Page 19 of Destined to the Lycan (The Shadow Realms #3)

“I do. All Lycan’s do. But there’s no need to apologize. Your curiosity about me is rather flattering. I can only hope you’re not disappointed.”

Despite the teasing way in which he spoke those words, I didn’t miss the underlying sliver of worry.

“Disappointed?” I echoed, incredulous. “You’re stunning.”

Once again, I couldn’t believe how my mouth just kept running away with me, even though I meant every word.

However, the way he lowered his eyes and smiled shyly crushed any mortification I felt.

By the gods! I would never tire of seeing this vulnerable and insecure side of him that made me want to give him a bone-crushing hug.

“Thank you, Amara. You’re breathtaking as well.”

“Thank you,” I replied with an exaggerated curtsy.

He burst out laughing again. And just like that, the awkwardness between us faded. He smiled and extended a hand towards me. Without hesitation, I placed mine in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze and led me towards the water at a slow run.

A gasp escaped me as we entered the river.

For some reason, my brain irrationally expected it to be lukewarm.

It wasn’t freezing but a lot colder than I’d been ready for.

Before I could give in to shock, Remus released my hand and then splashed some water my way.

I gaped at him in outrage, to which he responded with a shit-eating grin before quickly hastening away from me.

That obviously triggered the instinctive need to retaliate.

I gave chase, wading through the shallow part of the river while trying to splash some water on him.

As soon as I succeeded, he turned around, his yellow eyes glowing, and his fangs descending.

This should have freaked the living daylights right out of me.

Instead, my stomach did the most delicious backflip, and I squealed before attempting to flee.

He gave chase, pretending like I was being lucky in escaping him a split second before he would have caught me. I was screaming and laughing until he finally grabbed me by the waist, tossed me in the air like I weighed nothing, and then caught me right back as I entered the water.

“Now I feast!” he said in a menacing fashion before snapping his teeth at me, a hair’s breadth from my skin, pretending to take bites out of me.

Still laughing, I playfully feigned being in agony while begging for mercy.

When he relented, I was hiccupping with laughter.

It took my brain a moment to realize how tightly he held me in his embrace, and how I hung onto his shoulders with both hands.

Simultaneously, it also dawned on me that this little play aimed at distracting me from the discomfort of the cold water. And it beautifully succeeded.

Our gazes locked, we remained still as our pulses settled. Being pressed against each other fully naked should have been awkward. And yet, this didn’t just feel natural, it seemed preordained. Our bodies fit perfectly together.

I couldn’t tell who moved first. One moment we were lost in each other’s eyes, and the next, the plush cushion of his lips was claiming my mouth.

I melted against him, and his arms tightened around me.

His right hand glided in a gentle caress down my back before settling on my behind.

I vaguely wondered why his left hand was fisted against my upper back.

But to my dismay, rather than deepening the kiss, Remus ended it.

He pulled back, gave me a possessive look that turned me upside down, then leaned forward to place a soft kiss on my forehead.

Without a word, he released me and extended something my way. Only then did I realize he’d been holding the bar of soap in his left hand the whole time.

“Thank you,” I whispered, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.

He smiled, his gaze intense, yet unreadable. He caressed my lips with the back of two fingers in a way that screamed that he wanted to kiss me again. I wished he would. Sadly, Remus turned around and swam away.

Feeling bereft, I began washing myself while watching him doing a few laps around me. It almost felt like watching a shark circling its prey, waiting for the right time to strike.

And that, too, turned me on.

As I finished soaping my body, I extended the soap towards Remus.

The swiftness with which he approached confirmed he’d been keeping an eye on me the whole time.

That should have creeped me out. Instead, I silently berated myself for not making more of a show of it so that he would kick himself for cutting things short earlier.

Remus emerged from the water like a sea god. His sclera was pitch black as he closed the distance between us. My breath caught in my throat when thin plumes of smoke started swirling around him.

