Authors: Samantha Towle
Chapter 27: Paradise
Nathan turns the engine off and we both climb out of the Range Rover.
“You sure you want to do this?” he asks again, taking me by the hand as we meet in front of the car.
“Sure I do. I have done it before you know.”
“But you never wanted to do it before with me–”
“And now I do.” I cut him off before he can say any more. I don’t want this to lead into a conversation tied to Zeff. “I want to shift with you. I want to hunt with you. I want to be with
you
.”
A grin commands his face, nearly melting me into yet another puddle right before him. He pulls his T-shirt off, sealing the deal. “Then your wish is my command.”
Good, God. What did he have to go and say that for? It was hard enough being naked with him in the shower without doing anything. It turns out that I do actually possess some form of restraint, Nathan, not so much, but he did once I hammered my point home. Figuratively speaking of course.
Every fibre of me is singing in his view. His body is ridiculous. And I mean that in the greatest sense of the word.
It takes everything in me to tear my eyes awart owith me–ay from him so I can undress. I’m literally like a dog in heat. Ironic, since I’m about to turn into one. Well, not a dog as such, but you know what I mean.
Taking off the last remaining item of clothing, I drop my undies onto the car bonnet.
Nathan raises an eyebrow. “Okay, so I was good in the shower. Great in fact. Actually, I was on my absolute fucking best behaviour considering how crazy hot you are, without even adding in the fact you were all soapy and wet. But shit, Alex, seriously, you naked out here in my territory … well, it’s kind of getting hard to abstain.” He looks down. I follow his gaze. “In the literal sense.”
He smiles sexily and starts to move toward me. “If you need to bite me, seriously bite away. Whatever. I’ll live.” He grins, joking. Well, I hope he’s joking.
Glancing at his dog tags resting on his perfect chest, then moving my eyes lower. I tuck my hair behind my ear, bite down on my bottom lip and look at him through my lowered lashes.
Good God, he’s hot.
“We can’t.” I put a hand flat to his chest as he reaches me.
I watch him watching me.
“We can.” He leans in against my hand.
Drawing me to him, his hands find my waist and he rubs circles into my skin with his thumbs, distracting the hell out of me. He’s good, I’ll give him that.
“Don’t you ever get tired?” I ask, dryly, running my fingers over his dog tags.
His fingers stroke down my sides over my hips and he looks at me seriously. “Of you? Never.” Another foxy grin. “You’ve turned me into a walking hard-on.”
I let out a laugh. I love this side of Nathan. The side only I get to see, the one when he’s happy and relaxed. I got a brief glimpse of it before everything went to shit. I missed it.
But things are great now between us, fantastic in fact, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. I haven’t forgotten there is bad stuff out there waiting for me. I know I still have Isaiah the loon searching for me, and now Elijah the equal lunatic.
And I’ll deal with those thoughts real soon.
But not now. I want to enjoy this, enjoy him, and some normality; well as normal as we can get, for as long as I can.
He’s kissing my neck now and his hands are starting to wander away from my hips.
I wonder if Nathan behaved like this with his other girlfriends – hot and horny all the time. Okay, scrap that thought. It’s making me feel sick. Actually, no think about it, it’ll stop me from letting him get his way with me.
Nathan with other women. Ugh. It hurts more than distracts. Try again. Nathan mucking out the stables. Okay, here we go, I’m getting there.
His mouth fixed on mine, kissing me, his hands wandering everywhere. We’re going to end up having sex here if he gets his way. What was that all about earlier, stopping us having sex so I cdth=ee, theould feed? It’s like he’s forgotten all about that.
But he was right. I do need to feed. And I need to stop this, but my mind isn’t responding, it’s just going along with the amazing feelings I’m having. But I could lose control and hurt him. Keep thinking yucky things, Alex.
Nathan milking a cow. Yep, that’ll do it. Nathan milking, milk from a cow’s udder. Oh God, gross.
There we go.
And somehow I manage to extract myself from him, using a great deal of self-restraint, and say, “Well, horny boy. You’re just going to have to wait a while longer, because I'm not risking it. I’m not risking you.”
Pushing him back gently, I give him a soft smile.
“Killjoy.” He pouts, which only makes me want to kiss him.
Manure. Think manure, Alex, and cow udders.
“What happened to practical Nathan, you know the one from earlier? Who are you and what have you done with him?”
He lets out a low chuckle.
It does all kinds of evil things to me.
“Seriously, since when did I turn into the sensible one of the two of us?” I ask, bemused.
“Since you came back on fire.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”
He cups my face with his hand. The contact drives me crazy.
“You’re different Alex, but still the same, if that makes sense. You’re just so independent and strong. You’re full of determination and it’s as hot as fucking hell.”
He lets out a small laugh. “You used to need me, before … now, not so much – and it’s okay.” He says at my expression. “I like it.”
“I need you,” I say fervently, meeting my blue eyes to his green ones, ignoring the little voice in my head, saying I’m like this because of Zeff.
I’m stronger and more independent because he helped me to become a better version of myself. Better than the one that left Nathan sleeping in that hotel room that night.
I sweep my Jiminy Cricket to the back of my mind and watch as Nathan’s smile turns into a slippery grin.
“You turned me on before, no doubt about that, but now, well you can see for yourself.” He looks down and I follow his gaze.
We both look back up at the same time. I feel a strong frisson of energy; electricity and arousal flow between us.
Will it always be like this with him?
God, I hope so.
