ROMANCE: LION SHIFTER ROMANCE: Luring The Lion (Lion Shapeshifter Paranormal Fantasy Romance) (BBW Lion Shifter Romance) (8 page)

    “Thanks, Jake.  I appreciate what you have done.”  She didn’t think that it would be right of her to come on to him so easily after she had just explained how she wanted to get away from guys.  But she definitely wanted to continue to get to know him more.

    “Well, we should be getting on our way.  We have to get to the next village before nightfall.  I promise the view will not disappoint,” said Jake. 

    Jake gathered the group and explained that they needed to get going and that they had a long way to go before they would stop again. 

    Katie struggled to keep up with Jake. For him the hike was easy, he took long, easy strides. 

“So tell me why you chose this as your profession,” she asked.

    “I grew up in the mountains.  The Swiss Alps were my home.  My father and I would often go from mountain village to mountain village, just to explore.  He was a great mountaineer himself and even spent a year living with the Sherpas.  So as you can imagine, he taught me well.”

    “The Sherpas?” Katie asked. 

    “The Sherpas live in Nepal at high altitude.  The first person to ever climb to the top of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, needed the help of a Sherpa to do it.  Nowadays, the Sherpas make their livelihood guiding climbers to the top.  They do what I do, only at a much grander scale,” explained Jake.

    “Interesting,” said Katie.  She genuinely enjoyed how knowledgeable Jake was.  It was a far cry from most of the guys she met who only knew about seduction tactics and how to make more and more money.  Jake seemed to know about the world for the simple enjoyment that it brought him, not for some secret agenda of personal gain or material wealth.  “And have you ever wanted to do anything else?” she asked.

    Jake thought about the question deeply.  “You know, I wouldn’t say that I am against the idea of exploring the world in new ways and examining other walks of life.  But when I see what it does to people, I know that I have it better.  I am content with what I do.  It keeps me fit and full of life.”

    No kidding, thought Katie, as she had noticed how muscular and broad his build was.  He seemed like a man’s man in every possible sense of the description.  “Do you have a wife or a girlfriend?”  She asked.

    “No, I don’t.  I guess I never had time for that sort of thing,” said Jake, seemingly disinterested in the concept entirely. 

    They continued to talk as they hiked along on the trail.  They talked about their life growing up and exchanged many laughs.  As honest and as open as he was with her, Katie held back any information about the fact that she was rich and famous.  She wanted to enjoy the simplicity of their relationship and was afraid to complicate it.

    Night fell just as they reached the next village.  It was a tiny hamlet, with just enough rooms for the people in the group.  Katie was in her room getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on her door.

    She opened the door slowly, fearing that Lance had snuck back up, but then smiled when she saw Jake standing there.

    “I want to show you something,” he said.

    Katie’s grin widened, “Okay.”

    Jake grabbed her hand and quickly took her to the edge of the mountain side.  “I want to point some things out to you,” he said.

    “To me? Aren’t you supposed to be the guide for our entire group,” she asked. 

    “Don’t over-think it,” said Jake.  “Just enjoy it.  So I was thinking about what we talked about earlier.  The difference between the world up here, the one I enjoy, and the world below, so concerned with trivialities.”

    Katie was now very interested, as she knew that whatever Jake had to say it would be very well expressed and from the heart.  “And what did you come up with?”

    “Well, down there it seems like people only really use half of their brain or half of their heart.  They are not living fully human in other words.”

    “Really, and why would you say that?”  Katie was now on the edge of her proverbial seat as Jake’s insights had always proven to very intriguing.

    “Well think about it.  How is it that you make a decision about something you really want.  You probably add up pros and cons and things like that.  But at the end of the day, it all comes down to a feeling.  You just want something, and you can’t explain why, it is just a physical reality. The feeling of emotion comes first.  And then you justify it.”

    Katie nodded her head.  She thought that she understood what Jake was talking about.  She thought about why she chose speed skating in the first place; the thrill, the competition, just the fun of it.  None of it made sense; she just fell in love.  And Katie also thought about why she had decided to go backpacking.  Again, she just thought it would be fun.  Her manager thought it was illogical, but deep down Katie knew that she had to do it.  Jake was right.

    “And so how do you know what you want,” asked Katie.

    Jake looked up to the sky.  “I have wondered the same thing.  I don’t think there is an easy answer.  I think the only thing that we can do is fill our life with things that we know are good.  Like the stars for example, or the smell of fresh snow, or the delight of a new friendship.  I think these sorts of things will shape us, and help us to know what to do.”

    “A delightful new friendship?” Katie could feel butterflies in her stomach. 

    Jake looked down at her.  “What would you tell me if I said I couldn’t explain why I think it is so delightful?”

    Katie giggled.  “I would say that it fits you.”

    Jake grabbed her hand.  They sat overlooking the mountains beneath them as they stretched and curved into the horizon.  “The Sherpas used to say that when you look out at the horizon you can see your whole life ahead of you.  What do you see?”

Katie could see her life stretched out.  Or at least, she thought she could at that moment.  “Right now I see nothing but hope and optimism.  I see eternal beauty.  I feel as if no matter what, I will be loved and taken care of.”

“I see that too, Katie.  It looks pretty hopeful for you.”

Katie knew that she had found what she was looking for.  Thousands of miles aways from home, in a different country and in an environment that was alien to her, she felt that she was at home.  She leaned in closer to Jake, desiring to feel his warmth.

Jake put his arm around her and then leaned in for a kiss.  The warmth on Katie’s lips felt electric in stark contrast to the cool of the night.  The enjoyed each other’s company as they talked and cuddled and laughed.  Jake left to go to bed eventually as he would have to lead the group the next day.

