Mine Furever

by Bolryder, Terry

  Chapter 11

  That evening, April and Grayson had set out into somewhere unknown in the forest the minute he’d shown up at her camp, wearing a camping-size backpack full of mysteries. And despite her queries, he was tight-lipped as to where they were going.

  Already, the sun was far past the horizon, the light blue and orange of the sky fast fading into navy-blue hues. Above them, the first stars were already twinkling their light, and the moon was just starting to rise in its place.

  Without a flashlight or any sort of direction, Grayson somehow knew exactly where he was going as they carved a path through the thick pines of the forest, almost as if he had some sort of sixth sense. Thankfully, they were headed somewhere in the opposite direction of the creek and its vertically rough terrain. Even still, she had to be careful of rocks and gnarled roots as they made their way through parts unknown.

  “How far out are we?” she asked, eyes gradually adjusting to the blue hue of the moonlit darkness surrounding them.

  “Not much farther.” He was calm, constantly looking over his shoulder at her and adjusting his pace.

  While she was looking up at him, though, distracted by the shape of his ass in his jeans, her foot caught a bundle of roots sticking up from any of the limitless trees surrounding them. Suddenly, the ground gave out beneath her, and she plummeted forward.

  But instead of pine needles and rough ground, Grayson somehow caught her with incredible speed, even though he’d been facing away from her only a second ago.

  “I—thanks,” she said, shocked and a little turned on to have his arms around her so suddenly, holding her tightly and not letting go.

  Grayson just nodded. Then, seemingly realizing how close they were and that she was, in fact, no longer in danger, he picked her up and set her back on her feet.

  “Should we grab a flashlight?” he asked.

  “No, I’m good. Just wasn’t looking.”

  “We’re almost there. It’s just through those trees.” He pointed ahead.

  She followed a little more closely as they traversed another fifty or so feet, the trees becoming denser than ever.

  Then, suddenly, everything opened out before them as they entered a giant meadow. Probably several acres wide, surrounded by towering pine sentinels on every side. High above them, the moon was already in full bloom overhead, casting the grass and plants beneath them in pale shades of blue.

  A gentle breeze wafted past them, carrying on it the scent of late-summer flowers and fresh bark. Nearby, an owl hooted, ready to begin the night.

  “Wow,” she exclaimed, overcome with the nocturnal beauty of it.

  “Here, come with me.” He surprised her by holding her hand and tugging her forward. Free of the forest, the ground was soft beneath her feet, his hand rough as she let him lead her along.

  But it wasn’t far before they came to a flat patch of grass. In the center of it, April could make out what looked like a freshly dug fire pit with rocks lining the sides and several logs of wood standing together in the shape of a little teepee.

  Had he come out earlier to set this up?

  “And of course it wouldn’t be camping without…” Grayson pulled his backpack over his shoulder and dug around inside, then pulled out a bag with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars inside it.

  “S’mores! Oh my God, it’s been forever,” she exclaimed, shocked that someone as usually straightforward and practical would think up something so whimsical.

  “Well, I figured if you’re going to be out here, might as well really enjoy the forest by camping out under the stars. Though, I brought a tent if you’d prefer that,” he said, unhooking several things from the backpack as he spoke.

  April felt warmth redden her cheeks at the thought of tents and sleeping bags or anything involving close proximity with Grayson. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he pulled something from his back pocket, went to the fire, and she watched as sparks jumped in her vision, follow by a small orange flame as the little camp fire lit up.

  As the flames licked at the logs, Grayson put down a large sleeping pad, then laid a particularly big sleeping bag over it (or was it two sleeping bags that had been zipped together?). When she offered to help, Grayson just declined, instead setting a roughly hewn section of tree trunk next to the fire and beckoning for her to take a seat, which she did. Already, warmth from the fire began to tickle at her skin, reminding her of childhood campouts and fun times in the outdoors that were part of the reason she loved her job so much.

  Of course, Grayson added a whole new level of heat to everything she did here. Which only made things more complicated but in the most exciting of ways.

  “Pick your weapon of choice,” Grayson said, holding two old sticks of different shapes and length before her to use. She went with the straighter one, and he stuck three marshmallows on the end for her.

  Being as careful as possible, she stuck her stick over a corner of the fire where red coals were already starting to form, a safe distance from the flames, and turned her stick gradually so each side could slowly roast.

  To her surprise, Grayson stuck several marshmallows on his stick and put it right into the path of the highest flames. Immediately, the sugary pillows burst into flames, charring and darkening. Grayson waited a moment, then withdrew the marshmallows, blew them out, and ate one.

  “How can you stand them that way?” she asked playfully, being careful to save her own marshmallows from a similar fate.

  “These are roasted marshmallows. Not rotisserie marshmallows. They’re supposed to be like that,” he exclaimed, mouth half full with another of his blackened, misshapen delicacies.

  “Here, let me show you a proper s’more.” April pulled her stick out, noting with satisfaction the perfect golden color on each edge of all three. Then, putting it aside, she grabbed graham crackers and chocolate and made a sandwich of them as Grayson watched suspiciously.

