He leaned over and took a bite, wondering what it would be like to lick chocolate off Bethany’s skin, then forced his mind away from thoughts that would only get him in trouble. She took a bite, then popped the rest of the strawberry into his mouth and smiled at him, a smile that made him feel warm all over.
“Come closer so I can kiss you,” he ordered, but she snapped the top of the strawberries and got up. “Just let me put this food away first.”
Gabriel groaned. “I don’t think I can wait that long,” he said, following her over to the picnic basket.
She tried to swat him away, but he wasn’t giving up, so he scooped her into his arms and tipped her head up. When his mouth came down on hers, delicious waves of pleasure washed over him, and his body began to pulse and throb. She pressed herself up against him, and he wondered how much longer he could hold himself back.
Just as he was about to slide his hand between them, the sound of a bell came floating through the passion. Gabriel didn’t take his mouth from hers. “Do you hear a bell ringing?”
Bethany pulled away from him and listened. “I do; it’s coming from the stream.”
“The fishing poles,” they said in unison.
They rushed over to the stream, but just as Gabriel bent over to grab the pole that was twitching, so did Bethany. When she pulled back to let him grab it, she lost her balance, and before he could react, she was in the ice-cold water.
In only seconds, the current began pushing her into deeper water. She tried to stand up but slipped on the rocks and went tumbling back into the water. Gabriel jumped in and grabbed her just as the current pulled her into the deepest part of the stream.
He swept her up in his arms and jumped out of the water, set her on her feet, and asked, “Are you okay? I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to push you in.”
“You didn’t,” she said, “I lost my balance.”
Chapter Eleven
***Bethany***
Bethany was soaked to the skin, her hair dripping wet, but she managed a shaky smile. “I didn’t really plan on learning to fish the wolf way today.”
Gabriel sighed with relief. “I guess you’re okay if you can joke,” he said, then saw her shiver. “We’d better get you out of those clothes before you freeze.”
Bethany looked up at the sky, which had begun to fill with clouds. When a cold wind blew through the trees, she shivered again, and nodded. “That sounds like a good idea; just let me grab the picnic blanket.”
But before she could move, another gust of wind came through the trees; it was even colder this time, and she began to shiver. Gabriel took one look at her and said, “Your lips are beginning to turn blue; we’ll come back for it later.”
He swept her up in his arms and started for camp, but before they’d gone more than a few steps, rain began to splatter the ground in huge drops. Bethany looked up at the sky again and saw the dark clouds moving in fast.
“It’s going to rain; put me down and we’ll run for it,” she said, pushing against his chest.
Gabriel squeezed her against him. “I’ve got you,” he said, then began to run across the plateau just as the skies opened up and it began to rain in earnest.
By the time they made it back to camp, they were both soaked to the skin and shivering. Gabriel headed straight for the tent, only dropping Bethany to her feet once they were inside the door and out of the storm.
She stood dripping just inside the door for a second before reaching for a towel. The rain was pounding on the tent, the wind buffeting the sides of the tent, and she wondered how the day had gone wrong so quickly.
Drying her hair and trying not to shiver, she said, “Looks like our day is over.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t last that long, but you’d better get out of those wet clothes. You look like you’re frozen. I’ll just step outside,” Gabriel said, reaching for the zipper on the door of the tent.
Bethany listened to the rain for a second. “You’re just as soaked as I am; you can’t go out there. Just turn your back,” she said before he could step back outside.
She grabbed another towel off the pile that had appeared when they came into the tent and handed it to him. “I’ll be quick,” she said, and motioned for him to turn his back.
But when she tried to unbutton her shirt, she discovered that her fingers were so cold they wouldn’t work, and to make matters worse, she’d begun to shiver so hard her teeth were chattering. She tried once more to unbutton her shirt, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate, and she couldn’t help but curse in exasperation.
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked from under the towel he was using to dry his hair.
Bethany felt her cheeks getting hot. “I can’t get my shirt unbuttoned.”
Gabriel turned and peeked out from under the towel; grinning at her, he asked, “Want some help?”
Bethany knew that he was teasing her, but she was so cold that it didn’t seem funny to her. Tears began to well up in her eyes. “I’ll get it,” she said, her voice shaking, wishing she wasn’t about to cry.
“Oh, Bethany, I’m sorry. I was just teasing,” Gabriel said, pulling her into his arms. When he felt how cold she was, he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Your freezing; let me help you out of those clothes.”
Bethany looked into his eyes but saw only concern; the teasing look was gone, replaced by tenderness. She nodded her head, afraid she was going to burst into tears and embarrass herself.
Gabriel reached for the first button on her shirt, and she felt her face begin to heat up, her heart to race. But he was all business, working the buttons one by one, then stripped off the wet shirt, then reached for the button of her pants and unhooked it.
Bethany covered his hands with hers, her face flaming, her heart pounding in her chest, warmth beginning to spread through her body. “Umm, I think I can do it now,” she said, unable to look at him.
