His lips curved. “Me, too.”
She cleared her throat. “So…is your girlfriend okay with you spending three days with a woman you just met?”
Arching an eyebrow, he angled his head to the side. “What makes you think I have a girlfriend?”
“Well, because you’re…” She waved a hand at his tall, virile form. “You’re you.”
The rise of his chest on a catch of laughter caused her to fixate on the broad planes of muscle beneath his T-shirt. What would it feel like to press her cheek against that solid surface, feel his powerful arms wrap around her, listen the bold cadence of his heartbeat?
Desire sizzled through her, scorching in its intensity, scattering sparks across every nerve ending. Whoa. She felt lightheaded and nearly tripped over her own feet.
“Careful.” His deep voice slid over her like decadent velvet, a smile folded into the words.
When he reached out to steady her, electric currents pulsed through her being. She’d never felt electricity with anyone, ever. How did he do that?
Stunned and bewildered, she stared up at him.
He held onto her longer than necessary. Their bodies were so close, if she leaned forward her breasts would touch his forearm.
His eyes became liquid green pools. “If I had a woman in my life, I wouldn’t be lusting after you.” Then he shook his head. “Not true. I would still be lusting after you, I just wouldn’t show it. Or act on it.”
“B-but you would?” She heard herself stutter like a girl with her first mad crush. “Act on it, if you weren’t…?”
“I would. Because I’m not.”
Without warning, Mason lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. His mouth was hot and sensual, soft yet firm. The seam of his lips opened and closed around hers. Once. Twice. His breathing quickened. A low, throaty sound vibrated from him, making her tremble.
Then large fingers wrapped around her arm and scorched her skin like a brand. She melted under his seductive heat. Dampness seeped onto her panties, startling her. She gasped. And he released her lips from his spellbinding kiss.
Oh. My. God. She swallowed. Can you do that again?
“I shouldn’t have done that.” There wasn’t a trace of apology in his voice.
His heavy-lidded eyes transfixed her. She’d never look at the color green the same way again. She’d never look at him the same way again. He’d rendered her mute and helpless to deny her rampant need for his touch, his kiss, and anything else he’d like to do to her body.
Again, how did he do that?
Eventually she found her words. “It’s okay, I think.” She licked her lips. “As long as you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Nope.” Wicked hunger danced in his gaze. “The position is open until filled.”
Filled. The word conjured explicit images of him on top of her naked, muscles rippling, his huge length thrusting into her heat.
A shiver racked her. She’d never been one to fantasize much about sex. Until now.
Unsteady, she took a cautious step back, her breasts rising and falling with each deep breath. Mason’s gaze dropped to observe the motion.
An unwelcome thought bulldozed through her mind, flattening the high she’d felt after his kiss. Was her lack of sexual experience why Kyle had left? Because she’d never felt uninhibited with him in the bedroom the way she felt now in the middle of the woods with Mason?
Another kiss like the first, and she might strip off her clothes and have wild, crazy animal sex with Mason.
God, what has Mason done to me?
Her brain had an instant response. He’s new. He’s different. He’s a sexy distraction for your imagination and a boost to your ego. That’s why she wanted him on a level of desire defying comprehension.
Gathering her invisible cocoon of protection around her again, she forced herself to take another step back. She smoothed her hair and then patted his shoulder in an awkward attempt at platonic friendship. “Well, I’m sure when you find the right girl, she’ll be everything you’ve always wanted.”
As she moved past him, she stuffed down her desire, forcing herself to reclaim a sense of normalcy he’d shaken from her. Then she swore she heard him say under his breath, “She already is.”
*
“There’s a cave up ahead,” Mason told Steph, eying the low angle of the sun and the shadows gathering in the dusky light of the woods. He pointed to the left off the path. “We can camp there for the night.”
How the hell he was going to sleep next to her without making love to her, he had no idea. He wanted to see her naked. Badly. Cup her gorgeously full breasts in his hands. Glide his mouth down her tantalizing curves. Feel her legs wrap around his shoulders as he lowered his face between her thighs and—
“A cave? What for?”
He veered off the path toward his intended destination. “Shelter.”
“What about a tent?” she asked, struggling to keep up with his long strides.
He shrugged and slowed his pace. “I didn’t bring one.”
Stopping completely, she set one hand on her hip and gestured at him. “All that gear you’re carrying, and you forgot a tent?”
“I didn’t forget. I just don’t need one.”
“Where will you sleep?”
Anywhere with you in my arms. “Like I said, there is a cave nearby.”
“Ew.” She made a face. “Aren’t there creepy crawly things like spiders and bugs in caves?”
“Not this one. C’mon, you’ll be fine. I’ll protect you against big, hairy arachnids.”
“Gross.” She shuddered. “I don’t mind them out in the nature, but I’d rather have a tent between me and them while I’m sleeping. Did you know people swallow an average of seven spiders in their lifetime while asleep?”
“What idiot guessed that?” Mason frowned and refuted the number. “It’s way more than seven.”
