Suddenly, he stopped and pulled a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, kitten. I shouldn’t have taken it that fast.”
I set my glass on the coffee table and climbed into his lap. I kissed his lips, lightly, “I don’t think I was complaining, Bowie. I’m not a virgin. Connor Pierce took care of that issue years ago.”
Fire flashed in Bowie’s eyes. “Ana, you want to go flying tonight?”
Talk about a sharp left turn. “Sure, let me grab my coat and tennis shoes. Bowie? Are you okay?” I asked as I slipped off of his lap.
“Yeah, I just need to get out of here before this goes further than either of us is ready for right now, kitten.”
I ran upstairs to grab the shoes I used when I went flying; shoes that I didn’t care about if they got wet. Not that I fell into the lake often, but it had been known to happen.
Bowie was in the yard waiting for me when I jumped off the porch. He caught me in his arms and spun me around. I couldn’t help but laugh. Flying with Bowie was an amazing experience. The others were more cautious with me, but not Bowie. He would soar as high as he could then do a nosedive toward the lake (that’s how I usually fell off). He took chances that made my adrenaline go off the charts and tonight was not going to be any different. We were both high on that kiss we’d shared.
We walked through the backyard to the lakeshore. Bowie got to the beach and stripped down. My mouth went dry at his nude body glistening in the moonlight. Gods, was he beautiful. Even in dragon form, he was the most magnificent of the four of them. His golden scales rippled in the night and made it look as if he were made entirely of moonlight. He shifted and looked over his back at me as if to ask, “What are you waiting for?”
I climbed up his tail to his back. “Let’s fly!” I said as I patted his neck.
I hooked my legs in anticipation of the take-off. The air was so cold that my lungs hurt, but I wouldn’t have traded this feeling for anything in the world. Bowie skimmed over the lake and up over the trees. The moon shone full tonight. It seemed so near that I could hold it in my hands. To be able to see the moonlight glisten on the snow from high above, the world seemed like it was full of magick.
Bowie flew higher and higher, then dipped and dove. I giggled when he banked a turn a little sharper than he needed to, trying to throw me off balance. Finally, he leveled out and I was able to get to my feet. Like a surfer on a surfboard I got my balance and rode Bowie’s back. It was an adrenaline rush. Our images reflected in the water. And I started to fall head over heels in love with the man who was my best friend. He swooped lower to the lake, allowing his feet to skim along the surface, then began to ascend into the black velvet sky. After an hour or so of flying, he headed back for the shore.
I was breathless from laughing and my outside was frozen, but I was warm inside. It wasn’t often that Bowie and I went flying alone. Tonight felt like the beginning of something new and exciting. He shifted back and got dressed. Taking my hand, we went back to the house where he walked me to my bedroom door. He leaned down to rest his forehead against mine. His eyes were closed. We stood there for the longest time. Bowie finally opened his eyes and looked at me. “Annie, I want to take you out on a date tomorrow night. Just you and me on a real honest to gods date. Will you go with me?”
My breath caught in my chest. How did any woman turn him down when he turned those eyes on them? I swallowed hard, “Of course, I’ll go.”
He smiled broadly at me. “I’m gonna kiss you, Annie.” His golden eyes had darkened with desire.
“Then, shut up and do it,” I said. It started off as a simple kiss goodnight, but it quickly escalated into passion that burned white hot. My arms snaked up around his neck. His hand slid down over my ass, and he lifted me off my feet. My legs automatically went around his waist. He backed me up against my bedroom door. Breathless, he stopped kissing me. He let me slide down his body.
“Gods, kitten! You’ve got to go to bed. Alone. I’ll see you in morning.”
I’d never imagined Bowie to be as passionate as he was with me. There again, he was the quiet, but deadly type. He thought things out before he acted on them. He kissed my forehead before opening the door.
“Good night, Bowie.” I undressed and climbed into my bed, but I never fell asleep.
Chapter Seventeen- Bowie
What the hell was I thinking? I mean, I’ve kissed women before. Hell, I’d even slept with more than my fair share, but I’d never come as close to losing control as I had with Anastasia. I had hoped flying over the lake would have cooled things down, but then I made the mistake of kissing her goodnight. I wanted to mark her as mine so all other males, human or shifter, would know she was mine. That had never happened before. I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich. I wasn’t sure I’d get any sleep tonight. Not with her sleeping on the other side of my bedroom wall.
I sat at the kitchen table contemplating the direction this relationship was heading until the world began to get light. That was when that the reason for my sleepless night tried to sneak out of the house. She didn’t look like she’d gotten any more sleep than I had. I put on my coat and followed her to the woods. Unaware that I was following her, she began to strip down to nothing. I had seen her naked before, but it had never affected me like it did this morning.
Her tawny skin caught the first rays of sunshine and she glowed. Of course, once I realized what she was intending to do, I got pissed off. She was going hunting after I specifically told her to take one of us with her! Damn her hide! I watched her shift and jogged off to keep an eye on her. She was so graceful in her puma form. She practically flew over the snow-covered ground.
