, Tess doesn’t push me away. If anything, she tugs at my clothes more viciously; kisses me harder and makes me sway on my feet.
And my words are true. I need to clear out so Rowan and Evie can prep for their new baby, because I sure can’t keep camping out by their cabin once the little one comes. But that doesn’t make those words taste any better on my tongue, doesn’t make them feel like less of a lie, so I’m relieved when this wildcat kisses my sour feelings away.
“We’d better make this count, then,” Tess says, raking her fingernails down my chest and stomach. Even through the fabric of my t-shirt, my nerve endings crackle, and my hips jerk forward, grinding her against the rock. Damp heat emanates from between her legs, and suddenly that secret place is all I can think about.
Tess. All slick and needy and tight. Tess gripping me, sucking me deep inside her body.
Need to rut.
Need to make her scream.
Need to string a goddamn thought together.
“Never done this before.” My hand shakes as I reach between our bodies, popping the top button on Tess’s denim shorts. The zipper scratches as I tug it down, catching in a couple places, and I grit my teeth as sweat trickles from my temple. I’m hazy, but so fucking sure.
“Never wanted to,” I go on. “Never understood all the fuss. I’m getting it now though, that’s for sure. I’m learning fast.”
“Me—me too.” Slender fingers wind through my hair and tug on the strands, making my scalp prickle hot. Tess’s gray eyes are hazy as they stare past me at the moon, and her lips are wet and shining. “I haven’t done this either. But I want to. I really, really want to.”
God damn.
And how can I say no to that? How can I turn my nose up at the best offer I’ve ever received in my whole lonely life? How could I ever resist this angel?
Especially when she rolls against me like that, back arching, blanket slipping off one shoulder to dangle toward the dirt path. Tess is just as worked up as I am right now, and it’s a beautiful sight to see. A natural wonder of the world.
The distant wolf howls out another mournful note.
That kiss at Flint’s feels like a ten years ago. Our almost-thing at the wishing pool: another century. How have I survived this long without my hands on her?
