An easy silence fell for a while as we wove our way through the rows. The gentle breeze brought the sweet scent of ripening grapes and moist earth to my nose. Open as he seemed to be, this guy was an enigma. Leather-clad, dart catching bad boy and romantic gentleman weren’t combinations I was used to seeing out here in “Hicksville,” Idaho. Guys were generally one or the other. I felt like there had to be something about him I was missing. But that was probably my tendency to screw up a good thing rearing its ugly head.
“It’s beautiful out here. Thanks for bringing me,” I said.
The moonlight revealed his dimples as he grinned. “I’m glad you like it. I wasn’t sure, after all your talk of visiting those cities.”
I shrugged. “Admittedly, I’m both a city girl and a country girl.”
“Well, it would be creepy if you were too perfect,” he teased.
With a laugh, I bumped my hip into his. “What, like you?” My tone was only half teasing.
One side of his mouth quirked up into an amused look. He stopped walking, took both of my hands in his, and moved in front of me. Only inches remained between us. His woodsy, clean scent washed over me—not cologne, but honest-to-goodness outdoor guy scent. It tugged at something deep inside me. The way his golden eyes smoldered down at me ignited that something. His arms slid around my waist, pulling me against a chest that was as hard as I’d imagined it would be.
“I’m nowhere near perfect,” he whispered as he bent toward me.
Not even my three-inch high, sexy, butt-kicking boots were tall enough to bring me to his level. But when I rose up on my toes, he bent at the knees and met me. The firm pressure of his lips against mine sent a bolt of heat shooting straight to my core. A growly, groan sort of noise that was altogether dangerous and hot rumbled from his mouth into mine. My body molded to his with a will of its own. Large biceps locked me in an embrace I was in no hurry to leave. Gentle pressure from him urged my lips open. His tongue delved into my mouth. The wine and sweet sauce taste of him made me hungry for more.
Several long, thrilling moments later, he pulled back, leaving my lips throbbing and my breath coming in gasps. I wanted to grab him, throw him to the ground, and have at it right there. The thought of all the creepy crawlies and who knew what kind of bacteria stopped me. For once, I wished I was more of an outdoor girl, but maybe it was saving me from an impulsive mistake. Still, taking in his scruffy, runway model face coupled with all those muscles straining against his shirt kind of made me want to make all kinds of mistakes.
He brushed a finger across my lips, and I shivered. Chewing on his bottom lip, he pulled me in close again. “As much as I’d love to keep going with this, I don’t want to rush things.” The hard line of his erection disagreed. “You’re too special.”
“That’s some line,” I said, smiling to soften the sarcasm.
He shook his head and brushed my hair back from my face. “It isn’t a line, I mean it.”
Both his tone and expression told me he was serious as two fingers of Bruichladdich on the rocks. I pushed a hand playfully against his chest. “Great, now I’ve got to live up to that.”
Laughing, he turned us around and started for the B&B, an arm around my waist. On the way back, I kept our conversation light and humorous even though I was feeling anything but. If he only knew how far I was from perfect, he might run for the hills he loved so much. Buried in student debt, I was unable to pay the light bill, let alone finish my psych degree. On good nights I went home smelling like liquor; on bad ones, liquor and vomit. I had dead daddy issues, and my mom was a pain pill addict constantly battling depression who I hadn’t spoken to in years. I was about as far from special as a girl could get. And I was bound to disappoint him.
Chapter Six
Sonya
A strong case of the feminine version of blue balls made for a restless night that had me sleeping late into the morning. I’d been sleeping so heavy, in fact, my phone nearly vibrated off the nightstand before I caught it. I bolted upright, my cheap cotton sheet pooling in my lap, and tried to sound like I’d been awake for hours.
“Hello?”
“Hey Sonja, it’s Nikki.”
Oh shit. How late is it? I held my phone away from my head for a second and checked the time. My shift didn’t start for several more hours.
“What’s up?”
“I know you’re trying to get as many hours as you can, but can I talk you into letting me steal your shift tonight? Layla broke her wrist and I really need the extra cash,” she pleaded, sounding all the more pathetic because I knew she was lying.
