She couldn’t help but laugh at his elation, brushing a bit of cabbage from her cheek that Dan had left behind when he kissed her. “Thank you. To be honest this all feels like some sort of dream. All I’ve ever wanted was to belong, and now I feel like it might be real.”
Dan caressed a gentle hand down her face. “That’s because it is real. You do belong here, Lucy. You always have.”
“Even if I don’t shift?”
Her question hung heavily in the air between them, Dan’s face falling serious almost immediately. The silence lasted long enough for Lucy to begin regretting turning the conversation in that direction. Finally, Dan gave one slow shake of his head.
“Welcoming you as an equal to the pack means respecting everything you stand for,” he answered. “If it’s important to you that you don’t shift, then the rest of us will understand.”
Lucy let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, her body slumping against the front of the bench. Even when she’d given him the perfect opportunity to question her, he didn’t. He respected her wishes and accepted what she held dear and what was important to her. Something like love burned slowly through her body, working its way from her soul to her fingertips, and in that moment, she knew she loved him. “Thank you.”
He grinned in response, a bit of beef hanging from his lip before he slurped it up into his mouth. “I might try to change your mind one day, though.”
She laughed, happy that the silly Dan was back to break the tension. “I know.” Funny thing was, she didn’t think she’d mind if he did.
The rest of the meal continued in content silence as they enjoyed the quiet and the beautiful view in front of them. The sun would be setting soon, and Lucy didn’t want to miss the perfect ending to the best day of her life.
Chapter Sixteen
With a contented sigh, Dan flopped back heavily against the wooden bench, the vast expanse of the sky gazing down upon him in orange and purple hues. Belly full and heart fuller, Dan was the happiest he’d ever been in his life. Lucy was here to stay. There was no denying, doubts, or room for interpretation. Jo had offered her a job and she’d accepted it. This meant so much for their relationship. Now, he could try and take the next step with no worries.
He glanced lazily over at Lucy. She lay curled on a picnic blanket, her head resting on a cushion as she watched for the stars peeking out of the twilight sky. Her face was calm, with an almost serene smile on her face. She was happy. It didn’t matter that she wouldn’t shift anymore, all that mattered was that he was everything she needed, and if that meant accepting the part of her that wouldn’t accept her bear, he’d do it without a second thought. He had the rest of their lives to admire her bear. For now, it was no problem at all to simply admire the rest of her.
“How does it feel?” he asked softly.
He caught the mild confusion in her eyes. “Hm? How does what feel?”
He chuckled. “How does it feel to finally be in charge of your own life?” he specified. “The night you picked me up off the asphalt in a dirty alley, I could tell you had no idea what to do with yourself.” He grinned. “Look at you now.”
Lucy’s face lit up with a slow smile, no doubt replaying the medley of events that had led her to this very moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she agreed. “My life is mine now, not Dominic’s and not anyone else’s either. Just mine.” She sighed happily. “It feels pretty damn good.”
“Exactly,” Dan praised, resting his head back against the bench and closing his eyes against the rays of the warm setting sun. “And I’m happy that in your newfound independence, you decided that what you had here is what you’ve been searching for all along.” He cracked one eye open, a small grin on his face. “And as selfish as this might sound, I hope that thoughts of me influenced your decision as well.”
He caught the amused tint in Lucy’s eyes before closing his again. “You wanted a home. You’ve found it. You wanted freedom. You have it. So now you have to ask yourself, what do you want next?”
Lucy didn’t respond, but Dan wasn’t worried. He figured she must be pondering the question to find the right answer. He didn’t blame her. It was a pretty big question that held a lot of weight. Her life was entirely controlled and micromanaged by her brother before she finally broke away and found Forest Haven. What do you do with an entire life that’s just been handed back to you all at once? Dan didn’t think he’d know the answer if he was in that position, but he could see that she felt free. So that was that.
What do you want? he thought to himself. For him, the answer had always been obvious. He wanted to help others. It was his first answer, his first instinct. When the Northern Wind needed muscle, he helped. When Savannah needed moral support to stand up to Lucas, he helped. When Nick needed someone to man the shop, he helped. Helping was easy; it came naturally to him, and it didn’t hurt that it made people happy. Even Lucas, on rare occasions. But then Lucy came along.
Sure, he’d wanted to help her, too, but even now he could still clearly remember how he felt when he’d first laid eyes on her.
One, he thought she was drop dead gorgeous.
Two, he really wanted to buy her that drink.
With a dull smile, he recalled the declaration he’d made; that he’d go back to that bar every night if it meant he’d meet her just once more. He was sure he’d have done it, too, if not for the series of fate-driven events that ended up pushing them together again that night.
It wasn’t often that Dan wondered what he wanted, because he always knew the answer. Then Lucy waltzed into his life, and suddenly the answer wasn’t so clear-cut anymore. Helping her was certainly still a goal, but it wasn’t the only one anymore. Something else sat there, just behind that helping habit, something he couldn’t quite make out at first.
He didn’t know it was love until he had already fallen.