By herself, Katie cocked her head back and looked at the stars.  She knew them from her days in astronomy class.  But the constellations were never this close or real.  They seemed alive as if they were placed there just for her. 

Eventually, after Katie had fully indulged in the intoxicating wonders of the night, she headed back to her room.  Though it was cold, she felt warm.  And though her legs were tired and heavy, she felt light. 

This is what Katie had come so far to find.

Chapter 5

Katie and Jake continued to get to know each other the rest of the trip.  Their friendship blossomed, and it wasn’t long before they both knew that it had grown into something more.  They shared many more nights together exploring the real meaning of life, and many more deep, silent kisses.  Jake told Katie of his heart, of all of the things that he dreamed of and his hopes and fears.  He was strong and rugged but was vulnerable with her.  She felt honoured about that, respected it, and felt bad that she wasn't in return being completely honest with him. She saw in him more of a man than all of the guys she had known combined.  She knew that she was completely in love with him, and wished always to be on the mountain in his embrace.  But what would she do when the time came to be honest? How would he react?

The time went by quickly, and too soon their time together would have to come to an end. 

A week after they left, they returned to the same hotel lobby where they started.  “Katie, I don’t want to see you go,” said Jake.

Katie knew that she couldn’t bare it either.  She had never felt for anybody the way she did Jake, and it was something that she couldn’t leave behind.

“Jake, I have to return home, I have so much stuff that I have to take care of.”  Katie still hadn’t told Jake about her life as a speed skater.  Jake thought that she was just a simple girl with big dreams.  She didn’t want to get him involved in all of the madness that was her life; for she feared changing him.

Jake got on one knee.  “Whatever it is you have to take care of, I want to be by your side to help you through it,” he said.  “Will you marry me?”

The answer came spontaneously. Before Katie could think about whether or not it was a smart decision, she blurted out, “Yes!”  Jakes anxious expression changed at once.

“Katie, you make so happy,” said Jake with a radiant smile.  “I have always hoped to find someone like you.  You are more beautiful and wonderful than any girl I dare dreamed I would meet.”

“Why do you love me so much?” Asked Katie. 

Jake put a lot of thought into the answer.  “I love you because I love you,” he responded.  “There is nothing that you could do or say that would change that fact.  Though you may grow old or be crippled or anything else I will still love you.  I can’t explain it, but you have utterly captivated my heart.”

Katie treasured his words.  She wondered if they would be put to the test when he found out who she really was. 

Katie bought a ticket for him to go back with her.  They arrived at the airport shortly after.

“First class, Katie, I like it,” said Jake when he realized which tickets she had purchased.  “But didn’t getting a last minute ticket for me cost a ton of money?”

Katie didn’t know how much longer she could keep up the ruse.  She had to tell him the truth.

“Listen, Jake, I feel bad telling you this now, but I am not exactly who you think I am.  But I mean this in the best way possible. I am actually a professional speed skater.  I earn lots of money and well, I had just come out here to backpack to try and get away from it all.  But the girl that you fell in love with, that is the real me.  I hope you are not mad at me for lying about my identity.”

Jake looked puzzled, but not upset.  “Well, that does come as a shock, as we are already engaged, and it is certainly a pretty significant part of your life.  But I think I understand why you didn’t tell me right away.  I understand that you wanted to try to get to know me as a normal person.  The thing I fear is what your life actually is going to look like when we get back.”

Katie knew that it would be a complete culture shock to Jake.  Part of her wanted just to give up her life of luxury and fame and live out of the limelight.  She could still do her skating that is what she loved.  But as much as the attention and the fame bothered her, it was what she knew, and what others expected of her.  She didn’t feel ready just to walk away from something that took her a lifetime and much hard work to achieve. Besides, she still enjoyed the lifestyle and hoped that together they could find some middle way.

“Jake, I love you, and that is enough for us to get through anything,” she said, genuinely believing it.

“I know you are right, I know that I will never stop loving you Katie.  I just hope that your heart is truly in the right place.  The riches of this world can have a very strong pull on a person’s heart.” He looked at her.

The words stung Katie as their truth resonated with her.  She was not sure if she deserved someone as great as Jake.  Perhaps he deserved someone that would be content to just live a simple life with him.  “Well, we will figure it out when we get back," she just said.

They boarded the plane.  The two of them were cordial with each other on the way back, but there was now a wall between them, as what Katie had concealed was hard for Jake to overlook. 

After they had left the plane, they began walking towards the baggage claim.  “Are we going to get a taxi?” Asked Jake.

Katie shook her head.  “I have a driver, he will be picking us up right out front.  It makes things a lot easier.  Jake, just trust me and you will really come to enjoy this lifestyle.  There are a lot of perks.”

“Katie, the good life isn’t a life.  You have money, and you think that means that you have a lot of friends and people that care about you. But that is not how it works.  These people are only here to be paid.  You are surrounded by people that pretend to care about you because you are famous and beautiful and rich, and they think that being your friend will help them out.  Don’t you see that?  Don’t you see that it is all fake.”

“I think that deep down part of you is jealous of how easy and good my life is.”  Katie regretted the words as soon as she said them.  She knew that Jake was right, but admitting it was not easy.  “Jake, just try to enjoy yourself, please.  It is the only life I have ever known.”

    “I will try my best,” said Jake.  “But it is not the only life that you have ever known.  You have known a simple life, if only for a week.  You are choosing to return; that is a choice you're free to make.”

Katie understood Jake’s point.  But why couldn’t he be grateful for her fame and success.  Was he not masculine enough?  Was he afraid of not being the leader and the bread winner?  Katie knew that she was just making excuses for herself.  She knew she had been living an empty life devoid of meaning for years now.  Jake was her chance to break free, but she knew she would probably just drag him down into the pit of materialism with her.