He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close until he was whispering in my ear, his lips tickling against me, almost but not quite kissing me. I wanted to lean into him until he had to kiss me.

“Here’s the thing,” Ben said. “Who says we have to shape-shift in order to go out in the woods, get naked, and make out under the stars?”

Oh my. That flush reached all the way to my toes. My face felt like it had caught fire. Metaphorically speaking. There was something to be said for having one’s inhibitions lowered. I never would have done anything like this before becoming a werewolf.

I turned my head, leaning my forehead against his. “I think you just got yourself a date,” I whispered back.

Paradox PI had just gotten to the part where New Moon was on fire. The audience was riveted, staring ahead, completely enthralled. Good thing Ben and I were sitting in the back. Moving quietly along the wall, we slipped to the door, then crept outside. If anyone noticed, they didn’t complain.

Ben and I drove away, to wilderness and star-filled skies.