Charlie shook her head, “I want to, it’ll give me a distraction, something to keep me busy. I think I like it too.”
They all laughed and the tension in the room seemed to evaporate. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving, let’s eat,” Daniel said, sitting down at the table.
Steven’s eyes met hers again, “I’m starving too,” he said, but look in his green eyes told her that he was thinking about more than just food and for a minute she couldn’t breathe.
Chapter 12
***Steven***
It didn’t take long for Charlie to make a place on the ranch for herself, and at times it felt like she belonged there, had always been meant to become a part of his life. She spent time with him at the barn every morning, then after lunch spent time with Margot who was teaching her to cook.
As the weeks passed and there was no sign that her memories were going to surface any time soon, they all began to relax, to let normal life take over. Margot was doing her best to prepare Charlie for the eventual crisis that they were all sure was coming, and every once in while Charlie would ask him questions that let him know that she was still thinking about becoming a shifter.
One night they were sitting on the porch enjoying the warm spring night when she asked, “Do shifters live longer than regular humans?”
“We do, our ability to heal ourselves means that we don’t get things like cancer or other diseases,” Steven answered.
“I thought so, sometimes Margot says things that sound so old fashioned. It’s like she’s been alive far longer than it looks like,” Charlie said, thinking about what that meant.
“Margot is almost two hundred years old, so that doesn’t surprise me,” Steven said, laughing at Charlie’s reaction. “She’s been here longer than anyone else, outlived my grandparents who brought her here as a child.”
“How is that possible?”
Steven thought about that for a minute, “Well, we age normally until we hit about thirty then it all just slows down.”
Charlie nodded her head, “So, if you fell in love with a human, you’d outlive her by a lot?” she asked.
“Yes, and that’s one of the reasons a lot of shifters won’t get involved with regular humans,” Steven said.
“One reason?”
“Well, it can be hard on a regular human woman to have a shifter baby, that’s why you find so many of us in orphanages and on the streets,” Steven said, but then added, “But it can be done.”
He sensed that he’d said the wrong thing or should have said more, but wasn’t sure what Charlie wanted to hear. “I guess that makes sense,” she said, sounding a little disappointed. “I’m going to head up to bed, goodnight.”
She was gone before he could think of anything to say to stop her, he couldn’t tell her that he was falling in love with her, shifter or not, it was too soon. But as he watched her walk away he knew without a doubt that it was true, and that it was time to start pushing her a little. More than anything he wanted to move forward with Charlie, had dreamed over and over of what it would be like to kiss her again, to hold her in his arms.
Sometimes he ached with the need to feel her in his arms, but held himself back, hoping that her memories would come back. But it had been weeks, summer was coming to the valley and soon, he’d have to go up into the high country with the cattle. He didn’t like the thought of leaving her here alone with only Margot to watch over her and him miles away if they needed him.
As he headed to bed, he promised himself that tomorrow he’d talk to Margot, see if she could think of a way to prod Charlie’s memory. Other wise it looked like things might go on this way for a while and he wasn’t happy with that thought, wasn’t sure he could stick to his resolve to keep his hands off Charlie. The better he got to know her, the more he knew that she was the woman for him, and the stronger his feelings grew the harder it was going to be to ignore them.
***Charlie***
Charlie slowly got ready for bed, the conversation she’d just had with Steven echoing in her mind. It was hard to imagine living that long, seeing things change that much and wondered if it was a curse or a blessing. She was becoming convinced that she wasn’t a shifter, that there wasn’t any terrible memory blocking her gift, that she was exactly what she’d always believed she was, a regular human.
For weeks she’d been trying to remember the night her parents died, but there was nothing there, what ever had happened, she’d slept through it. Part of her wondered if Clarise or Gerome had given her a sleeping pill that night, she did have a vague memory of them doing that sometimes, but she couldn’t be sure.
Climbing into bed, she closed her eyes and focused on the that night, tried to picture everything as a movie. She could remember the pajamas she’d been wearing, they’d been her favorite pair, and they’d had to dig them out of a pile of dirty clothes. Clarise had put her to bed that night, she remembered that clearly, they’d had their usual story and good night kiss.
Then the next thing she remembered was waking up to find Clarise packing her things, stuffing them into an old broken-down suitcase and yelling at Charlie to get up and get dressed. She’d gotten out of bed, nearly in tears and pulled off her nightgown to get dressed.
Charlie’s eyes flew open, she’d gone to bed in her favorite pajamas, but woken up in a night gown. Sometime during the night she’d changed or been changed she realized with a shock that took her breath away. Cringing she waited for something to come back to her, some horrible memory, but there was still nothing.
Frustrated, she snapped off the light and blocked that night from her mind, shutting it away for another time. Instead she indulged herself with fantasies of Steven, calling up the memory of the kiss he’d given her and how she’d felt until her mind shut down and sleep darkened her world.
