Page 72 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

“Hey,” Ricky said around a mouthful of garlic noodles and sauteed spinach. Unfortunately, I was completely out of protein, but he didn’t seem to mind carb-loading. Even though it had only been three days, he was already doing miles better. “You two seem awfully chipper.”

“It’s a good night,” Leo said, barely keeping a straight face. “Why don’t you go for a bit of a walk around the garden? Maybe check out the trail in the woods? You know, stretch your legs.”

Jeez, could he be more obvious?.

Ricky looked a little perplexed, then tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. Then it clicked. A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips, and he let out a sharp bark of laughter.

“Now that you mention it, it is a beautiful night. I think I might go stargazing for…” He squinted at us, and I couldn’t believe that I was seeing a live rendition of wolf bros being wolf bros. “An hour?”

“Two hours.”

“Right. Two hours. That’s what I meant. Who knows? If I have a sudden spurt of energy, maybe I’ll do some hunting. Take care of dinner for tomorrow.”

“That would be great,” Leo said.

“Righty-o. I’ll get on that.” Whistling, Ricky sauntered out, taking his bowl with him.

“He totally knows we’re going to bang,” I said once he was a good distance away from the house. My face was flaming, but it was also kind of fun. I’d never really gotten a chance for silly and covert trysts. I either didn’t have the right connection with someone, or I was too overworked, or too busy trying to study to make it through a program that wasn’t designed for me.

“Yeah, but does that really matter?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Good.” Leo pulled me into another kiss. “We wolf shifters do tend to be a bit less prudish about this stuff than what I know about human culture.”

I expected him to pull me toward the bedroom, but instead, he leaned into me. I had to take a step back to steady myself, but with every step I took, he continued to crowd me until my rear was pressed upright against the kitchen table.

“What are you doing, Leo?” I asked, a thrill rushing through me.

“What do you mean?” he asked coyly, salaciously. “This is where we eat delicious meals, is it not?”

I felt myself go from bright red to outright crimson as I got what he was implying. “Leo! Not here.”

“Why not?”

God, it wasn’t fair that his voice sounded like pure honey and sin. He brought out desires in me I never even knew were on my radar, and although it was kind of intimidating, it was so damn exhilarating.

“This is where we eat.”

“I’ll clean and sanitize it thoroughly later, I promise.”

“B-but?—”

Leo caught my chin and tipped it up, so our gazes locked. “Ven, if you don’t want to do this, that’s perfectly fine. But if you’re worried about propriety, or if you’re nervous, trust me when I say I’ve been dreaming about fucking you on this table since you first served me ramen here.”

My breath hitched, and a tiny gasp punched its way out of my throat. “All the way since then?”

“All the way since then. You’re a force of nature, Ven, and I’ve been caught up in you ever since I’ve known who I was.”

Holy shit, did he have any idea what he was saying? He had to. And I knew he also had to hear the way my heart was thundering in my chest. That whole time, and I’d had no idea? Sure, I’d felt drawn to him, and that first night in the shower had been so intensely intimate, I’d wanted to weep, but knowing that he had been desiring me, yearning for me for so long... It certainly did things for me.

I kissed him, hoping my lips could communicate with him since words were failing me. Thankfully, it seemed to work. Leo let out a satisfied groan as his hands gripped my ass. The next thing I knew, he picked me up and put me on the table.

A flash of insecurity rushed through me. Oh, God, what if the table collapsed under my weight? But that thought went right out of my mind when Leo filled the space between my legs, crowding me as his hands slipped up my spine, caging me in against him.

Not that I wanted to escape. I wasrightwhere I wanted to be.

“There you are,” Leo practically purred, his lips ghosting over mine but never staying, instead drifting in a slant across my cheek, then down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin ever so slightly. I knew what those teeth were capable of, and apparently that thrilled me even more.

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