“Violet just texted me. Nick fell asleep watching a movie,” Elise said, then giggled. Then hiccupped. They’d been at the restaurant for close to three hours, now, and had shared two bottles of wine, along with a giant piece of tiramisu for dessert. Holden had finally, reluctantly, asked for the check five minutes ago. Their server had just dropped off the paid receipt, but Holden didn’t want to sign it. He didn’t want to leave the restaurant, and have this meal come to an end.

Holden loved seeing Elise like this—relaxing, and not worrying about Nick or work or whatever other dozens of things she seemed to constantly fret about. She was always beautiful, even when she was running around harried, working a shift at the diner. But right now…

Holden forced himself to look down at the receipt and grab the pen. He left the waiter a generous tip. After all, they’d been taking up his table for most of the dinner shift. After signing his name, Holden stood and held out his hand to Elise.

“Shall we?” he asked. She hiccupped again, and nodded. Holden was glad they had walked to the restaurant. Walking back would give them an excuse to spend a bit more time together. Besides, after sitting for three hours, it would feel good to stretch his legs and get some fresh air.

As they stepped out onto the sidewalk, he saw that there was a gas station about half a block away from the restaurant.

“Come on,” he told Elise. “Let’s get you a bottle of water. I’m already afraid that I’m going to be responsible for the wicked hangover you’re going to have when you wake up tomorrow morning. The least I can do is make sure you stay hydrated.”

Elise giggled in response, and Holden sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked, feeling somewhat guilty. He forgot sometimes that full humans didn’t hold alcohol nearly as well as shifters. Elise was nicely toasted right now, and, although she seemed happy at the moment, Holden had a feeling she was going to be cursing him when her alarm went off for her morning shift at the diner.

After they bought the water, though, Elise downed it all in one long series of gulps. Not long after that, she seemed to sober up slightly. Perhaps it was the combination of the exercise, fresh air, and water. Whatever the case, Holden was glad that she seemed to already be recovering.

“So is Nick staying at my place tonight, then?” Holden asked.

Elise nodded. “Violet said he was snoring like he’s dead to the world. She said it was fine if he stayed there, and I think it’s probably best. Have you ever tried to wake up a sleeping preteen? It’s damn near impossible.”

Holden laughed, and so did Elise. He still had his arm around her, and he could feel her shoulders shaking slightly as she chuckled. She had steadied up quite a bit, and he could have moved his arm away without worrying about her falling over. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. She was so soft, so warm, and she felt like home.

Home, Holden thought. His own home in the Redwood forests of Northern California had been captured by Saul’s army. Ever since the capture, Holden had felt adrift. Yet somehow, standing here in the middle of Blackstone with his arm around Elise, he felt anchored and safe. For the first time in quite some time, he felt like he belonged.

Elise was still talking about how much Nick liked to sleep, but Holden was having a hard time paying attention to what she was saying. He had just realized that the apartment he was walking Elise home to right now was empty. Nick was with Violet, and that meant that there was no one to spy on him as he dropped Elise off at her front door. There was no one who would see if he kissed her goodnight.

Holden’s heart began to race in his chest. He knew better than to dwell on the thought of kissing Elise, but once the idea had entered his head, he couldn’t stop thinking about how soft her lips were, or how beautiful she looked in the silvery moonlight. The more he tried to ignore his thumping heart, the louder it seemed to beat. How was he supposed to maintain his composure when he was about to be alone on the doorstep with the most beautiful girl he’d ever known.

Elise seemed to sense his mood, or perhaps she had also realized the implications of being alone with Holden, for she had gone quiet as well. Holden’s arm felt heavy as he rested it on Elise’s shoulders, as though the heaviness of the moment was weighing it down. He kept his arm around her as they climbed the steps to her second floor apartment, and made no move to let go once they finally stood in front of her door. They stood there, breathing raggedly for several moments. Holden’s mind screamed at him to move, to say goodnight, and to leave. But, still, he remained. He felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, looking down into a beautiful pool of sparkling blue water. He wanted so badly to jump over the edge, to let the sweet cool waves ripple over him. But he could not quite find the courage to jump.

His whole life had been shaded by the loss of his parents at such a young age. He was terrified of losing any of his clanmates. How much worse would it be to lose a woman he loved?

Step away from the edge, he told himself, his heart pounding in his chest. Step away from the edge. Tell her goodnight, and go home.

He turned to face her, letting his arm slide off her shoulders.

“Elise,” he said.

And then, he was gone. His heart betrayed him, overpowering the more sensible voice in his head. His hands reached up to her face, and he cradled her cheeks in his palms. His lips were on hers, drinking in their sweet softness. He felt her melting into him, moaning softly as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She reached into her small purse for her keys, never breaking their kiss as she pulled them out and jangled them around, finding her front door key by feel. She put it in the lock and turned it, then pushed the door open without ever opening her eyes or pulling away from him. Holden kicked the door shut behind him, then wrapped his arms around Elise’s waist. He fell backwards onto her couch, pulling her along with him so that she lay on top of him. Her hair fell around his face in a cascade of fiery curls, appropriate since Holden’s whole body felt like it was going up in flames.

