by Haley Weir
“Is there anything planned after the walk?”
“They have a gazebo set up for a complimentary dinner,” Sapphire answered. “But I don’t think I want to go. If you do something for charity, I don’t think you should get anything in return. Then it’s just a purchase. So, I made something to bring with in my bag. The guys at the fire station always like my cooking.”
Jenny’s facial expression looked as though she had the stomach flu. “How classy. Maybe we should all learn from Saph and bring a ziplock bag of chicken parmesan to our dates. You can’t be serious.”
“It’s chicken carbonara, actually,” Sapphire retorted. “And it won’t be in a bag, it’ll be in a container. Not all of us have money for fancy restaurants.”
The room grew quiet and Destiny rested her hand upon Sapphire’s arm. “Are you having money problems?”
“I was in the clinic for so long that I lost all of my clients. Until my memory is back, I can’t concentrate on my poetry. So, all I have are my crafts. I’ve been making candles and selling them online.” Sapphire looked around with an angry flush on her cheeks. The embarrassment of telling her friends her financial situation was nearly unbearable. “Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“We can help you out if you need it, Saph.”
“I didn’t tell you this so you could pity me and lend me money,” she stated. “You asked, so I told you the truth. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Her friends shared a look, but didn’t probe with more questions. Sapphire chose a pair of black leggings with a black lace tunic that almost reached her knees, a thin cardigan, and the blue scarf she had chosen as her identifier. She looked herself over in the mirror, but felt like something was missing. “I didn’t pick out shoes.”
Jenny’s cunning smile should have alerted Sapphire that something was amiss. Her friend opened a box to reveal a stunning pair of gold pumps. “You’ve been doing so well with the physical therapy that I thought I’d buy you a gift.”
“Not that I’m ungrateful, but I’ve only been able to walk for more than ten minutes on my own without falling over,” Sapphire pointed out. “And I’ve never worn heels before. I could fall and break my neck.”
“Or you could be a natural and walk along those stone paths like a supermodel.”
She took one glance at the hopeful expression on Jenny’s face and nodded her head. It was a nightmare just getting into them. Sapphire lay across the backseat and tried to shove her feet into the fancy footwear. When the car stopped outside of the public garden, she hurried and adjusted her clothes before unlocking the door.
Sapphire almost fell to her knees just stepping out of the car. The ladies wished her good luck and she hobbled down the path on weak ankles, trying not to lean forward too much in fear of tipping over.
***
The sun began to set as Anders adjusted his tie and searched for his date. He followed the map that had been handed to him on the way in, looking for the blue scarf in the midst of red roses. Instead, he found a pair of gold high heels discarded on the ground and pair of toes sticking out of the bush. The toes were painted black and wiggled at the sound of his footsteps. “Excuse me? Do you need help?”
“No way!” a muffled voice gasped in disbelief. Anders reached inside the bush and gripped two dainty wrists before yanking the woman out of the prickly flora. Tiny scrapes littered the exposed parts of her skin. The blue scarf draped over her face caused him to chuckle lightly. She yanked it down and glared at him furiously.
“Miss White?” Anders balked at the sight of his former patient. “What are you doing here? A-are you my date?” He stepped away from her and folded his arms across her chest. Sapphire rolled her eyes and tapped her barefoot impatiently on the stone path. His gaze roamed her figure appreciatively against his will and he swallowed nervously. He’d never seen her so…normal.
Well, as normal as Sapphire White could be with her platinum hair and striking hazel eyes. Pert nose, soft features, and plump upper lip that just begged to be kissed. Anders shook his head and took in the angry expression on her face. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but something caused her to move closer to him.
“Your name wasn’t mentioned, or else...I wouldn’t have come,” she said.
“Nor I,” Anders admitted. “But we’re here now. The night is paid for, so we may as well enjoy it.” He crouched down and picked up her shoes. “I assume these are to blame for you stumble. Shall we?”
