Chapter 68 Too Beautiful
ARDEN
The water didn’t feel so cold anymore. I was floating on it like it weren’t the very thing I had once feared most. I didn’t even realize how far I hade until Cade let out a soft chuckle behind me.
“What?” I asked, turning my head over my shoulder to look at him.
“You’re doing it.”
“Doing what?”
“Swimming.”
I paused mid–paddle; the motion felt so natural now that it didn’t even register in my senses. I had pushed through theke without clinging to him, without hyperventting or freezing up. The fear that had once paralyzed me was… <i>gone</i><i>. </i>Or, maybe not entirely erased–but drowned out by something undeniably stronger. <i>By </i><i>him</i>.
I turned around, floating gently toward him. The moonlight caught the angles of his face, casting shadows across his cheekbones and highlighting the water that dripped from his jaw.
“I guess I am,” I whispered.
A small smile appeared on his lips. “I told you I wouldn’t let you drown.”
That warm fiutter returned to my chest, filling me with a mix of excitement and gratitude. I smiled back, shyly, and kept kicking forward. We stayed like that for a few more minutes, gliding silently through the water, but I didn’t notice how far I had gone until a sharp ache shot through my shoulder, causing me to wince.
“Ow.”
Cade was at my side in an instant. “What is it?”
“My shoulder. I think I twisted it when I fell. It’s starting to hurt again.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached for me, his strong hands wrapping around my waist to support me.
“You should’ve said something sooner,” he muttered, his brows furrowing in concern.
“I didn’t notice until now.”
His grip adjusted slightly as I leaned into him, one of my hands slipping around his torso–and then, lower, brushing against <b>skin </b>that was definitely not covered by fabric.
I froze.
It <b>was </b>warm. <i>Very </i><i>warm</i>.
My fingers syed instinctively over it before realization hit me like a p
1 gasped. “Is that your-?”
“I’m naked, Cade said,pletely unbothered. “I–shifted, remember?”
-My face med “Oh my god-
<i>Cade </i>smirked. “You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?”
That was different<b>?</b>” I eximed, immediately trying to back away, but his hold on me was firm, unyielding.
“Was it?”
“Yes!” I hissed. “I didn’t mean to–my hand just–ugh, shut up!”
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Chapter 68 Too Beautiful
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “You can touch it again if you want.”
“CADE!”
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I pped at his chest, and he burst intoughter. In retaliation, I sshed him, sending a wave of water crashing against his face. He blinked in surprise before retaliating, pulling me under for a second before letting me pop back up, sputtering.
“You are the worst!” I shouted between giggles.
He grinned. “You like it.”
I rolled my eyes, unable topletely stifle myughter. Our sshing turned into spinning, letting the water carry us around in a strange little dance. It was utterly ridiculous.
Just then, as if taken straight from a scene in the movies, everything went quiet.
The world stilled.
Theughter faded away.
We simply… stared at each other.
His smile slowly softened, and I felt my own fade, too–not because anything was wrong, but because it felt like something significant was unfolding between us.
Cade drifted closer, and I didn’t make any effort to move back. His hand reached out, brushing my wet hair cheek. My breath caught as his thumb traced my jaw, so gentle and so careful, appearing unsure if this moment was allowed.
from away
my
But I didn’t pull away.
I leaned in.
And then—our lips met.
Soft Warm. Slow at first.
The kiss eventually deepened, pulled by something we both instinctively recognized but couldn’t quite fight against.
The water rippled around us as he kissed me, his arms sliding up my back to hold me close. My fingers wrapped around his shoulders, anchoring me. The cold of theke was forgotten. Everything outside of this moment faded away–except for his mouth and the way it moved with mine, hungry yet gentle all at once.
The kiss was sweet.
Then it turned a little desperate.
Then it slowed again, like neither of us wanted it to end.
<b><i>Fuck </i></b>
I’m in deep<b>, </b>aren’t I?
When we pulled apart, with barely an inch separating us, his forehead rested gently against mine.
“Arden,” he whispered, breathless.
“Yeah!
He didn’t say anything, and for a moment, doubt crept into my mind. What about his honey? Am I treading into off–limits
waters?
