46. Isabella
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ISABELLA
My eyes flutter open, expecting to still be riding on a giant wolf version of my boyfriend. Instead, I’m lying in his bed with sunshine filtering through the windows.
He needs curtains. Add that to my list.
I rarely ever wake up before Nick, but today he softly snoozes beside me, and I soak up the opportunity to watch him.
Appreciate him.
He’s stretched out on his back—a perfect example of manspreading—one arm above his head and the other around me, holding me close. His large biceps are loose and relaxed, making him look a little less imposing.
His broad chest rises and falls slowly with each breath. His abs shine in the sunlight, and I can’t help but trail my fingers along the dips and valleys.
He’s devastatingly beautiful in such a rugged, rough way. A way that speaks to the amount of trauma his body goes through once a month, and the physical training that goes into handling it.
And yet, despite that, his face is so calm. Peaceful. Inviting.
I shimmy up onto my elbow so I can look down at him properly.
I think I love you.
A shiver works its way down my spine and through my arms, raising little goosebumps in its wake. That’s the first time I’ve let myself think that for this man I still barely know.
But something about him is familiar.
Sometimes, in the dark, it feels like I’ve known him my whole life. As scary as it is, I swear my soul has always known him. When I met him for the first time, it was more like reuniting with an old friend than greeting a stranger.
Maybe that’s why I’ve allowed myself to fall so fast without a parachute flying wild behind me. Perhaps I don’t need one.
His eyebrows furrow slightly before he moves just a tad, as if my thinking so intently about us has summoned him from the depths of sleep.
I press little butterfly kisses onto his mouth until the corners turn up, and both arms wrap around my middle.
In an instant, I’m underneath him, watching as his smile lights up his whole face. He’s beautiful when he sleeps, but he’s truly cataclysmic when he looks at me like that.
World-ruining. World rebuilding.
“Morning.” His voice is all jagged edges and heat.
The goosebumps that had finally calmed down spring up again so quickly it’s almost painful. “Hi.”
“So? How was your first full moon?”
I close my eyes for a moment, letting my hands wander along his skin as I think about last night. “I had a lot of fun, actually. More than I thought.”
He kisses me once. Twice. A third time, where he lingers just enough for warmth to bloom in my body.
“I’m so glad, Izzy.” Sincerity bleeds from his words, forcing my eyes open to meet his gaze. “It meant a lot to me for you to be there.”
“I’ll always be there,” I reply, the vulnerability of it causing fear to rise in my throat, but I have to tell him. I have to be brave. I can’t let the past dictate my future. “I’ll be with you for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Izzy.” His hand cradles my cheek, rough callouses on his thumb dragging against my skin. “I will always want you.”
“Show me.”
I open my legs, cradling his hips and hooking my ankles around his ass.
“I’ll fuck every single doubt you’ve ever had out of that beautiful head, Izzy.” He leans in, hovering over my mouth. “And then I’ll do it again.”