She exhaled and tried to ignore her inner beast doing backflips inside her mind. It was going to be a restless night.
Augusta was showered, wearing a sundress and downstairs having muffins and coffee with Teebie when Randal returned from a run, wet with sweat.
“Good morning, Augusta.” He grinned and headed upstairs.
She blinked after him, watching the shorts clinging to his butt as he headed up the stairs. “Oh, I have it bad.”
Teebie laughed. “That is as it should be. They flex and preen to get our attention and to prove they will be good mates. We exhibit nurturing characteristics that will support the next generation. It is the most basic breakdown for it, but it is still true. In our hearts, we always seek someone who will be of benefit to us bringing the next generation into the world.”
“Have you ever…”
“Fallen in love? No. I have never given myself the chance. I want to live my life for now. I will have plenty of time to join with someone else at a later date.”
Augusta looked into her cup. “I have limited time, and my body is reminding me that it wants what it wants. My inner beast has been doing backflips since the day that I saw him, and it has been distracting as hell.”
Teebie grinned. “And that is as it should be as well. Remember that the object is not to get him out of your system but rather to make him part of you so that he will no longer knock you flat every time you see him.”
“It sounds like something that Rayna would say.”
“She has felt the ache for her mate for a decade, has she not? Now that they are together, they are both at peace but the fire still flares. They just have their kindling closer at hand than most people. Passion burns quickly when the building blocks are in place. Their instinct had pulled them together; it was convention that kept them apart.”
Augusta scowled, “It wasn’t convention, it was our sister. She had a thing for Gregory and hated that he was interested in Rayna. She was sorted out at the wedding.”
Teebie winced. “That sounds unpleasant.”
“Only for Leyline. The rest of us were glad that she was finally called on her bad behaviour.”
Randal descended the stairs, his hair still wet from what had obviously been a quick shower. He was wearing a deep blue t-shirt that was tight across his chest and jeans that looked comfortably worn in and very soft.
“Good morning, Augusta.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss in full view of their host.
Augusta blushed. “Good morning, Randal. I trust you slept well.”
He grinned and sat on her right. “Not at all. Knowing that you were a wall away was a very tempting thing to this contractor. A few good knocks and we would have had adjoining rooms.”
Her blush ratcheted up a notch.
Teebie slid a cup of coffee in front of him. “That might not have been the best thought. I am wired into this place and you haven’t seen mad until you have woken a djinn from her beauty sleep. We need it.”
He lifted the cup in a salute. “I am glad I listened to my instincts and merely passed a sleepless night.”
“Very wise.” Teebie left a breakfast tray of goodies behind and retreated to the kitchen.
“Do you run every morning?”
Randal smiled and loaded a plate. “I do if I don’t head straight to work. I have too much energy to waste it doing nothing.”
The implication was that he would enjoy another outlet, and her otter was thinking of a few methods that involved the pond.
“So, how is your inner beast doing with this venture?” She nibbled at a muffin and watched him.
He blinked and gave her a slow smile. “He has been after me since I was called up on stage. If you have ever been bitten by your inner beast; that is what was going on while I was otherwise occupied.”
Augusta laughed. “That has happened once or twice. Usually, it was when I passed up a chance to dive into a new body of water. She does love water.”
He reached out and took her hand. “I am very glad you were there that day.”
She blushed and ducked her head. “I am as well, though I had no idea you were looking for me. I just didn’t want to be one of those desperate women chasing you.”
“I would have let you catch me.” He winked and squeezed her hand.
She smiled and relaxed a little. “So, your normal job is as a contractor?”
“Yes, I work for the family company. Forester Construction. We build houses and do renovations.” He rubbed his hands together nervously.
“Good. I work in my sister’s shop. Creature’s Feature. I even have a t-shirt with an otter on it.”
He chuckled. “I just live a few towns over, if you want to commute. I would offer to move in with you, but my house is on a huge chunk of land that includes a lake. There is plenty of space to shift and frolic.”
Augusta leaned forward and put her chin on her hands. “I do love frolicking.”
He grinned. “And I enjoy watching you. I never knew that otters actually did put stuff on their bellies to play with.”
“Oh. You would be amazed what we do on our backs.”
He coughed into his coffee, and she felt a frisson of smugness for throwing him off for a change. She knew the advantage would not last long, but she enjoyed it for that one moment.
Chapter Five
Wandering around the meadow and gathering flowers was a strange thing to do with a man she wanted to see naked, again. The way Randal was moving around, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
He picked flowers and offered them to her, smiling every time she added his discovery to her bouquet. Their trail gradually led them to the scent of water, and behind a rocky outcropping was a brook and a standing pool. It was far too tempting.
Augusta slipped her shoes off and removed her bra and panties without taking off her dress. Now that they were in full daylight, she was a little shy.
He was watching her with an astonished look on his face when she shifted with her dress on and crawled out from underneath it, nosing the cotton out of the way.
