He nearly spewed the sip of coffee he'd just taken. "Hell no, Laura. An exhibitionist likes people to see them naked. If I wanted that, I wouldn't run naked in an isolated area in the dead of night."
That was a relief. "Well, I can see where you might want to be," Laura admitted. "You have a pretty impressive package."
His laugh broke the tension between them. Sam returned to her, leaned in close and nibbled her earlobe. "Your flannel pajamas are really starting to turn me on."
Her husband was still the man she fell in love with, even if Laura had discovered a peculiar quirk about him. He'd discovered things he didn't know about her too. Maybe eight months wasn't long to get to know someone, but Laura was still certain she'd done the right thing by marrying Sam. Their love needed reaffirming after a stormy night. She knew the perfect way. Exposing a glimpse of flannel by opening her ratty robe, she winked at him.
"Come back to bed. It was a long night without you."
THEY'D SPENT MOST OF THE DAY IN BED, enjoying one another, laughing, teasing, but night had fallen and Sam worried about sneaking out without waking Laura again. He also wondered if the curse might be broken now so he wouldn't have to run away. If it wasn't, the cycle ended for him tomorrow. But it only ended until the next one. Could he manage to deceive Laura for the rest of their lives? Sam didn't want to. Maybe after they'd been married for a while, Laura could accept the truth.
Snuggled beside him, his wife said, "Something just occurred to me."
He kissed the top of her head. "What's that?"
"I'm afraid of a wolf and my last name is now Wulf." It had taken her a while to make that connection. The curse cast centuries ago had been tied to the Wulf name. Over the years, its power had faded and now it was a rare occurrence for the curse to resurface. But Sam was proof it still existed. His parents recognized the signs early and prepared him for the transformation that true love would bring. Something Sam might have to do for his own sons someday. Another secret he'd kept from Laura.
Since he'd honestly believed the curse would be broken for him on their wedding night, Sam decided on a wait-and-see approach concerning his children. No need to worry Laura unnecessarily.
"See, you shouldn't be afraid of him. You're practically related," he finally responded.
She giggled and snuggled closer. "You've worn me out. I'm going to sleep like the dead tonight."
He hoped so. If nothing had changed for him, Sam must leave her soon. What else could break the curse if simply finding his soul mate and marrying her wasn't the answer? There had been something said about a man facing his greatest enemy. As far as Sam knew, he didn't have any enemies. Could the verse be an archaic way of saying a man must face his greatest fear? Losing Laura was his greatest fear. The only way to face that was to tell her the truth.
If he did, Laura, terrified of the woods and the creatures that dwelled within them, would want to be as far away from her new husband as possible. Unless he taught her that not all creatures were to be feared. There was a way Sam might prove that to Laura. But she wasn't going to like it.
THE CABIN WAS FREEZING. EVEN LAURA'S FLANNEL PAJAMAS weren't cutting the mustard tonight. She scooted past the crack that resulted from pushing two bunks together in search of Sam's warmth. Not only was the warmth absent, so was her husband. It was still dark. Light failed to penetrate the ugly drapes she'd pulled closed before they went to bed. But she did see a sliver of moonlight coming from the open door.
"Sam?" she called, hoping he was somewhere in the cabin.
No answer.
"Good grief." Laura threw back the covers. "If you must run naked in the woods at night, you could at least close the door behind you!"
Although complaining did no good, it made her feel better. She was about to get out of bed when she spotted it. A shadow to her left. A set of glowing eyes. A scream rose in her throat. She bit it back, afraid the response might spur an attack from the animal.
When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Laura realized the shadow was that of a wolf. It must be the same one she'd seen the night before—the one Sam told her wouldn't harm a human. But her husband wasn't around to chase it back outside where it belonged.
"Nice wolf," she said. "Go back outside now."
The wolf rose and moved toward her. Laura rolled off the other side of the bed and made a mad dash for the door. Adrenaline pumping, she actually made it and ran outside, pulling the door shut behind her.
