by Vivian Wood
Well, that was just it; Shelby didn’t know why he’d suddenly become so withdrawn. She just knew that it had started sometime after that.
Maybe I’ve been friend-zoned, Shelby thought, bitterly amused. It certainly feels that way.
It was true, in a sense.
Over the past three days, they had gotten to know each other a lot better. They joked around and swapped stories while cooking their meals together or watching TV. They played cards or held competitions to see who was better at catching popcorn in their mouths when it was thrown to them.
Just today, Shelby had hooked up her iHome and had somehow gotten Wolfe to sing along to old country songs with her, all the while teasing each other about who was the worst singer.
They had become good friends, spending most of the waking hours of the day sharing each other’s company, and Shelby could honestly say that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun, with anyone.
But Wolfe still remained distant from her in the way that she wanted him the most. The sexual tension was so palpable between them sometimes that Shelby felt like she might actually choke on it. She just couldn’t tell if Wolfe was oblivious to it, or if he was only pretending he couldn’t feel it, too.
And to make matters worse, the snow was quickly melting away outside.
Which meant her time alone with him was about to run out, sooner rather than later.
“Screw it,” Shelby said out loud, finally giving up on trying to fall asleep as she climbed out of the bed. “Time for some old-fashioned sleep aid.”
She cracked open her bedroom door and listened hard for any sounds, but the rest of the cabin was quiet, save for the gentle popping and snapping of the fire.
Shelby slid silently out the door and crept slowly down the hall, taking care not to make the wooden floorboards creak too loudly, so as not to disturb Wolfe.
Her efforts were wasted however, seeing as how he was already awake. Shelby had made it halfway across the living room, heading for the kitchen, when he finally spoke up.
“You couldn’t sleep either, huh?” he said, nearly making Shelby jump out of her skin.
She spun around, hand pressed against her heart as she watched him sit up from where he’d been lying on the couch. He was backlit by the fire, so all she could see of him was his dark silhouette.
“Jesus, Wolfe, you scared me half to death,” she scolded, but then she sighed. “I thought you were asleep.”
He just shook his head, shifting around to put his feet on the floor as he stood.
“Well, you might as well join me for a nightcap then,” she said, making them both wince momentarily at the sudden brightness as she flipped on the kitchen light.
Wolfe nodded, padding over to stand by her as he gave her a sleepy smile.
“Sounds good,” he said, followed by a yawn. “What do ya got?”
Shelby stared at him for a beat longer than what was strictly socially acceptable.
He was just so damn sexy like this, what with his dark hair all mussed and his bare feet peeking out from beneath the flannel pajama pants he was wearing. Shelby finally forced herself to look away when he lifted his arms over his head in a languid stretch, his muscles rippling deliciously and his t-shirt riding up to reveal a sliver of taut skin and the little smattering of hair that was his happy trail.
Shelby quickly busied herself with locating the booze, uncertain which cabinet she had stored it in when she’d originally put her groceries away a few days ago. She located it on her third try, after opening the one above the stove.
“Uh, some Jack Daniel’s?” she said, taking down the amber bottle and offering it out to him.
He took it from her, nodding appreciatively.
“Are there any shot glasses?” he asked, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.
Shelby shook her head, opening a different set of cabinets that housed all the cabin’s dishes.
“No shot glasses,” she said, standing on her tiptoes as she reached for the topmost shelf. “But we have mugs,” she countered, taking two of them down and holding them out for his inspection. “You can either have Santa or Snoopy.”
“Give me Santa,” he said after a moment of deliberation. “It is Christmas Eve tomorrow, after all. Or I guess, today,” he amended quickly, having caught sight of the time on the digital clock on the stove.
“Really?” Shelby asked, handing him his mug. “I had no idea,” she said, pulling one of the barstools around in to the kitchen so that she could sit across from him.
“Yep,” Wolfe said, cracking the seal on the whiskey before unscrewing the top.
“Do you want one finger or two?” he asked, bottle poised over her mug as he waited for her answer.
“Better make it two,” she said, not even having to think about it. “This girl can handle her liquor.”
“Is that so?” he mused, pouring her drink first before filling his own mug. “Care to play a little drinking game then?”
Shelby was all too eager to rise to his challenge.
“Sure,” she said easily, before a sudden idea struck her and she gave him a sly smile. “But I get to pick the game.”
Wolfe just rolled his eyes, used to her antics at this point.
“Of course,” he conceded with a smirk, making Shelby think back to how he had said the same thing after agreeing to play their first game together.
Their eyes locked, and Shelby felt that all-too-familiar tension form between them when neither one of them opted to look away first.
Prepare to tell me what’s been going on inside that head of yours, mountain man, she thought conspiratorially to herself.
But out loud, she just said, “Great. Because the game is Truth or Dare, my friend. And you’re about to lose, big time.”
9
“You want to play Truth or Dare?” Wolfe asked, dubious. “Isn’t that a kid’s game?”
