Drew held his head high as he walked out of the forest and into the clearing were the waterfall rushed noisily. As he suspected, Hope was there with her art supplies spread out. She had her back to him as she carefully studied the waterfall and made gentle brushstrokes back and forth across her canvas. Drew paused for a few moments to admire her. She wore a hoodie, but it was slightly fitted so it still showed off the delicious curves of her body. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, with stray wisps dancing around her head every time the wind blew. Drew bit his bottom lip and let out a low whistle. She was beautiful, even from this angle where he couldn’t see her face. He couldn’t see much of the canvas from here either, but he could tell that Hope was covering the blank spaces on it with a beautiful mixture of blues and greens.
Taking a deep breath, he started walking toward her. Then he plopped down in the grass next to her with a smile.
“Hey you,” he said. “Watcha painting?”
Hope jumped a bit, and paused with her paintbrush poised in mid air. Her cheeks turned bright pink, and she quickly turned the canvas away from Drew. “Nothing. Just playing around. Nothing serious.”
Drew’s smile deepened. “Aw, come on, now. That didn’t look like ‘nothing’ to me. Let me see.”
Hope stubbornly shook her head and crossed her arms. “No way. Don’t think that just because you bought me these paints that you have the right to see whatever I paint.”
“Humph,” Drew said, making a gesture like he was sticking a knife through his heart. “I tried so hard to be thoughtful and I get a cold shoulder in return.”
Hope rolled her eyes at him. “You’re a big boy. I’m sure you can handle it.”
Drew smiled, then lowered his voice to a deep, husky tone. “Well, if I can’t see your painting, then can I at least kiss you? I don’t want my hike out to the falls to be a complete waste, you know.”
Drew watched as Hope froze. She didn’t answer him, and her eyes had taken on a deer in headlights look. But as he ever so slowly leaned in closer, she didn’t pull away. So he went for it, and put his lips on hers.
The sensation was even more amazing than it had been the first few times he kissed her. Her lips were so soft and warm, and as soon as his skin made contact with hers, he felt a rush of heat shooting through his body. His skin tingled and every hair on his body stood on end. She was electric, and he couldn’t get enough. He slipped his tongue past her lips and began massaging her tongue with it. She didn’t resist, and even started to melt into his kiss. The heat between their bodies was palpable, filling the air so intensely that Drew almost expected to hear the grass sizzling underneath them.
Time stood still. It had been so long since Drew felt this way, completely wrapped up in another human being. But here he was, losing himself to Hope. He reached up his hand to stroke her face, never opening his eyes. He just wanted to enjoy the sensation of having her in his arms.
But then, she pulled back, and the moment broke. Drew slowly let out his breath and opened his eyes, looking at Hope with searching eyes. She looked uncertain and frightened.
“Drew? What are we doing here?” she asked.
Drew smiled. “Kissin’, I reckon.”
Hope cracked a smile, but then her face grew serious again. “Well, obviously we’re kissing. But I mean, what’s going on between us. We’ve gone from pretty much hating each other and yelling at each other every chance we get to kissing every chance we get. And we’ve never said a word to each other about it. Don’t you think that’s a little… weird?”
“No,” Drew said with a grin. “You deserved to be yelled at for going into town. But I’m over it. And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Why wouldn’t I want to kiss you every chance I get? Makes perfect sense to me.”
Hope blushed and looked down at her hands. She thought for a few moments and then looked back up at Drew. “This is a bad idea, you know? We’re in really close quarters. Everyone is going to realize there’s something happening between us and tease us for it mercilessly.”
“Yeah, well, I hate to tell you this but it’s probably a little too late to avoid the teasing.”
Hope’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“When I was on the way out here to see you, Bash and Mia were teasing me about you. They said I’m way too obvious with the way I look at you.”
Hope let out a long sigh. “Great,” she said. “If they’re asking you that means it won’t be long before they ask me, too.”
“And?” Drew prodded. “What will you tell them?”
Hope gave Drew a funny look. “What should I tell them?” she asked. “That you like to steal kisses from me every chance you get, but you haven’t actually asked me out? That you buy me an amazing gift and then all but disappear for the next several days? Which, by the way, is somewhat impressive considering what close quarters we’re all living in.”
Drew chuckled. “Okay, okay. Fair enough. I know I’ve been pretty quiet. I wanted to give you space to enjoy your new art supplies without feeling like you owed me anything for it.”
Hope actually laughed out loud at this. “Well, Drew, let me set the record straight right now. I appreciate the gift, but I’m definitely not the type of girl who will ever feel like she owes a man something just because of a gift.”
Drew smiled. “I knew I liked your spirit,” he said. “So now that we’ve gotten that straightened out, I’ll just tell you straight out: I like you. I’m falling for you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I would kiss you all the damn time if you let me, regardless of who was watching. I’m not sure exactly how to ask you out on date, since we’re stuck in the forest. But I’d like you to be my girlfriend, Hope. I know I’m not a bear, but I’m strong and fiercely protective. I can’t get you out of my head. I want you. I need you. I dream about you. I don’t know what else to say, except that my whole heart is yours, if you want it.”