"Ah-ha!" she yelled. "Tricked you, didn't I?"
Her cockiness lasted only a second. It was cold outside. The car was locked and the keys were inside the cabin. The only choice Laura had was to go in search of Sam. She knew it wasn't a good idea to traipse off into the woods without a flashlight or anything to mark her trail, but she had to at least look. Maybe Sam wasn't far from the cabin.
Taking off in the direction she'd seen Sam run the night before, Laura tried to keep a level head. The full moon lit her way, but it also outlined the trees. They still looked scary. Her breath steamed on the night air and her socks were wet because of the thick dew on the ground. Behind her, the wolf continued to howl, almost as if warning Laura to return.
"Yeah, come back so I can eat you," she said with a snort. "Sam!"
No answer.
As she moved farther into the trees, the silence around her should have been comforting; instead it made her feel as if she'd fallen off the face of the earth. How could Sam stand to run around naked in the cold at night? Laura was freezing. She blew on her hands and would have stomped her feet if she wasn't afraid she'd step on something and injure herself.
The farther she walked, the more disoriented Laura became. She had no idea which direction she was headed. Her voice was hoarse from calling for Sam. Panic threatened to take over. Laura sat on a fallen log and took deep calming breaths. Rubbing her arms to keep warm, she called for Sam again. Again, no answer.
Although she wasn't woods smart, she sensed her best action now would be to return to the cabin. Maybe if she opened the door again, the wolf would run outside. For all Laura knew Sam had already returned and dealt with the animal.
Now, to find her way back. Laura rose and trudged in the opposite direction she'd been headed. She walked for what seemed an eternity before she heard a familiar sound. The wolf howling.
She nearly cried. At least now she had something to guide her back to the cabin. Her steps were more certain as she followed the wolf's howls. The cabin came into view. Her knees almost buckled with relief. But she still had a problem. Sam had obviously not returned and the wolf was still trapped inside her home.
Her hands trembled as she wrapped them around the door handle of the cabin. She flung it wide and flattened herself against the outside wall.
"Come out of there, wolf!" she demanded. "I'm not sharing my home with you."
The animal bounded outside, headed for the trees. Laura raced into the cabin, closed and locked the door. She stood with her heart hammering, breathing deep in an effort to calm herself. She was home. She was safe. But where in the hell was Sam? Pushing away from the door, Laura went into the bathroom. She was still freezing and even a ten-minute hot shower would warm her up. If Sam returned while she showered, he could use the spare key he'd told her was under the welcome mat outside.
Just as she hoped, the shower got her blood pumping again. Laura avoided the sensuous-smelling shower gel. Sam had told her it attracted bugs. Once she climbed out, she dried and put a towel around her wet hair. After moving back into the bedroom and switching on lights, she frowned at the thought of wearing flannel pajamas.
Instead she dug a sexy short nightgown and matching robe from the cabin's old dresser. It wasn't that she dressed to please Sam when he returned. Laura just needed to feel feminine. Besides, a woman should look good while yelling at her husband for the first time.
THE NIGHT WAS PURE AGONY. SAM COULDN'T LOSE himself to the beast and run free. His plan to show Laura the wolf within him wouldn't harm her had backfired. He never anticipated that Laura would run out into the night, locking him inside. He'd hurled his body against the big windows over the bed several times. Damn the double-paned glass he'd had installed to keep the cabin warmer. His throat was hoarse from howling, hoping if Laura strayed too far from the cabin looking for him, he could guide her back.
Not only had his city bride found her way back, she'd ordered him from the cabin. Sam was proud as hell of her, but after last night, he knew he must tell Laura the truth. She was tougher than he'd given her credit for. He had to be as brave. Even if he lost her forever.
He entered the cabin naked and dirty from being out of doors. Laura was perched on the bed drinking coffee. She looked like cotton candy in a pink slinky gown and robe.
"The toilet isn't working," were her first words.
Sam grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms from his suitcase and slipped into them. "I'll have a look at it after we talk."