At least once a month she pulled something like this, coming up with a woe-is-me excuse for needing over time. She’d once claimed her dog had been hit by a car. She didn’t own a dog, didn’t even like animals. The woman had a horrible weakness for online shopping that bordered on obsessive. Today it worked in my favor, though.
“As long as boss man doesn’t get pissed at me for letting you tend bar,” I said through a sigh to make it sound good. Not that I thought she’d get suspicious if I gave in too easy, she was too dense for that, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
“Don’t worry, I already checked with him. Thanks so much, Sonja, you’re the best!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I ended the call in the middle of her exuberant thank yous.
Tossing the phone aside, I sprung out of bed and headed for the shower. An hour later, I emerged blow-dried and knock out ready in a pair of skinny jeans black enough to match my hair and a silky gold top with a neckline deep enough to show off my girls. Digging in my knock-off Gucci purse, I found enough for a nice bottle of wine to thank Raul for the amazing date. Sure, it would mean PB&J sandwiches this week, but it was worth it. Part of me tried to feel all desperate and clingy for being the first one to reach out after our date, but I refused to fall into that ridiculous psyche trap. I liked him, he liked me; it didn’t matter who reached out first or when. Glancing around my tiny Spartan-like apartment, I realized it was long past time for me to let someone else in—not just to it but also to my life. I’d been wrapped up into my medical studies for far too long. Nikki from work was the closest thing I had to a friend, and she’d never even been over. Hell, I didn’t even have a fish, just a neat shelf of medical school books to keep me company. Med students didn’t have time for things like a social life, and I was over it.
I stuck my favorite colored lip balm in my pocket and breezed out the door on a wave of caffeine and hormone-induced adrenalin. As much as I hated to admit it, this guy had awoken something in me, something that wanted to jump out and take hold of life instead of hiding in the bindings of a school book.
Humming to myself, I all but skipped to my Jeep parked in the complex parking lot. I jumped in, cranked the motor over with the screwdriver I kept in the center console and turned up Barns Courtney on the radio. Warm summer air poured in the windows. Today would be a hot one, I could tell already. But, at the moment it was tolerable and I didn’t want to mess up my hair before seeing Raul, so I rolled up my driver’s side window. With the hardtop off, it wouldn’t do a ton of good, but it was better than nothing. I slipped my cheap convenience store sunglasses on and pulled out onto the road.
By the time I turned up the long gravel drive of the B&B, it was hot enough to make me glad there wasn’t much to my silk top. I had to slow down to reduce the amount of dust the tires kicked up. The windows kept a lot of the wind out, but considering the top was off, they could only do so much. A few minutes later, I parked the Jeep next to Raul’s Porsche in the small guest parking area of the B&B. Our two vehicles were the only ones here. Beside the German marvel of engineering, my half-restored Jeep looked so much like an ugly duckling that I cringed. Fun as the Porsche was to ride in, though, I wouldn’t trade my Jeep for it. The car would high center on a curb, for the Gods’ sakes.
Still, thinking of Raul behind the wheel, the long sleeves of his designer shirt rolled up over his muscular forearms as h
e wove us through the turns effortlessly, made me hot enough to wish I’d worn a tank top. I hopped out of the Jeep and started for the front door.
Sports car, designer clothes, and wine. This guy and I couldn’t be more different, but I couldn’t deny I was drawn to him.
As I opened the door to the B&B, I called out, “Hello?”
I entered a charming sitting room decorated in a country style with roosters and wine-related accents. The delicious aroma of something sweet and cinnamon-flavored wafted from the kitchen that lay through an arched opening off to the right.
“Come in, come in, dear,” a woman’s voice came from the kitchen.
I wandered in a few steps. Moments later, the co-owner and waitress from the other night emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on the checkered apron she wore. Flour dusted the disheveled grey bun atop her head and flecked her dimpled cheeks. The easy smile she wore told me that she was enjoying the hell out of herself despite being a bit of a disaster in the kitchen. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Oh, Sonya, welcome back, dear! You come to see Raul?” she asked.
