When she tilted back her face, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to capture those inviting lips with his own.
This time, she didn't hold back. She sank into his kiss with abandon, opening her mouth under his with a small sound in her throat. Eren pulled her closer, halfway into his lap. She arched her back and pressed her body against his, and he could feel the hard pinpricks of her nipples under her sweater.
When they broke apart, she looked dazed, her pupils blown out. "That was some kiss," she managed breathlessly.
"And you're some woman," Eren said. Then he winced. "Okay, I don't know if that came out right."
Lucy laughed. She placed a hand on the side of his face, running her fingers across the incipient scruff of his beard. Every man in his family fought a running battle against beards that seemed to grow as fast as they were shaved off. Lucy didn't appear to mind. She scritched her fingers through the stubble and ran her hand lightly through the close-cropped hair above his ear, then leaned in for another kiss.
"You don't have to be a romantic sweet talker," she murmured when they broke apart. "I've had plenty of men try to charm me; being an heiress is like that. What I like about you is that you say what you mean. When you tell me something, I know I can believe it."
"I would never lie to you."
"I know," she breathed. "And where I come from, that's worth more than gold. A lot more. I could buy gold if I wanted it, but you can't buy honesty, or sincerity, or love."
Her voice faltered a little on the last word.
"I hope I'm worth it," Eren said. The words spilled out, but they seemed to come from some instinctive place inside him that he had almost lost touch with. "Lucy, I think I'm falling in love with you. I think you might be my mate."
Her mouth opened and closed. "Mate?" she said cautiously.
"It's the one person in the world we shifters are meant for, the one who's meant for us. I wondered from the moment I met you if you could be the one, and now I think you are."
Of course she is,came the voice of his bear, a little sulky, but pleased.You just didn't ask right.
The feeling of his inner and outer worlds coming together was a startling relief, so much so that he sagged against Lucy.
"What's wrong?" she asked, caught off guard. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Better than fine." He took her face between his hands and kissed her thoroughly, until they were both breathless, and then just rested his forehead against hers for a minute.
The boat rocked gently beneath them, moving lightly in the sheltered harbor. The drumming of rain was a pleasant counterpoint to the boat's rocking. He couldn't ever remember a time he'd felt so completely at peace.
It occurred to him then that he'd never followed up on something Lucy had said earlier.
"What was the other thing you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh." She laughed a little. "It's not that much compared with turning into a bear, or all the rest of it."
"I mean, if that's where the bar is set, ever piece of news is going to come up short. Or maybe I should say where the bear is set?"
Lucy giggled. "No, please don't say that."
"Whatever it is, I'm curious now."
"Oh. Well." She looked up at him with lamplight glimmering in her agate eyes. "You see, there's something I can do too. I've been able to do it ever since I was a little girl. I never knew how it worked or why I could do it when no one else seemed to be able to, but now I'm wondering if it might have something to do with the griffin thing."
"What is it?"
She hesitated, as if unsure, and bit her lip. "It's hard to describe."
"You could show me?" Eren suggested.
"That's just the thing, I can't. I mean, if I did show you, you couldn't see it. That's how it works."
"I don't understand."
"It's kind of a ... a look-away, like—did you ever read those magic school books with the invisibility cloak? Like that. I just call it Doing The Thing."