SavingAttractions (11 page)

Ada walked along the river. She’d been looking for Jagger
since she’d eaten at midday. Her search had started with a walk around camp. It
was quiet. Other people rested or found ways to entertain themselves, but no
one had seen the big man. Some talked, others played a game that had been
improvised from some smooth river rocks, a spare tent spike and circles made in
the dirt around the spike.

She hadn’t found Jagger on that first foray but had thought
that perhaps he was simply out of camp for a little while. She’d sat and talked
to Lauren. After a while, she’d glanced around and noticed he still wasn’t
anywhere in sight, so she’d walked around camp again. Finally, she’d asked one
of the Zarain men. He had directed her to walk along the river until she found
a spot where the river widened almost into a lake.

She had wandered along the river but mostly in the other
direction. She’d never found a spot where the river widened. Strolling along
the bank now, she let her eyes roam over the tall green grass along the river
bank. She couldn’t see anyone around here or hear any sound of someone nearby.
How far had Jagger gone? She continued along the riverbank, listening and
watching.

The river curved. While she worked her way around a thicket
of thorny vines and bushes that had grown next to the river, she thought she
heard a noise. She stopped and tilted her head waiting to see if that snapping
noise came again. It had sounded like it occurred somewhere in the trees ahead
of her, but she couldn’t be sure. Her heart pounded as a little fear seeped
through her. Glancing around, she tried to see if anyone was following her or
if some animal thought she was prey because she was alone.

She didn’t see any movement or sign of a predator stalking
her. Relaxing a little, she was still wary as she continued her quest to find
Jagger. At this point, she might take even seeing the widening of the river as
a triumph.

She made her way through a cluster of trees growing along
the bank and stepped out into a clearing and stared at the water. The river did
widen into a large roughly rounded shape before the water continued its way
downstream.

A large grassy area separated the river’s edge from the
group of trees that almost surrounded the area. The water looked cool and
inviting and the thought of going for a swim floated through her mind. She
shook her head. She was here to find Jagger. They needed to talk. She didn’t
see anyone here though, or a sign that he’d been here at all.

Sighing, she looked around for a moment. Where was he?
Hopefully, that Zarain hadn’t sent her out here as some sort of joke. With the
danger of the two unknown attackers, she didn’t think he’d do that. All of the
Zarain men seemed to take the threat seriously. Which meant that he had
believed Jagger would be here. He obviously wasn’t here now.

She turned to walk back to camp, but the sound of cracking
twigs and thrashing leaves drew her head around to at the tree line. At first,
she didn’t see anything, but the cracks and rustling of leaves grew louder. She
backed up slowly. Her eyes remained locked on the foliage.

Two huge beasts with shaggy blond and brown fur burst from
the trees and bushes. Her heart slammed inside her chest. Where had they come
from? How had no one seen these animals? Fear dried her mouth and panic slammed
through her. All she saw were big heads with pointed ears and huge,
teeth-filled muzzles.
Run!
It was the only thought in her mind.

A roar made her jump and one of the shaggy creatures loped
toward her. She spun, found herself facing the river and ran into the water.
She kept going, swimming when her feet wouldn’t touch the river bottom any
longer.

Ada.
The sound of Jagger’s voice was so clear that
she at first looked around, fear for him spiking through her. She saw one of
the beasts but nothing else. She turned and swam again, sure that she’d
imagined her name.

She expected to hear another roar or maybe the sound of
splashing if the animal came into the water after her. Laughter startled her.
She stopped swimming and glanced back. Jagger stood on the grass near the
water’s edge. He was naked and a huge smile curved his lips.

“Jagger, the animals. Where are the animals?” Her eyes swung
from left to right looking for that large monster.

“The animals are gone, Ada.” His voice was calm and sure.
“Come on out of the water.

“How can you be sure? They were huge, Jagger.” Her eyes
centered on him again.
Why is he naked?
“Where are your clothes?”