She spun in a half circle away from him. “Okay, I’m going back to the trail to sleep in my little spider-less tent.”
“Steph, wait.”
She paused.
“What if I promise the cave is clean? Free of spiders and other crawling things?”
“I’d say I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms. “You can’t guarantee a mass exodus of critters just because we want to sleep where they’ve made their homes.”
Wondering how to explain, he rubbed the back of his neck. “What if I said this is kind of a special cave?”
She arched an eyebrow. “I’d say you need to spend less time in the woods and have more contact with society.”
He chuckled. “I’d probably tell me that too. But I swear this cave is a gift from nature. At least let me show it to you.”
“All right.” He heard the hesitation in her voice. “But I’ll probably still sleep in my tent. Alone,” she added.
“We’ll see.” His voice was snatched by the evening breeze, dissipating the words before she heard them.
Trail Guardians loved this spot. He and his brothers had discovered it by accident as cubs playing in the woods. He swore there were magical properties in the water that formed a pool at the base of the cave.
Each of the Alterra brothers subscribed to a different theory of its origin. Perhaps eons ago the Ancients had used it as their meeting place, where they breathed forth the Ancestors who’d given birth to his kind. That was Mason’s idea. Back before he’d become so cynical, his twin brother, Midas, had believed white witches had cast spells there. Between the middle set of twins, Garrett and Grayson, they vowed it was created by wood elves who’d used it as a cross-dimensional portal. Whereas the younger set of twins, Stone and Shane, believed it was the work of Native American shamans. But, Brock…
Guilt racked Mason. Brock had been the fully-hardened, total non-believer of their kin. He’d come out of the womb a skeptic—after losing his twin sister, the only girl in the Alterra bloodline, his lone-bear attitude had hardened into a refusal to accept his place in the cla
n. Now they’d never know what their baby brother thought about anything.
Bitter regret seared Mason’s chest. The six of them never should’ve let Brock forge out onto the forest trail alone after he’d returned from active duty in the military. Although it was customary for one brother in each family clan to learn military tactics from traditional society, youngest brother Brock shouldn’t have volunteered, and as the oldest Mason shouldn’t have let him go. Brock had come back to them with darkness in his heart, damaged, more distant than ever. The night he’d struck out on his own, he’d disappeared. No one had heard from him since, almost four years ago now, and all of them feared the worst.
Shaking off the chill that invaded his bones whenever he thought of Brock, Mason led Steph to the cave. There was little he could do today except focus on the strange, precious gift of Steph the Ancestors had dropped in his lap.
The closer he came to the cave, the more his heart rate accelerated. He’d give anything for the chance to make love to her here. To seal their destiny by the light of the full moon and the soft glow of enchanted crystals.
Renewed desire pounded through his veins. He had no idea how to accomplish the impossible task of keeping his hands to himself. He wondered if the cave’s miraculous properties could change her mind in his favor. At the same time, he wouldn’t hold his breath, since he wanted her to join with him as a result of her own heart-driven decision. Not because of his powers of seduction or a quirk of magic. Although, if she suddenly straddled him in the middle of the night, acting on lust for lust’s sake, he wouldn’t object.
The visual caused him to adjust his pants to ease the discomfort from his erection.
As he guided her to the mouth of the cave, he felt her hands clench his shirt beneath the waist-strap of his pack. He stifled a groan, praying to the Ancestors she’d move her hands to the front of his hips…and down. He swallowed hard. Tonight was going to be hell on his inner bear.
4
With trepidation, Stephanie followed Mason into the strange cave he’d described so fondly. She tried to keep an open mind, unsure what to expect.
Right away she noticed something odd. “Aren’t caves supposed to be cold?“Some are. Not this one.”
Ten paces in, she dropped her hold on Mason’s shirt. She stared in awe.
As impossible as it seemed, there were clusters of purple crystals, resembling amethyst, tucked into crevices in the ceiling of the cave—and they were glowing. Glowing. They emitted a gentle lavender light as though they possessed a tiny spark of life within them.
“How is this possible?” she whispered, leaving his side to touch one of the crystalline ridges.
“I don’t know.” He spoke with quiet reverence. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Amazing.”
When her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, she noticed a natural pool in the ground. Water trickled from a small fissure in the stone wall, creating a soothing sound. Her body relaxed and she felt at ease, completely safe in this sacred place.
“It’s like wandering into a magical world, where things that shouldn’t happen…do happen.”
Bending to her knees, she trailed her fingertips over the surface of the pool. The small waves she created made the twinkles of reflected lavender light dance on the water.
Lost in the uncommon beauty and hushed peace, she vaguely heard Mason set down his pack, saying something about gathering firewood. She nodded absently.
Another miraculous thing about the cave were the leafy vines that scaled the rock walls. More impossible still, small yellow flowers sprang from between center clusters of leaves. How could that be? Didn’t flowers require sunlight? Or did they somehow absorb enough illumination from the crystals to survive?