He had never in his life felt this way about a woman. He’d been attracted to women, sure. But he’d never felt like he was burning up from the inside with desire. He could hardly breathe, and yet he’d never felt so alive. They kissed for several glorious minutes, his tongue dancing with hers, their hearts beating as one. He was lost in the moment, until he reached for the hem of her shirt and she stopped him. The motion seemed to have snapped her out of the trance they had been in, and she sat up and scooted away from him, clapping her hand over her mouth.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, her eyes wide.

Holden closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “I know,” he said, although it killed him to say it. “I shouldn’t, either. But if it’s so wrong, why does it feel like it’s meant to be?”

Elise didn’t answer, so Holden opened his eyes to look at her. She was sitting by his feet on the couch, twisting a curl of hair so tightly around her finger that she looked like she might pull it right out of her head.

“It’s late,” she said, although there was no conviction in his words.

“I know,” Holden replied, sounding even less convinced than she did. They remained suspended in that moment, staring into each other’s eyes and struggling to do the smart thing, to walk away from each other. They might have stayed that way forever, had Holden’s phone not dinged loudly in his pocket to alert him to an incoming text. Glad for the interruption, and a chance to breathe, Holden reached for the phone. He sat up to look at the screen, noticing that it was nearly eleven o’ clock at this point. The text was from Violet.

“Violet says that Nick is still sleeping on the couch and that she’s about to go to bed. She wanted to tell me to be quiet when I came in.”

“You should go,” Elise said, her voice sad. Holden nodded and stood. He made his way to the front door, each step making his heart feel heavier than the one before. Elise followed him, and he stopped with his hand on the doorknob to look at back at her.

“Thank you for such a lovely evening,” he said.

“I should be thanking you,” she replied. “It was your idea, and you sprang for the check.”

“I wanted to take you out. You’re working so hard, and you deserve a night of fun now and then.”

Elise smiled at him and shrugged, as though she didn’t really believe she deserved a night out. Holden waited for her to say something, but she didn’t, so he finally admitted to himself that it was time to go. There were no more excuses, no more reasons to stall.

“Right then,” he said. “Good night.”

“Good night,” she replied. And when she did, he saw her lip quiver with emotion. He wasn’t sure what emotion it was, but the vulnerability of it reached straight to his heart, making him lose his senses all over again.

“I can’t leave you,” he said in a strained voice. Then he let go of the doorknob and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist. In fact, she welcomed him, wrapping her arms around him as well, and tilting her face upward to meet his kiss. This time, Holden knew, there would be no hesitation. No holding back for either of them. They had both just jumped headfirst over the cliff.

Holden picked Elise up in his arms, never breaking their kiss as he carried her toward her bedroom. She shuddered, an excited breath rippling through her body as he stepped over the threshold of her room and kicked the door shut behind him. Even though they were alone in the house, he felt like closing the door was a wise idea, just in case. He didn’t want to take any chances on any interruptions.

When he reached the bed, he dropped Elise on it, and immediately started pulling off his shirt. He felt an urgency that he had never felt before, and all he wanted to do was feel his skin against Elise’s skin as soon as possible. Every second that went by where he could not feel her was one second too many. Happily, Elise seemed to feel the same way, because even as Holden tore off his own clothes, she was removing her shirt and pants. She wore black, lacy undergarments, but Holden barely had time to look at them before she’d torn them off and thrown them across the room. In less than a minute’s time, they had both stripped completely naked in front of each other. There was a hunger between them that demanded to be satisfied.

Holden could feel his inner dragon, restless and demanding. A deep, primal instinct was urging him on, wanting more of Elise. His dick stood at attention between his legs, stiff and hard—and impressing Elise, if the wideness in her eyes when she looked at it was any indication of her feelings.

Holden joined Elise on the bed, pushing aside the pants she had wriggled out of and letting them fall to the floor. He marveled at the beauty of her body, tracing a fingertip around one of her nipples. The hard nub stiffened instantly at his touch, making a lovely contrast to the soft fullness of her breast. He closed his mouth over the other nipple, tasting the sweetness of her skin, and drinking in the lovely sound of her soft moan. Her body was exquisite, a perfect combination of hills and valleys, of curves and softness. He had never before seen anything so beautiful, and he was sure he would never after, either. She was everything, the epitome of beauty.

He traced a hand down the length of her torso, stopping to trace a small circle around her belly button. She shivered when he did this, and he smiled. He loved the way her whole body responded to his touch. He paused, and took the time to trace another little circle, delighting in the way she once again shivered. Then he let his fingers make their way down past the very bottom of her stomach, to the spot where her legs joined together. He buried his hand in the soft mound of hair just before her entrance, marveling at the fact that he was here with her, touching her in such an intimate way. She was still now, except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she tried to even out her breathing. A hopeless task—Holden knew—since he’d been trying and failing to do the same thing ever since he entered this bedroom with her.