The sharp hoot of an owl cut through the still night air, startling us both. I blinked up <b>at </b>Cade, suddenly too aware of the doseness between <b>us</b>–the way his arms still held me steady in the water<b>, </b><b>and </b>how my body was pressed against his bare
chest
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Chapter 68 Too Beautiful
My eyes widened, and I pulled back slightly, coldness creeping back into my skin like shame chasing after warmth.
“I—uh,” I stammered, pushing a damp strand of hair behind my ear. “Do you have any clothes?”
Cade pursed his lips before shaking his head. “Just a towel.”
“I rushed here as soon as I found out Sienna led you to the woods.”
My brows furrowed slightly. “That bitch,” I muttered under my breath. “When is she finally going to leave?”
“Don’t worry,” he suddenly said as he led us both back to the shore. “It’s happening soon.”
“Huh?” I asked, confused, but he was already pulling me up before I could ask another question.
Then, my eyes involuntarily drifted down to his crotch before I turned away. I could hear him wrap the towel around his waist, and I felt my cheeks heat up.
A towel was definitely better than nothing.
I turned back around and willed myself not to stare.
Even if he looked insanely good, with droplets running down his chest, muscles taut, and skin kissed by moonlight. Even if the air was heavy and his scent was all I could breathe in.
“We should contact the faction,” I said, clearing my throat. “Let someone know we’re alive.”
Cade nodded, suddenly serious. “I’ll link my Beta. Just a sec.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “It’s done. They’ll stop looking, but we won’t move until daylight. It’ll be difficult to find our way in the dark like this.”
“I’m cold,” I admitted softly, shivering as the night wind hit my skin.
He frowned slightly. “We’ll find shelter. I saw a cabin nearby when I was tracking your scent.”
I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Cabin?”
He pointed. “That way. Not far.”
I nodded, sighing in relief. With that, I grabbed the wooden chest and followed him. Cade nced at it with confusion the moment it lit up. “What is that, anyway?”
I shrugged. “No clue. It was under a rock. But it lights up when I hold it.”
“Huh.” He frowned, finding it peculiar.
We didn’t talk much after that. We just walked through the thick grass and over roots and stones until the trees finally parted to reveal a <b>small </b>wooden structure nestled against the hillside.
Cade approached the door and gave the knob a twist. Locked.
Of course.
“Hold this,” he said, handing me the towel. Well, the end of it–<i>thank </i><i>god</i><i>. </i>With <b>a </b>swift movement, he crouched near the lock, pulled something sharp from behind his <b>ear</b><b>, </b><b>and </b>picked it.
Γικ?
“Where did you learn that?” I asked, intrigued.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t <b>want </b>the answers to,” he smirked, opening the door.
Warm air greeted us.
The <b>cabin </b>wasm cozy. It felt like someone had just been there or perhaps <b>still </b>lived here. It had a leather couch, a tiny
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Chapter 68 Too Beautiful
kitchen, a fluffy rug, and a small stone firece with still–warm coals inside.
“Who lives here?” I asked, casting my gaze around.
Cade shrugged. “We’ll just have to exinter if we find the owner.”
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Then he gave a half–smile and dropped down onto the couch. I hovered awkwardly, my arms wrapped tightly around myself.
With the coals heating the air around us, his scent intensified.
It was stifling one moment, icy the next. My pulse quickened, and my skin tingled.
I sat on the opposite end of the couch.
I was acutely aware of the sound of his breathing. Of the droplets of water sliding down his chest, soaking into the towel.
He nced at me.
I looked away, my heart racing.
Seconds ticked by.
The room buzzed with tension. Or maybe it was just me–the way my fingers fidgeted against my leg, the way my eyes kept darting to his corbone and then away, the way I tried not to think of how it felt to be wrapped in his arms just minutes ago. Cade shifted beside me, suddenly breaking the mounting tension.
“Fuck it.”
I blinked in surprise and turned my head, catching a glimpse of him standing up.
He took one step toward me.
Then two.
“You’re way too beautiful right now to resist.”
<b><i>4/4 </i></b>