Page 29 of Touched By Moonlight

Chapter 8

We followeda dirt path leading to the river. Wind rustled branches on the fir and aspen trees. In the distance I heard an owlhoot.

Despite the cool evening, I didn’t feel a chill. Rather, heat pulsed inside me, the sexual heat of hisnearness.

To my surprise, the river had a sandy bank, like a beach. Well-maintained,too.

Grayson shrugged out of his black leather jacket and placed it on the sandy bank, inviting me to sit. I did. If he wanted to be gallant,fine.

He dropped beside me and slid an arm around my shoulder. “Cold?”

“I’m all right.” But I didn’t moveaway.

“You’reshivering.”

“Not from the weather.” There, I admittedit.

“Don’t fear me, Sienna. I would never hurt you. I may be a werewolf with enormous strength, but I will be gentle withyou.”

I arched my brows at him. “And I promise thesame.”

He chuckled as his fingers gently massaged my arm. “There is much we need to discuss. Much I have to tell you. I want you to knoweverything.”

I decided to take a gamble. “Why do I feel like I’ve met youbefore?”

“Maybe you have.” Grayson skimmed his hand along my arm, up to caress my cheek. “But know this, Sienna. I would never do anything to hurt you or make you feeluncomfortable.”

And his lips upon my cheek were gentle. Maybe he meant it as reassurance, but the soft warmth of his mouth on my cold cheek inflamed mydesire.

His lips felt like a down quilt, promising snuggling comfort. Suddenly I craved the heat, needed it badly, to feel his big body against mine. Grayson had a wolf’s aggression, testosterone rolling off him in waves. I could no more resist him now than I could touch thestars.

He slid a hand up my nape, caressing my hair. “One small kiss, Sienna. Only onekiss.”

Surely one kiss couldn’t hurt. I lifted my face to him and parted mylips.

Emotion, perhaps triumph, flared in his blueeyes.

Grayson’s mouth descended on mine before I could summon another thought. He cradled my head as he kissed me, hard and deep. Barely banked desire flared inside me, gasoline poured on smolderingcoals.

Ah hell. I was going for it. I opened my mouth wider to his probing tongue and flicked my own tongue over his. He tasted like whiskey and darkest sin. Growling low, Grayson pulled me closer and crushed my mouth beneathhis.

“I don’t want gentle,” I toldhim.

“Damnit, I wanted to wait for a bed.” He splayed his fingers across my chin, his thumb touching my lip. “I wanted to wait until we could truly talk. I can’t wait, Sienna. I’ve waited too fuckinglong.”

Cranked up from the fight, the brush with death, he looked feral, taut with sexual need. I felt the same. I had survived, and for the first time since I’d run away from my family and never looked back, I needed skin to skincontact.

Three years I’d denied myself. Nolonger.

“Screw the bed.” I fisted my hands in his shirt. “The ground willdo.”

The night sky as our ceiling, starlight as a lamp, the damp sand beneath us as ourbed.

His touch made me shiver with awareness. “Aren’t you wearing too many clothes?” hemurmured.

I hadn’t been naked in the open in years, not since I’d abandoned my Fae heritage. But here, with the icy river water cooling the air and the damp earth beneath us, I felt confident I could control my powers. The earth groundedme.

Impatient, I tore out of my shoes and clothing and stood before Grayson stark nude. I left the gloves on to hide my passion. My hands would probably lit up a night sky like a neon sky by now, I was soaroused.