He had already shed his shirt, but he crouched down. “Come here, sweet thing.”
Augusta scampered up to him, climbing into his hands with absolute trust. He lifted her in his grasp and looked at her, eye to eye. She chittered and reached out to paw his cheek gently.
His smile of delight had her squirming in his grip. She slipped from his hands and scampered into the water, calling him to join her. She heard the thud of his shoes and then the slough of his jeans.
He walked into the water, completely human. He followed her until he was shoulder deep, and then, he bent his knees, disappearing under the surface and returning as a beaver.
His eyes were the same dark brown, but his teeth were dramatically larger as he chittered at her and invited her to play.
She swam with him across the length of the pool, and then, she rolled on her back while he disappeared.
He surfaced next to her with a lily flower between his teeth. He placed it gently on her abdomen, and then, he disappeared again.
He returned with a sparkling red rock and returned again with a fresh sapling of brilliant green.
She was running out of space to hold things, so she paddled to the edge of the pool and placed the objects carefully on the rock, keeping the lily flower to nibble on. It was a lovely treat.
Augusta looked around, her whiskers twitching as she tried to find her prospective mate. He was close; she could feel him with her inner senses rather than eyes or ears.
She twisted around and dove, looking for him under the water when he swam past her and grabbed her, pulling her to the surface.
He rolled them together for a few minutes before releasing her, nudging her back to the shore.
Once on the shore, he shifted to human and beckoned her to do the same.
She shifted and blinked at him, crouching down. “What now?”
He smiled and stood, nude and magnificent. “Come with me.”
&
nbsp; She followed him, curious. She could smell the trail that he had left in the woods. What had he been doing?
He pulled her around the stony outcropping and into a small clearing. In the centre of the clearing was a bed made of newly cut and assembled branches, covered with thick boughs and the bouquet of flowers that she had been given.
It was a bed fit for a fairy queen.
“Randal, this is amazing.”
He blushed. “It’s what I do. The tree cutting is instinct and the building, well, that is another set of instincts.”
She stepped forward and examined the bed. It had been lashed together with bark twisted into ropes. “You had to shift to finish this.”
He stepped up to her and placed his hands on her hips. “Some things you need hands for.”
She shivered wildly as his hands moved around her torso, skimming up to cup her breasts and working her nipples to aching peaks. Augusta leaned back, her head touching his chest as she let him do what he wanted. He seemed to know what he was doing, and she had no complaints.
Her skin throbbed and her sex got wet as his hands stroked down between her thighs and he began to nuzzle at her neck. She was all in for the nuzzling; next to cuddling, it was her otter’s favourite sexual pastime.
She moaned when he parted her sex and slid his fingers inside. Her hot, wet reception must have given him the go sign, because he lifted her in his arms and settled her on the newly made bed.
Augusta reached out for him and beckoned him to come to her.
“Oh, thank the fur.” He groaned and covered her.
Her smile was lost when he kissed her and she felt him fitting his body to hers. The flared head parted her folds, and she arched when he thrust into her in one sudden move.
He whispered, “Sorry.”
She laughed, low and throaty. “It’s fine, just deliver on the build-up. This bed is going to waste.”
“Yes, dearling.” He nibbled at her neck and began to slowly thrust into her and retreat just as deliberately.
It was a slow coupling; Augusta moved against him, the crushed greenery and flowers under them added a wild, heady fragrance to the musk they were generating. The clearing was getting a workout.
Sex in the dappled sunlight was decadent, and having Randal as the only moving block between her and sunburn was purely exquisite. He rocked, she moaned. She circled her hips against him, he grunted. All too soon, they were surging against each other, and when she warbled her release, he hissed, “Thank the fur,” before he bucked and held himself against her.
He shuddered in her arms and stilled, holding himself above her to keep from crushing her. She made a face; she wanted to feel his weight on her.
Randal looked like he was having trouble returning to himself. She stroked his cheek lightly. “Are you all right?”
“It feels like I just found the other half of myself.”
“And you fucked it in a glade.” She laughed.
He blinked and grinned shyly. “I suppose I did. It seemed like the right thing at the time.”
She nuzzled at his neck. “I would have to agree. It was definitely the right thing.”
Her voice was nearly a purr, but he got the idea and settled beside her, cuddling her against him.
He stroked her back and nibbled at her neck and shoulder.
She slid her knee up to rest it on his thigh. Augusta was content to stay there for the rest of her life, but the prickle of sun on her skin woke her to the reality of the situation. “I think I need to get dressed. I am getting a little scorched.”
Randal sighed. “I know. I am far more tanned than you are, and even I am feeling the heat. I am guessing that the Crossroads has a powerful sun just to keep this kind of thing from happening.”
“Or at least to keep it to a restrained amount of time.”
He grinned, “That too.”
“I think I am hungry. We should tidy up and get some lunch.”
