Page 70 of Fanged Temptation

I kissed her and our teeth clattered. We tussled together with hungry, frantic kisses—desperate to have every inch of each other immediately, even though we had all the time in the world.

And we did. We had forever together, starting right then.

“I love you.” I murmured it against her mouth, hot and wanting against mine. “I love you so much.”

Maxine’s fingers flitted down my hips, cinching at my sides, grinding us together. She met my eye, hers a brilliant, vibrant ochre, and kissed me again. “And I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

She repeated it, over and over again as we molded our bodies together, a sacred mantra murmured over the rest of our lives.

“It’s always been you.”

31

Maxine

“Did youhaveto wear heels today? Honestly, Maxine.”

I glanced up from the rocky path I was precariously attempting to navigate, scowling when my foot slipped and I nearly fell flat on my face. A few steps ahead, Leah was shaking her head, dirty old boots carrying her over the rocky surface with ease.

“I didn’t think I would be quite so… uneven,” I muttered, stepping gingerly over another jutting outcrop. “You didn’t tell me we’d be hiking along the shoreline for half an hour.”

“Beach, Maxine,” Leah sniped, twisting around to glance at me. “I said we’re heading to the beach. You’ve been to a beach before—did you picture sand in perfect parallel lines or something?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but slipped again, backward this time, and careered right into Rachel who was picking up the rear of our little trio. “Shit–fuck.Help.”

Rachel caught my elbow before I could go plopping down on my ass, laughing as she straightened me out again. She adjustedthe pet carrier under her arm. “Not really an athletic one, are you?”

“Oh, she is,” Leah piped up, glancing over her shoulder. “It’s just those goddamn shoes slowing her down.”

“You said ‘beach,’ so I dressed for abeach.” I gestured around us at the rocky pools, water sloshing against the clusters of seaweed and pebbles. “This isnota beach!”

“All right, lovebirds,” Rachel interrupted, waltzing past the both of us with the carrier in her arms. “This spot looks good.”

She sidled up to the water's edge and lifted the lid from the carrier. Leah helped me down from another rocky ledge, eyeing my wedge heels (beach-themed, mind you), with a smirk and a shake of her head.

Rachel carefully set the carrier down on a relatively flat patch of rock, water lapping at her boots. Leah and I shuffled closer to peer into the carrier and two bright-eyed baby seals blinked back—whiskered faces that made my heart squeeze. Their little flippers shuffled against the plastic bottom.

“Come on,” Rachel coaxed softly, reaching in to guide them forward. “Time to head home.”

I couldn’t decide what was more precarious—my wedge sandals on jagged rocks or the balance of my pride as I teetered behind Leah and Rachel, trying not to face-plant into the tide pools. But both were quickly forgotten when the pups began to flop their way out of the carrier and a knot formed in my throat.

Leah had spent weeks nursing these pups back to health—Rachel assisting, and me occasionally dropping by with moral support and only the occasional snarky complaint about the smell. Despite not being the fish-loving type like the other two, I’d grown attached to the wide-eyed pups.

“Goodbye little guy,” Leah murmured, coaxing the first pup out with gentle hands. It slid free of the carrier, flipperssmacking the wet stone. The second one followed, making soft, indecisive cries. My heart clenched at the sound.

Rachel crouched down, guiding them to the water’s edge. The waves lapped at their bellies, and for a moment they paused, looking back with wide, unblinking eyes. My chest ached, and Leah rubbed a hand across my back. We were all well aware of how uncertain the ocean could be. But it was where they belonged.

With a rush of flippers, the seals eased into the frothing ocean, bobbing up and down amid the swells. We watched, breath held, until they slipped further out, disappearing behind the rocky outcrops. I exhaled a trembling breath.

Rachel’s cheeks lifted in a small smile. “That never gets old,” she murmured, climbing to her feet. “Every time, it’s like sending kids off to college. But we gave them the best chance we could.”

Leah nodded, biting her lip. I saw how her eyes glistened, though she masked it pretty well. “Yeah. They’ll find their buddies out there.” She forced a laugh, blinking fast.

“Still,” I murmured, leaning into her shoulder, “it’s sad to see them go.”

My wedge heel slipped again—a final jab from the slippery terrain—and I stumbled, nearly dragging Leah down with me. “Shit, you see!? This is exactly why you have to specify. Next time, I expect arealbeach with actual sand.”

Leah smirked, linking her arm through mine. Her voice held a teasing fondness. “Come on, tough gal. I’ll make sure you don’t die on the way back.”

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