Page 29 of Alaska Lights

His gaze eats me alive. Up and down, his eyes drink me in, and I blush. No one has ever looked at me like that before. Leo clears his throat and closes the distance between us, leaving a few inches of space before our chests touch.

I hold in a growl when his scent hits me harder. Beneath the reek of my mate smelling like my best friend, the citrus bite of his curiosity and confused arousal is stronger.

Next time, he will bathe in my shower and smell like me. This can’t happen again, or I will kill Soren with my bare fucking hands.

Can he hear the loud pounding of my heart? It might beat slowly naturally, but he is making it work fast, slamming against my chest.

“Okay,” I whisper, standing as still as possible for him.

He presses the tissue against the small cut, holding it there to stop the bleeding. “You need to be nicer to yourself. You’re not a stupid idiot. Don’t talk to yourself like that.”

His fingertips drag against my throat as he holds the toilet paper against it. If I were not dying, this small cut would have already been healed. Suddenly, I don’t seem to mind dying. I wouldn’t get to experience his touch if I weren’t.

A man’s touch.

It’s softer than I figured it would be. I like it. I want more.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Leo.”

“I can’t wait to find out,” he whispers, taking me by surprise.

And it seems to take him by surprise too. His lips roll together to stop himself from spilling any other secrets.

He licks his lips, his attention traveling up and down my body again, and my cock hardens beneath the towel. There’s no hiding that. I don’t want to hide it anymore.

I want him to see what he does to me, even if I don’t fully understand it myself.

Go on. Kiss him. This is the moment. Kiss him!

But I don’t.

And he doesn’t kiss me either.

He steps away, an exhale sagging his shoulders. “The beard looks good. You look good, I mean.” He rubs his throat, seeming out of sorts like I am. His attention wanders to the towel, his beautiful green eyes widening again when he notices the bulge.

There’s nothing I can do about that.

My body wants my mate even if my heart and mind have no idea what to do about it.

“Thank you,” I say, fucking voice cracking like a hormonal teenager. “For coming in to help me.”

“Sure. I can’t stand it when I hear people talk bad about themselves. You shouldn’t do that anymore.” He grabs the bathroom door’s handle, preparing to leave.

I want to jump in front of him and lock him in the room with me. I want to beg him not to leave.

Not to leave me.

But I stay. My feet are planted on the ground, unmoving, while every nerve ending in my body is begging for him to stay with me, to touch me again.

My god, his touch. It was simple. There was no sexual meaning behind it, but it was the first touch I’ve had from someone in…I can’t even remember.

“I’ll do my best,” I say instead.

“Good.” Thunder bursts above and rattles the ground.

An awkward silence hangs between us.

“Well. I’ll be out here. I’ll—uh—I’ll see you around. Soon. Clearly. It’s your house.” He swings the door open, taking a step to leave while I take a step forward to be closer to my mate.