“I suppose you’re right.” They’d reached their cars.
“And make it somewhere you can shift and run,” Pauline added sternly. “It sounds like you’ve gone far, far too long without being able to do that.”
Carlos laughed. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” And he reached out to cup her cheek.
Pauline stilled, her breath caught in her chest, her entire body focused on the place where his hand touched her skin.
If she’d thought that feeling his hand against hers was profound, well—her entire body thrilled at this touch.
He leaned in, slowly, as if to give her time to object. Pauline wanted to do anything in the world but object.
Carlos’ kiss was soft at first, his lips warm against hers, his thumb slowly caressing her cheekbone. Pauline kissed back, their mouths moving gently together. A spark lit in her chest.
Then Carlos caught her up with his other arm, pulling her against him, and the spark fanned into a flame.
His body was huge, hard and strong against hers. Warm and solid, like she could just press herself against him and let go, and he’d hold her up and keep her safe.
He teased her tongue with his, drawing her out, and she found herself leaning into the kiss, opening her mouth and tasting him. Her arms went up around his neck, one of her hands threading through his thick dark hair.
A passion was awakening inside her, something she hadn’t felt in years. She wanted to get her hands inside his clothes, feel all that hard muscle, see what he looked like naked. Have him strip her naked, put those big hands all over her body—
Pauline tore away with a gasp. Her eyes were wide and shocked, she knew, staring up at him like he’d appeared from nowhere, a sexy apparition.
He stayed very still. “Too much?” he asked softly.
Pauline realized that she was panting, catching her breath. She closed her mouth. “A...little,” she admitted, feeling shamefaced.
A rich city guy like him probably dated all sorts of wild, sex-positive women, right? Women who knew what they wanted and grabbed it on the first date. Women who knew tons of crazy positions and had a collection of toys in their nightstand.
And here was Pauline, scared shy after one street-appropriate kiss.
But Carlos didn’t look disappointed. And he said, “Then we stop.”
“I don’t—I’m not—” Pauline said, hearing how confused she sounded. She wanted some way to communicate, I’m not a prude, I promise, without sounding defensive and childish, and it wasn’t there.
“Hey.” Carlos reached out, and after a second, Pauline took his hand. He held it softly, his thumb running over the knuckles in a way that made her breath catch. “You shouldn’t feel obligated to do anything you don’t want. I definitely wouldn’t want to do anything that we weren’t both totally on board with. Okay?”
Pauline took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Can I see you again?”
She should say no. She was already completely out of her depth, and falling fast. If they went out again, she was afraid she’d be half in love with the man. “Yes.”
His smile was a gift. “Good.”
***
Then, of course, it was time to fulfill her promise to herself.
She went home first, and then shifted and flew out to the kids’ house in her owl form, wanting to be as discreet as possible.
The woods were bright to her owl eyes, but she knew that in her human form, they’d be a black mass, almost entirely unlit. The thought of three kids living on their own out here made her heart ache.
Before she reached the house, though, she spotted headlights.
She dipped down immediately—was Drew going somewhere?
But no, it wasn’t Marsha’s car. It was a truck, a beat-up old truck that she didn’t recognize. She didn’t recognize the man at the wheel, either, even though her owl eyes picked out his features without any difficulty in the darkness.