The kiss didn’t start with fire. It started with desperate, trembling relief.
When Rowan’s lips finally met hers, a shudder racked his massive frame. He kissed her like a dying man taking his first breath of oxygen. His mouth was still slightly cold, tasting of snow and pine, but the sheer force of his emotion was blindingly hot.
Aria gasped against his lips, her hands instantly tangling in his dark hair. She pulled him closer, erasing whatever fraction of an inch was left between them.
The hesitation that had plagued her for months—the fear of being touched, the terror of wanting someone again—was completely gone, burned away by the thought of losing him to the ice. She opened her mouth to him, and Rowan let out a deep, guttural sound that vibrated straight through her chest.
He shift
