Chapter Seven
Duncan
My heart is up in my throat as I take Viktor’s hand in my own. His skin is warm and soft, tingles running up and down my arm.
The smile he sends me leaves me breathless and lightheaded. This all feels so overwhelming and terrifying and wonderful all at once. It’s hard to wrap my head around any of it, so I stop thinking for once in my life and do my best to stay in the moment.
“I love this song,” Viktor says once we’re on the dance floor. He places a hand on my shoulder, the other still folded in mine. My free hand goes to his waist.
I swallow thickly as we begin to sway. We’re so close together. I can smell him, that wonderful lavender scent hitting my nose and sinking into my chest. Lavender might be my new favorite scent.
Viktor leaves my brain feeling scrambled but at the same time, peace settles into the very marrow of my bones. How can one person make me feel so many things? Especially someone I only met a few hours ago?
Viktor leads us through the dance. Even just that settles something inside of me. I don’t have to put on a show for him. I don’t have to try to be some assertive alpha. I can just be me and he’s okay with that. If anything, I think he enjoys that I’m a flustered mess of a man.
As the song continues on, Viktor shifts his hands, pulling one away from my hand and instead wrapping it around the back of my neck. I move both of my hands to his lower back. We merge together, our bodies resting against each other as we move to the music.
This is nice. This is more than nice; this is perfect.
“After my magic manifested, I wasn’t sure I would get to have this again.”
“This?”
“Yeah, this type of closeness. Sure, everyone in my pack explained mates and stuff to me, but part of me always assumed that wouldn’t be for me.
Like somehow coming into my powers so late meant my hypothetical mate wasn’t real.
I was worried that stepping into this new world all by myself meant I needed to stay by myself forever. ”
My heart hammers in my chest. “Do you still think that?”
Viktor pulls back, just enough for our eyes to meet. “No.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “I feel the same,” I say, my voice timid and nervous. “I assumed a mate wasn’t in the cards for me. It’s hard to meet people when people scare you,” I say with a little bit of a snort.
“But you took a chance,” Viktor says with a soft smile. “Maybe it’s weird for me to say, but I’m really proud of you, Duncan. You took a chance and look what happened.”
The praise warms me from the inside out. I can’t stop thinking about the fortune teller and what he said. Pushing myself outside of what’s comfortable for me is terrifying but when Viktor looks at me with those soft eyes and warm words, I know I can keep on doing it. He makes this so much easier.
“Thank you,” I say, almost shyly. “I know this is too soon to be admitting but I can already tell this is really special, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Viktor rests his head against my shoulder as we sway with the music. My stomach is a mess of butterflies, flitting around inside of me. My hands grip the back of his suit, holding on probably too tight but Viktor doesn’t seem to mind.
Viktor lets out a breathy sigh, his body soft and relaxed. “I feel like I could stay like this forever.”
“Me too,” I whisper into his hair. I breathe him in greedily, never wanting this moment to end. The DJ apparently has different ideas.
The music shifts from the soft song into something more upbeat. We pull apart and I immediately miss the feeling of Viktor’s body against my own. He feels so far away despite being right in front of me.
Viktor takes this all in stride. He places a hand on my hip and tugs me forward, still swaying to the music. His other hand goes up in the air as he moves with the beat around us.
Okay. I suddenly see the appeal to this type of dancing. My chest feels brighter than the sun as I watch him dance.
It takes me a song and a half but eventually, the nerves fall away and I find myself having fun, dancing across from Viktor.
He shows me the sprinkler and the shopping cart and the lawnmower.
I copy his moves and he giggles with delight.
Seeing him smile makes acting like a fool kind of fun.
Why should I be worried when his smile is so bright?
“That’s it! Yes, Duncan! Look at you go!”
I twirl around, putting a little extra sway in my hips as I go. Viktor claps along to the music, watching me move with dark eyes. He bites his bottom lip and the sight makes a fire bloom within my belly.
Oh.
He’s looking at me like he wants to do more than just dance with me.
I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind that. Sure, I would be nervous as fuck, but it’s Viktor. Somehow I know he’ll take care of me. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of a party or in between the sheets, he’d make sure I was okay.
Viktor twists around and scoots back until his back is against my front.
He reaches back, grabbing my arm and bringing it around his middle.