She’d tripped him up simply by being beautiful, amazing, and strong despite the traumas she’d faced. She inspired him to be better, urged him to do more, and convinced him to stop beating himself up for a past he can’t ever take back. It wasn’t often that he thought of himself; in fact, the only time he could remember thinking of himself was when he’d decided to leave the Northern Wind behind for greener grasses.
He used to think that his time in the Northern Wind had left him tainted, that he hadn’t left soon enough to right the wrongs of his actions under Lucas’s megalomaniac orders. He thought he’d be unable to find happiness or peace. He imagined that Lucy once felt the same in her own life, to some degree at least. He couldn’t help but think they both knew a little better now, and he, was all the happier for it.
She could live her life by her own rules now, only worrying about what made her happy. And Dan? He finally realized that he could, too.
What did he want next? Though the answer was different, it resonated in his heart loud and clear like the answer that had once come before it.
He wanted Lucy.
As if she’d read his mind, he felt the soft denim of her jeans against his thighs as she swung her leg over his thighs. Before his eyes were fully open to assess the situation, her lips were firmly on his.
Passion ignited like a flamethrower, Dan’s hands moved instinctively to Lucy’s waist and gripped her close. When she finally pulled away, they were both gasping.
“Lucy,” Dan breathed, not really sure what to follow up with to convince her that he needed more.
He wanted to pull her mouth back to him kissing away all of her doubt and worry so that he could replace it with love. He wanted to strip her bare and admire all there was to admire about someone as beautiful as she was. But he didn’t want to scare her away or make her regret coming here. So he’d let her lead.
They sat in silence for a moment, catching their breath as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Then with an impatient groan, Dan disregarded his original thought and pulled her back down to him.
There was something different about her,
Dan thought. Something raw, something animalistic that roared inside of her in that moment. It excited his bear, and it excited him too.
He groaned as she pulled away, tugging a little on his bottom lip with her teeth. Watching as she tugged off her top, he gasped when he noticed that she was wearing nothing underneath. She slowed down a moment to admire him before her mouth fell back on his once more. The urge to grab and hold and run his hands over every part of her faded away as she kissed him, and he let himself ride the wave of her passion. She was finally taking control of her life, and the first thing she’d chosen was him. He could respect that.
Tugging suggestively on his T-shirt, Lucy broke away from the kiss for Dan to remove it. It was off in a flash, and Lucy hesitated a moment to take him in. He could hear her heart rate increase as she watched him, her eyes leaving little scorch marks of pleasure on his body wherever they trailed. She ran her fingers lightly down his chest, and his breath caught, making her smile. She leaned in for another kiss, wigging her hips as their lips met. He gripped her hips tightly with a soft groan, grinding her down against him.
She pulled back yet again, Dan too breathless to protest her departure as she stood up over him. He watched hungrily as she slowly and purposefully peeled off the remainder of her clothes. It took every bit of his willpower to not jump up and caress his hands over every part of her body. He had to remind himself that this was her show, and he was just along for the amazing ride.
Lucy gazed down at him seductively. “Now you,” she smiled, reaching a hand out to him. He took it openly, thinking idly about how vaguely reminiscent his current position was to the first night they’d spoken. Life comes full circle.
It didn’t take long for him to strip out of the rest of his clothes. They both stood naked, basking in the dusky glow of the evening as the setting sun cast rays of warm light over their skin. Lucy looked beautiful as ever, her blue eyes sparkling mystically in the twilight. He truly didn’t deserve her.
“You are perfection,” Dan murmured, breaking the silence between them and wrapping Lucy up in his arms. His fingers curled in her long dark hair as she collapsed into him, their lips meeting in a feverish embrace.
They slowly descended back to the blanket, Lucy astride him. She pulled away from the kiss, and Dan took the opportunity to explore. He trailed his lips across her jawline and down her neck, relishing the sighs that he emitted from her as her back arched for more.
His hands trailed lightly over her hips and waist, but he didn’t stray anywhere else. He wouldn’t until she gave the go ahead. She was an experience that he didn’t want to rush.
She wrapped her hands around his wrists, dragging his hands up and around her torso, pushing her breasts against his palms. He obliged happily, hands cupping each one gently and brushing his fingers lightly over her nipples. She moaned softly against him, pressing herself even closer. She threw her head back, lifting her breasts higher and closer to his face, and Dan couldn’t help but dip his mouth towards her chest.
She quivered against him, responding immediately to the way he played with her body. Every lick, every caress, every nibble elicited a response, which in turn excited Dan evermore. He pulled away long enough to get her attention before flipping her off of him and laying her gently on the blanket below him. His face fell back to her breasts as she readjusted, his hands having free range of motion to travel as they pleased. The caressed lovingly around every curve of Lucy’s body, eventually finding their way towards her soft, warm center. Slowly, he pushed a finger inside.
She reacted immediately, her back arching as she gasped her pleasure. He didn’t stop, his mouth working eagerly on her breasts while his fingers pressed into her over and over. Her breathing came faster and faster as he worked her, and he could feel how close she was getting to her climax as she tensed and writhed around him.
