Wolf Bite (10 page)

“Yes.” She patted the tool belt he’d fashioned for her. It held her flashlight, cell phone—not that it would work out here—and a GPS locator. “I already marked the truck.”

Although he had no intentions of her having to rely on any of the devices, he wanted to be prepared for anything. Never on any other trip had he encountered other wolves in the reserve, but he wouldn’t leave her without an escape route. Satisfied, he nodded toward the trailhead. “Grab my waistband—my waist, not my ass.” He laughed.

She grinned impudently at him. “But I like your ass.”

Yes, his body pleased hers and that made him doubly happy. Because he couldn’t get enough of her soft curves. “You may grab it at your leisure—
later.
” Her playful squeeze before she settled her fingers into the waistband of his jeans obediently added to the delicious cadence of his heart. “The trail is pretty clear,” he told her as they set out. “But I’ll spot any issues before you.”

“Hmm-hmm.” Her distracted agreement had him glancing back to find her gaze on him, all soft and warm. His cock stiffened at her expression and he dragged his attention back to the trail. Wanting her infused every step of their hike.

A short while later, she paused and he stopped at her light tug. “Oh, are those bats?”

Sparing a glance up, he saw a handful of the creatures streaking across the night sky. “Yep.” A more silent predator glided behind them and he drew Lexi’s attention away. “This is a wildlife preserve. Lots of animals will be out tonight.”

“Oh? Anything I should be worried about?” Her gaze met his just as the owl captured one of the bats.

Mason grinned. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Even the region’s natural predators would avoid him. If they didn’t…well, he wasn’t kidding. He’d kill anything that tried to get near her.

Closer to their destination, Lexi sighed. “I should have brought my camera—and bought lens for taking pics in the dark. Maybe next time.”

Her wistfulness kicked him in the gut and the hope of planning a second outing burned him. He had no response to offer because he didn’t want to lie to her.
Fuck that.
He wouldn’t lie to her. Bad enough he couldn’t tell her everything.
Better for her.
The wolf disagreed, it paced under his skin, eager to burst free and shed the ridiculous notions.

There will be a next time.
 

Ignoring the animalistic determination, he pointed to a rocky outcropping. “I’m going to climb up and put our stuff there. Then I’ll change.” He nodded to the lake, which reflected moonlight and added to the painted feel of the landscape. “Wait right here.” He would be able to see her, but his nose told him nothing was close enough to bother her anyway. “See the trail here? This is what we’re going to run.” It circled the whole lake and was mostly free of brush or other obstructions.

He spared a second look at her knee. The nasty scrape healed well over the last five days, even the light scabbing looked better. Still, he didn’t want her to stress the injury

“Don’t start.” She swatted his arm. “It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Good.” He gave her another kiss. “You do remember my wolf would never hurt you?” This was important.

“Yes, Mason.” She smiled, her expression gentling. “I know neither of you would. Now go change so we can run.”

Infused by her faith, he double-timed it up the rock, scaling it easily and setting their supplies down. Their food was in a sealed container and wouldn’t attract scavengers. He shed his clothes and left them over all of their things. The scent reminder would keep those that might dare closer away.

The night air wrapped around him like silk and he checked on Lexi. She sat where he’d left her, face upturned so she could see him. Tension threaded his muscles and his wolf’s scrabbling ceased. Between one heartbeat and the next, the animal beneath his skin surged upwards and he surrendered to the change. Muscles twisted, his bones snapped and a pain that bordered on bliss seized him.

Yes, it was uncomfortable, but the burst of freedom and rightness overwhelmed the agony until he was on four feet and shook with excitement. He opened his mouth and tasted the air, a rush of information about the area then he scrabbled down the side of the rock, leaping halfway to land on the soft earth.

She knelt and held out her hand, wonder in her eyes. After trotting to her side, he lifted his chin and wanted to preen under her smile. “Hello beautiful,” she whispered, and pride raced through his system.

She looked at
him
with wonder.
He
was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Meeting her outstretched hand, he bumped it with his head and she sank her fingers into his fur.