Drew held his breath and waited for Hope to respond. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully for several seconds, and the wait was excruciating. Her expression was neutral, not giving anything away about how she felt. Drew’s heart was pounding in his chest so loudly that he was sure she must be able to hear it.
Finally, she looked up at him and tilted her head sideways. “I’m not going to lie, Drew. I like you, too. Which is funny because I really did kind of hate you a few weeks ago. Sorry, but you were kind of a jerk. No offense.”
Drew shrugged. “None taken,” he said.
“The thing is,” Hope continued. “I’m not really the type of girl who likes getting into relationships unless it seems like something that could work out long-term. And I’m not sure that there’s much potential for something long-term between you and me. Sure, right now it would be easy enough to have a relationship. We’re all stuck out here in the woods without any real options on something different to do with our lives. But what happens when this whole war on shifter ends? Assuming the forces who want to destroy shifters are beaten back, which I hope is the case, I’m going to be able to move back to the outside world. And that’s probably what I’ll do. I’m not going to be happy sitting out here in the woods like you do, Drew. I’m not the kind of girl who shuns technology, or who wants to be completely off the grid.”
Drew frowned. He had known this objection would be coming, and he had thought long and hard about it. “Hope, if things work out between us, I’m not going to lose you over some stupid need to be a hermit in the woods. I like it out here, and I’ve refused to go back home to my clan because there wasn’t anything there that had a stronger pull on my heart than these woods. But you’ve been pulling on my heart, Hope. I have a deep, unshakeable need to be around you. I’ll follow you wherever you want to go. Sure, I’m not a big fan of technology. But I’m an easygoing guy. I’m happy just about anywhere, as long as I’m surrounding by things that are meaningful to me. If I’m with you, I couldn’t ask for much more.”
Drew forced himself to stop talk
ing. He felt like he was rambling, which was strange because he had never been much of a talker. But he wanted so desperately to find the right words to tell Hope how much she meant to him. Hope paused for a long time again before speaking, but when she finally started talking she looked up at him and smiled.
“Okay,” she said. “If you really feel that way, then let’s give this a shot. But let’s take things slowly, okay? I don’t want to rush things. I like to take my time when it comes to these sort of relationships.”
Drew smiled and nodded, even though he wished he could push Hope down on the grass right there and make love to her. She was so beautiful and vibrant, and he could hardly believe that she had really just agreed to be his girlfriend. Let the rest of the group tease him, if they wanted to. It was worth it to have a woman as amazing as Hope by his side.
“We can go at whatever speed you want, Hope,” he said, leaning in to place a quick kiss on her lips. “I’m just happy you said yes.”
Hope returned his kiss, and seemed to visibly relax. She blushed again as she looked down at her hands. “I do have to say—your kisses are pretty amazing. They make it hard to want to take things slowly.”
“Good,” Drew said, winking at her. “Then I’m going to keep kissing you like crazy. But for now, I’m going to force you to come back to the cabin so you can see the completed addition.”
Hope’s eyes widened. “The addition is done?”
“Yup. All done. You can move into your own room tonight, and store all your painting supplies in there. By the way, since I’m officially your boyfriend now, are you going to actually let me see your paintings?”
Hope smirked and shook her head no. “Nope. Still top secret. Don’t think you can just ask me out and then get free access to my art. It’s still my secret.”
Drew laughed and shrugged. “Okay, okay. I thought I would at least try. Come on. Pack up and let’s go back to the cabin.”
Hope nodded and started packing up her paints, being careful to keep the painted canvas facing away from Drew so he couldn’t see it. Drew couldn’t resist giving Hope’s ass a rough slap as she bent over to pick up her bag of supplies. She yelped and gave him a sharp look, but Drew just laughed.
He felt like the luckiest guy in the world right now. The only thing that was going to be hard was taking things slowly. He could already feel the flood of desire increasing in his body. But he would do what he needed to do to keep Hope happy.
She was worth it.
Chapter Seven
Hope stared at the ceiling in her new room, watching the shadows of the tree leaves dance on the ceiling. The moon was full and bright tonight, and Hope was feeling restless. She had been looking forward to having her own space to sleep in for so long. The snoring and noise in the cramped quarters of the one room cabin had resulted in poor sleep for everyone. But, for some reason, she couldn’t seem to relax tonight. She should have been sleeping like a baby, but instead she was letting her mind run on a constant loop of worried thoughts.
Of course, her continued worry about her family and the future of shifters was a big part of the angst she was feeling. But tonight, the majority of her thoughts seemed to center around Drew.
She had long since moved on from wondering whether she had done the right thing when she agreed to date him. Now, she was wondering whether she should have kept her mouth shut about wanting to “take things slowly.” Back by the waterfall, that had seemed like the prudent thing to say. After all, this attraction between Drew and her was relatively new. It was best not to push things too far too quickly and end up with a hopelessly broken heart.
