He frowned down at her and then reached up to grip her arms and tug them from around his neck, then his attention was back on me. He bridged the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off my feet in a bear hug. It was my turn to wrap my arms around his neck, and I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in my throat.
“Hey, you.” I peered into his face.
He looked at me with a soft smile. “I missed you.”
“We’ve been apart for one day.”
“So you didn’t miss me?”
I leaned in to brush my nose with his, mouth tipping up teasingly. “Not one bit.”
“Liar.”
“Totally.”
He lowered me slowly so our bodies kissed all the way until my boots touched the floor. Desire twisted and tugged in my lower abdomen. I squashed it and grinned up at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” He kept his arms around my waist, leaning back slightly, relaxed and at ease with me in his arms like we did this every day.
I arched a brow.
“Fine, so I’m checking in on the wolves too, but Rune told me you might be here tonight.”
“Leif, you didn’t need to come.” A guy joined us. A tank with no neck.
Leif smiled at him. “No offense, Danny. I know you’ve got this.” He slid a glance my way.
Danny grinned. “Right, right, Boss. I see. Nice to meet you, anchor.”
“Cora, please call me Cora.”
“Danny. Vita beta.” He paused, then chuckled. “That rhymes.”
“Where’s Trenton?” Leif asked.
“By the bar,” Danny said. “We got this covered.”
“Danny!” Poppy appeared and threw her arms around the tank. He lifted her off her feet in a bear hug similar to the one Leif had given me. “Missed you. You’ve been hiding.” She pouted up at him.
Was that a blush on his cheeks? “Patrolling. I’d never hide from you.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “So, you’ll dance with me?”
He groaned. “You know I can’t dance.”
“Then buy me a drink.” Poppy linked arms with him.
Danny looked to Leif, and my mate lifted his chin slightly, as if to say go for it.
Danny winked, then sauntered off.
“He’s a tough bastard, but a softie too,” Leif said. “He seems to have a soft spot for Poppy. They’ve been flirting for months, but he knows not to overstep.”
“Witches and wolves don’t get it on?”
“Danny knows he’ll find his mate soon and he doesn’t want to hurt Poppy.” As soon as the words were out, he winced. “Fuck.”
Yeah, there was no ignoring the parallels to our dynamic here.
“Cora—"
I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. “So, are the wolves staying in town?”
Yeah, I needed to change the subject.
For a moment it looked like he might resist the conversation shift, but then he sighed. “Yeah, they’re staying in town tonight, and the betas will drive them back to the pack houses tomorrow morning.”
“Rune did say the town was the safest place for the female shifters right now.”
The music grew louder, and the lights dimmed. Outliers was turning from a bar to a club. Must be midnight.
Leif leaned in so his mouth brushed my ear. “Dance with me.”
He led me to the tiny dance floor, and then bodies were pressing in on us and we were in our own little world. Just the beat of the music and the vibrations traveling through the soles of my feet to settle low in my abdomen. Leif moved closer, his thigh slipping between mine so I was straddling it. We moved together in an imitation of an act we both desperately wanted to do. I tipped my head up to find his mouth a hairbreadth from mine. His hands slid over my hips to cup my ass and haul me closer. My core pressed to his muscled thigh, rolling with each movement, rubbing and growing wetter. Our breath mingled, hot and needful.
The connection between us throbbed, alive and hungry. My breath hitched and my hands flexed at his nape, wanting to grip him tighter, fingers wanting to dig in and take.
His eyes darkened and the next thing I knew we were headed out the door into the cold night. I didn’t question, focused entirely on the heat thrumming through my veins and the firm, sure grip of his fingers around mine.
The Rover came into view, parked with its butt in an alley. Leif unlocked it with his fob as we approached, then yanked open the back door.
I crawled in and he joined me.
We sat side by side, chests heaving.
“We can control this, Cora.” Leif’s voice was tight and husky. “But we need to release a little steam.”
He was right. I was burning up, and the longer I denied myself any kind of release, the more likely I was to fuck up and take too much. Total denial was no longer an option.
I turned my head to look at him. “Just a taste, Leif. For us both.”
His chest rumbled, then his lips were on mine. He kissed me hard, his mouth like a key tearing down my defenses. Our tongues wrestled, eager for dominance, hands tearing at clothes, eager for the sensation of skin. Fingers tugging at my jeans, fumbling with the zipper. I lifted my butt and then I was free of the denim, ass kissing leather, thighs parted enough to allow him access to the hot wet place that throbbed and begged, and oh, fuck, his fingers sliding and slipping and circling the nub that had me panting and gasping and lifting my hips like a greedy bitch.
He pushed me back into the seat, body covering mine, mouth on my neck, licking and sucking while his hand worked me, fingers pushing into me, curling up to hit the spot that tore guttural, incoherent sounds from my throat. Yes. I worked my hand between us and into the waistband of his joggers. Precum, slick and warm, licked at my fingers.
Leif sucked in a sharp breath, rearing up to lock gazes with me. “Easy, Cora. It’s been a while.”
His fingers moved