I nodded, but before I could voice a response, she went on.
“Good, good! Sorry to say you just missed him, though. We’ve had several wolf sightings up in the hills, and he went to have himself a bit of a hike and a look.”
“Oh. Well, I guess that’s okay. I was hoping to buy him a bottle of your wine…” I let my voice trail off as I tried to revamp my plan.
“That is so sweet. Tell you what, let me grab that for you, and you can take it to him. He only left maybe fifteen minutes ago, and I bet you can catch up to him.” The way she brightened, eyes widening and smile growing, made it impossible to say no. She turned and disappeared back into the kitchen while still talking, forcing me to follow her to avoid being rude.
“Nothing to worry about. The wolf isn’t a danger to you. Mostly, they avoid people, so you likely won’t even come across him,” she said as she breezed around the kitchen.
“Oh, I know. Wolves don’t worry me,” I said only because it felt like she expected a response. Thanks to my dad and all his stories about wolves, I was almost as comfortable with them as I was with people. Much of my childhood had been spent visiting wolf preserves and hiking to find signs of them.
“That’s good. I could tell you were a smart one right off the bat.” She patted my cheek as she walked by.
She grabbed two cinnamon rolls from a cooling rack and wrapped them in parchment paper before putting them in a canvas shopping bag.
“White or red, dear?”
It took me a second to realize she meant wine. “Um…I honestly don’t know which he prefers,” I admitted.
“Red it is.” She reached beneath the bar. After a bit of perusing, she added a bottle of wine and a corkscrew to the bag.
I dug in my jeans pocket for my cash when she tried to hand the bag to me. I had a sinking sensation my twenty wouldn’t cover it. The woman waved her hand and shook her head.
“Now, I’ll not be having any of that.” She pushed the bag against my chest, forcing me to take it and abandon my search for cash. “Let an old woman feel like she’s contributing to budding young love, please.”
The smile she gave me, along with the pleading look on her face, made me sigh and nod. Emitting a little squeal, she clapped her hands together. Guilt nagged at me for not arguing more. I opened my mouth to do so. Chattering on about the location of the trail, she guided me to the patio door with a hand on my back, never giving me the chance to speak. We were out the door and stepping into the hot sun before I knew it.
“Think you can find that, dear?” she asked, finally giving me an opening.
“Yes, but—”
“Wonderful! You have fun now.” With that, she spun on her heel and all but dashed back into the B&B.
Smiling, I shook my head at the French door as it closed behind her. I slung the bag over my shoulder, turned in the direction she had pointed me, and set out. Thanks to years of camping with my parents as a kid, and hiking and hunting with my dad, I had a great sense of direction. Whether or not “had” was the operative word remained to be seen. Confident and armed with sugary treats and wine, I set a fast pace through the grapevines. Bright sunlight beat down on my shoulders. I picked up my pace, both to make sure I got out of the sun as soon as possible, and to try to catch up to Raul. The hills, and the shade of trees with them, loomed not far in the distance. Maybe ten minutes away if I hurried.
As I walked, I kept an eye out for signs of Raul. There weren’t many; a heel impression in the dirt here, a toe impression there. Soon the cool shade of the trees enveloped me. Fir trees rose up all around, reaching high into the powder blue sky, their feathery boughs extending out to intermingle. Ferns and other bushes competed for space around the base of the giants. Raul’s prints disappeared. Thankfully, the pine needle-strewn path wound through the trunks in an obvious stretch of brown. If he hadn’t followed it, I couldn’t tell, and with all the underbrush it would have been obvious if he had gone another way.
The nice little trail quickly went from a leisurely forest walk to an uphill hike. I found my rhythm at a brisk pace. It wasn’t exactly that I was in a hurry, only that this wasn’t exactly my shot of whiskey anymore. Too many painful memories that had been good at the time came back when I was in the forest. Nowadays, my hikes were short, sweet, and usually outside of heavily forested areas. Everything sharpened; the pine and earth scents, the sounds of birds and squirrels, the fresh taste of the air, even the feel of the soft ground giving beneath my feet. And searching for something always gave me a rush. I’d forgotten about that. The last time I’d been hunting had been with my dad years ago. The thrill of finding the game had been the best part. He’d always said I was a natural at it, that it was in my blood, whatever that meant. Remembering all that hurt, a lot, which was exactly why I avoided forests.