He let his fingers slide even further down, finding her slick, wet entrance. She was dripping with anticipation for him, and feeling the juices of her desire sent a fresh wave of passion through Holden’s whole body. He’d been intending to spend some time letting his fingers play inside of her, but, suddenly, he was filled with a nearly uncontrollable, burning hunger.

“Elise,” he said, his breath feeling heavy in his own mouth. She understood that he was asking a question, and she answered it without breathing a word herself. Her hands reached down and found the sides of his upper arms. She tugged gently, trying to pull his face up toward hers. She was inviting him to position his body over hers: his face to her face and his dick to her sweet, wet entrance.

Holden did not wait for a second invitation. He pulled himself up and kissed her. The feeling of her lips against his, and her breasts against his chest, sent tingling heat through every fiber of his being. But the truly magnificent sensation was between his legs, where he could feel himself hardening with such force that he thought he might explode. He desperately needed relief, and he was about to find it, he knew.

Sliding into Elise felt like the most natural thing in the world. Holden let out a low moan of appreciation as her soft, wet warmth covered him. She moaned as well, arching her back and pushing her hips up against his, begging for more. Holden marveled at how tight she was. He could feel himself pushing against her inner walls, and every movement he made seemed to delight her further. She shuddered and shivered and moaned underneath him. Now and then, she even whispered his name, begging for more.

Holden could hardly hold back the pressure inside of him. His body was hungry, clawing for a release. But he kept his own pleasure in check, at least for the moment. First, he would take care of Elise. He moved his hips backward and forward, backward and forward, sliding against Elise’s most sensitive places, and delighting in the way she squeezed her eyes shut tightly and moaned. He had never felt like as much of a man as he did at that moment, knowing that he was the one bringing this deep level of pleasure to the most beautiful girl in the world.

He moved with a slow, steady rhythm, and he could feel Elise growing hungrier and more desperate beneath him. He smiled as she dug her fingernails into his back, trying to pull him closer to her than he already was. This was an impossibility, of course. He was already as deep into her as he could be, and their sweaty bodies were pressed hard against each other.

She had been so hungry for this, Holden thought. As hungry for me as I was for her. Why had we been holding back? Out of fear, he knew. His fear of losing her, and her fear for her son. He didn’t exactly understand all of her worries about her son, but he knew they had been her reason for holding back. But now, in this moment, all other fears and worries were forgotten. Everything else was pushed away but the need for each other. Holden felt Elise shudder beneath him again, and then, with a loud scream, she finally gave in and found her release.

The spasms that came from her body were intense, like nothing Holden had ever experienced. He felt her inner muscles clenching around his dick over and over, each tremor feeling hotter, wetter, and stronger than the one before. The sensation was overwhelming, and Holden barely had time to catch a breath before his own body was responding to hers. He felt his whole body stiffen, and then, with a roar, he came into her as she squeezed herself around him. He felt like a fire was being drawn up from every corner of his body, and being shot straight through his rock hard manhood into her body. He felt his dick pulsing, and he felt the tingling heat inside of him reaching its crescendo.

He roared as she moaned, and together, they reached the height of human ecstasy. He felt the fire in his body turning slowly from a tingling electricity to a sweet, steady heat. His core was warm, so warm. The trembling in his body slowly stopped, but the heat remained. Holden took a deep breath and slid off of Elise when he felt her body calming as well. But even when he was no longer inside of her or on top of her, the heat remained. He grabbed her hand and held it, lacing his fingers through hers and letting the realization of what had just happened wash over him.

He had made love to Elise, recklessly and with complete abandon. He had wanted nothing more than to be with her, to be as close to her as was humanly possible. And, in giving in to that desire, he had formed a lifemate bond. He’d heard enough about lifemate bonds over the years to recognize the heat in his core. He had bonded to Elise. He’d been so lost in passion that it had never occurred to him that maybe she was actually his lifemate. Or, perhaps, he had not let himself entertain the idea that she might belong to him. It would have been horrible to have hoped for something so wonderful only to have his hopes dashed.

Yet here he was, bonded to Elise. He was scared out of his mind, and happier than he’d ever been. And what more could you ask for in love than that? Holden looked over at Elise, and saw the same mixture of fear and joy in her eyes that he knew was in his. He reached his arm around her to pull her close to him. There would be plenty of time later to talk about their future together. The details would all work themselves out, somehow. They always did. Right now, Holden didn’t want to think about anything except how lucky he was. For there, in his arms, lay perfect beauty in human form. Elise had let him make love to her, and he had bonded with her. Life had just changed forever, but for the better.

Yup, Holden thought as he kissed the top of Elise’s head. Terrified and overjoyed pretty much summed up his feelings right now.