A look of shock and astonishment climbed onto his face at my statement and he gently pressed his forehead against mine. "Kara, you don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."
He placed me back on my feet, but still held me in his arms as I stared up at him. Silence drifted between us and he smiled softly before linking our fingers together.
"It's getting late, we should be getting back now." He spoke, prompting me to look down the steep decline back. And before I could look at him like he was crazy, he continued. "It's safer if we shift. I know a secret, remote route away from any humans that might be out right now."
Shifting...required stripping, and suddenly, I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life.
"Where will we put our clothes?"
Tristan tapped the camping backpack that I had completely forgotten was on my back. "I thought ahead." The sly smirk on his face made me think that his 'thinking ahead' was more than just getting us down from the mountain. He took a small step away from me and began first pulling his coat off and then his shirt.
Within seconds, he was bare from the waist up as he stood in front of me. I couldn't help but stare at his toned physique. It didn't matter how many times I had seen Tristan shirtless, every time was just as mouthwatering as the last. He smirked lightly and waved a hand in front of me.
"My eyes are up here, αγάπη μου." He teased, eliciting a sigh from me as I turned around. I heard the tug of his zipper and closed my eyes. I was sure he was naked when he slowly pulled the backpack from me.
I shivered and it wasn't because of the cold at all.
With shaky fingers, I unzipped my jacket before slowly pulling off the rest of my clothes.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I was relieved to see that Tristan was looking up at the sky with the backpack covering his manhood. I folded and rolled my clothes before he extended the opened backpack to me.
It took everything in me not to properly rake my gaze over his body. "No looking, Tristan." I murmured under my breath as I glanced up at him.
He kept his gaze on mine and the look he gave me was bordering on dangerously sexy. "If I was looking, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
My eyes shut of their own accord and he went to zip the bag closed, touching my hand in the process. I could tell that we were both struggling and the desire to ask him to kiss me was heavy on my tongue. But, he reigned his desire in and turned around before sinking down towards the snow.
I did the same, breathing out as I triggered the shift and felt my bones beginning to move. Because I had shifted not too long ago, it wasn't as painful when I stood on the snow in wolf form. Tipping my head to look at Tristan, I padded towards him to feel him against me.
He nuzzled his nose against my neck, almost pushing me down with his paws.
His wolf was massive to the extent that he made me look small in comparison. Staring into the eyes that were even icier in wolf form, I longed to be able to get into his mind, to hear what he was thinking and to feel what he was feeling.
It was wishful thinking until he marked me.
Nudging me in the other direction, he latched onto the strap of the backpack with his mouth as we set off down the mountain.
Before long, we were back at the house and quickly shifted back in the front yard. I kept my eyes up as he opened the door and stepped into the main room, retrieving towels from one of the drawers of the stand under the television. Passing one to me, he wrapped the thick towel around his waist and covered his manhood.
Tucking the end of the towel into itself, I released a small sigh of relief that I could finally relax. But that was short-lived when Tristan tugged me next to him by my hand. Colliding straight into his chest, I slowly peered up at him under my eyelashes
"Tristan..." I murmured a warning and held my breath when he wedged his hand in my curls like he always did.
His nose brushed along my jawline before resting at the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply. "I'll control myself, I promise." He muttered against my skin, wrapping his free arm around my waist to curve my body to his.
My skin was set alight and I had trouble thinking. "I-I don't think your control is the problem here." My hand settled on his abdomen and he shivered at my touch, bringing about a whole new set of temptations I burned to delve into but knew I shouldn't. I didn't think I was ready to take that step. He gripped my hand in his and pulled back to look me in the eye.
"What do you want, Kara?" he asked with a voice deeper than usual and it was almost enough to make me throw all caution to the wind.
Sighing, I withdrew my hand from his to cup his face. Remembering everything he had told me earlier let me know that the one thing he needed from me was reassurance and emotional support. "I just want us to hold each other."
He didn't seem disappointed by my answer and it prompted a soft smile to grace his face. He closed his eyes for a few minutes as he seemingly got ahold of himself, opening them once again when I was sure he did. "I want that too." Taking my hand from his face, he intertwined our fingers and led me up the stairs towards his bedroom.
Heading straight for the walk-in wardrobe, he handed me one of his shirts. As he began to pull some clothes on, I quickly made my way to my own wardrobe and pulled on some underwear. When I returned after freshening up, he was clothed from the waist down.
I gave him a small smile and stepped towards him to wrap my arms around his waist. My head rested on his chest and he caressed my hair. We moved the hug over towards the bed and Tristan pulled the covers over our bodies as he tangled his legs with mine.
His lips pressed to my temple and I could only describe his embrace as home. The warmth he exuded encased me and it was like the mate pull wrapped around us and destroyed any hesitancy on my part. I couldn't imagine not sleeping in his arms, and that was a stark contrast with how easily I slept for the first three weeks.
Resting a hand on his shoulder, I lifted my head and found his gaze in the dark. "What are you thinking, Tristan?"
His forehead pressed against mine. "I think about everything all the time." He answered and his nose brushed against mine. "I have mind-links with five hundred people so some days my head is crowded if I don't filter it properly. But right now? You're the only one on my mind."
My face heated up and I was pretty sure that he could feel it. "And what are you thinking of me?"
He briefly kissed me softly before pulling back slightly as he smiled against my lips. "How good it feels to hold you like this. It's something I didn't know I was missing."
Gravitating towards his lips, I kissed him slowly and relished in the way his fingers dug into my hair. Sighing, he angled my head with his grip on my hair and deepened the kiss. I couldn't have even begun to describe how dizzying it was, and I was suddenly relieved that I was lying down already.
It seemed like he was all I needed to breathe in until my chest heaved with the urge to breathe properly. Pulling away slightly, I opened my eyes to see a small smile gracing his features. In the dark, he lit up the room with a simple smile and I had the urge to kiss him again.
"You're so handsome," I whispered, trailing my fingers across his neck as his crystal gaze was trained on mine. "I can't control myself around you."
Tristan lowered his head to press his lips to where I would bear his mark, just above my collarbone and I shivered as he sucked at my skin. "I want it like that." He murmured lowly into my neck.
I couldn't hold back the sigh that fell from my lips as his words. His words reminded me of the fiery moments leading up to our first kiss. I wanted Tristan since the very first moment I saw him. His beauty was the kind that caught people off guard and made them wonder how God had made someone so beautiful.
"Tristan..." I shakily breathed out his name.
He leaned back and dragged his gaze from the bruise I could feel blossoming on my skin up to mine. Dark blue eyes stared into mine and desire pooled at the pit of my stomach. "Do you know how you make me feel?"
My fingers brushed across his chest and down his stomach. His eyes slowly closed.
"Tristan—" I leaned forward, almost locking our lips when the monotonous sound of a phone ringing sounded from the end of the hall...his office.
His eyes opened and he glanced over his shoulder towards the door. I knew the heated moment was over when he sighed deeply in disappointment. "Only alphas call on that phone. I have to pick it up." He turned back to me, gripping my chin in his hand as he delivered a bruising kiss to my lips. It only lasted a few seconds but was enough to make me whimper.
When he climbed out of bed, he took his warmth with him and I could only stare at his toned muscles of his back as he made his way to his office. I remained unmoved and stared up at the ceiling.
My body continued to burn for him and I had been getting out of bed to be near him again when he appeared at the door again. There was a sombre look on his face and the mere expression pulled me from my dangerous thoughts.
"What? What's wrong?"
He sighed and held the phone in his hand out to me. "It's Ramiel. Something is wrong with your mother."