The warmth trapped between my shirt and skin bordered on making me sweat. I hoped to catch up to Raul before my skin glistened. Sweaty funk wasn’t the impression I wanted to make. At the risk of appearing a little slutty, I undid another button on my shirt so my girls could get some air. The instant relief of a cool breeze blowing down between my breasts drew a sigh from me. Refreshed, I leaned into the incline and attacked the hill with renewed vigor. My cheap knock-off hiking boots ate up the trail as I found my rhythm. As a kid I’d often shucked off my shoes and gone barefoot in the woods, loving the feel of the earth against my skin, but my feet weren’t as tough as they used to be.
Birds sang out in protest as I surprised them by passing beneath their trees, but they couldn’t be bothered to fly away. It made me confident that Raul had come this way because clearly the wildlife was already used to the presence of a person. I increased my pace. The incline grew steep enough that in places I had to grab at tree branches or secure rocks to steady myself as I climbed. After another twenty yards trees became scarce and boulders became frequent. The path all but disappeared. Ridgeline in sight, I kept going up, hoping I’d be able to locate the path again on top of it. Unfortunately, the sun beat down hot on me, unfiltered by anything this high up. But it only took a few more minutes to reach the top.
No plateau greeted me, only a rocky ridgeline a few feet wide and maybe a hundred feet long. Treetops stretched out across rolling hills in each direction as far as I could see. The path was gone. Letting out a long sigh, I tried to think like a wolf and imagine what direction I might go if I were one. Crazy as it sounded, I had a knack for finding creatures using that method. It was a big part of why Dad had loved taking me hunting. He’d always said I was a natural at getting inside heads.
I thought about why a wolf would come up to this ridge; to survey the area for game sights and scents, check scent markings left by other wolves or predators, check which direction water might be in. That last one struck a chord. Record high temperatures had been occurring all week. Water would likely be his highest priority. Why I thought
of the wolf as a he, I wasn’t sure. It just felt right.
Way down in a valley to my left, sunlight reflected off a thin winding sliver of silver.
“Bingo,” I whispered.
It lay no more than two long hospital halls away. The way my mind automatically went to that comparison made me cringe. I’d had just about all the hospital halls I could handle in the one month I’d lasted as a volunteer. It had been what convinced me to switch to psych. Thankfully, I’d done it after only three years into my undergrad program. While I didn’t love the idea of working indoors with only the scents of a leather couch and lavender diffuser to mask the sweat of nervous people, it was better than blood and death.
Picking the path of least resistance like an animal would, I started down the rocky hillside. The tree line quickly swallowed me up. Sweet pine scents filled my nose once the feathery boughs stretched overhead. A little thrill raced through me upon seeing the narrow animal path winding down through the underbrush. I still had it. I could almost feel Dad clapping me on the back and whooping with pride. Tears stung the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back.
Now, hopefully, Raul followed the same path. The steep hillside forced my attention on my progress. In what seemed like no time at all, I reached semi-level ground and heard the trickling of water nearby. The air cooled to a tolerable warmth.
The sense that helped me find animals, told me they were near, prickled along my skin. There was no sign of Raul anywhere. At the water’s edge, I crouched low behind a tree and waited. My gaze scanned the surrounding forest and the length of the small river. I didn’t see anything. Experience told me to be patient and wait, so I did. From somewhere in the distance came a growl so full of menace that the hair on the back of my neck prickled and stood. Careful not to step on anything that would make noise, I sank back into the underbrush at the base of the tree. The sound had come from across the water. Still, something told me to stay out of sight. Dad had ingrained in me to always follow my instincts, so I did.
Clawed & Cornered: A Viking Werewolf Paranormal Romance (Children of Fenrir Book 1) Page 6