“My clothes are over there.” He pointed to the edge of the
trees, but she couldn’t see any sign of his clothes. “I know the animals are
gone because I was one of them. Cort was the other one. You know we’re
shapeshifters.”

She stared at him and it took her a moment for her mind to
work its way around what he’d said. He was that beast and he’d stood there
laughing at her when he’d terrified her. Anger built, replacing the fear. Her
eyes narrowed on him.

“Come out, Ada.” His arm gestured for her to come closer.
“We’ll walk back to the camp and you can get into some dry clothes.”

Ada glared at him and then turned and swam for the opposite
side of the river. She was going back to get some dry clothes, but she wasn’t
going with him.

“Ada, where do you think you’re going?” Jagger’s voice rose
and she heard splashing.

Ada kept swimming and didn’t bother to look back. He could
come after her or he could go back, get his clothes and walk back on his own.
She didn’t care. As she was wading out of the water on the other side, he
caught up with her. His hand clasped her arm, pulling her to a halt.

“Ada.” Just her name, but there was a distinct rumble in his
voice.

Ada wasn’t impressed. She turned to face him and glared up
at him. “What?”

His blond hair was plastered to his head and hung in wet
bunches down to his shoulders. His mouth firmed into a thin line and he took in
a deep breath. She didn’t know if he was trying to calm down or if he was
gearing up for a loud yell at her. After what he’d done, she didn’t care if he
was angry.

“What was that about? Why didn’t you swim to me?” He
gestured back to the water and then his silver gaze fixed on her.

“Why didn’t I swim to you? Are you an idiot?” She tugged on
her arm, but it was no use. His grip didn’t budge. It wasn’t tight, but his
hand remained on her arm, even when she twisted and yanked.

“You know we’re going back across that river at one of the
narrow points so that I can get my clothes.” He urged her out of the water onto
the grassy bank.

She smirked at him and tried to keep her voice sweet and
even. A hard thing when she wanted to scream at him. “You can go without me. I
can walk back fine on my own. Apparently the only thing that’s dangerous in
this area is you and the other Zarain.”

“You’re not walking back on your own, and none of the Zarain
here would lay a paw on you. You were escorted here, even if you didn’t notice
them. Why are you so angry? I want the full explanation and not the attitude.”
He drew her to a halt on the grass, moved in front of her. His hand released
her arm, but both of those big palms cupped over her shoulders before she could
move away from him.

“Not the attitude? You come charging out of the forest as a
beast, with another huge creature beside you. All I see is something big enough
to take my life without even getting winded. You roar and charge at me,
frightening me and probably giving me nightmares for a month. Then you laugh at
me because I ran into the water to get away. And you don’t want attitude.” She
smacked her palm on his bare chest.

“All right, you might have a point about scaring you, but
you knew I was a shapeshifter.” He raised a brow and grinned down at her.

“But I didn’t know what you were. You never showed me and
it’s not like there are pictures of what each type of shifter is supposed to
turn into. At least, not that I know of.” She dropped her hand but glared up at
him.

“No, there aren’t images of the various shapeshifters in
regards to what their animal is. Not the type you mean or would have access to
viewing,” he admitted with a nod. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I was excited to
see you and didn’t think before I started coming toward you.”

Her anger cooled a little at the apology and more at the
explanation. She loved that he was excited to see her. The way that excitement
had been shown, that probably would end up giving her a few nighttime visions.
That thing was scary.

“So I’ll turn into something like that?” She glanced at him.
She really wasn’t sure how it worked or if she even wanted to be able to shift
into one of those big creatures. Although the thought was cool, she couldn’t
help wondering if it hurt or if she’d lose herself while in the that form.
Would she be in control or would the animal?

“Yes, you’ll be able to transform fairly soon, maybe a day
or so. How about we go back across the river? I can get my clothes and we can
talk.” He looked back across the water.

She wasn’t so sure she wanted to tackle that discussion just
yet. It scared her, but even more she needed a little distance from the still
jangled emotions from her fright. She met his eyes and then stepped up to him.

