Page 45 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
“Felix,” she whispered.
And this time, when he kissed her, it wasn’t frantic or desperate. It was slow. Controlled. Measured.
But no less intense.
Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, his hands anchoring her waist, and the kiss deepened with each breath. She opened to him, trusting him, giving in, and he kissed her like a man who had been starving for far too long.
When they finally pulled apart, his forehead rested against hers.
“We should keep walking,” she murmured, their lips still tingling.
“We should,” he agreed, not moving.
She laughed softly, and he smiled against her skin.
Eventually, they did start walking again. Not hand in hand, not yet, but close. Close enough to brush shoulders now and then. Close enough that the tension between them had shifted into something warmer.
But still, her words turned themselves over and over in his head.
I’m not brave.
I’m not sure you know quite how much that means to me.
Was she in danger from something? The mere idea of it made his vision turn red with pure rage.
She hadn’t just said she wasn’t brave. There had been something deeper in her tone, raw, vulnerable, too honest to be casual.
He glanced sideways at her as they picked their way down the narrow path through the trees. She was watching the trail ahead, her brow slightly furrowed, lips pressed together like she was holding something back.
His wolf stirred uneasily.
“Cassie,” he said slowly, “can I ask you something?”
Her shoulders stiffened, but she nodded.
“Was there someone before?” he asked, keeping his voice soft, careful. “Someone who hurt you?”
She stopped walking.
“What?”
‘You don’t have to tell me,” he added quickly, palms up, “but…the way you talk sometimes. Call it a hunch, whatever. I’ve seen fear before, and…well, let’s just say I know the signs.”
Cassie looked at him, eyes wide, but not shocked. Almost…tired.
“Felix…”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said, turning towards her, taking her arm gently to make her stop walking, “but you have to know. If someone hurt you, if there’s someone still out there who’s threatening you…”
“It’s not like that,” she said quickly, almost too quickly. “It’s not some guy I’m hiding from. There’s no abusive ex waiting to drag me back to some awful life.”
Felix narrowed his eyes, watching her closely. “Then who is it?”
She swallowed, looking down at her hands. Her voice was smaller when she finally spoke. “There’s nobody. Nothing. I’m perfectly safe.”
He growled then, tilting her chin up. Her face was the very picture of anxiety, her hands turning over themselves, her skin pale. “Cassie. Who is making you feel unsafe?”
“I told you already, nobody!”
