by Cara Adams
There were murmurs of agreement all around the table. Chris relaxed. Everything was looking good. He had a solid outline for the future, and now they all needed to work hard to make the most of these two months with Stone, Reuben, Indigo, and Summer.
Particularly with Summer. They needed to mate her before time ran out, but they were off to a good start. A very good start.
* * * *
After the meeting most people wandered off to their own rooms. They’d planned the next day’s work while eating, which was the way the community usually organized itself. Roland tapped Chris on the shoulder and said, “You’ll have a busy evening, so I’ll take the first shift on watch tomorrow. I’ll also collect some sleeping bags and extra food in case there’s the potential to stay overnight.”
He was careful not to put his hopes into words. That Summer would let them do more than touch her. It was a lot to hope for, especially when she’d given them so much already. But he knew she’d orgasmed, and her happy little noises and wiggles told him she’d enjoyed herself. All he could hope for was that they’d pleased her and that she would be willing to continue their relationship. Hopefully to deepen it.
His dick stretched behind the zipper of his jeans. His poor dick had wanted so much more tonight, but that wasn’t possible. It was far too soon. However, things were looking good, and he had genuine hopes she’d be their woman before the two-month visit was over.
He loaded sleeping bags, a couple of extra blankets, and a large container of water into his truck. He’d collect the food right before he left in the morning. Roland crawled into his bed, ready to lie and think about his day with Summer.
Sitting on a sand dune watching for passing traffic was deadly boring. It had to rate right up there with the old saying, “watching paint dry.” But he suspected even watching paint dry, if Summer was there, too, would be bearable just because he had her company. Certainly today had been much better than merely bearable. Sure, he’d needed to concentrate and not miss out on marking down any vehicles. However, on these narrow dirt tracks, that wasn’t particularly challenging. Dust clouds could be seen a good half-mile before the car causing them passed by.
Touching Summer, kissing her, had been the best experience ever. Her mouth and skin were more delicious than any meal he’d ever tasted, and being with her was more addictive than alcohol or drugs. She was everything he’d ever wanted, wrapped up in the most tempting parcel a man could ever imagine.
Okay, so he was getting a little ahead of himself here. He didn’t know all about her yet, but he was determined to fix that as fast as he could. Already he knew she enchanted his mind and his heart. He’d always hoped for a woman who made him laugh but who also made him think. And damn if Summer wasn’t that woman. A few more days spent in her company should fill in any missing details he needed to know about her, and then, hopefully, he and Chris would be able to concentrate on wooing her properly. Romantically. In the manner she truly deserved.
While he was alone tomorrow morning, he’d think about how to do that. What might interest her here in Roxburgh? He also needed to start thinking about the store and gas station. What sorts of things were people likely to need? Coffee and water were obvious ones and a bathroom for those who’d come a long way. But what else?
Roland was asleep long before he’d made a list, but he woke up the moment his cell phone alarm started to beep next morning. He reassured himself he’d have plenty of time to think and make lists during the morning before other people came to join him.
Once again Bryan had left food ready for him, and he grabbed the bags and hurried to his truck. On arrival at the dune, he dumped the bedding and water into the tent, which appeared undisturbed, zipping it closed again before climbing the hill. They’d left it unzipped during the day so it didn’t get too hot. But he thought maybe while it was still half-dark, and he was alone, keeping it shut would be better in case some critter wanted to go inside and take a look around.
Summer had said her tent and the shelter were both protected with insect repellant. Roland hadn’t known about that before, but then he wasn’t from the desert. He did wonder if maybe they should get new insect-repellant sleeping bags if there were such things but just hoped that because the bedding was inside the tent it’d be safe from scorpions.
He sat cross-legged in the shelter, even though his head touched the roof. It was still sufficiently dark he didn’t think any passing vehicle would notice. They’d have their lights on and be watching the track carefully because animals would be coming and going from water sources before finding a cool place to sleep through the day.
Nevertheless, he quickly put his smaller water bottle and the food in the back corner of the shelter and took the paperwork he had to fill in out of his backpack, along with the colored Sharpies.
The three of them had developed a good system during the previous day, color coding cars that passed by more than once and trying to distinguish between the far too many different white trucks. Some had logos on their sides, but it was almost impossible to read them from this distance since the vehicles didn’t slow down. There was no need to slow down because any oncoming car would kick up so much dust it’d be immediately obvious.
What they were doing now was putting a dot representing the colors of the business logo on vehicles in the box for them. It wasn’t an ideal system, but it did help a little. In his opinion, what they really needed were some high-power binoculars or a rifle with a sniper scope to read the writing. Although if anyone saw them pointing a rifle with a sniper scope at a truck, likely the police would be here in no time to arrest him. Or would it be the sheriff? He didn’t even know who was in charge way out here in the desert.