If a wolf could purr, he would have. Instead he rubbed against her and accepted her affectionate pats. When she laughed, he circled her so she could get a good look at her again.

“Vain,” she teased, but she didn’t withdraw her touch. He licked her chin and she burst out laughing. “Vain and slobbery, but you are beautiful.”

Snapping his teeth playfully, he danced away and glanced at her again. He wanted to run. Darting toward her and away, he issued his invitation. When she rose, his heart sang. Then she winked. “Catch me if you can, big boy.”

She took off at a jog and he trotted after obligingly. She couldn’t outrun him, but she wasn’t really trying to, was she?

The lake area proved perfect for running. Alexis would never break any records, but maintained a steady pace while Mason ran alongside her. He would plunge ahead, race back, circle her and then dash ahead again. The playful side of him had her grinning stupidly, especially when she paused at the two mile mark to catch her breath. He rolled over in the dirt and jumped to his feet, then danced toward her and away.

“Yes, I’m going to run again in a minute.” She put two fingers to her pulse and checked her breathing. The pounding beat should have left her breathless, but she felt good. No, strike that, she felt great. Mason made a low barking growl and she bared her teeth at him. “Patience, Fido.”

He made a sound that was suspiciously like a chuckle in wolf form and padded over to her to bump her with his nose. She gave him a scratch behind the ears. When she’d called him beautiful earlier, she hadn’t truly done him justice. His fur was grey dipped in black. His markings truly stood out and his gold eyes with their black flecks seemed to glow in the darkness.

When his attention seemed to wander behind her, she straightened and sprinted up the trail. Her scant few seconds of lead were for naught since Mason ghosted up alongside her once more, matching her pace easily. Her protests about ‘wolf crap’ aside, running with him proved exhilarating.

The night air was ripe with the scents of honeysuckle, jasmine, and fresh water that lapped against the rocks. Night birds sang, though they went quiet when she and Mason passed, and not once did she spot another animal. She wasn’t even worried about snakes. Mason would hear them before she did anyway.

It was
fun
. By the end of the fourth mile—God, she hoped it was the fourth—she needed to walk. Her endurance surprised the hell out of her, yet anything seemed possible with him by her side. Mason seemed content to stay with her, bumping her legs every few steps. As he’d promised, the moon-drenched view was beautiful and, despite the brightness of it hanging so low in the sky, a scattering of stars twinkled overhead. Angling her head, she slowed some more and tried to take it all in.

Strange
. In the four years since she’d left Willow Bend, she hadn’t spent much time looking up or around for that matter. She’d kept her head down, her focus on her work or her school or on the
human
experience of not playing wolf politics. Even the backbiting in the office couldn’t compete with what she’d grown up around.

Mason rubbed against her leg and she blinked. She’d stopped walking and he watched her with a questioning look in his eyes. “I’m okay,” she answered his unspoken inquiry. “This is kind of perfect and I wanted to…absorb it all.” That sounded weird. She’d run damn hard to get away from wolves and hanging out with a wolf was perfect?

But he wasn’t just any wolf, was he?

Pondering that thought, his nip against her butt startled her. Whirling, she stared at the animal. “You did
not
just bite my ass.” The scrape of his teeth to the denim had hardly hurt, but when he dipped his head and lowered his upper body, tail wagging she burst out laughing and raced at him. He dashed to the side, avoiding her adroitly, then scraped her butt again.

Still laughing, she chased him along the trail.

In minutes they neared the outcropping and it was her turn to play keep away. She hadn’t laughed so hard in years and when she finally flopped on the ground, breathless and exhausted, Mason settled next to her. She didn’t care about the dirt or the sweat. The temps were sliding away from the heat of the day and she stripped off her shirt to help cool down.

“The stars are beautiful here.” They spread across the sky like diamonds, and the first streaks of the Milky Way powdered amongst them. It was easy to forget what a really starry sky looked like. Stretching out alongside her, Mason rested his head on her thigh.

