“That’s okay; we can figure it out together,” she said, looking up at him, suddenly nervous.
He looked down at her for a long time, and she wished she knew what he was thinking, but then he said, “I don’t want to rush things, Bethany. Even if this is the only night we have, I don’t want to ruin it taking things too fast.”
Bethany was relieved. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Gabriel,” she said, feeling her cheeks heating up. “I’m just a little overwhelmed by all this.”
He guided her over to the fire, onto the ground, and then into his arms. “I’ll be perfectly happy to sit here with you just like this all night if that’s what you want,” he said, with a contented sigh.
Bethany snuggled closer to him, loving the feel of his arms around her and thought of the nights she’d spent wishing for just this. “That sounds fine to me,” she said, relaxing in his arms now that the pressure was off.
***Gabriel***
Gabriel woke to the sound of birds chirping in the trees, stirred then froze. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes, and a huge smile spread across his face; he was still human. The night had come and gone, and he still had two arms and two legs; he wanted to whoop with joy, but Bethany was still asleep next to him.
Instead, he slipped out of the tent, a huge grin on his face, and got the fire started, shivering as he worked. The dew had turned to frost only a few hours before, and the blanket wasn’t much protection when he was used to a layer of fur, but he knew that it would warm up soon.
It took him a while to make his hands do exactly what he wanted, and he had to walk very carefully, but by the time Bethany poked her head out of the tent, he had coffee ready. When she stumbled over to the fire half asleep, he handed her a cup of coffee as if it was something they did every day.
She didn’t look at him when he handed her the cup, just plopped down on the stump she’d been using as a chair, stared at the fire, and said, “I had the strangest dream last night.”
Gabriel wasn’t sure what to say, had expected her to react to the fact that he was still a man, but she hadn’t even looked at him. When he didn’t answer, she looked up at him, and her mouth came open in shock, her coffee cup fell to the ground, and she jumped to her feet.
She ran at him, landed squarely in his arms and said, “Oh my God, it wasn’t a dream.”
Cupping his face in her hands, she tilted his head first one way and then the other. “When I woke up alone this morning, I was sure that I dreamed last night,” she said, grinning up at him. Then her face got serious, “You’re still here.”
Gabriel crushed her to his chest. “I’m still here,” he said, not adding that he didn’t know for how long.
“But we don’t know for how long,” she said, her face becoming sad.
“But we’re going to make the most of the time we have,” he said, smiling at her. “We have the whole day, and part of the night at least; let’s have some fun. There’s so much I want to do, so many things I couldn’t do before and I’m going to have to learn to fish the human way if we want dinner.”
Bethany knew that he was right, that spoiling their time together would be a huge mistake, so she pushed away the sadness and feeling of loss that was already with her and smiled back at him.
“Okay, but let’s start with breakfast. I’m starving, and I think I spilled my coffee,” she said, taking his hand and leading him back to the fire.
***Bethany***
Making breakfast with Gabriel turned out to be much more difficult than she’d anticipated. He wanted to be involved in each step, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t have been a problem, but he was still wearing only the blanket draped around his waist.
Just the sight of his bare chest was a distraction, sparking the memory of him standing naked in the moonlight the night before. If that wasn’t bad enough, even an accidental touch sparked little tingles of desire, and once when he’d wrapped his arms around her from behind, she’d nearly knocked the stove over.
Her face seemed to be constantly pink, and she knew that he’d noticed because every once in a while, he’d chuckle after she was especially clumsy. She barely made it through the breakfast dishes without doing something embarrassing like throwing herself into his arms and kissing him.
But Gabriel clearly had the same thing on his mind because as soon as she put down the last dish, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Passion flared between them as his tongue invaded her mouth, and bright flashes of pleasure washed over her when he nipped at her lips, then soothed the bite with his tongue.
When he let her go, she nearly fell to her knees, but he caught her and pulled her into his arms, chuckling in that way she was beginning to recognize. “Are you proud of yourself?” she asked, looking up at him.
He grinned down at her. “Maybe a little,” he said, honestly.
Bethany slapped him playfully on the chest, but left her hand on his bare skin, unable to pull it away. His muscles rippled under her touch, and a little sigh escaped his lips, making her tingle deep inside in a place she’d never felt before.
She ran her hand up and down his chest, feeling the wiry hair spring back under her hand, and warmth of his skin against her palm. Gabriel sighed again, then slid his hand down her arm and gently cupped one of her breasts in his hand, making the tingle burst into a throbbing.
Gasping at the intensity of the feeling, she stepped back, her face on fire. “I’m sorry, I just...Gabriel, you have to get some clothes,” she finally blurted out and covered her face with her hands.
This time he laughed out loud. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, guess I’m just impossible to resist,” he said, gathering her in his arms. “Any suggestions as to where I’d get these clothes you think I need?”
Bethany uncovered her eyes and looked up at him. “I could go back to the farm and grab some,” she suggested, relieved that she wasn’t going to have to look at him half-naked all day.
“As long as you promise to come right back,” he said.
