by Sophie Stern
This guy did something wonderfully delicious to me.
He made me excited.
Aroused.
Needy.
And as my hands make their way between my legs and over my clit, I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen when I meet him at the waterfall.
It’s crazy, right?
It’s crazy.
I’m still going to do it, though. I rub myself, groaning and wiggling against my sheets as I think about him touching me there in the clearing.
Will he run his tongue over my nipples?
Will he pull my hair roughly?
Will he bite my neck?
I don’t know.
Luckily, I don’t have to wait long to find out.
Chapter 4
Robert
The Claw Valley clinic is long overdue for a pediatrician. When I accepted the job as the town children’s doctor, I knew I’d be walking into a place that wasn’t used to outsiders. I understood that. It was going to be part of the job.
What I didn’t know was that there was going to be a line of kids who had come down with a local virus or that my entire first day would be spent administering tests and giving instructions for at-home virus care.
Going to the bar after work had been a way to relieve stress after treating dozens of sick shifter children. I hadn’t meant to meet a beautiful bartender. I hadn’t meant to download a dating app. I hadn’t meant to find someone who would keep me up all night talking.
I don’t know why I felt such a strange connection with the wolf on the dating app. It’s not like me to find someone digitally. It’s definitely not like me to find someone to connect with in the virtual world. I’m all about cold, hard facts.
Is the woman I’m dating someone I can see a future with?
Do we have similar career paths?
Does she have the same set of moral beliefs as me?
There are certain things that you just have to match with in order to start moving forward, but for some reason, I threw all of that away last night.
I threw it all away and stopped worrying about anything except the moment, and it felt good. It felt so good.
After I told her to masturbate, I did the same thing. I stroked my cock thinking about the beautiful wolf woman who was rubbing her sweet pussy as she thought of me. It’s probably wrong and it’s definitely a little messed up, but I love knowing that she can’t get enough of me. I love knowing that my cock made her hard.
I didn’t have to work the next day. My shifts at the clinic are going to be rotating so that we can keep it open seven days a week for emergencies and urgent issues. This is good since it means I can sleep in and take a day to rest after staying up late into the night.
By the time I wake up, it’s nearly dinnertime.
It’s nearly time to start getting ready for my date.
My date.
I actually have a date.
I go for a quick run around town before returning to the little place I’m renting. It’s close to the clinic, which means I’m never far. If there’s some sort of emergency of problem, I can be there almost instantly. It’s the reason I chose that place. It doesn’t hurt that my landlady is a nice little beaver shifter who lives on the first floor.
My upstairs apartment has a second, separate entrance, so I don’t have to worry about disturbing Greta when I go out or come home. She understands that I’m a doctor, so I keep weird hours and I won’t be around much to chat, but I think she likes knowing that there’s someone around in case she needs someone.
By the time I get home, eat, shower, and look at my phone, it’s almost time to go. I open the app to send my lady wolf a message, only to discover that she’s sent me one herself.
WOLF: Are we still on for tonight?
Quickly, I type out a response.
BEAR: I can’t wait.
WOLF: Good. I’m going to wear something extra special. Just for you.
BEAR: Aren’t we meeting in our shifter forms?
WOLF: Oh yeah...I guess I’ll be meeting you naked.
And just like that, my dick is totally hard again.
Great.
It definitely shouldn’t be.
I shouldn’t be this turned on just by the idea of getting to meet the girl I spent all of last night flirting with, but I am.
So here goes nothing.
GRETA IS KIND ENOUGH to give me directions to the waterfall. She smirks when I ask her where it is, so I get the feeling it’s some sort of local legend. Maybe this is where all of the kids go to fuck. Who knows?
There’s nothing quite like sneaking around with your first lover. You’re so nervous that your parents are going to find out that everything feels heightened and more exciting.
Everything feels wonderful and fresh and new.
Then you go through your first heartbreak, and your second, and your third. You become a little more calloused and a little more hurt and a little less likely to just feel free.
Right now, I’m at the point where I’m kind of ready for something serious. I know this is just a first date. It’s just a quick little adventure that doesn’t have to mean anything at all, but I kind of want it to.
Is that so crazy?
The directions to the waterfall are fine. Perfect, really. Greta is a sweetheart and I arrive not only on time, but early, and I take a few minutes to walk around. I’m supposed to shift. That’s the deal. I’m supposed to be here in my bear form to meet my little wolf, but I’m walking around fully clothed for a minute because, well, I’m a little bit nervous.
My clothes provide me with a sort of barrier.
They allow me to separate myself from everything else.
The clearing I’m in is beautiful. Sure enough, it backs up to a little swimming hole that’s complete with its own waterfall. It’s lovely, really. Beautiful. I can see why this is the place she wanted to meet. It’s really just all-around wonderful.
