A large hand grasped her waist, and Zoe Pierce froze.

Her entire body went still. As she turned her head, she saw his face, far too close.

Miles Sherman only had to dip his head slightly to see her trembling lashes and the cautious way she lifted her eyes to meet his.

They were too close—so close that if Zoe Pierce moved just an inch, she could kiss his Adam’s apple.

’To kiss or not to kiss?’

The thought popped into her head out of nowhere.

’If I don’t make a move, will he?’

As if sensing her gaze, the Alpha’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

Then, as if possessed, Zoe Pierce leaned over and kissed him.

’She couldn’t resist the temptation, not when she saw the mix of desire and restraint in his eyes. He had just begged her to love him. Maybe this would show him she wasn’t completely indifferent to him?’

A warm touch met his bobbing Adam’s apple.

Miles Sherman, already rigid, went completely still, letting Zoe Pierce’s feather-light kisses travel from his Adam’s apple to his neck.

After just two small kisses, Zoe Pierce pulled back and turned around, awkwardly initiating the link-up with the Mecha.

’She rarely initiated things like this. It was usually Chase Shaw and the others who made the first move.’

’But Miles Sherman was different. She knew that if she didn’t make a move, he wouldn’t lay a finger on her.’

A broad chest suddenly pressed against her back. "Are you like this with them, too?"

Zoe Pierce blinked and replied without thinking, "No..."

The comms went silent. Outside the Mecha, the blizzard raged, snow falling like goose down, rustling as it blanketed the ground. Even the external optical sensors had to be shielded from the storm’s fury, struggling to lock onto the surrounding rocks for a stable image.

"Only with me?" he asked again.

The Mecha cockpit, barely large enough for one person, suddenly felt cramped, stirring an urge to escape.

Zoe Pierce braced herself and mumbled, "Uh... yeah..."

’Why did he have to be so direct? His questions left her at a loss for words.’

Miles Sherman’s hand on her waist suddenly loosened. Zoe Pierce heard him let out a soft chuckle. "Zoe, if you’re like this, I won’t be able to hold back."

’Hold back from what?’

’From doing something to me?’

One of Miles Sherman’s arms suddenly wrapped around her stomach. Zoe Pierce felt her head being turned by an unseen force, and before she could even process what was happening, she felt his breath on her skin.

Her entire upper body was forced to twist around, but the arm shackling her waist held her fast, preventing any movement.

His fingers gripped her jaw, keeping her from closing her lips.

This domineering Miles Sherman was like a completely different person.

Zoe Pierce was only released when her lips were numb from the kiss.

Miles Sherman’s face was still just as close, but his dark eyes seemed deeper, holding something more—something unreadable.

"Have they done more?"

’She was already so skilled at kissing, so willing to explore. In contrast, his own inexperience was obvious from the start.’

But men, it seems, have a talent for such things. In a mere moment, he had picked up on the finer points and figured out how to kiss.

A dark corner of his heart expanded. Miles Sherman’s nose brushed against the shell of Zoe Pierce’s ear. "What did they all do? Zoe, tell me."

’While he was lying in bed all alone, what kinds of days had they spent with her?’

Zoe Pierce was left breathless from the kiss, and Miles Sherman’s words sent a flush of embarrassment through her.

’She couldn’t bring herself to say it.’

Miles Sherman realized that getting her to speak about it willingly was next to impossible. But he had other ways of asking.

"You’ve been kissed in other places, haven’t you?"

His hand slid down from her jaw, inch by inch. "Here?" he asked.

She didn’t object.

’Just her collarbone. He wasn’t surprised.’

But when his hand reached the swell of her breast, he didn’t even dare to touch, merely gesturing toward it. "And here?"

The Omega’s lashes fluttered, and she nervously licked her lips.

A sudden dryness seized his own throat, accompanied by a strange itch.

Zoe Pierce’s face was flushed as if with rouge, her earlobes a deep crimson. She grabbed Miles Sherman’s hand, her voice hoarse. "Miles... stop..."

But for some reason, the image of Erin Xavier’s face flashed through Miles Sherman’s mind.

’Knowing Erin Xavier’s wild personality, if he knew Zoe had been kissed there, he would only do something even more outrageous.’

No one knew him better than Miles Sherman did.

’What other places could she have been kissed?’

An image of a place he found almost unimaginable flashed through his mind, and his gaze fell to her tightly pressed legs.

’If it was Erin Xavier...’

’...then nothing would be surprising.’

Miles Sherman thought.

Just as Zoe Pierce had hoped, he asked no more questions. He just held her, his grip even tighter than before. "Zoe."

"Will you be fair to me?"

He was asking a seemingly unrelated question, but in that moment, Zoe Pierce understood exactly what he wanted.

’Fairness. It had always been the hardest thing to balance.’

’Between men and women, it was even harder to measure.’

’But when it came to matters of sex, its meaning was suddenly crystal clear.’

’He wanted to kiss her, too. To kiss her deeply and brand his mark upon her body.’

’Zoe Pierce felt she could no longer lie to herself. Maybe she was just a woman without virtue, so easily swayed by them, so easily entangled.’

’It had reached the point where she could no longer deny that a certain desire dwelled in her own heart.’

Lifting her head, her eyes, once as clear as still water, were now shimmering. For once, Zoe Pierce chose to be honest with herself. She opened her mouth and answered Miles Sherman, "Okay."

She had agreed.

After she gave her consent, Miles Sherman’s gaze deepened as he stared at her.

Inside the cramped cockpit, Zoe Pierce propped herself up on the seatback with one arm, turned, and straddled Miles Sherman’s lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself close.

’To do something so wild and unrestrained in a place like this.’

’No one would ever know.’

’Snow was falling outside. The comms were off. It was just her and Miles Sherman.’

’They were just waiting for the blizzard to pass.’

Zoe Pierce’s lips once again found his Adam’s apple. But unlike the light touch from before, this kiss was purposeful, already moving upward.

The Alpha’s jaw tilted back. Her lips were joined by the touch of her tongue, tracing a path like a small animal licking a treat. It was as if he had become a creamy dessert, being savored with care.

His eyes glazed over, one hand hovering just over her waist.

For the hungry little animal, this was only the beginning.

His thin lips parted slightly as she took complete control.

A hot palm caressed her neck, and he couldn’t stop the pheromones that leaked from his fangs.

The crisp scent of mint was sharp and refreshing.

Zoe Pierce’s mind cleared for a moment, and her movements faltered.

But a second later, the man’s hand pressed her down again. His words were slurred, but she could still make them out. "Good girl. Don’t stop."