Putting the Heart Before the Horse

The clerk handed back his card and gave him the bag of souvenirs, and he stepped over by Hope’s side.

“All done?” she asked.

He held up the plastic bag in response and gestured her toward the door. The sun had almost completely set, and the air was getting chilly. After a few steps, he paused and shrugged off his jacket.

“Here,” he said, draping it around Hope’s shoulders.

“Thanks.”

This time, she reached for his hand. Her touch felt like a tug on his heart. He was trying not to let himself move too fast, but each minute he spent with this woman made him more and more sure that they belonged together.

This was one of the problems of dating outside shifter communities. No matter how much a non-shifter knew about them, some things just weren’t quite the same. He’d seen it happen before, where someone got scared off by the idea of a destined mate.

But so far, he hadn’t seen any sign of that with Hope.

“I got Ava a big fancy kite as a Christmas present a couple of years ago,” he said, picking up the conversation from inside the store. “Uncle Josh was her favorite for a while after that.”

“Is Uncle Josh the fun uncle?”

“Most of the time. It’s pretty easy to be fun when you’re not their parent. But I try and take responsibility too. It’s the same way I was raised.”

“To a kid who grew up alone, that sounds amazing and alarming at the same time. It would have been nice to have other kids around to play with. But I can’t imagine constantly being around that many people.”

“It’s a trade-off,” Josh agreed. “But relationships always are, in one way or another. And what you get out of it is usually worth it.”

“That’s a good point,” she said, squeezing his hand. As much as he wanted her, wanted to explore her body and worship her, at this moment he was content just to be with her, walking down a sidewalk at sunset with the breeze blowing around them.

All too soon, they were back at the hotel, walking through the sliding doors. Hope let go of his hand to maneuver around an overloaded luggage cart, and he instantly missed her touch. They reunited in the lobby after a harried-looking father, chasing after a toddler, wheeled the cart out of the way.

“Well, thanks for dinner,” Hope said. “I enjoyed it. I was a little nervous about being set up by a matchmaker, but—” She trailed off as Josh took her hand again.

“But it feels right,” he said softly. She nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from him.

He guided her to a little alcove off the main lobby, keeping their fingers threaded together. The noise of the restaurant and the lobby disappeared, and they entered their own private world.

“Hope,” he said, using his other hand to brush her blonde hair back from her face. “I was worried too. I want to get married and have a family, but still, I took a big step signing up with Single and Serious. It was a little embarrassing to think that I needed help finding a woman. But if I’d known that it would lead me to you, I wouldn’t have worried at all.”

He’d put his trust in destiny, and destiny had brought him Hope.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned in closer. He took a breath, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume, and chased it to its source on the delicate skin behind her ear. As he nuzzled at that tempting spot, he heard a small moan escape her lips. The sound wiped every other thought from his mind—he had to have her.

She turned up her face to meet his kiss, which started out gentle as they tasted and tested each other. Her soft lips plucked at his, and for several long moments, they were content to learn what the other person liked. Their joined hands broke apart, and as Josh moved to grasp her hip, Hope’s arms slid around his neck. Her lips felt as amazing as he’d imagined. He traced them with his tongue, and when her mouth opened eagerly beneath his, their tongues met and tangled hotly.

He drew back, panting, aware of every place their bodies touched. “Hope, that was...God, I don’t know what to say.”

A smile bloomed on her face. “Amazing? Astonishing? Arousing?”

“Definitely all three of those.” To illustrate his point, he pulled her closer, flush against his hardness.

“Josh,” she murmured, so sweetly that he had to kiss her again. They lost themselves in each other until a large group of people entered the lobby and the noise pulled them back to reality.

“Hope,” he said hesitantly, “believe me when I say that I didn’t plan this, didn’t even dream that it could happen, but...would you come upstairs to my room? I want you so much, it’s making me crazy.”

She took a deep breath. “You’re right, it is crazy. We just met a few hours ago, and I’ve never even met a shifter before. There’s so much we should talk about.”

He forced himself to release his grasp on her hip and stepped back. “Of course.”

She stunned him, then, by reaching out to stroke him through his pants. “But talking is the last thing I want to do with you right now.”