“We could do that or we could take the moment to ourselves
and enjoy the water.” She peeked up at him through her lashes. “We are alone,
aren’t we? There aren’t any other Zarain hanging around the area?”

“Yes, we’re alone.” He smiled. “Are you sure? You’re clothes
are already wet. They might get dirty if we put them on the grass.”

As if that would change her mind. “They’re already wet. They
can’t get any worse unless you drop them in mud. Just don’t put them there.”

He chuckled a little. “I won’t drop them in mud. Let’s move
over to the other side so that we don’t have to swim across afterward.”

He tugged her toward the other side of the river. She swam
beside him. As soon as his feet touched the bottom, he reached out and gripped
her wrist, tugging her into the shallow water. He led her onto the grass. She
pulled the shirt over her head, dropping the sodden mass onto the ground. She
didn’t waste time before toeing out of her shoes and stripping her pants and
underwear down her legs. Now she stood just as naked as he was.

“Beautiful. Let’s go back into the water.” He held out his
hand.

She slid her palm over his. He led her back into the water.
With the clothes on, the feel of the water moving over her skin had been
blunted a little. Now the cool water swirled around her legs as they waded into
the river. She shivered a little and stepped up to him. Looping her arms around
his neck, she smiled. Heat radiated off his body, warming her in the chilly
water. His arms curled around her loosely.

“What do you want?” His hands slid down and cupped her ass.

Instead of telling him, she showed him. She pulled herself
up and wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock bobbed against her ass. She
threaded her fingers in his hair, before using one hand to grip one of his
shoulders. She leaned back and used her free hand to cup her breast.

“I like the way you think.” His grip firmed under her
buttocks, holding her up. A smile curved his lips and hunger burned in his
eyes.

His head lowered and his tongue lapped over the stiffened
peak. The feel of the breeze blowing across her skin added to the sensation. It
wasn’t only the breeze and being outside. Another person had been here only a
little while ago. The thought of someone seeing sent a thrill through her as
well as a little nervousness.

His teeth grazed the peak. His shoulders bunched beneath her
fingers. Her head tipped back and her thighs tightened. Need burned low in her
belly. She ached to feel his cock pushing deep, but she wanted to feel more
than the light brush of his lips first.

“Keeping holding that breast up for me, Ada.” His lips
brushed from side to side over the tip.

He was deliberately moving slowly. She knew it and could see
the enjoyment he took from making her wild for him. It glittered in his eyes
and showed in the arrogant curve of his lips. His mouth opened over her nipple.
His breath puffed out, bathing the hardened peak in warm moisture. She moaned
and her head tipped back in enjoyment. One of his hands lifted from her ass. He
pinched and tugged at the neglected nipple. His tongue curled around the nipple
as his lips firmed over her breast and he sucked softly at first. She arched
her back and lifted into his touch.

Her hips rocked up, seeking some friction on her clit. The
small amount of contact she did find only increased the building hunger. His
mouth worked at her breast even as his hand tormented the other peak.

“I want you to play with your clit.” His mouth lifted. The
vibrations of his voice sent a shiver over her. “Slip that hand down between us
and stroke yourself. Make yourself ready for me.”

She almost was ready for him. She could feel the cream
gathering in her pussy. A few more touches, a little more attention to her
breast, and she was sure she’d be more than ready. Slipping her hand down
between them, she pushed her fingers between the lips of her pussy. The water
provided lubrication as her fingers swirled over her clit.

“Yes, just like that.” He nuzzled his face against the mound
of her breast. “I love seeing that glazed, hungry look wash over your face.”

His fingers tugged at the nipple as he grazed the other with
his teeth. She moaned. Her hips slowly rocked against her fingers. Her tongue swept
out over her lips. The sensations of his mouth and fingers and her own fingers
combined to drive her excitement to new heights. When he started sucking at her
nipple, she felt her inner muscles clench. She drew in a shuddering breath. So
close. Drawing her fingers away from her clit, she struggled to retain a little
control.