His heat!

His skin had gotten so hot from being in my mere presence that the water was evaporating right off him. Cue exploding ovaries. My inner walls contracted, and a dull throbbing pulsed between my thighs.

To my shock, instead of beginning to wash himself, Remus grabbed my shoulder and turned me around.

“What are—?”

The question died on my tongue when he began washing my back for me.

I leaned into his touch and bent my head down to give him better access to my nape.

By the gods! His hands were so hot, the heat seeped deep into me, all the way down to my bones.

I couldn’t decide if I felt more languid or aroused.

Too soon, he stopped. I glanced over my shoulder to find him slowly using the soap on himself.

That annoyed me.

A part of me wondered if all of this was truly as innocent as it seemed, with him simply being attentive to my needs, or if he was deliberately teasing me.

Whatever the answer, I didn’t care. Without thinking, I nabbed the soap from his hand.

His frown of confusion turned to surprise when I worked up a lather then started rubbing the soap all over his chest.

Remus clenched his teeth, and the right corner of his upper lip quirked into a semi-snarl.

The throbbing in my nether region increased at the sight of his fangs peeking through his partially parted lips.

He wasn’t attempting to intimidate me. I doubted he was even aware of his current expression.

The way his abdominal muscles contracted beneath my palms further seemed to confirm my assumption that an effort to suppress his sexual urges caused that snarl.

He swallowed hard, a mix of tension and disappointment gleaming in his golden eyes when I rubbed my palms over his pelvis before circling around to his back instead of pursuing my journey south.

Remus leaned into my touch as I washed his back.

His muscles appeared to bulge and gain even more mass, coaxing me into giving him an impromptu semi-massage.

Nine Hells! No male should be so perfect. I wanted to rub myself all over him. Instead, I caressed a path down his spine, enticed by the lure of his perky behind, which begged to be grabbed. His breath hitched when I ran my hands over both perfectly round globes and gave them a proper squeeze.

A low growl rose from his throat. It sent the most delicious shiver coursing through me. My stomach did a backflip when Remus turned his head to look at me over his shoulder, his fangs bared, and his sclera the darkest Obsidian. He looked as if he wanted to ravage me right there and then.

Truth be told, I wanted him to.

I wasn’t the type to kiss on the first date.

And yet here I was, ready to go all the way with a Lycan I met only a handful of days ago.

The depth of trust he stirred within me defied any logic.

When the Weaver told me I needed to find a guide I would trust with my life, I had believed her to be insane.

But here we were, naked in a river, and me already visualizing a future with this male.

Eyes locked with his, I slipped my hand to his front in a bold caress.

He hissed when my fingers closed around his length.

The twin bulges of his knot pressed against my palm.

I lowered my eyes to peer at my prize as I launched into a journey of discovery.

But it was thwarted before it even fully began.

A startled yelp escaped me when Remus suddenly spun around, placed both of his hands on my behind, and lifted me in a powerful movement.

For a split second, I feared he was just going to impale me on his thick cock in a single savage thrust. But he simply slammed me against his body before claiming my mouth in a brutal and hungry kiss.

On instinct, I wrapped my arms and my legs around him.

Effortlessly holding me with one hand below my butt, Remus fisted my hair on my nape then tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss.

A bolt of lust exploded in my nether region as our tongues mingled.

The sweet taste of the mulled cider I prepared for us earlier lingered on his breath.

However, it was the unusually rough texture of his tongue that retained all my attention.

Each caress resonated directly in my clit.

My wild imagination immediately started picturing what it would feel like between my thighs.

As we continued to kiss, the sharp tips of his fangs grazing my tongue or bottom lip whipped my blood into a frenzy.

I’d never pictured myself as an adrenaline fiend.

And yet, this sliver of danger turned me on beyond words.

The cool water around us clashed in the strangest way with his increasingly feverish skin.

That my presence put my man in heat could no longer be denied.