We sway like that. I’m overwhelmed with how good we fit together, how our bodies feel pressed together.
Against my permission, my cock fills with blood and excitement thrums through my veins. I’m drunk on it, drunk on Viktor.
Viktor lays his head against my shoulder, tilting his face away from me which leaves his throat right there, exposed. A shiver runs down me and I follow my instincts, allowing the feelings inside of me to well up and create action. I turn my head and run my nose over his neck.
I hear Viktor’s sharp intake of breath. Oh gods, that sound is so sexy.
“Duncan,” Viktor breathes out.
In response, I allow my lips to touch his neck. I pucker up, giving it a barely there kiss before turning away, my face burning under my mask.
“Oh, Duncan,” Viktor whispers, turning in my arms so we’re face to face. “I’ve never wanted to kiss someone as much as I want to kiss you right now.”
The music blares around us, the vibrations of the bass thrumming through my chest, yet that is barely a whisper compared to how hard my heart is beating from Viktor’s words.
It only takes me a second to breathe out my response. “Then do it.”
Viktor’s hand comes up to my face, caressing my cheek just under my mask. Then he moves his fingers further back, touching my hair. He pulls me down and I close my eyes. Instead of a kiss, his nose brushes against my own, our masks snagging against each other, a shiver running through me.
“I want to kiss you but not here, not for everyone to see. I want our first kiss somewhere that’s just you and me.”
I swallow back my disappointment. “Okay.”
“Do you want to get out of here?”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a hotel room across the street. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do but umm, maybe we can go there, close the door, and then I can kiss you?”
My eyes widen and my stomach erupts with jittery sensations that spread out from my core to all my appendages. I find myself nodding.
“Okay,” I say again. Viktor grins and takes my hand, leading me away from the dance floor and towards the door.
Oh. My. Gods.
Once we get outside, the cold air hits me. My knees are weak, my head is spinning, and I feel like I can’t catch a full breath. Despite that, I’m filled with excitement like I’ve never felt before. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the night would be ending like this.
“Good lord, it’s cold out.”
I wrap my arm around Viktor’s shoulders, hoping it’ll help keep him warm. He looks up at me with a grin. He’s so pretty when he grins like that.
We shuffle across the parking lot over to the hotel. Viktor takes out his phone, sending a quick message before pocketing it again. Once inside, he directs me to the stairs and we make our way up to his floor.
“It’s this one,” he says, sliding a key card into the slot and opening the door.
The room is completely bare, like maybe this is the first time Viktor has stepped inside. That’s interesting. I should ask if he lives around here or if he had to drive far. I should ask him what he wants to do tomorrow. I should see if he wants to maybe get breakfast with me in the morning.
All of those questions fly right out of my mind as Viktor crowds me back against the door.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he says, looking up at me like he’s hungry and I’m the only thing that will sate him. I swallow thickly. “Is that okay?”
I’m almost embarrassed by the vigorousness of my nod. Almost.
Viktor’s lips quirk up into a little smile before he’s leaning up and kissing my lips. My eyes clench shut and my hands grab at the front of his jacket.
Oh.
This is everything I hoped it would be while also being so much more. My head goes blissfully blank as Viktor’s lips press firmly against my own. It’s chaste and soft and downright perfect. No other kiss could ever compare to this one.
Except maybe Viktor’s second kiss. And his third.
Before I realize what’s happened, we’re making out against the door, our hands running over each other’s bodies. Viktor gets his hands into my tux jacket, carefully pulling it away from my shoulders and onto the floor. Then he gets to work on the buttons of my dress shirt, not breaking the kiss.
Gods, he’s so good. I’m so overwhelmed all I can do is hold on for dear life and hope Viktor isn’t annoyed at how inexperienced I am. Just like at the ball though, he’s gentle and kind. He loosens my tie and pulls it away from my body along with my shirt.
Finally, he pulls back. His eyes are on me, looking over my chest now that it’s bare for him.
“Jesus, Duncan,” he says, his voice husky and breathless from our kisses. “Fuck.”
I’m breathing so hard someone would think I just ran a marathon instead of made out with someone. I let my head fall back against the door, doing my best to keep myself calm. Wandering hands touch my belly, running up my chest. Gods, this all feels so fucking good.