He shook his head at himself, set out the papers on the base of the shelter, and lay down on his belly, ready to begin his shift. After an hour he moved to sit on the ledge he’d dug for himself and nibbled at his breakfast while keeping watch. Another hour after that, he heard voices and turned to look over his shoulder. Summer and Indigo were walking toward him, backpacks on their backs and sunhats on their heads. He grinned. The guests had teased his people about the way they always wore a hat outside, even if it was dark. It was good to see they wore hats sometimes as well.
Damn, she’s lovely.
Summer was looking at Indigo, concentrating on her conversation, and he was free to gaze at her for long seconds before flicking his regard back to the roads again. She was beautiful, and he wanted her.
* * * *
Summer had woken up early and headed into the communal cabin with the meals area. There she discovered that a group was already out hunting, Roland was on watch at the lookout, and Chris was seated at one end of the long table. He was surrounded by piles of paper as he added notes to various pages, typed things onto the laptop to his right, and muttered as he swallowed mouthfuls of his breakfast.
“Busy, busy, busy. It’s all happening here,” she said, grabbing a bowl from the counter and serving herself a large scoop of warm oatmeal.
Indigo waved to her with her knife. “Sit with me and we’ll plan out our day,” she said.
Summer tipped some milk onto her oatmeal and then drizzled some maple syrup on it before sitting down.
“Likely I should go out to the lookout. Roland will have work he needs to do, and I can watch for traffic.”
“I’ll come with you. No one needs me today, and I want to look for pretty rocks anyway.”
“Pretty rocks?” Summer had no idea what Indigo was talking about.
“I use them to make pendants, paperweights, and other souvenirs. Gen-u-ine Nevada Desert souvenirs for the tourist center in Towler.”
“That’s right. You made all the decorations for the masquerade ball, didn’t you? If you tell me what defines a pretty rock, maybe I can help you when I’m not watching for cars.”
“The stones I work with need to have an individual character.”
Summer stared at Indigo, wondering if she was teasing, but her face
was quite serious.
“Maybe they’re an unusual shape or have an unexpected blend of colors to them, but whatever their difference is, they’ll be obviously quite unique and special.”
“Uh-huh.”
Indigo looked at her and grinned. “When I see the perfect stone, I’ll show you, and then you’ll understand.”
“I hope so. Otherwise I’ll be no help to you at all.”
“But we’ll be company for each other anyway.”
“That’s true.” Summer turned to Chris. She wasn’t sure if it was a good time to interrupt him or not, but she did need to know how long she’d be on duty at the outlook, and likely the sooner she relieved Roland and let him do his regular work, the better.
“Chris, would you like me to stay at the outlook all day again? I’m happy to do that if it helps everyone out.”
“Is that okay? It’d be great. Indigo, when you’re ready to leave, let me know, and I’ll come and replace you.”
“I’ll stay while everyone else is busy. Summer and I can have some girl-time together, and I’ll look for rocks as well. If I’m needed elsewhere, just tell whoever wants me to text me, and I’ll walk back.”
“Thank you, Indigo. I’ll definitely be there properly before dark though.”
Indigo jumped up. “I’ll make us some sandwiches to take with us. Did you taste those finger sandwiches at the get-together? They were truly divine.”
Summer didn’t remember eating sandwiches in particular, but all the food at the pack gathering had tasted great. “I don’t remember them, but I did really enjoy tasting so many different dishes at each meal. That was one of the advantages of having so many people. It’s a waste of time going to so much effort just for two or three people.”
While Indigo was making their lunch, Summer filled a couple of water bottles. She was certain there was water still in the tent, and they could always walk back for more or text and ask someone to bring them more if they needed it. Meanwhile, this would be enough for a while. She packed a few other things in a backpack, grabbed a sweater and her sunhat, and was ready.
Summer really enjoyed walking and talking with Indigo. Because she worked from home and lived with her parents and brother, she hadn’t spent a lot of time just talking to another woman in many years. Particularly another werewolf shape-shifter. The problem with living in a town was the constant need to monitor her thoughts and feelings so she sounded one hundred percent human.
Shape-shifters liked to keep their species hidden from most of society. Of course, from time to time, people found out, or were told, or guessed, but such revelations usually only came either from someone who was attuned to paranormal differences or from someone who was already in close contact with shifters.
The problem with talking to clients or driving the school bus was that she needed to always maintain a distance from other people, to think before she spoke or wrote anything so that her species was a secret that remained hidden.
Summer had loved the freedom at the pack gathering of not having to filter her thoughts and actions. After a lifetime of being careful, the opportunity to be herself, unfiltered, was breathtaking. And now, here she was again, with a female wolf, able to speak whatever thoughts came into her head. It was a powerful feeling, and she reveled in it.
They wandered directly across the desert toward the tall dune that gave a view of the crossroads. Each time they found a patch of small rocks, Indigo bent down, turning them over one by one and looking at them. Summer was amazed by her patience as, time after time, every rock was replaced exactly where she’d picked it up and they moved on.
About halfway to the dune, there was a jumble of bigger rocks that Summer thought wouldn’t be of interest to Indigo, but she stopped and looked anyway. In among them were a few smaller ones, and one was almost green in color. Summer had only just noticed it when Indigo pounced on it, picking it up and inspecting it closely before tucking it in the pocket of her jeans.