Sapphire stared at his offered arm and tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. Anders shivered when static passed between their bodies. He refused to hand over her shoes when she reached for them. Sapphire looked at him curiously. “You won’t be embarrassed to walk with me?” she asked.
Anders stared into her eyes for what felt like far too long and crouched down to remove his own shoes. He carried both pairs in his other hand while allowing her to use his arm to steady herself. “If anyone is to be embarrassed, then it will be the both of us,” Anders replied. “I must say that I am impressed that you chose to do the walk but not the complimentary meal. Most people only go for the pleasure of eating food prepared by a gourmet chef. Why did you choose otherwise?”
A flush appeared on her cheeks that he had no business admiring as much as he did. He looked away before he could get caught staring. Sapphire held his arm a little tighter. “I…packed us some food. Something I made myself, but I’m not sure if it will be as fancy as what we could have eaten here.”
Anders stopped and turned to look at her. “You brought food for me?”
“Yes…”
He curled his sock-clad toes against the stone and ducked his head. “You’re the first woman to ever do that. No one aside from my mother has ever cooked for me. And, not to mention, you’ve earned high praise from the men of this town.”
“The guys at the station make it seem like it’s a big deal, but it isn’t that good.”
“I’m sure you’re just being modest,” he supposed. “Even Brock can’t shut up about the barbecue ribs you made last week. My text messages are full of heart-eye emojis and it’s getting old. I can’t wait to try it.”
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Sapphire said softly. “I know you don’t like me and you’re just humoring me with this date. We don’t have to pretend.”
Anders thought of the letter still sitting on his bedside table. “Just for tonight I want us to put aside the feud and foolishness, to behave as though we’ve never met one another. I want to give this…a chance, I guess.”
The corner of her lips twitched a little. “My name is Sapphire Esmeralda White.” She offered her hand and he accepted with a small shake.
“I am Anders Riccardo McKinney. Pleasure to meet you, Miss White.”
“Riccardo? I didn’t know you were Italian,” Sapphire chuckled. “I lived in Florence for three years.”
“My mother is Italian and my father is Scottish. Why were you in Florence, if I may ask?” Anders tried not to whisk her away from the event and bombard her with questions. He hadn’t expected Sapphire to be so…interesting.
“I was studying the arts of the renaissance period. Painting, pottery, literature, and whatever I could get my hands on. Italian culture has always fascinated me,” Sapphire revealed. “I brought chicken carbonara and struffoli.”
“Struffoli is one of my favorite things in the world. If you make it as good as my mother, I might be tempted to marry you—” Anders stammered as Sapphire’s eyes widened. He tried to retract his statement, but she waved it off.
“Don’t worry. I know it was a joke,” Sapphire chuckled. “And if it’s anywhere near as good as your mother’s, I’ll take that as a huge compliment.”
They strolled along the path as the sky darkened to an endless expanse of navy. The guide stopped the walkers to point to a constellation of stars right above a statue of a bear. “This is a monument built to honor the sacred be
ars of Haden Springs. They are our protectors and our dearest friends. When one dies, their spirit joins the great beasts hidden amongst the stars.”
Ander’s stiffened, but Sapphire tilted her head back and smiled at the bear-shaped cluster of light. “Beautiful,” she whispered. He refused to look at her any longer and stared down at the ground. Sapphire must have sensed his apprehension, for she pulled him off of the path and toward a grassy hill.
He watched as she opened her bag and laid out a blanket along with four containers of food. When everything was settled, Sapphire reached out to invite him down to her level. Anders looked at the effort she had gone through and pulled away. “I’ll…ugh…I’ll be right back,” he said.
CHAPTER FIVE
She watched the muscle flex beneath the shirt on his back as he disappeared into the forest. Though the night was warm, Sapphire shivered slightly and tightened her cardigan. Crickets chirped and fireflies fluttered around the area while she took out the food and tried not to feel insecure. It wouldn’t be unrealistic for him to walk away and never come back. In fact, Sapphire almost expected that, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. A moment later, Dr. McKinney appeared with a bottle of wine.
