Shifting the Night Away (73 page)

Chapter Three: Day Three

The next day, Lynx called Grayson, inviting him to lunch. She never initiated contact with anyone and had only rarely dated. Grayson proved to be too tantalizing to her with those ice blue eyes and that perfectly trimmed stubbled jaw line. He stayed in prime physical condition, but the community never saw him enter or leave a gym.
 

Grayson was pleased she had called, and surprised. He wondered if she had shifted since their meeting and if she knew what secrets he kept from her. He only hoped that he had time to win her heart before he had to reveal who, and what, he was.

Throughout her morning, Lynx took care of early preparations for her cabin. She knew that the battle would be intense and could take longer than she imagined. She stocked it with everything she could think of she may need, and prayed it was enough. This year, she vowed, would be the end of the terror from that pack. It would be vengeance.

When lunchtime arrived, she made her way to the cafe she had selected for both its closeness to her cabin and its incredible vegetarian menu. She had only had one intense battle in wolf form before in her life, and it had made her deathly ill afterwards. She wanted to make sure this time she was prepared and only ate healthy.

Grayson arrived looking casual yet dapper in finely tailored gray slacks and blue silk shirt. The blue brought out his eyes and Lynx found herself unable to focus on much else.

They spent the afternoon finding out bits and pieces of each other's life. Lynx heard about Grayson's avid camping hobby while she revealed that she did freelance writing work and had never held down a traditional job. They spoke of their failed attempts at relationships. Throughout the day, they grew closer, yet neither revealed their shifter ways. Some things were just too complicated for a lunch date.

"You know I'd love to take you away this weekend. Perhaps Cabo?" Grayson said as he tried to feel out her plans for the anniversary date fast approaching. It was only three days away.

"Oh, sorry, can't do this weekend. Have plans that can't be changed. Doing a bit of cleaning up around the cabin. Guess you could say I'm finally get rid of things that I should have got rid of years ago." As she said it, he could see the momentary flicker of fire in her eyes. That glimmer of rage that dwelled within her.
Yes, there will definitely be some trash being taken out.

"No problem, nothing that can't be done another day" he said, before he added, "perhaps dinner tomorrow evening then?"

"Now that I can do." She said as she smiled at him. There was something so easy about him, something so easy and free. Something that drew her to him.

As lunch drew to a close, they walked to a nearby park where they took turns asking each other their favorite this or that. They both professed to being animal lovers, having a passion for the environment, and being partial to night over day.

"Do you think keeping secrets is like lying to your partner?" He asked out of the blue.

"Depends. I'd think some secrets probably are for the other person's own good or protection sometimes. Not all secrets are harmful." She said with a touch of guilt over harboring her own secret.

As the hours ticked on, eventually they parted, only to offer assurances that they'd meet up again at dinner the next evening. Lynx went home and immediately went into combat mode, working out and getting ready for her upcoming battle. She didn't stop until she was bone tired; her fur matted with sweat.

Grayson spent his evening debating on when to tell Lynx everything he knew. If he told her too early, he risked losing her before he even had the chance to win her heart. Tell her too late, and he will have not only lost her but be hated as well. A delicate fine line if there ever was one, Grayson walked that tightrope and hoped he would make the right decision when the time came.

Chapter Four: Day Two

They dined in near seclusion. Grayson, having rented the ballroom of the Jackson Country Club, secured the club's finest chef for the meal. Lynx arrived perfectly on time and stood outside the doorway. She wore a full length white fitted dress that contrasted starkly against her long, dark hair. Her pale skin practically glowed in the dim light. The only hint of color she wore was her red high heels. The straps clung to her ankles and accentuated the pronounced slit in the dress, a detail that did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Grayson took in the sight of her and inhaled sharply while he went to escort her into the ballroom.

"You look breath-taking, Lynx." Grayson said to her as he brought her into the room and pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you, Grayson. I've been looking forward to this." Lynx said, remembering how she had changed dresses three times before deciding on the one she wore. She thought of how she hadn't been on a date in a year; how she ached to love someone and be loved. And, if she must admit, that she ached to be touched again. Even the thought of Grayson's hands on her had sent a chill through her down to her very core.

"I was so happy you agreed to dinner, I know I must seem to be moving pretty quickly." Grayson said as he unfurled his napkin into his lap and signaled for the waiter to bring the first course of dinner out to the table.

"Nothing in my life has ever moved slowly, "she laughed, "I've always seemed to have two speeds -- all or none."

"Have you dated much?" he asked, curious and a bit jealous if others had touched her.

"Not much, no. Hard to find someone that can accept...." she began, not knowing how much to reveal just yet. "That can accept all of one's idiosyncrasies."
And the fact that you're a werewolf
, she thought to herself.

"I completely understand. I find that women tend to want one of two things from me. They either want to marry me and divorce me for half my money or they want to bed me to post shots of the encounter on Instagram."