  When she was done, she raised the sandwich to his mouth, and Grayson raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Here, try it,” she insisted.

  When he didn’t move to take it, she lifted it to his mouth. For a split second, he grimaced, then took a small bite off the end, munching tensely as she watched, amused by how adorable he was being right now.

  Something about a huge, tattooed man snacking on a s’more just made her heart melt.

  Gradually, his expression softened, and he gave a yielding shrug.

  “You’re right. It’s better that way.” He conceded. The orange from the fire lit his gray eyes with color, making his expression warm. When she offered another bite, he took the s’more from her hands, but this time he lifted it to her mouth.

  “Here, now you need to try it.” But the way he said it was more like a command, making her entire body aware of him as he insisted.

  Obediently, she took a big bite. Melted chocolate and sweet, toasty marshmallow and cracker exploded in her mouth with flavor. But even as she ate, all she could feel was Grayson watching her, following her every movement, like a predator circling her, ready to pounce.

  It made her heart skip a beat. Maybe several.

  At his behest, she took several more bites until it was finished. By the time she was done, there was chocolate sticky sweetness on her lips. But before she could lick it off, Grayson reached a hand behind her, kneeling above her as he pulled her forward to meet his lips.

  A completely different kind of heat burned through her as his lips crashed over hers, rough and gentle at the same time. Her mouth opened, desperate with want for him, and he entered immediately, not making her wait. As his tongue entwined with hers, thrusting against it dominantly, zings of lightning and liquid need coursed down the backs of her arms and up her thighs as raw lust threatened to overtake her.

  Then, slowly, he pulled away from her, and April’s knees felt weak beneath her.

  “Much more delicious than anything I’ve ever tasted.” Even the sound of his voice turned her on. H
ow could he say such romantic things in moments like this and still be the same guy who’d fixed her car, her trailer? Who’d hiked through the forest with her or made little wood carvings in his spare time?

  She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she collapsed back onto the log in a haze of need.

  “I brought sandwiches if you’re hungry, though,” he said, rummaging for something else and producing a thermos and two mugs.

  April shook her head. She’d eaten a late lunch. And frankly, there was a lot more on her mind than food.

  He handed her a mug full of hot chocolate, and she took it, sipping and thinking of how she could move things from the fire to the sleeping bag not far from them.

  “So did you used to go out like this a lot?” he asked, sounding casual, but his gaze as he watched her was far from casual.

  “Not all the time, but as much as we could manage around Dad’s work, I think. I always loved camping, loved being out in the forest at night like this. What about you?” she asked, ever curious to know more about Grayson.

  “I’ve always felt a connection to the outdoors. Like it goes with me wherever I go. Like that saying—you can take the animal out of nature, but you can’t take the nature out of the animal? Some crap like that.” He leaned back on his hands as he spoke, looking up at the moon.

  She’d never heard Grayson refer to himself like an animal. Yet, in the way he kissed her, the way he watched her, there seemed to be something very animal about him that even she didn’t fully understand.

  And it was that same thing that seemed to turn her on the most.

  Abruptly, Grayson got up, pushing the last remnants of the fire around with his boot. Then he pulled a small pail of water from the side she hadn’t noticed before and doused out the fire, sending a large billow of smoke as the coals hissed out their disapproval.

  Then the smoke cleared, leaving nothing but the full moon, impossibly large above them, covering them in soft light.

  Grayson, not stopping to ask questions as usual, moved past her and lay on top of the sleeping bag. When she looked over at him, he patted the space next to him.

  “Care to join me?”

  Yes!

  She practically leapt from her seat onto the surprisingly plush surface, and Grayson put an arm around her, pulling her in close as they gazed up at the heavens for a moment. Directly above, the Milky Way cut a blue-speckled swath through the center of the sky, a million stars glinting for them as the sight overwhelmed her in its perfection.

  But it wouldn’t be the same if Grayson wasn’t here with her.

  His arm tightened around her shoulders, and he leaned over to kiss her once more, the cool night air a powerful contrast to the warmth of his body and his lips against hers. But before they could go much further, the silence of the night was pierced by a long, mournful howl, so far off it could have been whisper on the wind.

  Both of them stopped, craning toward the sound.

  Had her mind just imagined it?

  For several moments, they paused in anticipation. Then another howl, only slightly different and still the same, echoed over them from some impossibly far-off distance, interrupting the night.

  “Wolves!” she said excitedly, sitting up. Even if she tried to record the sound, it would be too far off to register on something like her phone. But regardless, it was precisely the evidence she needed to keep looking.

  “Yeah, wolves.” But Grayson’s tone matched that of a sixth-grader at the announcement of a pop quiz. Maybe it was just because of the unwelcome interruption.

  Several more wolves howled in unison, the eerie sound sending shivers of excitement down her spine. Even if they were just marauders and not an established, local pack, it meant she had reason to hope for future discoveries here at Silver Lake if she just kept looking.

  “Isn’t that amazing?” she exclaimed, turning to Grayson, who seemed somewhat lost in thought.