Then Indigo kneeled in the dirt and looked at every remaining rock much more closely, finally choosing a second one. This one was mottled shades of orange with a faint tinge of green.
“Is there copper in the soil or something?” Summer asked.
“Exactly right. The color is caused by water percolating through copper-bearing rocks, and it happens sometimes in Nevada so that makes it a genuine desert attraction.”
“Or even a gen-u-ine one,” she joked.
“Yep.”
They walked on, and Summer asked, “Is it always this difficult to find a suitable rock? You must have looked at dozens.”
“Sometimes I’ll find half a dozen in a group. Maybe they’ve been smoothed by water in the past or deposited there by the wind or something. But it’s not infrequent to look for a couple of hours and only find one or two.”
“Yikes. That’s a hell of a lot of work just to find two rocks.”
“On the other hand, it’s a good thing. If every second rock people saw was worthwhile, they wouldn’t pay me to make them into artworks,” said Indigo.
“Of course, I hadn’t thought of that.”
Roland seemed pleased to see them, possibly because he was tired of sitting there when he probably had a dozen more important things he needed to do. But Summer was equally happy to see him. He was very good looking with his broad, muscular shoulders filling out his plain blue T-shirt very nicely.
She also couldn’t forget having had his and Chris’s hands and mouths all over her body yesterday afternoon, bringing her to a very fulfilling climax. But she thought that even if he hadn’t so much as kissed her she’d still be attracted by his smiling face and the way he spoke to her, as much as by his handsome body. He seemed to be genuinely interested in her and her life. As if his questions weren’t just good manners, but a sincere concern for her. That was just as sexy as his taut, toned body in her opinion.
The day passed surprisingly quickly. Traffic was about the same as the previous day, and she recognized three of the vehicles that passed her twice during the day, so evidently they were regular commuters. She also thought she recognized a couple of the trucks with logos on their sides, but she couldn’t read the writing on the trucks to be positive.
While Indigo was looking for rocks, Summer dug some more sand out of the dune around the ledge the men had created, making a narrow shelf to use as a desk and foot holes so she could sit facing the road instead of side on.
“Hey, that looks great. Well done,” said Indigo.
“All the comforts of home.” Summer giggled.
They lay side by side in the shelter, and Indigo showed Summer the rocks she’d chosen. Finally Summer understood about the rocks having character. They were indeed quite special. Then they talked for hours about what the future might hold for them.
“It’s possible Reuben, Stone, and I will stay here longer than just two months. We’re supposed to be planning where to live in the future, but it’s crystal clear Stone doesn’t really see himself as working on the cactus farm, and Reuben isn’t really interested in living at Junctionville with no specific job to do. But if we stayed here, we’d all be able to do worthwhile work. I can still send parcels of my rocks to Towler, or even deliver them myself if we go there to shop. A trip every three months would likely be fine, both for taking new rocks and buying things the community needs.”
“And all three of you would be able to work in a job you wanted to do here. Reuben can set up a farm or grow things, including cacti, Stone can hunt and help out in the store, both men can assist in building this new community, and you can still do your craft work.”
“What about you Summer? Are you planning on going home to Wetherby now that you know your brother is safe, well, and happy?”
“It’s a bit too soon for me to make any decisions. But I think I might stay as well. I can do some freelance web designing, and I could help Chris with the administration side of running the community. Even after just a few days, I can see it’s driving him crazy being tie
d to a desk when he’d rather be outside doing something else.”
Summer didn’t say anything further, but having Indigo living here made her even more likely to stay. As the only woman in the community, life might have been a bit harsh and lonely until some of the other men found their mates. But with Indigo here, she would have female company. Maybe she’d even learn a little about making tourist gifts. They could add some to their own store once it was up and running, along with some cacti and anything else they thought of.
As the afternoon passed, she found herself thinking more and more about Chris and Roland. Two such delicious men who were clearly interested in her. Chris had said he’d be back to collect her before dark. Would Roland come with him? Would they spend some time alone here again tonight? They’d given her a wonderful orgasm, but she hadn’t done anything for them. Maybe tonight she could become better acquainted with their cocks. It was only fair after all. But that was only possible if they both came to meet her.
Chapter Four
Chris was glad Roland had brought bedding and extra water out to the tent that morning. It meant all they needed to carry now was their evening meal, which was another of Bryan’s amazing soups, packed into two large insulated containers, along with mugs and spoons and freshly made bread. It all smelled so good that walking was a torture, even though they only had to travel a mile.
They cut straight across the desert, a more direct route, instead of following the track, which circled around echoing the contours of the land. As they neared the dune, Chris saw Summer kneeling behind Indigo doing something to her hair, and both women were laughing. Then he noticed Summer’s long black hair had been braided into an intricate tail. Maybe that’s what Summer was trying to do for Indigo now. Or not. After all, his knowledge of women’s hairstyles was right around zero.
