In a moment of weakness, I let myself lean into him, my head resting against his chest. He sits down next to me on the bed, sending my pulse racing. His arm wraps around me, steady and reassuring, and I close my eyes, letting myself feel the strength of his presence. It’s dangerous, I know, to rely on anyone again, but right now, I don’t care. Right now, I just need someone to hold me together.
For what feels like an eternity, we stay like that, and my heart pounds in sync with his, a rhythm that’s both steady and soothing, and I let myself believe, just for a moment, that maybe he wants me for more than my secrets.
Then, as I shift slightly, the towel around me slips, falling to my waist and exposing my breasts. I gasp, a mixture of shock and vulnerability flooding me. Lucian's eyes darken with desire, making my pulse race. But to my relief, he doesn’t grope me. He just gently reaches down, his fingers brushing against my skin as he tenderly pulls the towel back up, covering me once more. In that brief moment, I feel him harden against me, his body betraying his own need, and it sends a jolt of awareness through me, mingling with the heat of my own arousal.
His gaze searches mine, the question clear in his eyes. Without warning, he tilts my chin up, and before I can second-guess myself, his lips are on mine, a slow, tentative kiss that ignites something deep within me.
The kiss is soft, almost reverent, but there’s a darkness beneath it, a hunger I can feel simmering just below the surface. His hand moves to the small of my back, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss, and I surrender to the warmth, to the need that's been building between us.
When we finally pull away, I'm breathless, my heart pounding against my ribs. His hard dick against my hips makes my body ache with a need I shouldn't feel, not for the Alpha of Darkfang. When I meet his gaze, I search for manipulation, for calculation, but all I see is that same fierce intensity that drew me to him at last year's Convocation.
"You don't have to carry your burdens alone," he says quietly, his thumb brushing against my cheek. "Trust goes both ways, little wolf."
His words are a double-edged sword. Is this how he plans to unlock Shadow Ridge's secrets? By making me trust him, making me need him? Yet even as suspicion wars in my mind, my body betrays me, leaning into his touch.