Page 39 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

It was only about a quarter of a mile walk from the cabin before we came upon the hot spring, the rush of heat in the air signaling its presence through the trees.

A collection of flat stones surrounded the pool of water, the surface cloudy where steam rose off in whispers. The hot spring was small, just large enough for Nathaniel and I to share. A few sparrows hopped around the edges, fluffing their wings and preening themselves in the warm water.

"See?" Nathaniel led me over to the edge of the hot spring, "It's nice, isn't it? I've always found it quite peaceful, and I can promise you that no one will stumble upon us here. You are quite safe with me, my love."

Nathaniel made swift work of the buttons on his vest, tossing it to the side and pulling his shirt over his head. It was a wonder that no matter how many times I saw him, the sight of his bare skin never ceased to amaze me.

It was so easy to lose myself in the lines of him, the shape of his musculature and the soft freckles dotting his back. But then he began unlacing his britches, and I thought my heart was going to jump out of my throat.

"You're not going to get naked, are you?" I asked.

"We're bathing, Mira." Nathaniel cocked his head at me, fingers only briefly pausing at the laces of his britches before he began again. He pulled them down before I had the chance to look away, and I caught a glimpse of him—all of him—before looking up at the sky.

He was huge.

I had known he would be from the outline I had seen in his trousers, and the sheer size of his stature suggested that whatever he had would not be small.

Even still, that single quick glance had filled me with equal parts desire and trepidation, and I knew it would be a miracle if he were able to fit inside of me. A single night with Nathaniel would surely ruin me for any other male.

But that would not be happening. Wispy clouds had gathered above the treeline, and I focused on making shapes out of them, following their swirls as I tried to calm my racing heart. There was no need for me to even consider the logistics of how Nathaniel and I might fit together, so to speak, so why had I let it flit into my mind so easily?

I could hear Nathaniel stepping into the hot spring, the water splashing at the sides, and a deep sigh escaping his lips. When I was confident that he was adequately submerged, I looked away from the clouds and let myself take him in once more.

Waist deep in the hot spring, the shadows managed to conceal him fairly well, but the knowledge that he was naked in there was still making me dizzy. Droplets of water rolled down his skin, and I felt the sudden urge to lick them off of him, tracing down his hard abs all way until I—

"—Could I not just bathe after you?" I asked, squeezing my eyes shut and doing everything I could not to rub my thighs together. "We do not need to be tied at the hip."

"You can bathe now or wait," Nathaniel's voice was stern but gentle, "The water is nice, little mate, come enjoy it with me."

"I'm not getting naked," I said, crossing arms over my chest, "You might enjoy showing yourself off, but I will be keeping myself covered, thank you very much."

"I only enjoy showing off for you, my darling, that I can assure you is true," Nathaniel tilted his head back in the water, wetting his dark curls, "My body is for your viewing pleasure, and yours alone."

"I did not ask you to show off for me," I shifted my weight back and forth, my boots pressing into the damp earth, "Nor did I ask you to undress."

"Just because you do not ask for something does not mean that you do not want something." Nathaniel leaned back against the side of the hot spring, arms outstretched and splayed on the rocks behind him.

"You do not know what I want." I said, though my voice was not quite as strong as it had been. Neither was my will, to be fair. The truth was that not even I truly knew what I wanted anymore, so how could he? How could Nathaniel somehow know me better than myself?

"I know precisely what you want," Nathaniel's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening, "Because it is the same as what I want. We share the same desires, my love."

"Our desires are not the same," My breath quickened at the intensity of his gaze, "I am not a Wolf, I do not feel what you feel."

"They are the same," Nathaniel said, tracing his fingers over the water, "The difference between us, sweetness, is that you have decided to wage war with your desires, whereas I welcome mine with open arms."

"Naked arms," I mumbled, "Which I still think is unnecessary."

"You can bathe in your clothes if you wish," Nathaniel cracked a smile, "Although I cannot imagine that will be very comfortable."

I chewed my lip, watching as Nathaniel leaned his head back and closed his eyes, waiting for me to make my decision. I settled on stripping down to just my slip, considering he had seen me in it already on more than one occasion.