“You could come with me,” she said. “I bet everyone would love to see you.”
Gabriel thought about that for a minute, then shook his head. “I think I’d better stay here; we don’t know for sure how or why this happened or how long it’s going to last. I want to be with you, Bethany, and only you right now; maybe we’ll tell them later.”
Bethany understood; once the family found out, their time alone would be over. “Then I’ll just run down there, grab a few supplies, and come back.”
It wasn’t until she was headed down the mountain that she realized she’d still need to tell them something. She still hadn’t come up with a plan when she reached the farm and was almost thinking about stealing what she needed, but then she saw Michelle working in her herb garden at the edge of the fields.
When Michelle saw her, she waved and called, “I didn’t know you were home already.”
“I’m not really,” she said, wondering if she could trust Michelle. “I just came back because I need a few things. I’m going to stay a few more days in the mountains.”
“Your brother isn’t going to be happy to hear that, and I’m not sure Jessie is going to like it either,” she said, standing up and walking over to Bethany.
Bethany sighed. “I don’t know why they’re being so difficult about this. We’re just camping,” she said, not really lying.
Michele studied her for a second. “Hmmm, well, I don’t know if they’re going to let you go back. What was so important you had to come home for it?”
“I umm... need some clothes and maybe a pair of shoes,” Bethany said. Then suggested, “Maybe you could get them for me.”
“I don’t know, Bethany, if Jessie or Dillion finds out that you were here and I didn’t tell them, they’re going to be mad at me and you both,” she said, making Bethany’s heart fall.
“Then tell them after I’m gone,” she said, “that way you aren’t hiding anything, and I can go back.”
“O
kay, that’s fair enough, but I’m only doing this because I think they’re wrong,” she said. “Now, what do you want me to get for you?”
When Bethany told her what she wanted, Michelle’s mouth came open, and she narrowed her eyes at her. “What’s going on, Bethany? Who are these clothes for?” Michelle asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m not supposed to tell you,” Bethany said, “you’ll tell everyone, and it will be spoiled.”
“What will be spoiled?” Michelle asked, then when Bethany was silent, added, “I’m not helping you until you tell me what’s going on.”
Bethany knew that she was stuck, that she was going to have to trust Michelle with the truth, that she’d backed herself into a corner. With a big sigh, she said, “You’d better sit down; this is going to take a minute.”
Chapter Ten
***Gabriel***
Gabriel swung the hatchet at the log carefully, pleased when it hit exactly where he’d wanted it to. Then stood and looked around, hoping to see Bethany coming out of the woods, but the plateau was empty just like it had been when he looked five minutes before.
It seemed like she’d been gone for a long time, but it had only been a couple of hours. He figured it would be at least another hour before she was back. He’d already chopped a huge pile of firewood and replenished their water supply, which had involved a scary walk to the creek.
But now he knew that going that far didn’t cause him to shift back into a wolf, and that was good news since one of their main food supplies was in that creek. He’d been tempted to test his boundaries further but rejected the idea as too risky and gone back to camp.
Now, he couldn’t find anything to keep him busy, and time started to drag. He thought about going fishing, about catching a few fat fish to show off when Bethany got back but thinking about going without her took the fun out of the idea. Instead, he sat down by the smoldering fire and decided just to sit and wait.
He was lost in daydreams about Bethany when he heard her calling his name from the trees. Jumping to his feet, he walked over to meet her as she came out of the trees, surprised when he noticed that she wasn’t carrying anything.
“Didn’t you make it back?” he asked, looking her over to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
But she had a huge smile on her face. “Yep, I found Michelle working in her herb garden,” she said, holding out a big squash.
“She gave you a squash?” he asked, confused. “Did you change your mind about the clothes?”
Bethany shook her head, then her face got serious. “Gabriel, I had to tell her,” she said, then quickly added, “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want me to, but I made her promise not to tell for a couple of days.”
Gabriel walked away from her, imagining the circus that it was going to be when his family found out about his shift. “I had to tell her, Gabriel; it was the only way she’d help me.”
He turned back to her, and she looked so sad that his annoyance vanished. “Do you think she’ll keep her promise?” he asked.
“Yes, and she did more than that too,” she said, holding out the squash again. “Are you ready for a little magic?”
Gabriel looked at the squash and then back up at Bethany. “We’ve already had our share of magic,” he said, looking at the squash suspiciously.
Bethany laughed at him, “Relax; you’re going to like this,” she said, striding off towards their camp.
When they got back, she walked to the middle of the camp and stood there for a second with the squash in her hands. “Give me just a second to remember the spell,” she said, closing her eyes and mumbling to herself. “Okay, I’m ready.”
She tapped the squash three times with the palm of her hand, then set it down on the ground in the middle of the campsite next to the fire pit. Then she held her hands up in the air, and said, “Deep in the woods, make me a home.”
The squash began to tremble and the air around them to shimmer, then the tent disappeared with a whoosh, replaced by a much larger and nicer tent. The little kitchen sank into the ground, its replacement appearing almost in the same instant.