This place, and this man, defied comprehension. Her intrigue piqued her desire.
As if her sexual awareness of Mason wasn’t already heightened enough from his kiss earlier, warmth filled her core and rippled out to her limbs like the waves in the pool. She felt as though she’d wandered into another space and time, where magic lived and flowed, where she could give herself to a handsome man she just met, and where she didn’t care about protecting her broken heart.
She wanted to invite his touch, savor his kiss, take him inside her. Feel his muscular body moving in rhythm with hers. Make love until she ran out of air, gasping for more.
The sound of Mason setting an armful of sticks on the floor reminded her that the fantasy could be reality. If only she let herself believe the feverish desire she’d seen in his eyes when he looked at her. If only her heart had healed before she met him. If only…
He came to stand behind her. He swept her hair to one side and rested his large hands on her shoulders. As she soaked in his potent masculine presence and the heat of his touch, her lashes fluttered.
“Mason.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you bring me here?”
His breath stirred the tiny curls beside her ear. “I wanted to bring together two of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
A lump swelled in her throat. “Why is it so hard to believe that?”
“I could explain the way I feel, but I’d rather show you.” His lips pressed to the side of her neck, parted, and lightly sucked at her sensitive skin.
“I—I just…”
He removed her backpack and rubbed her shoulders. She moaned as the knots of tension eased beneath his hands.
“I just don’t know if I’m ready.”
“You don’t have to know. Just feel.”
“That’s the problem.” She took a stilted breath. “I don’t know how to feel about you.”
His hands stilled. His head lifted, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Then I’ll wait.”
Distressed, she swallowed, sensing the opportunity to lose herself in him had passed. “Wait for what?”
“For you. Until you’re ready. Until you know.”
When his hands fell away, he withdrew from her and returned to the woodpile he’d collected.
Stunned by his response, she turned to stare at him. “You’d wait for me?”
“Yes, I would wait for you.” A pained look of yearning crossed his features, before he faced away to focus on building a fire. “Forever,” he whispered.
“Why?” she asked.
“You’ll understand once you know.”
Confused and exasperated, she demanded, “How can I know something I don’t understand?”
His big shoulders lifted with an exhale of resignation. “I can’t give you the answers, Steph. You have to decide the truth of your feelings for yourself.”
Her heart lurched. “What do feelings, other than desire, have to do with anything?”
He sent her an arrested stare. “They have to do with everything.” Then he refocused on the fire. “I would never take from you what you don’t want to give.”
Approaching the spot where he hunched over the sticks, she sat cross-legged beside him. “You may not have understood me when I discussed my ex-fiancé, but I offered him my heart and my future, and he handed them back to me in a shredded heap. I wish I had something to give you, Mason. And I’m not even sure what you want from me. But all I have left is a handful of broken dreams.”
“I understood,” he murmured. “I just don’t agree.”
“A wild attraction to someone can’t repair heartbreak overnight.”
A glint of humor in his eyes replaced his moroseness. “What about over three nights?”
In spite of herself and the seriousness of their discussion, she smiled. “Not even over three nights.”
He arched an eyebrow. “How do you know until you’ve tried?”
She peered at him. “I can’t tell if you’re attempting to romance me or seduce me.”
A dimple curved his cheek. “Who said they had to be separate?”
“You are the most unusual man I’ve ever met,” she said, shaking her head at him.
He snorted. “Consideri
ng your history, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Yeah,” she admitted, regret bowing her shoulders. “I sure know how to pick them.”
“You just didn’t choose the right one.” He blew a steady stream of air on the smoldering coals of the fire. “An easy fix.”
“Oh, really? You think it’s all so simple?”
“Yes.” Tendrils of gray smoke framed his face as his stare locked on her, his eyes alive with passion. “Pick me instead.”
She laughed, but when he remained serious, she wasn’t sure how to respond. “I think what I need is time to myself, away from men.” Even a super hunky one who makes my panties melt when he smiles.
“Your call.” He shrugged. “Personally, I think mine is the better solution.”
“I’m sure you would.” At least she’d never have to worry about him being insecure—about anything. He spoke openly about everything he wanted.
“I’d take care of you. I’ll take care of all your needs.”
She read the sultry look in his eyes. All. Your. Needs. The implications were so clear he didn’t need to elaborate. That wicked smile and the virility radiating from him promised he wouldn’t disappoint her in bed. He would rock her world.
A deep-rooted desire rose from the depths of her core. Her body craved him, in a way she’d never felt before and couldn’t begin to explain. Almost animalistic in its carnality.
Wow, that was new. It frightened and compelled her. She shivered despite the heat wafting from the fire.
“No offense,” she said, lifting her chin, “but after the past few months, I’m not convinced a man can put a woman’s needs before his own. Not when it really counts.”
He sent her a cunning grin. “Is that a challenge?”
She tucked her legs beneath her and sat back. “Depends,” she said cautiously, “on how you plan to prove it.”
Dare to Bear (Book 1 Trail Guardians Series) Page 4