There’s soft, luscious grass that fills the center clearing. It’s encircled by trees and flowers, and it really is a delightful little space. I move to one of the trees and strip down. Carefully folding up my clothing, I set it down by the tree. Then I move to the center of the clearing and I shift.
The change happens quick.
I’m a fast shifter. Some creatures like to take their time. They like to savor the moment, I suppose, but that’s never been my style. Nope. I like to do things fast and dirty. The sooner I shift, the sooner I get to have fun playing around in my new skin.
Once I’m in my bear form, I sit down, and I wait.
And I wait.
And I wait.
My heart soars because I’m so looking forward to connecting with this woman. What’s she going to look like in her animal form? Is she going to want to run? Is she going to jump? Will she be excited to see me?
Only, I keep waiting, looking around anxiously, and I start to have the sinking suspicion that I’ve been played. At first, I wonder if maybe she got lost or held up at work, but she was the one who chose the place. My stomach hurts as the time we were supposed to meet comes and goes, and I finally realize that I’ve been stood up. It doesn’t seem possible. We had so much fun chatting, but after half an hour passes, I realize that I really am just some loser sitting in a field.
Fuck.
I slowly walk back over to my clothing, shift back, and get dressed. I look around one last time and then I go home.
Alone.
Chapter 5
Miranda
“I am a terrible person.”
“Tell me everything,” Foxy leans forward over the bar. She’s excited to hear the gossip. Nosy little fox, isn’t she?
“I don’t want to.”
I’m embarrassed about what happened and I feel more than a little bad.
“Girl, you look like you’re feeling guilty as hell. What did you do?”
“I stood him up.”
“What the fuck?” Foxy leans back, offended and upset. I know why, too. S
he doesn’t exactly have the cleanest dating record. I mean, who does? But the idea of someone purposely standing up another person has got to sting for her, especially.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Really? Because you said you had a great time texting. Before you left for your date, you were super excited about it. So what went wrong?”
“I went to the meet.”
“What happened? You didn’t like what you saw?”
She bristles.
“Look, Foxy, this isn’t about you. I’m not like those guys who have stood you up because you’re small.”
“Being a fox doesn’t make me unlikable,” she murmurs.
“I know people have been dicks to you because of your size,” I tell her. In fact, that’s putting it lightly. As it turns out, plenty of people don’t like foxes in general. I don’t really understand why not. Foxy is pretty cute and she’s a lot of fun.
“So what is it?” She says. She pushes back her red hair and reaches for her drink. “He wasn’t what you expected?”
“He wasn’t who I expected.”
“You know him.”
“Yeah, and you know him, too.”
“Who?”
“Foxy,” I lower my voice. “I went to the meet, but when I smelled him, I knew exactly who it was and I just couldn’t.”
I open my mouth to tell her, but the door to the bar opens just then and he walks in looking forlorn and broken. It’s obvious this guy has had a rough day, and unfortunately, I know exactly why. Foxy looks over at him and turns back to me.
“No,” she whispers.
“Shit.”
“You didn’t.”
“I...didn’t mean to.”
Foxy stands up and slams her hands on the counter.
“You better fix this,” she hisses. “He did not deserve that.”
Then she turns and leaves without paying. She pushes past a few patrons who are standing by the door, and then Foxy disappears into the night.
I don’t even blame her.
I totally deserved that.
Before I can formulate what to say, he approaches the bar and he slides into his seat, only I know something this man doesn’t know.
I know that his name is Robert, and I know that he’s a bear shifter. I know that he was supposed to meet me only a few hours ago by a beautiful waterfall, and I know that I didn’t show my damn face because when I got there, I fucking smelled him, and I knew.
“Rough day?” I ask. I pour him his usual drink, and he smiles.
“You remembered.”
“It’s my job.”
“Yeah,” he looks up at me. “You could say it was rough.”
“What happened?”
I should tell him now.
I should confess before it’s too late, before this gets weird or awkward.
“I had a date,” he says sheepishly, and he looks up at me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him. Suddenly, my entire heart feels like it’s going to explode.
“For what?” He asks.
I can’t do this.
I can’t let this guy tell me about his problems when I was the one who caused them.
I look over at Shannon, who is busy pouring beer.
“Hey,” I tell her. “I need to go. Personal emergency. Can you cover for me?”
“No problem.” Shannon looks over and her eyes go from me to Robert and back to me. She raises an eyebrow, but she doesn’t say anything else.
“Thanks,” I say.
Then I grab my keys and walk around the counter to where Robert is looking confused.
“Down your drink,” I say.
“What?”
“Do it. We’re getting out of here.”
If he wants to argue with me, I can’t tell, and he finishes his drink quickly. He drops the glass on the counter.