***Steven***
Steven was awoken by an ear-piercing scream, and it only took him a second to realize that it was Charlie. He jumped out of bed and head for the door, not even bothering to put on his robe. He passed Daniel’s room, just as he opened the door, “I’ve got her, go back to bed.”
When he opened the door, Charlie was sitting up in bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, rocking back and forth. She looked scared to death, ready to bolt at any second, so he approached the bed slowly, “Charlie, it’s Steven. Are you okay?”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, “I remembered, first a little bit before I went to bed, but now I remember. I saw my parents turn into wolves, I got up to get a drink and they were in the kitchen fighting and then suddenly there were two snarling wolves standing where they’d been,” she whispered, holding back a sob.
Steven sat down on the bed, and gathered her up in his arms, “It’s okay,” he said, over and over until she’d stopped shaking.
Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, “Is that what I’m going to turn into?” she asked, then burst into tears. “They were horrible, snarling and drooling.”
“That’s not what shifters are all like Charlie, something was wrong with your parents. They might have been on drugs or addicted to alcohol or something, it happens to shifters too. Most shifters are good people who don’t hurt each other, live normal lives and raise their families. Think about all the people you’ve met here, they’re not like that.”
Charlie took a deep breath, and he could feel her panic beginning to fade. “I’m scared, I don’t know what to expect, and now that the memories are back…...” she said, then pushed Steven away from her and jumped out of bed.
She grabbed her robe and put it on, but not before Steven got a good look at her in her skimpy nightgown. He was only mildly ashamed at his reaction, after all he’d been dreaming about her when her screams had woken him. “Where are you going?”
“Outside, I want to see you shift,” she said, then opened the door and headed down the hallway.
Steven had no choice but to follow her, “What?”
She didn’t answer him u
ntil they were out on the porch, “I want to see you change, I want to see that it’s going to be okay, that you’re not going to turn into a monster,” she explained, her eyes searching his.
Steven knew that he couldn’t say no, but he was afraid that it would still scare her to see him change, “How about if I go out and shift then come back to you, I don’t want to scare you,” he suggested.
Charlie studied him for a moment, “Okay that’s a deal.”
Steven started down the steps but then came back up, pulled Charlie into his arms and kissed her. “Just remember that it’s me inside that big cat, that I won’t hurt you.”
***Charlie***
Charlie watched Steven walk down the steps and into the woods, her lips still tingling from his kiss, her knees weak and the swarm of butterflies alive in her stomach once again. But this time the feeling was different, deep and sharp, a wave of desire blossoming deep in the pit of her stomach and spreading through her body as she watched him disappear into the forest.
She sensed that she’d started something that would change their lives forever, that once she’d seen the other side of him for herself, she’d be faced with a decision. Part of her was just as afraid as Steven that she’d freak out when she saw him, but then she remembered his words and knew that even as a mountain lion, Steven would still be himself.
Then as if she’d called him to her, a huge cat came out of the forest. It was a tawny color, it’s fur glistening in the light of the porch and with each step of its giant feet, it slowly came closer to her. When its eyes locked on hers, she sucked in a deep breath, shocked to see Steven’s eyes looking back at her.
But she felt nothing close to fear or revulsion when she looked at him, in fact she wanted desperately to touch him, to run her hands over his soft fur. She reached out her hand to him and came down the steps into the yard, her eyes never leaving his. When her hand finally touched the soft fur, she felt a ripple of power flow through her.
“Oh,” she gasped, pulling her hand back. Then quickly put it back when Steven turned to go back into the woods. “It’s okay, I just felt something when I touched you, power I guess,” she said.
Charlie spent a few more minutes assuring herself that what she was seeing was real, stroking Steven’s soft fur. “Thank you, I feel much better now. It’s nothing like I imagined it would be,” she finally said, then walked back up onto the porch.
When she got up the stairs, she turned back to him, her heart thudding in her chest. She hoped that Steven would shift in front of her, so she could see the process, then she suddenly wondered what happened to his clothes when he shifted. Would he be naked when he shifted back?
That thought made her blush as she desperately tried to get the picture of Steven standing in front of her naked out of her head. But it was no use, her mind had grasped onto it and wouldn’t let go, her body responded by sending a wave of desire rushing through her. Barely able to breath, she closed her eyes, hoping that the image would disappear.
When she opened them, Steven was standing right in front of her, back in his human form, his eyes full of desire. She gasped and started to step back, shocked to have him so close, but he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his mouth to hers, giving her only a second to protest, before he kissed her deeply.
Chapter 13
***Steven***
Steven knew that he should stop kissing Charlie, that if he didn’t stop soon he might not be able to stop with just a kiss. She felt so good in his arms, tasted like sugar cookies and cinnamon, and smelled equally delicious. Her curves were pressed up against him, her breasts flattened against his chest, the thin fabric of her robe and nightgown doing nothing to hide her stiff nipples.
