by Sky Winters
“I could find out what she knows,” said Caleb.
Josh raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“She and I have plans this afternoon,” said Caleb. “We’re going to go out and take some picture while the girls are doing their piano lessons and practice.”
Josh gave Caleb a curious look.
“And how, exactly, did this arrangement happen?”
“I saw that she’s artistically-inclined, and I figured it’d give us a chance to get to know one another. Help her get more settled in.”
Josh still seemed to Caleb skeptical about the whole thing. He’d known Caleb had been a bit of a womanizer in the past, before they all became linked with Rosemary, their former mate. It was clear Josh had the impression there was more to the outing than just Caleb getting to know Cassie.
“Fine,” said Josh. “See what she knows.”
“And if she suspects something?” asked Caleb.
“I seriously doubt her mind would go right to thinking a pack of bears she saw in the woods was us, but if so, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Caleb noticed something strange in the air as the three of them discussed Cassie. He had the impression that all of them were thinking the same thing about her, that both Josh and Nick were gripped by the same attraction to her he felt hopelessly taken by from the moment he laid eyes on the girl.
Caleb checked his watch.
“Looks like it’s about that time,” he said.
“Where’s Cassie now?” asked Josh. “I know she’s with the girls, but what are they doing?”
“Having a little lunch before their afternoon of piano,” said Nick.
Then a thoughtful look formed on Nick’s face.
“I really hope she doesn’t do anything to screw all of this up,” he said. “She’s amazing with the girls so far. Exactly what we’ve been looking for.”
Josh nodded, showing that he was in agreement.
“Don’t need her getting scared and taking off,” said Josh. “We’ll figure something out.”
Caleb stood up.
“I’ll keep you guys posted,” he said, a slight smirk on his face he couldn’t quite hide.
With that, Caleb left the office. As he made his way through the hall leading to the main hub of the home where the living room and kitchen were, he found he couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie. He let himself become hard, even as he walked. She’d been in his mind from the moment he laid eyes on her and he couldn’t get her out.
He hoped being alone with her wasn’t a bad idea. But he knew that even if it was, it was a risk he was willing to take.
“Hey!” said Cassie to Caleb as he entered the kitchen, where she and the girls were in the middle of a lunch of cold cut sandwiches.
The girls were seated at the kitchen bar, and Cassie leaned on the end of it, Caleb’s eyes lingering on her body.
She was gorgeous, Caleb thought. No doubt about that. Her curly blonde hair hung loosely on her slim shoulders, her green eyes flashed with intelligence and curiosity, and her full, kissable lips sat under a pert button nose.
And her body. Caleb noted how she was slim, but curvy in all the right places. Her as was round and full, her breasts straining the fabric of her tight, light-blue blouse. The image of what Cassie would look like, naked and squirming underneath him, appeared in his mind.
This was disturbing to Caleb. He’d been a lover of women before Rosemary, but since her passing no other girl had appealed to him in the slightest. Now there was a woman in his home who he felt himself developing a serious attraction for. And if his suspicions were true, Nick and Josh might very well be thinking the same thing.
He knew this was all likely to get very complicated.
“Morning,” he said. “Or afternoon. Whatever this is.”
The girls looked up from the sandwiches for long enough to greet Caleb. He stepped over to his daughters and gave them both quick squeezes on the shoulders.
“You girls ready for your piano lessons?” asked Caleb, reaching over to the plate of cold cuts, taking a hunk into his hand, and popping it into his mouth.
“Yeah, sure,” said Amy.
“Yeah!” said Sam.
Caleb smirked. Despite being twins, the two girls couldn’t be any more different in some ways. Amy loved girly things, and Sam couldn’t get enough of books and art. But he loved them both more than he could bear.
Right at that moment, a chime from the front door sounded throughout the house.
“Speaking of the devil,” said Caleb.
He trotted over to the front door and opened it. Mrs. Avery, their prim, middle-aged piano teacher stood on the vast sweep of their front porch, her eyes small behind her large glasses.
“Afternoon, Mr. Wright,” she said.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Avery,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing for her to come in.
Having a piano teacher come to them all the way from town was expensive, but Caleb knew it was worth it. The lessons had been his idea, and he was relishing watching the two girls develop as musicians. Not to mention that keeping them busy seemed to be the best thing to help them deal with the passing of their mother.
Mrs. Avery stepped into the living room, where the large, black, glossy grand piano sat. She greeted the girls and introduced herself to Cassie. Once they were all settled, the girls began their lesson, the tinkling of the first few bars of a piece Caleb recognized as Debussy filling the air.
“You ready to take some legendary pictures?” asked Caleb as Cassie began cleaning up.
She laughed, the smile that drove Caleb crazy spreading across her lovely face.
“I don’t know if ‘legendary’ is the right word for what I’m capable of, but I’m ready to get out there.”
“Good,” said Caleb, leaning against the counter and cutting the distance between them. “How about this – you get all your gear ready, and I’ll finish cleaning up in here.”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Positive,” he said. “I’m ready to see what you can do. I can just tell you’ve got some talent, and I want to see it in action.”