In one swift motion, Lucy slipped from under Dan, pushing his hand away. Before he could worry about the reason why, she shoved him onto his back, sliding down on top of him. He didn’t have time to think before the pleasure plumed deep in his belly, making him cry out. She worked quickly, her hips gyrating frantically over his, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut so that he didn’t get too overwhelmed too quickly. The warmth of her surrounded him, coaxing him ever closer to the apex.
With some effort, he managed to slow his breathing, letting it out in a steady gasp as he finally reopened his eyes. Lucy was absolutely stunning astride him, her hair cascading beautifully over them both as she rocked her hips in pleasure, working them both closer to their orgasm. His hands found her breasts again, kneading and nipping little sounds from her as her breath began to quicken once more.
Her body shuddered suddenly, and without much warning, she erupted around him, crying out his name as she held tightly onto his shoulders. It was loud, raw, and filled with love, and the sheer power behind her pleasure was more than enough to send Dan over the edge of oblivion as well. He finally let go as she coiled tightly around him, and together, they jumped over the edge into bliss.
Lucy quivered with satisfaction, as she lay cuddled in his arms. His heart danced upon seeing the serenity on her face, her eyes closed as she relaxed lazily against him. So this was what happiness felt like.
He could get used to this.
“Lucy,” he murmured, nuzzling lightly at her ear
“Mmm?”
He grinned softly, brushing his lips across her cheek, his heart nearly bursting with adoration. “I think I love you.”
Silence fell between them, and for a moment doubt began to creep in. Dan held his breath as he waited for Lucy to respond.
“That’s good,” came Lucy’s eventual reply. “Because I think I love you, too.”
Chapter Seventeen
It had been six days since the night on the hill, and Lucy was still getting used to waking up in Dan’s bed. It felt wonderful, and amazing, and a bunch of other words she’d never equated to her life before this moment, but it was still all so new that it took some time to get used to. Every time she woke up believing her happiness was some elaborate dream, only to gaze down at Dan’s sleeping face and realize that it was real. It was like unlimited Christmases, and she hoped the butterflies she felt every morning as she recognized her reality never went away.
“Good morning,” Dan mumbled sleepily, seeing her staring as he rolled over. “Sleep well?”
Lucy grinned, leaning down to kiss him. “I didn’t exactly get much of it, if I can recall.”
“And here I thought you enjoyed it,” Dan replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You know I did,” Lucy replied, kissing him deeply. Dan’s arms slipped around her pulling her on top of him.
She laughed, pushing away lightly, though she wished she didn’t have to. “If we don’t get up now, we’ll be late,” she warned, making Dan groan grumpily. “I know, I know, but I can’t think of how humiliating it would be to have them all sitting out there waiting for us just because we wanted one last romp in bed.” She reluctantly pushed off of him, sliding her feet onto the floor and hopping out of bed.
With a grumble of complaint, Dan threw back the blanket, stalking into the bathroom. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh.
She pressed her cheek against the closed door. “Since you’re showering first, I think I’ll go for a run before I clean myself up,” she called. “I won’t be long.”
The door clicked open just a crack, and Lucy could see Dan’s eyes as he peeked through the slit. “You could just join me in here and forget about the run,” he murmured suggestively.
Heat shivered though her core, but she shook her head. “Jogging every once in a while is the only thing that keeps my bear in check most of the time,” she explained. “Plus, it gives me time to think about things and wake up my brain in general.” She pushed the door open a bit more so that she could plant a quick kiss on Dan’s grouchy lips. “I won’t be long.”
He bellyached a bit more before saying, “I guess I’ll ma
ke up a quick breakfast for us when you return,” he replied grumpily. “Hurry back.” He closed the bathroom door to Lucy’s amused grin.
“And stop laughing when I’m trying to be sad,” he called through the door. She barked a laugh in response.
She wasn’t lying when she said that running calmed the beast. Despite her unwillingness to shift, she did quite like the outdoors, no doubt due to the affinity to nature that seemed to come standard with most shifters. Before Dan, a quick jog was the closest she could come to peace, and her bear felt much the same. After the week she’d had, she was long overdue for a run in the forest. It would help her fall back into a decent routine of living in toleration with her bear, and give her a chance to properly collect her thoughts and emotions without outside intervention.
She stepped out into the warm morning sun, stretching her arms high as she scouted the trail options around the shop. One headed west, to the house that Tom and Savannah were now living in. Another headed northwest-ish and it was the direction that Dan headed whenever he set out on scouts for the Northern Wind pack. She figured her best bet was to head straight north, the direction that Dan drove before they hopped out to scale the hill to their spot.
She didn’t know the forests here well enough to head in a random direction. The few times she’d ran before, she confined herself to the small area of the surrounding zone — and even then only when she was sure no one would be around—but today she felt she needed something a little more extensive. At least this way, she kind of vaguely knew where she was going and how to make it back. Mentally finalizing her route, she set off at a jog. The bear protested, placing vague suggestions of shifting to make this whole exercise thing much easier in her mind, but she ignored it. She’d been forcing it down for so long, it was almost easy to deny its advances these days. Maybe one day, with Dan, she wouldn’t feel the need to do so anymore, but she wasn’t there quite yet. So inside, the bear would stay.
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