“I didn’t pay.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I take him by the hand, pull him outside, and walk around the side of the bar. We’re standing in a narrow alley, but it’s not gross or scary. Claw Valley is much too small for this to be dangerous or unsafe.
“What’s going on?” He says.
“I need to tell you something.”
“You aren’t going to murder me,” he laughs, but it’s an uncomfortable sort of laugh, like he hopes I’m going to reassure him that no, I’m not a murderer.
“I’m not going to murder you.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s about today.”
“What about today?”
“It was me.”
“What was me?”
“The wolf.”
His eyes go wide for a second, but then they just look sad.
“You?” He whispers.
“Me.”
“But...why?”
“I went,” I tell him. “And I saw you there.”
He looked so handsome and confident and strong and I just...
“You saw me?” Now I scent a new emotion on him. Anger. He’s frustrated by me, and why shouldn’t he be? I basically stood him up. No. Not basically. I did. I did stand him up.
“I saw you.”
“Why?” He shakes his head.
“You’re out of my league,” I finally blurt out.
It sounds stupid to say it out loud. We’re both shifters, after all, but I’m...well, I’m a fucking bartender and he’s...
Well, just look at him.
Tall, dark, delicious.
Handsome.
Put-together.
“Talking with you was the most fun I’ve had maybe ever,” I tell him honestly. “You’re playful and fun and I’m...look, Robert, I’m no good for you.”
I’m damaged.
Broken.
He doesn’t need someone like me.
He growls and steps forward. I back up until I’m flat against the side of the building. My hands touch the cool bricks and my head rests against the wall as I look at him. He towers over me and he places his hands on either side of my head.
“Who told you that you’re not good enough?” He asks.
His eye are on mine, and even though I feel so uncomfortable and uneasy, and I want to wiggle away, I just can’t. I can’t look away. Instead, I keep looking right at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play games with me, little girl. Someone told you that you aren’t good enough, and I want to know who.”
“Everyone,” I whisper. “Everyone told me that.”
“Who? A lover? Many lovers?” He raises an eyebrow, but there’s no judgment there. He’s not mad at me. No, he just wants justice. He wants the truth.
“My mom died,” I find myself whispering. “And everyone blamed me.”
“Why? How could that have been your fault?”
“She was killed by a shifter from out of town,” I tell him. Why the hell am I telling him this? This is something that I hate talking about. It’s something I never talk about. I don’t tell anyone about my problems or my issues, and I especially don’t tell anyone what happened to my mom.
“So you’re scared of me because I’m new?” He raises an eyebrow. Again, there’s no judgment. How does he do that?
“Yes.”
“What happened to your mom?”
“I told you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“It was a random killing,” I tell him, and that’s the part that hurts the most. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was going to the store to buy cold medicine because I was sick.”
And I’ve never stopped blaming myself.
If I hadn’t been sick...
If she hadn’t gone out...
If only...
“A mugging gone wrong?”
“A robbery.” I think I’m going to feel sick. I never talk about this. Ever. I never tell anyone what happened and I never open up. Not to my friends, not to my relatives, not to anyone.
So why am I telling him?
“I’m not that man, Meredith.”
“I know.”
“And I’m sorry for what happened to your mother.”
“Thank you.”
“Did they find the guy?”
“Another shifter...took care of the problem.”
It had been a city-wide kerfuffle. It had been chaotic and wild and horrifying, but the shifter had been put down and would never hurt anyone else again.
“So you’re safe. He’s not going to come after you.”
I look up at Robert, blinking.
Safe?
I suppose that I am safe.
But I don’t feel it.
“I haven’t felt safe in a very long time,” I whisper.
“What are you afraid of, little wolf?”
“Everything,” I tell him honestly.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
And suddenly, I’m not. I might be nervous that he’s too handsome or that he’s too wonderful, but afraid? No, I’m not afraid of him.
“I’m not scared,” I tell him.
“You shouldn’t have stood me up.”
“I know.”
“Was talking so very scary?” He asks. Again, he’s rubbing his hand against my cheek, and I’m rubbing against him as though I’m not a wolf, but a kitty cat.
Oh, I want to be this guy’s kitty cat.
“No,” I whisper. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.”
“And isn’t it better now that we know what you’re worried about?”
“Yes.”
“And is it okay if I kiss you now, little wolf?”
“Yes.”
And then he does.
His lips come down, crashing onto mine. He kisses me deeply, strongly, sweetly. He runs his tongue over my lips and then teases my mouth with his own. I’m wet, and I’m excited, and I just want more of this.
I want more of all of this.
I reach for him, cupping his neck as I kiss him over and over. Oh, this feels so damn good. It feels wonderful. He feels wonderful.
Robert grinds against me, kissing me, rubbing his body against mine, and I want more. I want more of this. More of everything.
But then he pulls away and he looks at me with a gentle smile.
“You’re fucking beautiful,” he tells me.