“still counts.
He smirked but didn’t argue
Eventually, the road narrowed into a gravel tumout. A young wolfood there beside a snowmobile, already shifted, tall flicking, Derek turned off the cat and nodded toward the trail ahead.
“Don’t worry. You’re not driving ”
“Thank the Goddess,” I muttered, eyeing the snowmobile like it might bite me.
We climbed aboard, and I wrapped my arms around his waist as the machine roated to life. The cold air bit at my face, but I didn’t care. I was pressed against Derek. I could feel the warmth of him even through our layers. I leaned into it.
After a while, we crested a ridge—and my breath caught.
Lava. Actual lava. Molten gold and orange spilling from a split in the earth, glowing brighter than firelight. It flowed like syrup across black rock, steam hissing as snow tried to land on its surface and instantly turned to mist.
I stared, stunned. “You’re insane.”
“Just adventurous,” he replied, already grinning.
We dismounted at a roped overlook. There was no one else around. No tour groups. No guides. Just us and the living earth.
I walked to the edge of the platform, wind whipping at my hair. “It’s alive,” I whispered. “The earth. It’s breathing.”
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind. His chest pressed against my back.
“I thought you’d like it,” he murmured.
I turned in his embrace. He looked beautiful like this, bathed in the light of something ancient and wild.
“Is this it? The surprise?”
“Half of it.”
We hiked downhill, snow crunching beneath our boots. The moon had risen fully now, silvering the world in frost. Through the trees, steam began to rise again, this time thicker, gentler.
A hot spring.
It was nestled in a cradle of smooth stone, surrounded by black pines. Towels had been left on a bench. A bottle of wine and two glasses waited beside them.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said, turning to him with wide eyes.
He just smiled. “You like it.”
“I love it.”
The air was cold enough to bite, but I peeled off my outer layers anyway, stripping down to a sleek bodysuit. I didn’t even feel the chill. Derek followed suit, and we slipped into the water together.
It was heaven.
Warmth soaked into my bones, steam curling around us like mist. floated for a while, eyes closed, letting the tension drain from my limbs. Every now and then, I opened one eye and watched him.
His hair was wet, curling around his temples. His arms rested along the edge of the pool, eyes half–lidded as he watched me
1/3
Chapter 284
+25 BONUS
back.
“You didn’t have to go this far,” I said eventually. “A pizza and a foot rub would’ve done the trick.”
He glided closer, and I felt him brush against me.
“I wanted to show you something unforgettable,” he said.
My heart gave a little flutter.
“Mission accomplished,” I whispered.
Then his hands were on me.
He kissed my neck slowly, reverently. I turned into him and met his lips. The kiss deepened. It went from slow to urgent in the space of a breath. My legs wrapped around his waist beneath the water. His hands roamed my back, my hips, pulling me in until there was no space left between us.
He groaned into my mouth when I tugged on his hair. My body ached with how badly I wanted him. I could feel it in him too- the hunger, the restraint.
But I pulled back.
“We should go back to the hotel,” I said breathlessly.
He paused, studying me, his chest rising with each inhale:
Then he smiled.
And I knew.
Oh.
We were going to make love again. Not rushed or shadowed by grief. Not as strangers fumbling in a car. This was something else. Something sacred.
And the anticipation of it?
It was almost too much.