“Not when whiskey’s involved,” Shelby replied, folding her arms on the breakfast bar in front of her. Her blue eyes were as determined as he’d ever seen them. “Unless you’re too scared to play…”
This woman and her question games, he thought wryly to himself.
Wolfe rolled his eyes at her taunting jab, but he nodded anyway.
“Alright,” he sighed dramatically, making Shelby roll her own eyes this time. “So, how does this work as a drinking game?”
“Okay, so we each have our shots,” Shelby explained, tilting her head to indicate their mugs on the counter between them. “Just like regular Truth or Dare, we’ll take turns asking each other questions. If the person being questioned follows through with their truth or dare, then the question asker has to drink. But, if the person refuses to answer the truth or do the dare, then they have to drink. Understand?”
Wolfe nodded along, the premise fairly simple.
I might be able to use this to my advantage, Wolfe thought, perking up at the prospect of getting some answers from her.
For instance, if she regretted their kiss in the woods…
Or if she wanted more.
That question had nearly driven him insane over the past couple of days.
After she’d been so weird on their walk back to the cabin, Wolfe had decided to back off from his romantic pursuits. At least until he could figure out what was going on, on her end of things.
The only problem was that Shelby was frustratingly difficult to read sometimes. He couldn’t decipher between what was innocent teasing or actual flirting with this woman, and he wasn’t quite willing to make an ass of himself just yet by gambling on her wanting him in the same way that he did and getting it wrong.
So he’d stepped back, biding his time as he waited for her to make the next move.
But Wolfe wasn’t sure he could hold out much longer at this point.
He’d grown to care for her more and more with each day that passed as they waited for the snow to melt, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his distance from this beautiful, cr
azy woman.
Particularly now, with her blonde hair falling around her shoulders in a tumble of sexy waves and the peaks of her breasts—visible through the thin cotton of her sleep shirt—making it pretty damn difficult for him to maintain eye contact with her.
Shelby cleared her throat and he jerked his head up, belatedly realizing that she had been talking to him while he eyed her rack like a middle school boy who’d never seen tits before.
“What?” he asked her, feeling his neck and face grow hot with embarrassment at getting caught checking her out.
Shelby didn’t seem to suspect him of it, though.
“You’re not falling asleep on me over there, are ya?” she teased, hooking an eyebrow at him.
Wolfe shook his head, silently relieved for her misinterpretation of his lowered eyes.
“No.”
Shelby smiled, satisfied.
“Good,” she said, wiggling around on her stool a little to get more comfortable before leaning forward again. “Anyway, what I had asked you was: do you want to go first, or should I?”
“What? You mean I actually get to pick this time?” he asked sarcastically.
“You’re right,” she shot back with a derisive smirk. “I’ll go first then.”
No surprise there.
Shelby’s penetrating gaze fixed on him like a hunter sizing up her prey, making Wolfe suddenly nervous. He repressed the urge to gulp.
“Okay, Wolfe; truth or dare?” she asked, her tone turning unexpectedly serious.
Wolfe thought about it for a second.
“Truth, I guess,” he said, sounding as uncertain as he suddenly felt.
Shelby took a deep breath, like she was bracing herself for impact.
“Are you gay?”
Wolfe made a strangled, coughing sound in surprise. That had been the last thing he’d assumed would come out of her mouth.
“You think I’m gay?” he sputtered, incredulous.
Shelby shrugged, biting her lip.
“I don’t know; are you?” she asked tentatively, seeming to shrink a little in the face of his reaction.
“Hell, no!” he declared firmly, still reeling from the shock of her first question. He jerked his chin at her Snoopy mug and declared, “You deserve that shot after that.”
“I’m sorry, jeeze,” she muttered, reaching for her mug. “I just wanted to know for sure.”
Wolfe watched her knock back the shot. To her credit, she took it like a champ, not so much as even pulling a face at the taste as she set her empty mug back down on the counter.
“Alright, my turn,” Wolfe insisted as Shelby finished refilling her mug, keen on getting some payback now that the ball was in his court. “Truth or dare?”
Shelby rolled her eyes at his impatience, but complied.
“Dare,” she said smugly, seeming to think she could avoid what she had coming.
Oh no you don’t, little Miss Are-you-gay, he thought, not deterred by her scheme for a second.
“Fine,” he replied, just as smug. “I dare you to tell me why—of all things— you would think that I was gay.”
“You can’t do that!” she said, her hands striking the counter in protest.
“I just did,” he said with a smirk, leaning back to cross his arms over his chest in satisfaction.
But Wolfe had gravely underestimated Shelby’s threshold for underhanded tactics.
“Fine,” she conceded flippantly. “Then I’ll pass!”
And the clever little minx drained her mug, just to spite him.
“There,” she said, slamming her mug back down and looking entirely too pleased with herself. “You happy now?”
“Not really,” Wolfe said dryly, arms still crossed. But he couldn’t help the amused smile that tugged at his lips.
Shelby flashed a cheeky grin and batted her eyes up at him innocently.
“Truth or dare?” she asked, getting back to the game.
If she wasn’t going to talk, then neither was he.
“Dare.”