She toyed with a family of mice for a little while, but they didn’t hold her attention for too long. She just kept running and running. Maybe she wasn’t out for a hunt. The wind shifted and she stopped. Her nose went up and I could see her tasting the air. Slowly, her head turned and she caught sight of me. She growled at me.
I leaned against the tree and watched her. She watched me right back for the longest time and I let her. When I’d had enough, I wiggled my fingers at her and called, “Here kitty, kitty!”
The little minx snarled at me and charged. I was laughing as she tackled me in the snow. She stood on top of me and put her face in front of mine and roared.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” I reached out to pet her head. Like any other cat, she butted against my hand. “Aww, who’s the big scary kitty?” I chuckled.
She sprawled on top of me and proceeded to lick my face with her sandpaper-like tongue. Her tail curled around my upper thigh.
“As much fun as this is, kitten, we should head back to the house.” She looked at me with that indignant cat look. “I’ll make pancakes,” I said, knowing how much Annie loved my pancakes. She slid off me and sat in the snow, washing her face with her paws, “with blueberries.”
That got her attention and she bounded off in front of me. By the time I caught up, she had shifted back and was getting dressed. I put my arm around her. “You have to promise me that you won’t try that again, Anastasia. No more hunting on your own until we get these poachers out of here.” She looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. I took a hold of her shoulders and turned her to face me. “Dammit, Anastasia! These people know what they are hunting! They are looking for the shifter communities, and trying to destroy them! Stop and think about what happened with me! How did they know to use mercury bullets? How did you feel when you didn’t know what would happen to me? Think about Mama and Dad! Brady and the twins! What would they do if something happened to you?” She cast her eyes to the ground. I took her chin and tilted it so she was looking in my eyes. “What would I do if something happened to you, Annie?” I whispered.
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, Bowie. I just wanted to clear my head and I always do it best when I’m running. I wasn’t thinking this morning.”
I hugged her tight. The fear of losing her sat like a stone on my chest.
“I promise. No more hunting or running alone,” she said. I kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, babe. Now, let’s go see if Mama has some ham steaks to go with those pancakes I promised you.”
Mama was pouring her first cup of coffee when we went inside. She smiled at the two of us over her coffee mug. “Good morning, my darlings.”
“Do we have any ham steaks?” I asked. She went to the freezer and pulled out enough for everyone.
Ana put her arm around me and said, “I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll set the table when I get back, okay?”
I slipped my arm around her waist and kissed her…in front of my mom. Who grinned like that Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Okay, so I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face either.
Mama took a cup of coffee into Papa per their morning ritual, leaving me alone with my thoughts while I made breakfast. Twenty minutes later, Ana was racing down the stairs with the twins hot on her heels. Stocking-footed, she slid across the kitchen floor.
Callum had shaving cream all over his face which means Ana woke him with the “shaving cream in the palm, tickle the face” trick. It looked like she had emptied an entire can of shaving cream on him. I would have to check my bathroom when I went back upstairs. She had gotten into her make-up bag and painted Colin up all pretty. She ducked between me and the counter, shrieking.
“Move, Bowie,” Colin threatened. I couldn’t help laughing. From his bright red lips to the pink blush on his cheeks, he was all dolled up. Between laughs, I asked, “Got a hot date this morning?”
Colin smirked at me. “Let me have her for ten minutes. That’s all I need.”
Callum had a palm-full of shaving cream. “Come out and play, kitty.”
Ana was trying to climb up my back. I swung her around and held her upside down where the twins could get at her. Callum smeared shaving cream all over her face and neck. She kept shrieking.
“Turnabout is fair play, sweetheart.”
The “sweetheart” is what got Colin’s attention. He arced an eyebrow at me and I shrugged a shoulder. He smiled at me, then tugged at Callum, “C’mon, let’s go get cleaned up for breakfast. Watch your back, kitten. I’ll strike when you least expect it.”
I tossed her a towel to wipe the shaving cream off her face. My dad came out of the bedroom.
“What in hell is going on out here?” He took one look at Ana and she pulled the whole “boys against the baby girl” act. He sat down in his chair and pulled her into his lap. Using the towel, he helped her clean off the shaving cream.
“She asked for it, Dad,” I said as I put on the first batch of pancakes.
“My precious little angel? What on earth could she have done to deserve this?”
I don’t know how he kept a straight face when he said it, but he did. At that moment, ‘his little angel’ pulled out her phone and showed him a picture she had taken of Colin. Dad laughed out loud.
“Don’t forget that Callum was covered in shaving cream,” I added.
My father looked at her with mock disapproval. “Shame on you for teasing those boys. Whatever am I going to do with you?” Then, he hugged her tight and said, “Things sure were quiet around here when you were gone. I’ve missed mornings like this.”
Ana stuck her tongue out at me.
“Bring that over here and say that,” I threatened. And then she did the thing I least expected. She got out of my dad’s lap and walked herself to me. I let her pull me to her and kiss me soundly.
