Page 22 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

I couldn’t help but shuffle closer to him, and when he didn’t move away, I moved closer again.

“What are you doing?” he asked as I squished myself between him and the cooking food.

“Sniffing you,” I answered honestly, going up on my toes so I could smell his neck, where his scent was the strongest.

“Why?” He still wasn’t moving away.

“Because I like the way you smell.”

His inhale was a little shaky as I pressed my nose to the soft skin beneath the hair on his neck.

When he still didn’t move, I couldn’t stop myself from pushing a little further. My lips parted, ghosting over his warmth before my tongue darted out to taste his slightly salty skin.

“Christ,” Rowan panted before clearing his throat and taking a big step backward. “You can’t be doing that.”

“Why?”

“Because. To humans, it’s not something you just casually do to someone. It has… implications.”

“Like wanting to mate?” I asked with a smirk.

His cheeks darkened. “Yes. Like that.”

I chuckled. “That’s why I did it. Selkies don’t go around licking each other for no reason either, Rowan.”

He groaned. “This isn’t… I’m not…” He trailed off.

I took a step closer to him, and he took another one back. I followed, until his body bumped the table behind him and he couldn’t withdraw any further.

“Mate with me,” I said.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re… and I’m… and we’re… different.”

I stepped even closer, my body pressing against his as my eyes roamed his lovely face, his full lips, then up to his ocean-colored eyes. His pupils were blown, revealing his desire despite his words.

“Are we?” I spoke low, my gaze flicking between his eyes and lips again. “I’m a willing,wantingadult. So are you. Aren’t you? How are we so different?”

I watched the lump in this throat move as he struggled to swallow. “H-how would it even work?”

I thought about what I’d seen of his body in the shower. Humans were different, but it didn’t seem drastically so. I already had a pretty good idea of what we could try. “I’m sure we could figure that out.”

His mouth opened as though to speak, but no words came out. That was fine. He didn’t need to speak.

My hands ran up the soft woven fabric of his clothing, over his chest until they found skin as I wrapped them behind his neck. His body was leaning back, angled away from me, but I could see the want in his eyes as I gently but incessantly tugged him closer.

“Milo,” he whisper-groaned.

“Rowan,” I whispered back. “Do humans kiss?”

He nodded. Good. Though if they didn’t, I’d have been happy to teach him.

My intentions were clear as I pulled him down further, planning to steal his lips. Rowan’s head turned to the side at the very last second, and my kiss landed on his cheek instead.

I frowned at him. “Why won’t you kiss me?”