"Oh my, how on earth do you survive that? How do you know when to trust someone?" Lynx asked as she went to reach for her water glass.

Grayson reached for her hand and cradled it in his as he said "Sometimes, you just take a leap of faith." Grayson truly believed in leaps of faith. When everyone around him told him to stay secluded, to hide his shifter ways, he rebelled and stayed in the public eye, retreating only when it was his own private time.

Lynx smiled. Grayson was like a magnet that drew her closer, something she couldn't explain to herself.
Could this be what grandmother was trying to tell her? Could Grayson be her mate?
So many questions flooded and overtook her thoughts during dinner. It was hard to concentrate. There were so many new emotions that were inside her, battling for position against the Fenris clan hatred that kept residence in her heart.

Through five exquisite courses, dinner sped on. At the end of the 90 minute meal, they had exhausted their questions and conversation and were deep in private thought as they gazed into each other's eyes. Though they had only touched hands, the fire that burned inside each of them felt as if they'd already done so much more.

"Grayson, I'm going to be very forward here and ask if..." Lynx started.

"My house is about ten minutes from here; would you like to join me?" Grayson had read her mind, knew what she wanted before she spoke it. It was all that he himself had been able to think about during the dessert. He had already pictured his hands undoing those fine pearls that cinched her dress together. His hands wrapped in her hair as he drew her to him. Her skin under his, between his teeth.

Grayson and Lynx drove on in silence as they held hands in the car. There was little to be said as their sexual tension escalated. Once in the driveway, they made their way to the door as they kissed passionately. They barely made it inside before his coat was off and he had made it halfway down her pearl enclosures. He slid the dress off her shoulders and maneuvered it over her hips as he caught sight of a wolf paw print tattoo on her left hipbone.
Fitting
, he thought.

"Grayson, I do want to get to know you, all of you, but first I really need this." Lynx whispered as she strained to keep her emotions in check. While she always shifted during periods of anger, there were times she shifted during periods of sexual excitement and she did not want to shift while with him.

"Then my dearest, you shall have this. All of it." He said, as he removed the rest of his clothes and tossed them haphazardly wherever they would fall. He kissed her forehead, her lips, down the taunt skin on her throat and took her pert nipple into his mouth. He flicked it with the tip of his tongue and did the same to the other, expertly teasing them to a painful erect state of desire. Through long licks, he trailed down her body, taking in every curve. Curves on top of curves, she was a wondrous delight to him, so very different than the women he had previously dated. He loved the soft folds of her, the way she moved under his touch, and the sound of her gasps and moans. He wanted to have her, he wanted to make her
His
.

She gasped as his teeth raked her sensitive flesh as she arched against him. Her hands went to his hardening cock, as she teased her fingertips over his head. As he grew under her touch,
 
a momentary sense of awareness hit her and Grayson sensed it. He shifted gears and moved her onto the bed, face down. He held her hands above her head as he worked her clit with his fingers.

"You're so wet, my dear." He whispered into her ear, as his teeth began to stretch. Long, powerful incisors attached to her neck and held her as he mounted her. His muscular legs locking in on either side of her hips as he crawled on top of her. His cock expanded, lengthening and widening, poised to enter her glistening folds. His back arched and contorted into position. He moved quickly, not wanting her to break the mood before he was done.

She started to speak, but Grayson wouldn't allow it. He needed this to be finished before that conversation took place. He had to know what it was like to possess her before revealing his secrets to her. His right hand quickly went to her mouth and held it, keeping her from questioning what was occurring.

Grayson then removed his hand from her slit and placed it under her mound, to tease her clit while he fucked her. The tip of his cock pressed against her, barely touching her opening, yet she still inhaled sharply, knowing what to expect. She was at war with her emotions, half wanting him to stop and let her demand her answers and half wanting him to continue to touch her over and over again.

"And so it begins." He moaned, entering her in one fell thrust. He worked his cock in and out of her, seeing her fight against shifting herself. He felt her tense around him, her pussy tightening and pulsating. He hadn't been with a shifter, only true humans, so the experience was something he had never had before. A low moan, nearly a howl, escaped his lips as his cock seeped inside her.
 

His fingers worked overtime, pulling and teasing her clit until it was fully engorged. He felt her pulse quicken and could sense how close she was to going over the edge. He sped up his thrusts, moving his hips to where she had risen off the bed. Holding her tight, he grunted and howled again, cumming deep within her as she screamed her pleasure.

They lay there, panting in a mix of their own sexual desire. Looking at each other with complete realization of what just occurred. While he knew who she was and what secrets she had kept, his secrets were just starting to rise to the surface. As his teeth started morphing back to human, he couldn't keep his eyes off her.
What was she thinking
, he wondered,
and did we just make the worst mistake of our lives or the best?
There was so much he didn't know. He was used to humans, and this would be far, far different than mere fucking a human. He had just taken a mate, and they both knew it.