Chapter 33 Yes, Keith
~Sage~
At exactly midnight, I slipped out. I'd changed out of the green dress into a black leggings, a loose sweater, clothes that wouldn't rustle or catch the light.
The east wing garden was accessed through a service door near the kitchens. I'd memorized the path earlier, counting cameras and noting guard rotations. Natalie would kill me if she knew what I was doing. Damon would do worse than kill me.
I found the spot Keith had described. A small clearing hidden behind a wall of climbing roses, invisible from the main house. The security cameras didn't reach here. Nothing reached here.
He was already waiting when I got there. He'd changed too, traded his suit for dark jeans and a simple black t-shirt that stretched across his shoulders in a way that made my stomach flutter.
He looked up when I approached, and his phone disappeared into his pocket. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. We just looked at each other, letting the silence fill with everything we couldn't say in daylight.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," he finally said.
"I almost didn't." I stepped closer. "Three times I turned around. Three times I told myself this was insane."
"What changed your mind?"
"You." I said. "Every time I closed my eyes, I saw your face. Every time I tried to sleep, I felt you. This pull between us, Keith. It's driving me crazy."
He stood slowly, closing the distance between us until we were only inches apart. Close enough that I could smell him.
"I know," he murmured. "I feel it too. Every second of every day. Watching you sit next to him at dinner. Watching you smile at pack members like everything is fine. Meanwhile I'm falling apart because you're right there and I can't touch you."
His hand came up, hovering near my cheek but not quite making contact. Like he was afraid I might shatter.
"I've never wanted anything the way I want you," he confessed. "It terrifies me."
I closed the gap myself, and pressed my cheek into his palm. The contact sent warmth flooding through my entire body. "Then we're both terrified together."
Keith's hand came up to cup my face, his thumb tracing along my cheekbone. The touch sent heat racing through my veins, and my wolf pressed toward the surface, hungry for more.
Then his lips crashed onto mine. It wasn't gentle. This wasn't like the stolen moments we'd shared before, the brief touches and loaded glances. This was weeks of wanting finally unleashed, and Keith kissed me like he was staking a claim.
I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, rising on my toes to meet him. His arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me effortlessly until my legs wrapped around his hips. The movement pressed our bodies together from chest to thigh, and I gasped against his mouth at the contact.
"I've thought about this," he murmured against my lips. "Having you alone. Having you to myself. Every night I dream about it and every morning I wake up aching."
"Then take me."
Something flashed in his eyes. Something wild and hungry that matched the feeling building inside my chest. His wolf was close to the surface, I realized. Just like mine.
Keith walked me backward until my shoulders met the wall of the garden enclosure. His body pressed against mine, and I gasped at the contact. Every inch of him was hard and warm, and my wolf was practically purring with satisfaction.
"Keith." His name came out breathless.
His lips traced down my jaw, finding the sensitive spot below my ear. I shivered, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Tell me if you want to stop," he said against my skin. "At any point. Tell me and I will."
"I don't want to stop." My voice shook slightly.
He smiled, and it was the softest smile I'd ever seen on his face. Gone was the brooding future Alpha. In his place was just Keith, the man who looked at me like I was precious.
"Then let me take care of you," he whispered. "Let me show you how good it can be. We'll go slow. And if anything feels wrong, you tell me immediately. Okay?"
I nodded.
He kissed me again, slower this time. Like we had all the time in the world. His hands slid under my sweater, fingertips tracing patterns on my lower back that made me shiver.
"Your skin is so soft," he murmured.
His hands traveled upward, and I instinctively tensed.
"Eyes on me," Keith said gently. "Just focus on me."
He carried me to a nearby bench, setting me down on the cool surface without breaking the kiss. His hands slid under my sweater, fingers splaying across my bare back, and I arched into his touch like I was starving for it.
Because I was. My wolf was.
I pulled at his shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine. He helped me yank it over his head, and then he was naked before me, all hard muscle and warm skin. A tattoo I hadn't known about curved across his ribs.
"Pack mark," he explained, his voice rough. "All the Alpha line has one."
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to it. Keith made a sound low in his throat, his fingers tangling in my hair.
"Sage." My name came out like a warning and a prayer.
I looked up at him through my lashes. "Don't hold back."
"If I don't hold back, I won't be able to stop."
"Good.”
He pulled my sweater over my head in one swift motion, leaving me in just my bra. His eyes darkened as they traveled over me, and I watched his throat bob as he swallowed.
"Beautiful," he breathed. "God, Sage. You're so beautiful."
My nervousness melted slightly under the gaze of his appreciation. He looked at me like I was a masterpiece, like he couldn't believe I was real.
Then his mouth was on my throat, my collarbone, the curve of my shoulder. I tilted my head back and let myself feel everything.
I raked my nails down his back, and Keith groaned against my skin. The sound was intoxicating, knowing I could affect him like this. That the future Alpha King was losing control because of my touch.
His hands found the waistband of my leggings, and he paused, meeting my eyes in a silent question.
"Yes," I breathed. "Keith, yes.”