When she moaned and put her arms around his neck, desire began to sizzle inside him, heating his blood and making his body hum. He knew that he should stop what was happening, that Charlie was vulnerable right then and that he might be taking advantage of that, but he couldn’t make himself.
But then the light on the porch clicked off, leaving them in the dark and he was able to pull away from Charlie. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, untangling himself from her arms, but not stepping away from her.
Her chest was rising and falling as she fought to get control of herself, but finally she said, “I’m not sorry you did that.”
He looked at her, his eyes searching hers, then said, “I want you Charlie, have since the first time I saw you, but it wouldn’t be fair to you right now. I can’t take advantage of you, it wouldn’t be right.”
“What if I said that I want you just as much as you want me? Would that make a difference?” she asked, a teasing look in her eyes.
That look had his heart racing, the blood rushing through his veins, and his first instinct was to grab her and kiss her again. But he resisted, the woman standing in front of him meant too much to him to have sex come between them, and he was afraid that’s what would happen if they continued this discussion.
He walked past her to the kitchen door, feeling a deepening sense of loss the further he got away from her. “I think we should go back to bed, it’s been a long night,” he said, not able to look directly at her.
Charlie made a strangled noise in her throat, so he turned back to her, afraid that he’d hurt her feelings with his abrupt dismissal of her question. But what he saw wasn’t hurt, it was anger. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, then when he didn’t reply, she said, “I’m not good at playing games Steven, you say you want me but then when I say the same you shut me down. I’m not a toy you can play with, I’m a person who has feelings and wants, and desires.”
Steven stared at her for a second wishing that she’d been hurt instead of mad, because her anger was making him want her even more. Steven groaned, then crossed back to where she stood illuminated by the moonlight.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now standing there in the moonlight, you drive me crazy with need, but the last thing I want to do is jeopardize what we’ve started to build together. I want you Charlie but when it happens I want it to be perfect,” he tried to explain.
Charlie stepped closer to him, close enough that he could smell her intoxicating scent, “I won’t push you if you’re not ready Steven, I know it must be hard for you considering who my family is, but just remember that I’m not them. I care about you Steven, I feel things with you that I’ve never felt before. Maybe it feels like it’s too soon, I know there’s still so much we don’t know about me, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take to figure all that out and I don’t want to wait that long.”
Steven felt his resistance weakening, he’d never imagined that Charlie felt the same way he did. Now looking into her blue eyes all he saw was the honesty of her words, “Just promise me you won’t be sorry in the morning,” he said, cupping her face with his hands and searching her eyes.
“I promise I won’t be sorry,” she said, then pulled his head down and kissed him.
***Charlie***
Charlie was shocked by the way she was behaving, but she was tired of Steven kissing her then walking away like nothing had happened. She’d seen him for what he really was that night, all the pieces had finally fallen together for her. Being a shifter wasn’t that bad, in fact it had been magical to watch, and she wasn’t scared any longer.
Now that so much of her fear and uncertainty had fallen away, her feeling for Steven were all that was left, and what she was feeling was love or at least what she thought was the beginnings of love. This was all so new to her, and so very different than what she’d expected, that she was both thrilled and a little nervous.
When she kissed Steven, she felt the electricity between them, a connection she couldn’t explain. But it felt right, it felt wonderful and for the first time in her life, she wasn’t going to back down from what she wanted. She’d spent too much of her life listening to other people tell her what was best for her, it was time to make some decisions
for herself.
He scooped her up in his arms and started for the house, when he nearly bumped her head as they went through the door, they both giggled like kids. But when he shut the door of his room, the passion between them flared to life. He pulled her to him and held her close for several long minutes, he kissed the top of her head then looked down at her.
His eyes searched hers, still not sure, but Charlie was sure enough for them both, so she stretched up on her tip-toes and kissed him. He let her kiss him, let her tongue explore his mouth, let her nip at his lips with her teeth, then scooped her up in his arms again, crossed the room and laid her down on the bed.
When he stretched out beside her, his mouth found hers while his hands began to roam, leaving goose bumps on her exposed skin, and making her entire body begin to hum with pleasure. There was little fabric between them, but Steven soon removed what there was, groaning when their naked skin came in contact for the first time.
Charlie began to explore his body with her hands, running them up and down his muscular back, then bravely down to his buttocks which were rounded and firm. She wasn’t quite brave enough to take him in her hands just yet, the feeling of his erection pressed up against her leg enough for the moment.
Then Steven found her breasts, his hand cupping and massaging them until she began to writhe with pleasure beneath him. When he began to tease her taunt nipples pleasure rushed through her, forming a tight knot deep inside her that flooded her with need. Instinctively she opened her legs, gasping when his hand slid down between her legs and his fingers delved between her moist folds.
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 43