“It’s okay, I’ve got it,” he said, sliding her wet jeans off, leaving her standing there only in her bra and panties.
She could tell that he was trying his best not to look at her, but it was impossible for him not to see her and suddenly she was very self-conscious. Few people had ever seen her in her underwear, and for a moment she wondered if he would find her attractive.
But then he said, “Umm, you’d better take off the rest,” through clenched teeth, and when his eyes finally met hers, they were full of desire.
Her heart began to pound in her chest, and she knew that it wouldn’t take much to bring the passion between them to life, but she still wasn’t ready for that. “Turn around,” she said, her face burning.
Gabriel turned his back, and she quickly removed her wet bra and panties, then slipped a clean tee-shirt over her head. It took longer to find a pair of sweats, but once she had them on, she jumped into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.
“Okay, I’m dressed,” she said.
When he turned around and saw her in the bed, his eyes got big, but then he saw the covers pulled up to her chin, he chuckled in that way of his that made her heart hammer in her chest. “I hope you have something on underneath there because I’m getting in,” he said, pulling his wet shirt over his head.
As soon as she saw his chest glistening with moisture, she pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes, knowing she didn’t dare watch him any longer. When he slid under the covers with her, he was dressed, but that didn’t stop her heart from beginning its frantic beating in her chest.
***Gabriel***
Gabriel slid into bed thinking that it was probably the stupidest thing he could do, but he was just as cold as Bethany, and the thought of curling up with her in his arms was more than he could resist. He pulled her into his arms, and settled them against the pillows, already feeling warmth spreading through him.
He sighed and said, “That’s better.”
Bethany nodded but didn’t say anything, and that was fine with him; he was holding on to his control with everything he had. But eventually,
the melodic sound of the rain on the roof of the tent calmed him, and he found himself getting sleepy.
They were warm snuggled together under the thick blanket, and it wasn’t long before he found his eyes drifting closed. “I’m sleepy,” he said, closing his eyes.
“Me too,” Bethany said, snuggling down further in the bed.
It wasn’t long before her even breathing told him that she was asleep, and he let himself drift off, his last thought that it had been one of the best days of his life. When he woke several hours later, the rain had stopped, and the tent was lit up with the late afternoon sun.
They’d turned on their sides as they’d slept, and Bethany was curled up against him, her curvy backside pressing against him. It wasn’t long before he knew that he’d have to move, especially when she began to stir, but before he could, she pulled his arms around her tighter in her and sighed.
Desire flared to life inside him, and he sucked in a deep breath, willing his body not to respond. Just as he felt his groin begin to tighten, Bethany stretched and rolled onto her back, breaking the contact, and he sighed with relief.
“Gabriel, what’s wrong?” she asked when she saw the look on his face.
He took a deep breath, feeling his body begin to cool. “Nothing, I just need to get out of bed,” he said, throwing back the covers and getting to his feet.
The reason he needed to get out of bed must have been apparent, because Bethany gasped, then covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. When he gave her a dirty look, she giggled again, then said, “I’m sorry, Gabriel, I shouldn’t laugh.”
“Are you proud of yourself?” he asked, the same way she’d asked him that same question not too long ago.
“Maybe,” she said, a big grin on her face.
He shook his head at her, then shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not my fault that you’re irresistible.”
Bethany blushed, her fair complexion turning a pretty shade of pink. “I find that hard to believe,” she said, but he could tell that she was pleased.
“Really?” he asked. “I thought that was perfectly clear.”
Bethany burst into giggles again, then said, “Yeah I guess it was.”
When they emerged from the tent, both pleasantly surprised to find that their shoes and clothes had dried while they slept, the world had been washed clean by the rain. The trees seemed greener, the air cleaner, the mountains in the distance much bluer.
“I’ll see if I can get a fire started,” Gabriel said, heading for the firewood they’d stashed under a tree.
“I’ll see about something to eat; I’m starving,” Bethany said, heading for the kitchen which was wet but not destroyed. “It shouldn’t take long to put something easy together.”
Gabriel had no problem getting the fire started again; even with all the rain, the dry wood sparked to life, and he couldn’t help but be a little proud of himself. He was adapting quickly to his new human form and was beginning to feel more normal.
It wasn’t long before he realized that it wasn’t cold as he’d expected; in fact, the moisture-laden air was warm, and the fire was almost unnecessary. Walking over to the kitchen where Bethany was stirring something in a big cast iron skillet, he realized that it was even warmer by the stove.
He looked up at the sky, which was full of white puffy clouds. “It’s warmed up; there must be a warm front coming in,” he said, taking off his jacket.
Bethany looked at the sky. “I thought it felt warmer out here,” she said, pulling off the sweatshirt she’d been wearing.
Gabriel watched her shimmy her way out of the sweatshirt, amazed when it sparked his desire. “What’s for dinner?” he asked, hoping to distract himself as the memory of Bethany only in her bra and panties surfaced in his mind.
“It’s stew, I think,” she said, stirring it again. She scooped out a little and blew on it, then held it out for him to taste. “You tell me.”
