CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

However, he couldn\'t just leave and wait for another time after figuring out what was wrong with him or after a medical check-up. He didn\'t have the strength to go.

When Lara sat on his lap, one of his dreams was finally fulfilled. He had dreamt to see her acting comfortable around him, and nothing she could do would have upset him. He liked her being familiar with him enough to do something daring!

«Can we... Can we just kiss today?» she asked, caressing his cheek and looking at his lips.

Was she asking for permission or setting a boundary? Nate wasn\'t sure, but he would accept both. A boundary was just what he needed, and permission was given to her the first time they met. It would have never been withdrawn when it concerned him. He was hers, at all times and in every situation.

«It\'s okay,» he said. «I feel the same.»

He also didn\'t want to go further than kisses, after all. Not on his side.

But kisses could be daring enough if he knew what to do.

Lara didn\'t remember their first time, but he could recall every single detail. He knew well enough where she liked to be touched and what could make her shiver or whine. It might have been new to her, but he had some experience to use. Not much, unfortunately, but that single night had been long and intense...

«Just kisses will be fine,» he murmured, hiding his real concern.

Lara didn\'t need to know about his little problem, and they could work on it later after he was sure she wouldn\'t laugh at him or leave him for someone who could last longer.

She bent her neck and pressed her lips on his, tasting the softness for a moment before retreating by an inch. She looked him in the eye before tilting her head by a few degrees and slightly opening her mouth. Just enough to engulf Nate\'s lower lip and suck on it.

She heard a moan, or maybe it was just a deep sigh, and she became daring. Her tongue slipped in his mouth, caressing Nate\'s and exploring without shame. She had the right to kiss him in any way she wanted, right? And he had given her permission.

She wasn\'t ready to move farther; her trauma wouldn\'t allow it. Yet, she couldn\'t resist the temptation of his lips and the caring touch of his hands. She knew it was unfair to him, yet she couldn\'t fight it.

As if fearing he would leave, she blocked his face with her hands, brushing her fingertips on his chin or jaw, making him face her from the right angle while deepening the kiss and giving her all.

She hadn\'t learnt to kiss properly, but her body was moving on its own. She didn\'t know what she was doing, but it felt incredibly right. Just like everything involving Nate.

His arms first surrounded her without dangerous intentions, just embracing her body and making her feel warm. But then, at some point, his hands found her back and caressed their way up and down. She felt his touch from over the clothes, and she couldn\'t help but move closer, pushing herself on his chest and moaning when she felt his hard chest.

She also wanted to touch him, to feel everything under his shirt, but she still remembered it was unfair: not until she was ready to give him everything.

«The bed,» Nate muttered, splitting from her just for that second. «It\'s more com

Lara opened her eyes and noticed the chair they were sitting on. She agreed: the bed was better! But how to get there? She couldn\'t just stop the kiss and resume it later. Her body wouldn\'t allow it, and her soul would ache for that long couple of seconds needed to walk.

She nodded, returning to kiss him as if she hadn\'t heard anything. She surrounded his neck with the intention of a last kiss before getting up, but a strong hand slipped under her butt, trailing down her thigh and grabbing behind her knee. His other arm firmly held her waist, and he picked her up. Lara tightened her clench around his neck, helping him carry her to the bed.

There, he let her slip on the mattress carefully. When she was sitting there, looking up at him with clouded eyes, he watched for a long moment before sitting next to her. His instinct was yelling to push her down, devouring everything on his way, even her complaints or insecurities... But, thankfully, he was rational. If not, he wouldn\'t have had any chance of building a life with Lara.

She was too delicate for a beast, and he was going to give her all she had asked for. And even what she didn\'t: a partner who could understand her needs, a family, and a place where no one would judge her for anything.

He would have built a place for her, where she could feel safe and loved, respected by the people around her and adored by her mate and pups.

Only later, he would have married her. Once she was completely certain he wouldn\'t abandon her as her family did, and once he was sure she wouldn\'t decide to leave for any reason. Only then, they could be like any other couple.

However, that didn\'t mean he couldn\'t show her a little of what she gained with him. Just a little and without crossing any boundary she had.

«Do you trust me?» he asked, caressing her cheek and smiling when she tilted her head and exposed the side of her neck. Sometimes, she would act exactly like a wolf.