When the fire pit expanded and enlarged, and two comfortable lounge chairs appeared next to it, he gasped and looked at Bethany, who was grinning. “Just a few more things to go,” she said.
There was the sound of rustling in the tent, and then two huge coolers appeared over in the kitchen area, quickly followed by a springing sound as two trees complete with a hammock strung between them, came shooting out of the ground.
Bethany clapped her hands and looked around her with glee. “Well, what do you think? I planned it myself, but Michelle did all the work,” she said, then ran over to the tent and unzipped it, sighing with satisfaction.
Her face was pink when she turned back around. “Wait till you see inside the tent.”
Gabriel’s initial shock had worn off, replaced by pleasure, so he crossed the campsite and peered over her shoulder into the tent. Instead of the lone sleeping bag and rubber mat they’d slept on the night before, there was a low bed, covered with a fluffy blanket.
Unbidden, a picture of Bethany lying on the bed naked came into his mind, and he was instantly aroused, which reminded him that he was still only wearing the blanket. He was standing behind her and knew that it would only take a gentle push to get her into the tent.
Instead, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “What were you thinking about when you picked this bed?”
She gasped and shivered, then her neck turned pink, and he couldn’t resist kissing it which made her sigh and lean back against him. “I hope you were thinking about me,” he whispered.
Bethany turned in his arms and tried to flee, her face bright red, but she met his bare chest instead. “I wasn’t...I mean...” her words trailed off when her eyes met his.
He kissed her on the forehead, and said, “Maybe it’s time for me to put those clothes on.”
“That might be a good idea,” she said, her voice shaking.
“But first, I think you’ve earned a kiss,” he said, lowering his head and capturing her mouth with his.
***Bethany***
Bethany stumbled away from the tent, her senses reeling, her body humming with pleasure. She flopped down in one of the chairs by the firepit and put her finger to her lips, which were still swollen from kissing Gabriel, and tried to calm her heart, to get her brain moving again.
Kissing Gabriel, she’d discovered, made her a little stupid sometimes, and she wondered what would happen if they took things farther. If kissing him felt so good, the rest would be even better she realized, her body beginning to tingle at the thought.
When he came out of the tent, Gabriel’s face was red, and he was breathing hard. “Let’s go fishing,” he said, through clenched teeth.
She jumped to her feet and ran over to him. “What’s the matter?” she asked, tugging on his clothes thinking they were too tight. “Don’t they fit?”
“It’s not the clothes,” he said, stepping away from her. “It’s imagining you in the bed.”
Bethany gasped, and her body began to throb even harder. “I, umm...I’ll put some food together, and we can leave right away.”
“Good, because if we stay here, I won’t be able to stop myself from dragging you in there,” Gabriel said, gesturing over his shoulder at the tent.
An hour later, they were sitting on the bank of the stream, their fishing poles in the water, completely ignored. Bethany was lying with her head in Gabriel’s lap while he stroked her face and ran his fingers through her hair and talked about living with wolves.
She talked about living in the mansion, carefully avoiding any mention of her father, instead focusing on the people who had raised her since her mother’s death when she was twelve. “I missed her, but there were enough people around who cared about me to make up for her loss,” she said. “I was lucky to have her as long as I did; she was never very healthy after I was born, I guess.”
Gabriel
stopped stroking her cheek. “You can’t think that her death was your fault,” he said, looking down at her.
She shook her head. “I don’t; she died in a car accident.”
“I’m sorry, Bethany, that must have been hard,” he said, then changed the subject. “Enough sad talk; let’s go climb a tree.”
Bethany sat up and stared at him. “What?”
“I’ve never climbed a tree, and I want to,” Gabriel said, jumping up and helping her to her feet.
She pulled back. “Gabriel, I don’t know...I mean, I’ve never climbed a tree.”
“Me either, and look, there’s plenty around here to climb,” he said, pulling her over to one nearby. “We don’t even have to go that far.”
They spent the rest of the morning playing in the forest like a couple of kids. Bethany watched Gabriel climb trees, only brave enough herself to climb a little way up. But he scampered to the top of one tree after another, until she was sure that he was going to fall and break something.
When he came down from the last one, he was grinning from ear to ear and so pleased with himself that she couldn’t help but laugh. “What now?” he asked, looking around him. “I’ve lived my entire life in the forest, but it feels like an entirely different place today.”
“How about lunch? You must be starving,” she said, brushing dirt off his clothes.
“That sounds great,” he said, picking her up in his arms, and spinning them around, making her squeal and cling to him. When he set her down on her feet, his mouth found hers, and it was a few wonderful minutes before they headed for the stream and the picnic she’d packed.
***Gabriel***
Leaning back on his elbows, Gabriel looked up at the sky, “I don’t think I’ve eaten anything better than that,” he said, sighing.
Bethany laughed, “You said that at breakfast this morning,” she said, holding out a strawberry dipped in chocolate.
Her White Wolf: Wolves of Gypsum Creek (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 6