  “It is. I’m really happy for you, April.” He was doing a better job at hiding whatever emotions he was really feeling, but it wasn’t good enough.

  “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “No. Really, it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect to have this happen in the middle of our date.”

  So perhaps it was just the interruption that had put him off.

  Well, just because there were wolves miles away didn’t mean they had to put a stop to what she’d been looking forward to all night.

  If nothing else, the adrenaline of the moment was only making her hornier.

  She leaned forward and kissed at his neck, and he looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

  “Didn’t you say there were wolves around? Shouldn’t we be scared?” Though, April got the feeling he was zero percent frightened.

  “They’re incredibly far off. And besides, I’m pretty sure they’d be more scared of you than I could ever be of them,” she replied, smiling at the mental image of wolves fleeing from an angry Grayson.

  Finally, he chuckled, the invisible tension surrounding him breaking as he turned, catching her lips before she could kiss at his neck again. He held her there for a moment, sealing their lips together before pulling away, heat in his eyes again, but not from any nearby campfire.

  “You’re right. I’ll never let anything happen to you, April.” As he spoke, he moved on top of her, trapping her against the sleeping bag with his taut thighs, moonlight silhouetting his powerful frame above her. “You’re mine.”

  And even though April couldn’t fully comprehend what that meant, she gave herself completely over to his will, desperate to be claimed by him.

  “I’m yours,” she uttered, and his lips crashed over hers once more.

  Chapter 12

  April’s body pressing into his legs, his hips, was as delicious and perfect as hearing those damn wolves howling a minute ago had been infuriating. She moaned against his lips, pushed her wrists against his palms where he held her trapped, testing his strength, but he didn’t yield. Which she only seemed to enjoy more as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, claiming her every response for his own.

  What the hell had those wolves been thinking, howling at the moon like that when they knew a human could be around, when they knew he was trying to keep their identity safe? They couldn’t even keep their howling to themselves for a few more nights?

  Grayson moved to her ear, biting lightly on it, pushing her pleasure further as she gasped in arousal. Then, as he moved down her neck, kissing roughly, her body softened beneath him, giving in to the heat between them that burned much hotter than any fire could.

  When he reached the collar of her shirt, he pulled it down with his teeth, not wanting to let go of her arms just yet, and kissed a languid trail along her collarbone, just to the ridge of her breasts near her sternum. Her breath hitched, and she looked down at him, watching eagerly.

  In the moonlight, her green eyes shone brightly, the color of Caribbean water after a storm. Her silky brown hair looked almost black, stray strands spread around her on the sleeping bag below.

  So beautiful it broke him to think she could possibly be his.

  He wouldn’t let anything happen to her tonight. Nor ever. Even if it meant revealing his wolf to do it.

  Showing off a little, he undid the top button of her shirt with his tongue and teeth, amused by the expression of aroused shock on April’s face as he kept moving down.

  Part of him couldn’t blame the wolves. After all, the call of the full moon was very real, the need to howl at it as strong as the need to mate at times. But perhaps it was just the marauders that Brett had warned him about the other day.

  After all, the voices were even farther than April could have guessed, since shifter wolves were able to carry their voices much greater distances than normal wolves because of their size. Of course, April didn’t know that, so he couldn’t fault her for it.

  The image of the two of them standing in the forest, he in his wolf form, her watching him, pierced his mind for a sp
lit second. It was broad daylight, April seeing him for what he truly was inside, accepting that part of him openly. Then the image was gone before he knew it, and he resumed undoing the last button he’d been halfway through unthreading from her shirt.

  “Showoff,” April exclaimed, blushing furiously, arms still struggling against his hands and turning him on by the motion of her body. For some reason, her acting like trapped prey made the predator inside go wild.

  “Just a preview of things to come,” he said, licking his lips, and she turned her gaze away from him in sheer embarrassment.

  By the time he was done with her, there’d be nothing left to be embarrassed about.

  Knowing he couldn’t do more without his hands free, he finally let her go and undid her bra, helping her slip out of it but keeping her open shirt on so her arms and shoulders wouldn’t get cold. Already, her nipples had formed rosy peaks, either from the temperature or from arousal, and he covered her breasts with his hands, squeezing and pressing. She moaned, the only sound in the meadow that could be heard, all just for him, and he pressed his thumbs into the center of each, letting the roughness of his palms stimulate her as much as possible.

  Then, pushing them together, he suckled on one tip then the other, letting his tongue and his breath warm her before kissing them fiercely. April bucked her hips, but didn’t get anywhere due to his weight on top of her, and he went lower, unzipping her jeans and reaching a hand underneath her already wet panties to explore her soft folds.

  “Grayson—I… That’s amazing.” Her eyes rolled back at the end of her sentence as his middle finger rubbed over her clit. April’s slick moisture only intensified the friction of it, making his cock throb from sheer need at the experience of her arousal.

  Fuck, she was so hot.

  Mate, his wolf growled possessively.

  Mate, his human side finally responded, in unison with the beast that had wanted to stake its claim on this human from the first moment it had laid eyes on this woman that was more perfect with each passing day, each passing moment. But not yet.