I bite down on a smile, which I think would have become a lusty smile had I not stopped it, and move away from him before he can try and get his way with me, again.
Then without looking at him, I shift into my other self.
I look up at him. He’s smiling down at me. He looks impressed. He pulls his dog tags off over his head, dropping then on our pile of clothes, and then he shifts too. I’ve never seen him turn before. His fur is dark brown. He nuzzles into my own fur with his nose, sniffing me. Looks at me for a long moment and I see an almost smile in his eyes, then he takes off running.
I dart off after him, very quickly catching up.
We hunt together, and it’s the most exciting and exhilarating feeling ever. After we’ve finished we lay together in the woods, sated.
I watch with my wolf eyes Nathan changing back to his human form. Then I let my body shift back too.
I lay on my front, propped up on my elbows, looking at him laid there on his back, staring over at me.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” he says in a low voice.
“That a compliment, Hargreaves?” I tease. Nathan doesn’t issue compliments often or freely. But he sure is throwing quite a few around today. “Because I could seriously get used to them.”
“Maybe … Jones.” He turns onto his side, facing me, and runs his fingertip lightly down my back. It sends a shiver rushing down my spine.
I can’t believe I’m laid here in the woods, naked, and I actually feel comfortable.
And it’s because I’m with him. He makes me feel so utterly safe and comfortable.
I rest my chin on my shoulder and stare at him.
He stares back.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, his voice warm.
“Nothing.” I smile. “I’m just happy.”
“And fed.”
“Well, yeah, that too.”
He leans closer and gives me a delicious kiss. Moving a breath away from my lips, he says, “Are you happy, here with me?”
I feel a sudden ache deep within my chest that he even has to ask. It knocks the wind out of me.
“Of course I am,” I say emphatically.
He says nothing more, just stares into my eyes, piercing straight into my soul. But something tells me there’s more to come. That there’s more he wants to say … ask.
But he doesn’t.
Do I think this because I keep expecting him to ask me about Zeff, and he doesn’t? Not once has he mentionedwidtp>
I guess I just thought he’d be curious. I know I would be. He knows I spent a week with Zeff in Italy, I thought he would question the contents of that week. Have questions about Zeff, knowing exactly who and what he is. But so far, nothing.
Not a nada.
If it were me, I’d be more jealous of the thought of Nathan spending a serious amount of time with another woman, irrespective of who they were.
And part of me is glad he doesn’t ask, don’t get me wrong. But another part of me is bothered as to why he doesn’t.
The rational side of me is saying, maybe he just doesn’t want to know, that’s simply it. The irrational side is saying … well you can probably guess what my irrational side is conjuring up.
But then ultimately there is nothing to know. Not really. A fleeting almost moment, that he doesn’t need to know about, because it was nothing.
So it’s a moot point.
I know that whatever I thought I might have been feeling for Zeff at that time was just me projecting my feelings for Nathan onto him.
My loneliness was looking for a substitute, and Zeff fit the bill.
Nathan starts to stroke the skin on my shoulder with his rough finger, removing all traces of thoughts over Zeff from my mind with it, trailing it down my arm, his eyes following. I watch him, watching me. He moves his attention back to my face, my mouth. I wet my dry lips. His gaze softens, and the way he’s touching me and looking at me has my skin fizzing, tingling. The feeling rushing over me, taking complete hold.
You know that feeling, the one when you know you’ve finally got it. Got the one person you’re meant to spend your whole life with, right here in front of you. Someone so truly amazing they beggar belief. And he wants you right back, as you are, asking for nothing in return.
Nathan is mine. My one.
The sensation makes me dizzy, heady.
“I want you in the worst kind of way,” he murmurs.
And with his words, all my thoughts slide south of dirty.
Wearing nothing but a smile, he leans closer, his hard body pressed up against my side, he kisses me gently, lips barely touching. A little moan of pleasure escapes me.
That’s all it takes for him.
I feel him harden against my leg, then shifting me up and onto my side, he rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him in one fluid movement. He kisses me deeply, intensely, in only the way he can, making me feel like only he can. Unknowingly lifting me out of my jaded past, taking me far
far
away from all the pain and hurt I’ve carried around for so long, and he lands me into paradise.
Our paradise.
And I swear to all the gods, I’m never coming up for air again. I am never losing this feeling that I have right now, here, with him.
Chapter 28: Birthday Boy
“Careful, watch the door,” I say, as I manoeuvre Nathan through into the dining room, my hands covering his eyes.
Jack, Craig, and Scarlett, are standing around the table in silent anticipation.
Today is the 5
th
of March. The day Nathan turns thirty.
I couldn’t believe it when he told me that it was going to be his birthday today – such a coincidence. I only realised it was March when he told me.
My birthday is March 6
th
. I didn’t tell him though. It’s not important and I don’t really feel like celebrating it.
I shopped online for Nathan’s present, he hadn’t exactly left me with much time. He was insistent he didn’t want a present or to celebrate, but I told him to put a sock in it.
He’s turning thirty, it’s a big deal.
Borrowing Craig’s laptop I searched online for ages, finally stumbling across something … well the only think I could think of to buy him really.
He’s not so easy to buy for, I’ve discovered.
Well I ordered the gift, and Craig collected it first thing this morning for me, as I still can’t go out in public around here. I’m just praying Nathan will like it.
I also ordered clothes, shoes, and underwear too, and had them delivered on express delivery. I’m wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a black strappy top. Simple yet, sexy. Oh and my new underwear of course. No more basic white bras and undies for me. Sexy, all the way from now on.