Erwin brought his hands up to Levi’s shoulders and ran them down his back, feeling taught muscle shifting under smooth skin, the fine line of dark hair that marked his spine was soft as silk under Erwin’s fingers. It was only when he reached the tight curve of Levi’s ass and felt sleek fur there that Erwin realized he was still wearing his grey breeches. “Do these come off?” he asked, lifting one brow in query. “Of course they come off,” Levi snorted, but he stiffened uncomfortably when Erwin tugged at the cord that fastened the garment around his slim hips. “Let me, yeah?” “Of course,” Erwin said, pulling his hands away and propping himself up on his elbows as Levi stepped off the bed. He stood worrying his lip for a moment, looking oddly self-conscious, before shaking his head and muttering something under his breath that Erwin couldn’t catch, then he pulled the cord open. Though the breeches hugged every curve of his hips, they slid easily from his thighs and fell to the floor, pooling around his feet, looking for all the world like a shed skin.

Erwin is an environmental scientist, a driven man on a mission to save the world. His research does not normally involve fieldwork, and it certainly does not normally involve spending six months of the year at the university’s field station on a remote island in the North Atlantic, with only seals for company. But the solitude of the island and a chance encounter with a curious stranger bring a profound revelation.