“Swiped it from one of the tables,” he said sheepishly.
“Never took you for the rebellious type. What do you do for a living?”
Her question caused him to laugh out loud for the first time since she met him the day she wandered into Haden Springs. “My friends are convinced that my sole purpose in life is to give them advice whenever they call, but I’m a doctor by day.”
“Oh, really?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “I bet you get all of the cheesy health-related pickup lines.” Sapphire’s voice sounded like late a phone sex operator when she said, “Doctor, are you running a fever? Because you’re looking pretty hot.”
Dr. McKinney rolled his eyes. “Exactly! If I hear one more comment about going somewhere private to study anatomy, I’ll probably shove something in my ears.”
Sapphire handed him a plate and poured the wine as he settled onto the blanket across from her. “A doctor and a poet with a fondness for Italy. What else do you think we’ll have in common?” Her eyes lingered on his infuriatingly handsome face until she was forced to look elsewhere. When he arrived, Dr. McKinney wore a blue button down shirt with a black tie, nice jeans, and black shoes.
Now, he sat in front of her with the sleeves rolled back on his forearms and the tie abandoned on the blanket. The term “sinfully delicious” didn’t even begin to describe him. Black hair curled over his forehead a little and his trimmed beard made her wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. Sapphire felt her face heat up and bit her lip to keep quiet. “Do you always dress so fancy on casual nights?” she asked to clear the tension in the air.
“I’m usually wearing flannel. Brock tells me I look like a high-maintenance lumberjack on my days off,” he responded. “What about you? Are you all flowing skirts and sweaters up to your chin?”
“The sweaters, no. But I do like skirts and dresses even though the patterns might not be to everyone’s liking.”
“I like them.”
Sapphire huffed, assuming he was being sarcastic. She was unconvinced that he saw her skirts as anything other than an eyesore. “Do you like animals?”
“Are you asking if I mind that you have cats?” he questioned with a smirk. Dr. McKinney took a bite of his food and moaned obscenely. Though the men at the fire station enjoyed her cooking, they never responded like that...at least to her knowledge. “My god, this is amazing. The rumors don’t do you justice, Miss White. I’d give my left arm to see what you could do with an unlimited budget. Why not pursue cooking?”
She shrugged. “Everything else I love in the world has turned into a job. My poetry, my art, and my crafts have all been made into something I’m obligated to do in order to make money. I just want to enjoy cooking.”
“Why not get a real job?”
“What’s a real job?” she countered. “Is it logging hours on a timesheet? Following the protocols set down by those who don’t think the way I do? Is it tolerating a stressful environment long enough to collect a paycheck? If it were, then I’d rather not have a ‘real job.’ My integrity and mental health are more important.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way.” Dr. McKinney looked down at his empty plate and frowned. He cast the most pitiful glance at Sapphire’s plate and she giggled. The smile that appeared on his face as she handed over her plate was absolutely precious. It reminded her of the time she volunteered in Tilly’s class to help the kids make cookies for the bake sale and a little boy had shoveled a handful of sprinkles in his mouth.
He devoured the last of the pasta and turned his attention to the dessert.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if you would be willing to eat carbs. You seem unbelievably healthy and I’m over here looking like—”
“Don’t insult yourself,” he interrupted. “You’re a very attractive woman, Miss White. I’m sure Brock has told you that you’re…well, to be frank, you’re my type. Physically. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any attraction on my part.”
Sapphire didn’t know whether to be insulted or to be flattered that Dr. McKinney found her physically attractive. What about the rest of her? She popped one of the little bite-sized nibbles into her mouth and moaned. The sweet, fried dough dripped with honey and she licked her lips to catch the trickle before it hit her chin. Her eyes closed to savor the decadent flavors. A low growl caused her eyes to open partially.
Beneath the flutter of her lashes she saw Dr. McKinney looking rather flustered. His neck and ears turned red and his mouth gaped open as he let out a breathy little sound that made her belly flutter. Sapphire brought her fingers to her mouth and licked the sticky sweet honey, watching his eyes flash with hunger she knew had nothing to do with the food sitting between them.