A curious expression formed on Cassie’s face, as though he’d said something she didn’t quite understand.
“Something wrong?” asked Caleb.
“Nothing,” she said. “Just not used to people treating my art as something more than a waste of time.”
Then her hand shot to her mouth, as if she’d said something she realized she shouldn’t have.
“Never mind,” she said. “I’ll meet you out front.”
Then she hurried out of the kitchen and down the hall to her room, leaving Caleb wondering just what she meant by her comment.
Caleb cleaned up, and by the time he was done, Cassie was in the living room waiting for him, her camera in hand and her gear backpack on her shoulders.
“My stuff’s in the car,” said Caleb. “So, let’s move out.”
Moments later the two of them were in the large, black Range Rover, Caleb driving them up further into the mountains.
“This is such a beautiful area,” Cassie said, her eyes on the passing forest. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to live up here, surrounded by nature like this.”
“You more of a city girl?” Caleb asked.
“No,” said Cassie. “It’s…the last place I lived was more of a suburban thing. You know, the kind of place where the houses are all really big, but all look the same.”
Caleb could tell right away that there was something she wasn’t telling him about her past. But he knew better than to pry.
“I know what you mean,” said Caleb. “I’d go crazy living in a place like that. Something about all that conformity is just poison for anyone with an artistic spirit.”
Cassie’s face lit up in agreement.
“I know!” she said. “It’s for people for whom their house is a place where they can just sleep and watch TV. And drink.”
They drove up and up, the paved road eventually turning into dirt, the Land Rover handling it well. Eventually, they reached the top of the mountain, the sky breaking above them, a beautiful, cloudless blue. The hills of the region stretched out before them into what seemed like infinity.
“This is amazing,” said Cassie, even more thrilled than she already was.
Caleb was more than pleased Cassie was as into nature as he was. He had a feeling the two of them were going to have a hell of an afternoon. He pulled the car into a small, flat clearing and killed the engine.
“Ready to do this?” he asked.
Cassie nodded with charming enthusiasm, her curls bouncing around her heart-shaped face.
“Ready.”
Caleb reached into the back of the car, his nose just a few inches from Cassie. He knew her scent would be intoxicating enough if he were just a human – the heightened senses of his animal side made it even more irresistible.
He held in place for just a moment, savoring her nearness, before he grabbed his backpack and hopped out of the car. Once he was clear of her, he took a few slow, deep breaths, trying to collect himself.
“So,” said Cassie, slipping on a pair of sunglasses and looking off into the distance. “Where do you want to start?”
“Let’s cut through the forest here,” said Caleb. “There are some great views up ahead, and we should be able to spot some really good wildlife. How are you at action photography?”
“Not my strong suit,” she said. “But I’m willing to learn.”
“Good,” said Caleb. “I love taking shots of things in motion. Makes it all seem more like a…hunt.”
A coy smile formed on Cassie’s lips, her cheeks turning red with blush.
He knew this was going to be an interesting afternoon indeed.
CHAPTER 9
CALEB
“Check that out over there,” said Caleb, his camera in one hand as he pointed with the other.
They’d been in the woods for an hour or so, taking shots of the view and some especially gorgeous plants and flowers. But now they had before them their first good photo opportunity with an animal.
Off in the distance, a large moose moved through the woods, branches cracking under its hooves. Caleb imagined being in his animal form, stalking the beast with the rest of his pack, taking the animal down and feeding on its delicious flesh.
He shook his head, remembering at that moment he was only hunting for a good shot.
“It’s so big,” said Cassie. “I never really thought about how big moose were, but that’s way bigger than I would’ve guessed.”
“Now,” said Caleb, getting in close to Cassie. “The trick to action photography is a high shutter speed setting. This guy isn’t going to be moving too fast, so it’ll be a good chance to practice. So, lean in and take the shot when you’re ready.”
Cassie nodded as she raised the camera to her face. Without thinking, Caleb placed his hand on Cassie’s hip as he moved close to her. Caleb feared for a brief second that he might’ve done something that would make her uncomfortable, but instead, she leaned into his touch.
The moose grazing ahead, she took shot after shot. After a time, the moose found something more interesting and disappeared into the forest.
Caleb took his hand off Cassie as he glanced down at her camera.
“Let me see what you’ve got,” he said.
Cassie held up her camera and Caleb went through the pictures.
“Damn,” he said. “Nice framing, nice composition – you’ve got some skills, girl. And not just with this – you’ve been taking killer photos all day. Making me look bad.”
She gave her a smile, letting her know he was just teasing.
But that same blush returned to her face, the one that signaled to Caleb that she wasn’t all that comfortable or used to having people speak highly of her artistic skills.
His curiosity finally got the better of him.
“Let’s take a break,” he said. “I could go for a quick bite and some water.”
“Sure,” said Cassie.