Shelby’s mouth screwed off to the side as she pondered her options for a moment.
“I dare you to take a shot,” she said eventually. When she caught sight of his raised eyebrow, she rolled her eyes and shrugged. “It’s not fun if I’m the only one who has to drink,” she explained.
Wolfe was gracious enough not to point out how her “dare” definitely contradicted the objective of the game, and tossed back his shot.
The whiskey rolled smoothly over his tongue and down his throat, warming as soon as it hit his stomach.
“Truth or dare?” he asked her when he was finished, reaching out for the bottle of Jack so that he could replenish both their mugs.
“Dare,” Shelby replied, apparently still intent on avoiding his questions.
Wolfe was patient while coming up with something for her this time.
Shelby liked to play hardball, but she was too shrewd to fall prey to her own tactics; fighting fire with fire wouldn’t work with her.
But Wolfe was desperate for answers at this point…
Even if it meant setting himself up for rejection.
As his eyes met hers from across the bar, he knew without a doubt that it would be worth it either way.
Throwing romantic caution to the wind, Wolfe set off on a potentially kamikaze mission to combat Shelby’s flames.
“I dare you to kiss me.”
Wolfe wasn’t sure if he was only imagining the hopeful spark in her eyes.
“You want me…to kiss you?” Shelby asked after a moment, her voice somewhat hesitant.
Wolfe swallowed hard, but nodded in confirmation.
“Yes,” he said, not taking his eyes from hers for so much as a second.
They were both silent for a moment as they stared at each other.
Then, ever so slowly, Shelby slid from her stool and walked around the edge of the breakfast bar. Wolfe’s eyes followed her hungrily, turning to face her as she approached.
He felt his entire body tighten in anticipation as she moved to stand between his parted knees, her gaze unwavering as she looked into his eyes. Still sitting on the stool as he was, they were nearly the same height now. He could feel her breath fanning across his face, she was so close; and it was only by sheer force of will that he managed to not reach out to touch her.
When Shelby lifted her hand to stroke the side of his face, Wolfe’s eyes drifted shut of their own accord as he savored the gentle touch.
And then, so slowly that the suspense was almost painful, he felt Shelby lean forward as she pressed her mouth to his.
The kiss was featherlight and achingly tender, barely more than the mere brushing of her lips against his before it was over. As she pulled away, her hand falling from his cheek, Wolfe was left feeling like a wildfire had been ignited somewhere deep inside of him, threatening to consume him from the inside out.
And when he opened his eyes again, and saw that same burning desire mirrored in her blue eyes, he knew he’d finally gotten the answer to all his unspoken questions.
Wolfe didn’t hesitate now.
He reached out for her. One hand went for her waist, sliding around to the small of her back to press her closer to him as his other hand cupped the back of her head, bringing her face back down to his.
Shelby put up no resistance as their lips came together once more. He kissed her thoroughly, leaving no corner of her mouth unexplored as her arms came up to circle his shoulders, her fingers curling tightly into his hair. The breathy sighs she made had him hard in an instant, and he knew that she could feel his erection from where he held her pressed against him.
This seemed to encourage her further though, because she moaned, moving to straddle his lap as both his arms wrapped around her to keep her steady as they both occupied the barstool at once.
“Still think I’m gay?” Wolfe asked huskily as they broke apart to catch their breath for a moment.
Shelby laughed softly, leaning her forehead do
wn against his.
“No,” she admitted wryly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Though it did take you long enough to make a move.”
Wolfe scoffed, craning his neck back to look at her.
“Me?” he said skeptically, his brow furrowing. “I only waited this long because of you. You were so weird right after we kissed that day in the woods, I thought it had upset you or something.”
Shelby rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
“I wasn’t upset, you idiot. I was embarrassed,” she admonished, her eyes teasing. “I was fully prepared to jump your bones right there in the woods, but then you stopped me and I just…I don’t know—felt ashamed of myself, I guess.” Her eyes lowered for a moment before coming back up to his again, suddenly shy. “I was worried you wouldn’t want me anymore after that.”
Wolfe gaped at her, dumbfounded.
“You thought I didn’t want you? Seriously?” he asked, still in disbelief of their entire misunderstanding.
When she nodded, he snorted to himself.
“Well you had one thing right at least,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “I definitely would have to be gay not to want you.”
Shelby gave him a coy smile before leaning in to give him another long, lingering kiss. Wolfe couldn’t suppress the groan of appreciation that escaped him as her tongue found his again.
“You know what I want now?” she asked against his lips.
“What?”
“You. In my bed. Right now,” she replied, punctuating each thought with a kiss.
“Is that so?” he mused, leaning forward to trail little kisses along her jaw and down her neck, nipping playfully at the sensitive skin there.
Shelby’s head fell back, gasping at the sensation.
“Yes,” she moaned, her hips rocking slightly against his, making him growl in approval.
His hands slid down to cup her perfect ass, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist as he stood with her still in his arms.
“Then what sort of gentleman would I be if I kept my lady waiting?” he said, his lips finding hers again as he carried her through the living room and down the hall.