But now, lying in her bed in the deafening quiet, without even the snoring of her friends to keep her company, Hope was starting to second-guess herself. Things had been too crowded in the old one-room cabin for Hope to realize how lonely she felt. But now, in the darkness of her own room, she felt the crushing weight of her need to be held and loved. Life seemed so fragile, with all of the chaos swirling around beyond this forest. Why had she thought it was so important to take things slowly? The important thing was to live every day to the fullest, because you never really knew what tomorrow held.
And right now, living life to the fullest meant more of Drew. Hope’s heart and body were increasingly dissatisfied with mere kisses from Drew. His lips weren’t enough. She wanted more. She wanted his hands on her body. She wanted his bare skin against her bare skin. She wanted him inside of her.
Hope squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force her thoughts to go somewhere, anywhere, besides Drew. But her racing heart refused to slow down, and she seriously contemplated getting up and going across the hallway to his room to slip into his bed next to him. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t have any complaints about that. The way he had been looking at her lately made it clear that he was ready for more of her, too.
But what kind of self-respecting girl demanded to take things slowly, only to beg for more hours later?
“The kind who’s just realized she’s madly in love,” Hope said aloud to the darkness, surprising even herself with the word “love.” She wasn’t the kind of person who threw that word around, but she knew deep down that what was developing with her and Drew was more than just a casual crush. She was falling hard for him, and she didn’t want to waste another minute pretending that she wasn’t.
Slowly, Hope sat up in bed and looked around her small, bare room. With her heart pounding, she began to slide out of the bed and put her bare feet on the hard wooden floor. But before she could even stand up, her bedroom door opened a crack. Startled, Hope quickly pulled her feet back into the bed and peered cautiously at the door, which was slowly opening. As the hallway came into view, Hope saw Drew’s tall silhouette standing in the doorway.
“Hope?” he whispered. “Hope, are you awake?”
Hope felt a rush of joy running through her. He had obviously been thinking about her, too, unable to get her off his mind.
“Drew,” she said softly. “Get in here.”
Drew stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him before padding silently over to sit on the foot of the bed. He was wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, but Hope could still see his muscles bulging underneath the fabric.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said. “I hope I didn’t wake you up. But I just can’t get you out of my mind. I know we are supposed to be taking things slowly, but my heart is already running away with me. I had to at least see you once more before going to sleep. I can’t do anything except lie there in my room and dream about you.
Hope took in a huge breath and slowly let it out. She suddenly didn’t care anymore about rules or appearances or taking things slowly. All she cared about was having Drew in her arms. He was so strong and yet so gentle all at the same time. His body was muscular and broad, but his heart was tender and soft. Despite the fact that he had a temper, and often closed himself off from the world, Hope was beginning to see what a caring individual was at the very core of himself. And Hope was falling in love with that person.
“Get over here,” Hope said, patting the empty space next to her on the bed. Drew smiled and slid from the foot of the bed up toward the headboard, so that he was sitting right next to Hope. He started to reach for her hand, but before he could grab it, Hope reached out and pulled him down so he was lying on his side next to her. Then she attacked him with her mouth.
Her palms framed his face as her lips met his. She kissed him hungrily, with passion and abandon. He seemed startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and began kissing her back. His tongue, warm and strong, danced with her tongue. His hand reached to hold her by her ass cheeks, squeezing tightly as if to show ownership. Hope felt the warmth of desire spreading through her body like a fire. Her heart was racing uncontrollably in her chest as tingles of pleasure radiated from her core to every extremity of her body. She had never felt a sensation of passion so strongly. She was quickly losing the ability to think about
anything else besides how badly she wanted Drew. How badly she needed him. An overwhelming sense of hunger overtook her, and she reached for the hem of Drew’s t-shirt. She pulled the shirt up and over his head and tossed it to the ground behind them. Then she reached to pull her own cotton t-shirt up and over her head, throwing it aside as well. She never wore a bra to bed, so they were both bare-chested now, and Hope pressed her full, throbbing breasts against Drew’s broad, strong chest.
He moaned as her hard, alert nipples poked against his skin. Then he slid down so that his face was even with her breasts. He covered her right nipple with his hot mouth, letting his tongue massage the hard nub before using his teeth to chew it. He bit down gently at first, then slowly increased the pressure until he was sending delightful shivers of pleasurable pain up and down Hope’s back.
He moved his mouth to pay attention to the left breast, and as he did he slid one of his hands down into Hope’s soft pajama pants. He cupped her soft mound with his large palm, and then slid his fingers down until they found her entrance, which was dripping wet with the desire for him. He slid two of his giant fingers into her at once, and Hope’s eyes flew open momentarily with surprise. If his fingers were this big, and felt this amazing, she could only imagine what his dick felt like. He stroked back and forth against her inner walls as he continued to alternate between her breasts with his mouth. She writhed underneath his touch, softly whispering out his name and begging for more with pleading whispers. The pressure at her core was building to an overwhelmingly intense level, and the fire burning inside of Hope made it so she could barely breathe. With just his fingers and his tongue, Drew was taking her to the very edge of ecstasy, and she was about to tumble over the edge.
Mischief in a Fur Coat Page 5