Caleb led the two of them to a shaded area that looked out over a nearby valley. Once they were seated, he reached into his bag and pulled out some trail mix and water, handing them both over to Cassie.
The two of them ate and drank in silence for a time, taking in the view and the beautiful weather.
“So,” said Caleb. “I’ve been telling you all day how damn good of a photographer you are, and each time you react the same way.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows.
“What do you mean?”
“You get a little weird,” he said. “Like I’m telling you something you’re not comfortable hearing.”
“It’s…not that,” she said. “Well, I mean, it kind of is.”
Caleb tossed back a handful of trail mix and turned his eyes onto Cassie, making it clear he wanted her to go on, that this was a place where she could share such things.
“It’s stupid,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Just relationship crap.”
“’Relationship crap’ is what life is,” said Caleb. “Don’t talk bad about what you’ve been through. It’s what makes you who you are.”
Cassie nodded.
“You’re right about that,” she said. “More right than I’d like to admit.”
“Go ahead,” said Caleb. “I want to know.”
“It’s just…that I haven’t had much good experience with people being supportive of my artistic pursuits,” she said. “Last guy I dated, he didn’t really have much patience for any of this. I couldn’t get him to give a shit, let alone do anything like this with me.”
She gestured around her with the hand that held her bottle of water. Again, Caleb suspected there was more to the story, but didn’t want to pry.
“You’ve never dated an artist before?” he asked.
She scoffed.
“I did, and I got all that comes with dating someone like that. He wasn’t into visual arts, he was a musician. But he was the ultimate deadbeat. Spent most of his time sitting around playing video games, getting high, and telling me he was just waiting for inspiration to strike.”
Caleb smirked.
“Classic artist mistake,” he said. “Waiting around for the muse to hit. You ever hear what Jack London said about inspiration?”
“What’s that?” asked Cassie.
“He said you can’t sit around waiting for it to come. You have to chase it down with a club.”
Cassie laughed, the smile on her face absolutely intoxicating.
“You do a lot of that?” Cassie asked. “Chasing things down with a club?”
“Where do you think all that meat in the house comes from?” he said with a smirk.
A moment of silence passed, the two of them making long eye contact. Caleb felt his cock twitch in his pants, the idea of him being alone with Cassie making him think of all kind of dirty things they could get up to out here.
“Okay,” she said. “I told you a little about my past. What about you?”
Caleb winced internally, having had a feeling this was coming. He wondered how he could talk about his past relationship, the passing of Rosemary, without giving her a clue that she was the mate to all three of the men in the pack.
“My last wife,” he said, his eyes drifting out into the forest. “She was an incredible woman. Beautiful, a heart as big as they come. Night-dark hair, and a smile I’d kill for.”
And he had. But Caleb knew he didn’t need to tell Cassie this.
“And she was an artist, too. Did watercolors. There are a few hanging in the house.”
“What…what happened to her?” asked Cassie, her expression one of concern.
Caleb knew he was getting close to dangerous territory, that if he said any more he’d risk telling her information Nick and Josh wouldn’t want him giving out.
“She wa
s taken from us suddenly,” he said.
“’Us’?” Cassie asked, confused.
“Ah, ‘us’ in the general sense,” he said, trying to come up with a quick save for his misspeak.
“Oh,” said Cassie.
Silence hung over them again, and Caleb noticed the distance between him and Cassie slowly shrinking. The afternoon was getting on, and the sun was beginning to sink down in the sky. Soon, Cassie was so close to Caleb he could almost feel electricity between them.
“This has been nice,” said Cassie, turning her green eyes onto Caleb. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been able to do something like this with someone else.”
“This is just the first time,” he said, their skin now on the verge of touching. “I’ll have to take you out here until I’ve made you into a damn pro.”
She smiled again.
“I’d like that,” she said. “I’d like that a lot.”
Her lips parted slightly, Cassie dragging her tongue over them as they did. The two of them leaned in close, then closer, to one another until their lips were nearly inches apart.
“This…this is a bad idea, isn’t it?” asked Cassie, seeming to realize what was going to happen.
“I think it’s a really good one,” said Caleb, his hand moving to the small of her back.
Once his palm touched her, Caleb closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her firm body through her shirt. Their lisp grazed against one another’s, and that scent was on the verge of driving Caleb wild.
He couldn’t resist. Caleb pulled Cassie close into a hard kiss.
CHAPTER 10
CASSIE
Cassie couldn’t believe what was happening. She barely knew Caleb, and here she was kissing him the middle of the woods, the two of them surrounded by the lush nature of the mountains.
The spark from the kiss ran through Cassie’s body, making her skin feel as though it was on fire. She couldn’t believe how she felt toward Caleb, that she’d be so attracted to a man so soon, that she could only know him for a day and already be so drawn to him, so eager to feel his body against hers.
Caleb’s hands held her in place, his grip strong and firm. Through her barely-opened eyes, she noticed just how dark his hair was up close, as dark and glossy as the fur of the bears she saw last night.