He took a little taste, then the rest of what was on the spoon, then moaned. “Whatever it is, it’s good. What can I do?”
“There’s some bread around here somewhere,” she said, “and butter in the cooler.”
When they finally sat down by the fire to eat, the sun was sinking behind the mountains, and the white puffy clouds had turned into bright balls of yellow, orange, and red. They ate in silence, the only sound their occasional gasps of delight when the light changed and unveiled a new and more beautiful display of color.
When they finished eating, Bethany took their dishes to the kitchen, then came back and sat down next to Gabriel. “Thank you for this; it’s amazing,” she said, taking his hand in hers and settling down to watch the rest of the sunset.
Gabriel didn’t know what to say; he felt like he was the one who should be thanking her. Before she’d walked into his life, he’d been alone, alone and miserable. But now life seemed full of possibilities, the air full of magic, and he was ready for whatever fate had planned for them.
Chapter Twelve
***Bethany***
As the last rays of light dimmed, the stars began to shine in the sky above her head and Bethany couldn’t help but sigh with happiness. “This has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world,” she said, looking over at Gabriel.
Gabriel nodded. “It’s always been a special place to me, and not just because it’s beautiful,” he said, then got to his feet and started putting more wood on the fire, then paused and looked over at her again.
“This may sound strange, but I always feel like there’s magic in the air here, like there’s something here that we can’t see,” he said.
Bethany nodded. “There must be; look at you,” she said, then wished she hadn’t been reminded that this was only temporary.
Getting to her feet, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I keep forgetting that I might not be able to do this tomorrow,” she said, her voice cracking, tears threatening.
Gabriel looked down at her. “I know, me too,” he said, pulling her closer.
They stood that way for a long time, then he pulled away and said, “Let’s take a walk; the stars are beautiful tonight, and I think it’s time we paid our benefactor a little visit to say thank you,” Gabriel said.
Bethany wasn’t sure what he meant, but she nodded, willing to go anywhere he wanted as long as they were together. “Sure, that sounds great,” she said, as a strange feeling began to settle over her.
Gabriel grabbed a blanket while she put her sweatshirt back on, knowing that it would be chilly away from the fire. As they walked across the plateau, the strange feeling began to grow, and Bethany realized that it was a feeling of urgency, that something was trying to tell her that her time with Gabriel as a man was coming to an end.
When they got to the rock shrine, the glow that had been so clear the night before had dimmed until it was almost invisible, and her heart sank. Gabriel must have seen it too because his shoulders fell, and he sighed. “Looks like the spell is wearing off,” he said.
In that instant, Bethany knew what she had to do, knew that she’d been stupid to deny them both what they wanted so badly for so long. She understood that it wasn’t if Gabriel turned back into a wolf: it was when he would turn back into one, and she was wasting precious time.
She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. “But it hasn’t yet,” she said, holding on to him tightly.
He held her just as tightly, then pulled back and looked down at her. “We still have some time.”
She nodded. “And I think I know how we should spend it,” she said, pulling his head down and kissing him.
He let her kiss him for only a minute before his tongue slipped into her mouth and began to explore, kissing her as if it was the last time he ever would. Bethany felt her body begin to warm, felt desire begin to rise inside her, desire so powerful it seemed to have a force all its own.
When his hand slid up her side and around to cup her breast, pleasure shot through her, and she ga
sped, making Gabriel chuckle. “I love it when you make that sound,” he whispered in her ear, then began kissing her neck.
Bethany leaned her head back as he nibbled and kissed her neck, his breath hot in her ear. When his thumb grazed across her nipple, she gasped as pleasure radiated outward, awakening something deep inside her, a throbbing she’d never felt before.
Her body tingling deep inside, she wasn’t ready for the pleasure that erupted inside her when he gently rubbed her nipple between his finger and thumb. Clinging to him, she let the pleasure wash over her, let her body open to him in ways she never thought possible.
A pounding sense of need began to grow deep inside her, a need that both thrilled and confused her with its strength. She slid her hands off his shoulders and down to his chest, and ran them up and down, thrilled when the muscles rippled at her touch.
When she slid them lower and felt his erection bulging against his pants, a new thrill rushed through her. Suddenly she was desperate to touch him, desperate to explore his body until she knew every inch of him.
Then with a wonderful flush of pleasure that tightened the throbbing aching inside her even further, she thought about him buried deep inside her. She rubbed him, loving the feel of him throbbing under her fingertips, until with a groan, he stepped away from her.
“We’re getting dangerously close to the point of no return,” he said, his breath coming in short gasps. “I’m not sure this is a good idea anyway. What’s going to happen when I turn back, when we can’t be together like this? I’m afraid you’ll only be able to think about what you’re missing.”
She stepped up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled his face down to hers. “I want you, Gabriel. I’ve waited long enough to know that I want you to be the one to show me what it means to be loved,” she said. “Let’s not waste any more time worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow; we have tonight, and for now, that has to be enough.”
Her White Wolf: Wolves of Gypsum Creek (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 7
