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After we ate together, I finally got out of my chair to clean up with him—despite his attempt at shooing me back to my seat.

I handed him the last pan, and he set to work drying it while I wiped down the sink with my sponge, then rinsed it out. Hesitation had me doing so slowly.

When there was no possible distraction left, I set the sponge back in the sink and turned around.

Bauther closed the cabinet door as I leaned my lower back against the sink, my elbows resting on the countertop. His eyes moved slowly down my body as he crossed the kitchen, meeting mine again as he reached me.

His hands captured my face, tilting my head back before his gaze searched mine.

A moment passed.

A long moment.

“What are you doing?” I finally whispered, though I wasn’t entirely sure why I was whispering. Maybe because his hands felt incredible on my skin, and I was worried I could scare him away or something if I talked too loud.

Considering he was the beta of the largest wolf pack in the world, scaring him away with my voice didn’t seem very realistic.

“Looking at you. I’ve never seen eyes this pretty before.”

My face warmed. “They’re just brown, Beck.”

“Not just brown. They’re the color of the forest floor after it rains. Fresh. Peaceful.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know if fresh is a compliment.”

His lips curved upward. “It is.”

“How? Fresh isn’t?—”

He cut me off with his lips. They brushed mine lightly. Tentatively. Intimately.

It was soft and sweet.

But… I wanted more.

I slipped my tongue between his lips, and he parted for me without hesitation. His chest rumbled when my tongue stroked his, and he kissed me back slowly.

A minute went by.

Two.

Ten.

I didn’t know. Everything blurred together as our mouths worked each other, tasting and exploring like there was nothing else we would rather be doing.

That was true for me.

There wasn’t anything I would’ve rather been doing.

Eventually, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I jerked away from Bauther, yanked back to reality. My lips felt blissfully swollen, and my body was hot but relaxed.

“Sorry.” I leaned against his chest, angling myself so I could pull the device from my back pocket.

“Don’t apologize.” His hands slid down to my shoulders before finding my waist and lingering there. I read the message, and sighed, dropping my phone on my counter. “What’s wrong?”

“One of my coworkers went home sick. My boss needs me to work tomorrow.”

“Tell her you’re busy.” His lips brushed mine lightly.