Stroking his head gently, she continued to watch the sky. The music of the water lapping against the shore, and the gentle serenade of crickets and frogs played like a lullaby. The wolf pressed to her side went still, and she pushed up on her elbows. The moonlight spilled over the water, adding a surreal reflection of the sky above. Across the water, she could just make out a pair of deer. Does.

They stepped down toward the shore gingerly and one dipped her head to drink while the other seemed to stare right at them. Mason didn’t move, and Alexis held her breath. When the deer finished, they turned and vanished back into the underbrush.

“Thank you,” she told him, aware that he’d likely wanted to leap and give chase. His ears flicked toward her and she traced the line of one with a fingertip. “I know you hunt, but I liked seeing them.”

He made a wuffing sound and settled his head back to her thigh. His relaxation said more than words could that it was safe. But she’d cooled down and the dirt was sticking to her skin. Sitting further, she nudged him off her leg. “Is it safe to swim?”

Standing, he canted his head and she waited patiently. He sniffed the air, his ears flicking in all directions and he padded closer to the shore and lapped at the water, much like the deer had. When he glanced back at her, she untied her hiking boots before rising to strip off her clothes. She took care to stack them all together and, when Mason made no protest, she stripped down to her skin.

He waited patiently while she walked to edge and paused ankle deep. Lord, it was cold. Colder than she’d expected. “I think I’ll just get used—” She never got to finish the sentence because Mason rushed her and hit her sideways, thrusting her out past the little sandy shelf and she went waist deep with a splash.

By the time she turned, he’d retreated back a few feet and she swore he was laughing at her. Hiding her own amusement, she rolled onto her back and floated. Unlike the wolves, she didn’t sink in deeper water. Yes, it was chilly, but it also lapped at her skin like a silken caress.

The water cradling her, she swallowed her next words, entranced by the view overhead. The moon had dipped lower and it was as though a veil dropped away from the sky. More stars—so many of them—filled in the darkness. Diamonds spread across a velvet of black, wisps of what was probably more stars, but they looked like diaphanous clouds, thick in some areas and thinner in others.

Magic.
 

She floated amongst the stars and it took her breath away. The world faded, all her problems and rebellions seemed insignificant compared to the vastness of the universe. If she could bottle the moment and keep it forever, she would. A soft splash was her only warning. Hot hands slid beneath her, lifting her from the water, until he cradled her against his hard, hot chest.

“I was enjoying the view,” she said by way of complaint, but looped her arms around his neck.

“So was I.” His voice was rougher, deeper and, though he’d shifted to human once more, there was no mistaking the wolf in his eyes. “But it’s cold.”

“You’re not,” she said, nuzzling his neck. He smelled fantastic and all thoughts of shivering fled when he was close.

Chuckling, he carried her out of the water and set her down on blankets. He’d retrieved their things and made a nest of sorts. When he would have reached for the cooler with their picnic, she caught his hand and tugged.

“Make love to me, Mason.” An invitation and an order. She didn’t want to be apart from him, not even for a moment. Apparently he felt the same, because he dipped his head down and claimed her mouth in a devastating assault on her senses. The weight of him pressed her into the nest of blankets, but then his hands were moving over her—cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples, and stroking her sides. The weight of his erection shouted his intention, but he didn’t hurry.

Bliss swallowed her whole as he kissed a path across her belly and nudged her thighs apart. Arching her hips up to meet his carnal kiss, she trembled on the edge and he kept her there with long, nibbling bites and the slow stroke of his tongue. Every time he teased her, circling her clit, he backed off from letting her orgasm.

Her frustration turned into the most pleasurable torture until she wanted to plead. Only when she begged, did he begin his ascent, then he claimed her mouth in a kiss that branded her soul. She was putty in his hands and when he thrust into with one long relentless push, she came hard. His ruthless pace continued and she clung to him, tongues dueling, gasping as every roll of his hips brought her right back to the peak.

When she came again, he followed her with a growl at her throat and she felt the sharp sting of his teeth. It electrified every nerve ending, like being catapulted from one orgasm right into another. No pain followed the promise of the sting, but she heard the shattering of a rock as he threw his head back.