"You'll have a look at it now," she corrected him. "I need to go, and I won't if I can't flush the toilet."
Walking to where she sat, Sam stared down at Laura. "What I have to tell you is more important than a broken toilet."
She crossed her long legs. "That might depend on how bad one of us needs to go."
His talk with Laura would have to wait. "Okay, I'll fix it."
It took him only a moment to figure out the chain to the float had simply come loose. Sam corrected the problem, washed his face and hands and quickly brushed his teeth. He came out of the bathroom.
"It's working now."
She rose and glided toward him in a flutter of pink silk. When Laura reached his side, she handed him her coffee cup. "You might want to fortify yourself. I'm getting ready to yell at you."
He took a sip. "Thanks for the warning."
Carrying Laura's coffee cup to the bed, he placed the cup on a nightstand and took a seat. Laura emerged a moment later. Sam noticed the high heeled slippers she wore. They made her legs look a mile long.
"I see you've learned to navigate the cracks," he said.
"You'd be surprised what a girl can learn when she has a husband who doesn't stay home at night."
Laura got her jabs in where she could. She wasn't the type to let a man walk all over her. His wife was funny, smart, and sophisticated.
She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, even if a curse came with loving her. And Sam was about to lose her.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said.
She made an adorable snorting noise. "Really? What a coincidence. That's what I wanted to talk to you about too."
Although Sam longed to make love to her, he couldn't keep deceiving his wife. "I need to confess something to you."
Her sarcastic smile faded. "You have some deep dark secret, don't you, Sam?"
He'd add intuitive to his list of wonderful character traits Laura possessed. "Yes."
Sighing, she walked to the bed and sat beside him. "You belong to some weird cult who get together naked in the woods and chant and dance around, right?"
If only it were that simple. There wasn't an easy way to tell her about his problem, so he might as well be blunt. "I'm a werewolf, baby."
The only response he got from Laura was the slight widening of her big baby blues. A moment later she laughed. "Good try. What's really going on?"
Sam wished he could laugh as well, pretend what he'd said was ludicrous. He took her hands in his. "I'm cursed. I thought marrying you, my soul mate, would free me, but it didn't. I had hoped I'd never have to tell you my secret. The wolf in the woods. The wolf in the cabin last night. That was me."
She sat as if shocked for a moment, and then Laura wrestled her hand from his. She stood, glaring down at him. "This isn't funny, Sam!"
No, it wasn't funny. It was horrible… at least seeing Laura's reaction was. The curse in itself wasn't so bad. "It's true, Laura."
Turning her back, she ran her fingers through her hair. When she faced him again, her expression was surprisingly calm. Very slowly, Laura asked, "Do have medication you're supposed to be taking in your suitcase? Should I get it for you?"
Laura didn't believe him. She thought he needed medication. Sam would as soon tell her that he was kidding and get back to their honeymoon. But he couldn't. He'd deceived his wife long enough. "I wish I could take a pill and make this go away, baby, but I can't. Since marrying you and consummating our vows on our wedding night didn't break the curse like I thought it would, I'm stuck with it."
Her hand went to her heart. She joined him on the bed. "You're telling me that you're a werewolf. You're not joking. You're perfectly serious. Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
Now that he'd told Laura his secret, Sam was determined to make her believe him. "When you were in here with the wolf last night, you said, "Nice wolf," and then you told me to go outside. Instead I moved toward you. You rolled off the other side of the bed, made a mad dash for the door and shut me inside. When you returned, you ordered me out. If I wasn't the wolf, how would I know that?"
Her brows drew together. Laura narrowed her eyes. "Were you here all along? Were you hiding while I was being scared out my wits?"
Sam rose, needing to stretch his legs. "I would never hide while you were frightened. I hoped you would see the wolf wouldn't harm you, but you didn't give me a chance to prove that. I'm hoarse today from howling so you could find your way back to the cabin. I was terrified something might happen to you."
Laura swallowed loudly. Her eyes watered. He was finally getting through to her. "You're not joking. You really are a werewolf."