“Well, that should teach her,” Dad said with a chuckle. I slapped her on the butt, “Get the table set or we’ll never eat.” My father winked at me over the top of the morning paper. It looked like the family had seen this coming long before either of us did.
Chapter Eighteen- Ana
I couldn’t believe I had kissed Bowie in front of Mama and Papa. It felt right which surprised the hell out of me. I was setting the table when Mama came into the kitchen. She took the silverware from me and took me in her arms.
“Be happy, baby girl,” she whispered.
Tears filled my eyes at that simple blessing. She threw me off balance with those words. I picked up the silverware and finished setting the table.
Mama kissed Papa good morning before helping Bowie pull all the food off the stove and put it on the table. The twins finally came downstairs with grins on their faces; grins that promised that they had been up to no good while they’d been upstairs.
Plates full of pancakes and ham, Mama asked, “What’s everyone up to today?”
Bowie had the day off. “Good, I need some help with a project, if you have some time,” Papa said. The twins had to open the store for Brady, then Callum was on duty at the station.
“I’m guessing that I’ll have to clean up whatever mess the twins made in my room. Other than that, I’m free until tonight,” I said.
“Want to help with some baking? I promised cookies and candies for the Yule party at the Community Center tonight,” Mama asked, knowing how much I loved to help with the holiday baking.
Bowie looked at her, “Is that tonight? I completely forgot about it.” Bowie took my hand,
“Can we skip our night out tonight? I really have to go to this.”
“No problem. We can go out anytime.” He kissed my knuckles. Everyone dug into their plates with smirks on their faces.
We all went our separate ways after breakfast. Sure enough, my bedroom was in shambles. The damn twins had toilet papered my room. There was shaving cream in my pillowcase and all over my sheets. They had written B.G loves A.P. on my mirror…using my favorite lipstick.
Mama was standing in the doorway when I turned around. She was laughing, “When are you going to learn to stop teasing those boys?”
I grinned at her, “Never. It’s too much fun.”
“Get those sheets off the bed and I’ll throw them in the wash for you.”
I stripped the bed and gave them to Mama. “Thank you,” I said.
She just walked away humming some holiday tune.
I pulled all of the toilet paper down and put it in the trash can. I debated about wiping off the mirror, but decided against it. I kind of liked it.
Mama had a batch of fudge on the stove cooking and she was working on a batch of cookie dough. “Where do you want to start, Ana?”
I took over the fudge making for her.
“Keep those fingers out of the pan!” she said, as I was ready to dip a finger into the warm mixture. I yanked it back and kept stirring. I stopped to butter the fudge pan and Mama asked, “So, how do you feel about my Bowie?”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Ana?”
I turned to face her. “These feelings are all so new to me. I’ve always loved Bowie, but as a friend loves another friend. Do you know what I mean? I think things began to shift when he was in the hospital, but it’s been evolving without either of us noticing it.”
“Do I ever understand. Did you know Papa was my best friend when we were younger? We used to play together every day. We would go fishing or play in the woods all through school. Summers we’d spend at the lake. Then, one day when we were about 17, things flipped around. We were down on the beach watching the sunset. It was one of those nights where the air is so heavy that it weighs a body down. Anyway, he took my hand and was playing with my fingers like he does. He stopped and looked out at the water for a moment, then he leaned over and kissed me. Talk about shock! My, oh my, did he shock me! I got up and walked home alone. I stayed up all night long thinking about that kiss. I struggled with all of those new feelings for quite some time.” Mama had a pretty blush on her cheeks as she reminisced about that first kiss.
I turned back to the stove, stirring the bubbling pot. After pouring it into the pan, I sat down at the table with a spoon to clean out the chocolate.
“You never did answer me, Ana. How are you feeling about Bowie?”
“He makes me feel all bubbly inside. You know how he has always
winked at me? Never felt it until last night at dinner, but he makes my breath catch in my chest. He looks at me like he always has, but it’s like a shade has been pulled up to let the sunshine in.”
Mama dipped her finger into the pot for some of the leftover cooled chocolate. “He’s watched you for years, baby girl. But he only started watching you like a man watches a woman for the past year or so. I was worried that he would try to keep you from going to college. That, I didn’t want. I wanted you to get your education. I wish you could finish at school, but I’d rather have you safe and sound at home. I could sense this relationship was coming.”
“Why didn’t I notice it, then?” I asked.
“Because you weren’t ready to see him in any other way than your friend. It took almost losing him for you to see. And that’s okay, too.” We spent the better part of the morning cooking and baking.
Bowie and Papa came in at lunch time, looking for food. Mama pointed towards the fridge and said, “There are sandwich fixings in there. Chips are in the cupboard.”
Papa kissed my cheek. He smelled like fresh cut wood, a smell that I would always associate with him. Bowie slid an arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.
“Hi, you. Looks like you two have been busy.” I fed him a piece of the fudge we had made earlier. He sucked my fingers a little longer than necessary and I went all tingly.
Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart (The Cedar River Series) Page 8