“Sound advice. I am rarely one to pass up a meal.” He sat up and took her with him, carrying her back to the pond.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping you from bruising your feet.”
“It didn’t seem to be a concern on the way out here.” She wrinkled her nose at him.
“Well, I could say that I just wanted to keep holding you.”
“Much better answer. I like that one.”
She rubbed her head against his chest a moment before he eased her back into the pond.
The cool water on her raw thighs was both pleasant and abrasive. She rinsed the sticky cum from her thighs while he did the same and walked out of the pond with her head held high. The sun warmed her skin and quickly dried her.
“Do you always wear skirts?” His question was casually tossed out as he hopped into his jeans.
“Not normally, no. It seemed appropriate here for some reason.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy seeing a woman in a skirt, but on you, it seems a little out of place.”
She settled her bra and slipped the dress in question over her head. “I normally live and die in jeans. It takes a bit of effort for me to feel pretty, and the skirts help.”
He paused with his shirt still rucked up around his abdomen. “What?”
“I am not the most striking member of my family. I tended to fade so far into the background that my request to go to the Crossroads came as a complete shock.”
Randal finished tugging the shirt into place, and he cocked his head. “Why?”
“Everyone except me had come to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to find a mate or do anything different with my life.”
He stepped toward her and rubbed her arms. “How did they react?”
“First, they were surprised, but then, they were all for it. Rayna paid for me to be here without a second thought, my mom took me shopping and, before I knew it, we were waiting for the transporter.” She grinned. “I even have a bon voyage card signed by all of my family members and most of the otter guild.”
“So, they did come around.” He smiled and kept rubbing her arms as if delighting in the smallest contact.
“Yup.” She placed her hands on his chest and felt the heavy thud of his heart. “If I put my mind to it, I tend to get my way.”
“When you put your foot down?”
“When I actually make eye contact via my big brown eyes.” She grinned. “My feet don’t even come into it.”
He blinked and understanding crept across his features. “I think I am beginning to get the idea. Shall we head to the café for lunch?”
“Please. For some reason, I believe I have worked up an appetite.”
Randal chuckled and offered her his arm and they left the woods a little more rumpled and far more exhausted than they had entered it.
Chapter Six
“So, where do you want to live?” Randal threw that out after the grinning waitress had left them alone. It was harder than Augusta would have bargained for. The waitress was Randal’s cousin.
“Are you related to all the beavers here?” She sipped at her soda.
“Most of them. Andy runs the general store. He was going to put me up if Rayna had not made those arrangements.”
“Nice.”
“I thought so. They also supplied the hair and claw trimmings from my family that the transporter needed. I was a little surprised by the speed of the transport. Normally, we have to schedule months in advance.”
She grinned, “Rayna was given the number of the Guild Master. She can move anyone, anywhere, anytime.”
“Very nice.”
“It really is. She got me here as soon as I managed to make up my mind.” Augusta laughed. “I suppose that I would have to take a look at your house, though if it has a lake in the background, it might be the ideal place.”
“I think so. I built it with a mate and a family in mind. It is close enough to most amenities that its removal from the local town isn’t too much of a hardship.”
“An
y problem with poachers?” She twisted her lips. “They are a particular concern of mine.”
“Come to think of it, there have been one or two reported in the area. I can deal with them.”
She twisted her lips. “I will do it. I really enjoy gnawing on humans, so to speak.”
He smiled. “So, my place it is?”
“Do we have to leave so soon? I was hoping we could go dancing.” She blushed a little, but she meant it.
“They don’t like having mated pairs running around too close to the ones who are still looking. Generally, you make your match and you go home and prove it.”
She frowned. “Isn’t that a little sudden?”
“Is it? Our beasts knew each other the moment we locked gazes. Our bodies are in sync and we both like the water. I think we need to get to know each other.” Randal nodded as his burger and fries arrived across from her BLT.
She shrugged. “I suppose that that is the way things are done. Funny, but I have never really thought about it before.”
“Not funny at all. You weren’t thinking about men until you met me, and I am only too glad to be the target of your attentions.” He batted his lashes and nibbled at a fry.
“Why didn’t you ever settle down?”
“Well, I hadn’t met you.” He shrugged. “No other woman fascinates me like you do. Peculiar but true.”
She snorted and bit into her BLT. “It isn’t that peculiar. Stranger things have happened.”
He winced. “I didn’t mean that to sound insulting. I have just seen thousands of women, but no one’s face stuck with me until yours. Those big dark eyes of yours latched onto my soul and were there anytime I closed my eyes.”
She smiled. “That sounds better.”
He looked relieved and kept eating.
Augusta smiled at the realisation that he was taking the hint. It was better to believe she was one in a million than simply a freaky moment of eye contact. As long as he kept his lips zipped, they were going to get along just fine.
Teebie had their bags packed and waiting. She smiled and waved them goodbye from the porch of the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.
Getting Wet Page 3