***
Anders tortured himself by watching the slow drip of honey slide down her bottom lip. He curled his fists in the blanket and resisted the urge to—Anders lunged after she pulled her sugar coated fingers from between her lips. His hands tugged her forward as he sealed his mouth over hers. Luscious temptation filled him with the hottest fire. Anders drank in the taste of her moans, tongue delving into the warmth of that delicious mouth. She gasped, sucking air into her lungs before he was on her again.
Something took over. Anders removed his hands from her hair and gripped her hips, groaning at the softness he felt beneath his palms as he lowered Sapphire onto her back. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of her lips mingling with the honey that she had suckled from her fingers. Watching her eat had been the most erotic thing he had ever seen.
Despite her lack of experience, Sapphire showed an enthusiasm that had been lacking with his past lovers. Her hands plucked at the buttons of his shirt until the heat of her palm slid against his bare chest. Anders shuddered, coming undone just by the sensation of her skin. His hips jerked instinctively as his hands journeyed up the length of Sapphire’s soft thighs until his finger brushed the fabric of lace panties.
A vision erupted in his mind of her wearing nothing but that scrap of cloth while she writhed upon his mattress, clinging to the muscles of his back as he pounded into her relentlessly. Her thoughts must have been on a similar path, for she threw her head back and arched beneath him in the most enticing sight his eyes had the privilege of witnessing. He leaned forward and bit the kiss-swollen flesh of her bottom lip and groaned deep in his chest.
Years on animosity came to a scorching climax, bubbling over into unbridled lust. Anders rutted against her as she rolled her hips, grinding her mound on the ridge of his straining erection. He felt the wetness of her body dampen the fabric of his jeans and angled his hips in a way he knew would make her scream. When Sapphire bucked against him, rocking her pelvis in perfect synchronization to his thrusts until she tensed.
He stared at her lovely face and pressed his
hand over her mouth as she unraveled, watching the passion in her eyes burn for him. Anders bit down on her shoulder and spilled his seed like a randy teenager with his prom date. When their breathing returned to normal and a softness appeared in her eyes that was much too real, Anders pulled away and scrambled to regain his composure.
“W-what’s the matter?” she asked, voice roughened by desire.
Anders didn’t answer, he simply packed her things up and took off into the woods. Bile crawled up his throat when he realized that he had taken advantage of a tipsy, inexperienced woman who was most likely a virgin. Anders collapsed against a tree. He buried his hands in his hair and tugged the strands until he felt a headache prickle at the back of his awareness.
“What have I done? What have I done?”
He knew the taste of his enemy.
Anders roared loudly, his panic bringing on the change within him. He felt the world tilt as his body shifted. Pain lanced through his brain. It only ever hurt when he fought the transformation. Anders ran deeper into the forest, feeling himself lose the battle. And when the pain stopped, he felt an unsettling calm move through the trees.
His dark pelt glistened with drops of water that fell from the leaves above.
Something is different, he thought, realizing that he hadn’t blacked out or went rampage in his bear form since that dreadful day in Nevada. There was no nagging anxiety building in his gut or blinding anger to lure him into a violent outburst.
Though the thick green canopy was beautiful even as it blocked the night sky, filtering rays of moonlight, he had always preferred the snow. Anders laid down beside the river and closed his eyes, imagining a blanket of white covering the forest floor as flecks of snow clung to the naked tree branches. Once the panic subsided, Anders shifted back to his natural form.
Feeling the “bear flu” in full effect, he crawled on his belly into the frigid waters of the river, allowing the cold to soak into his muscles and ease the raging fever that blurred his vision. His entire body was racked with shivers, but the sensation of water rushing over his aching limbs made him stay longer than necessary. However, his cellphone rang somewhere in the forest, forcing him to track it down and return to the world of man and technology. “Hello?”
