by Lavada Dee
He put the bottle on the low table. Cupping her face in his hands, he brought his mouth down to hers. She was ready for him and mated her mouth with his. All reservations fled when he heard her whispered words. “I want you.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and pointed as he lifted her and walked the short distance to her bedroom. He slowed and laid her on the bed, immediately following her down. She lifted her arms to help him to remove her top. He trailed his fingertip down her neck to her breast where he encircled the tightly budded nipple.
She pushed herself against his fingers. He lowered his mouth, breathing words as he moved his mouth over her. “Beautiful, you are so incredibly beautiful.” With a growl, he followed with, “And you are mine.”
He raised his head. With the night vision from his wolf he could see her in the dark room, but he wanted her to see him. Raising himself over her, he reached for the switch on the lamp. “Open your eyes. Look into mine.” He waited. “What do you see?”
Baylee’s eyes fluttered open.
Again he asked, “What do you see?”
She looked deep and held his gaze. She ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. “I’m not sure. I don’t so much see as feel.”
“You sense. Does what you sense scare you?”
“No.”
“What then. Tell me.” His heart raced. He wanted to take her now, but he held himself in check.
“I see...” She swallowed and tried again. “It’s like you’re there but also something else.” Again she stopped.
He held his breath. Could she see what lived within him? A few months ago, he hadn’t been all that aware of it himself. Then he walked out of the woods and saw her standing at the edge of the meadow, and everything changed.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“It’s insane, but it’s like the shadow of a wolf that’s there but not there.”
He ran his hand around her neck, lifting her hair, and let it fall through his fingers. He took a deep breath, pulling in her fragrance. Again he asked the question, “Does it scare you? Do I scare you?”
She shook her head. “No, you excite me. You make me want and need.”
His heart sped up another notch, and he gave into the hot flow of blood pulsing through him. He covered her body with his and found her as ready as he was.
With long strokes, he held back until she neared the edge with him. He heard her moan against his neck and felt a sharp bite on his shoulder. She’d nipped him as she climaxed. His body responded, and with a growl he followed behind her.
Long waves of pleasure washed over him. When they subsided, he rolled over on his back and sucked in his breath. Beside him, her breathing sounded as labored as his.
She leaned over and traced his lips with her finger. When he took it in his mouth and nipped, she let out a soft mewing sound. “You sound like a kitten.”
“You like it.”
The lamp dimly lit the room. He turned so he could see her face. “I like everything about you. I...love everything about you.”
Her smile made him again catch his breath. How could a woman be so perfect in every way? She willingly followed where he led, and then she helped him move them both to a higher level. A place he’d never been before. Sated, he relaxed as she snuggled against him and almost instantly fell asleep. He could smell their scents mingled into one. He didn’t fight his own sleep as it washed over him.
* * * *
Had it been a dream? The past week she’d woken up feeling empty. It felt so good to feel full. It always took her a few minutes to come fully awake. She went through her usual routine of thinking about the day ahead. She had an appointment with Marge, the real estate agent she’d been working with. Hopefully they’d find the perfect house today. And... It hadn’t been a dream. Grant was here, what in the devil was she doing lying in bed.
She swung her legs out of bed and reached for her sweats. She’d had them on last night when she’d answered the door. When her world had changed. With a smile, she headed for the kitchen, the coffee she could smell, and Grant.
How could a man look so sexy just standing in a kitchen? She smiled. “Your hair is wet.”
His gaze locked into hers as he held his cup of coffee out to her. “I took a shower.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t hear you get up.” She glanced at the wall clock. Nine thirty, Marge would be here in half an hour. “I can’t believe I overslept, not even hearing the shower.”
“You were tired, honey.” He laughed. “I didn’t mind. In fact, I just woke up a little bit ago. Like I said, it’s been a hell of a week.”
Marge would be on her way by now. Never had she wanted to do something less than to look at houses. “Grant, I’m sorry, but I have an appointment in a few minutes.”
“Don’t be sorry. You had no idea I’d be on your door step.”
“Yeah, but if I’d been thinking, I could have set the alarm last night and called Marge first thing this morning.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you weren’t thinking last night.”
He moved closer and bent to give her a kiss. “I wasn’t either. Now go get dressed, and I’ll make you some toast.”
“I have to hurry. Marge, the real estate agent I’ve been working with, should be here in a few minutes.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll let her in if she gets here before you’re ready.”
Just as the words left his mouth, the phone rang. Baylee grabbed it. Marge was on the other end. “Baylee? I’m running late, but I’ll be there in an hour.”
“It’s no problem, but Marge...”
Grant shook his head. “Don’t cancel. I’ll go with you.”
Baylee turned back to the phone in her hand. “Okay, let’s say eleven o’clock.”
Grant turned her toward the bedroom. “Go get a shower. I’ll scramble some eggs to go with the toast. From what I hear, house hunting is a hard job.”
“You have that one right, though so far I’ve been doing it all online. Still, I remember when I bought this one. And how much work went into finding it.” She looked up at him. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Again he turned her toward the bedroom. “I’ve never been more sure.”
* * * *
Three down and one more to go. Baylee gave a sigh as they pulled away from the modern rambler. She looked over at Grant and smiled. “I’m glad we opted for following Marge instead of riding with her. This way we can talk, though so far I haven’t seen anything worth considering. Have you?”
Grant spun the wheel as he maneuvered through traffic. It was light this morning, but she could tell Grant didn’t think so. She probably should have insisted on driving, but he’d rented a car and said he might as well get some use from it. He stopped at a light and looked over at her. She frowned. “Well?”
“Well, I don’t think it matters because you didn’t like them.”
“How can you tell? I thought I was doing a good job of being a poker face.”
He laughed. “I don’t think Marge caught it. How long have you known this agent? She doesn’t seem to know you very well.”
“You mean you wouldn’t have selected these houses to show me. You’re right. I called her agency about an ad they had, and she helped me with it.”
“At least she’s picked properties a few minutes’ drive from the office.”
“That was one of the criteria. Jeffrey and Tracy want me to get something out in the area they live in. I’ve been hesitant because it’s an hour commute.”
She glanced out the window as they pulled into an older housing complex. “Speaking of Jeffrey, how would you feel about driving out there after we see this house? They invited me out for a barbeque.
We wouldn’t have to stay long, but I’d love for you to meet them.”
Again he laughed. “And, no doubt, for them to meet me.”
She bit back a remark when they turned in a long drive behind Marge. This house sat back on a large lot and b
lended in with its setting so well that it looked like it had grown there.
When she got out of the car, the mature landscaping muted the sound of her door. Marge waited until they joined her. “Beautiful, isn’t it? The builder did an excellent job of preserving the landscape.”
Baylee couldn’t believe her eyes. The river rock and wide porches made the house look a lot like the plans she’d seen of Grant’s home. “This is way above what you’ve shown me. How is it possible to be in the same price range?”
Marge let out her breath. “You have a way of cutting to the chase. And you’re right. It’s bigger and pricier than what you wanted, but it’s been on the market for a while, and with the economy what it is, we can negotiate. Plus, the builder is anxious to sell. He built the home for himself, but when he got it finished he found out his wife...well, it has become a messy divorce.”
This Baylee understood. She’d once had a client who sold her husband’s classic Jaguar for a thousand dollars. She nodded, and Marge led the way up to the door, chatting enthusiastically about saving this one until last. “It will give you something to think about, and like I said, we can negotiate.”
Baylee waited while Marge got the key in the lock and opened the door. This was more like it. She could see herself here, and it would be perfect for a child of any age. Marge stayed behind them as Grant accompanied her through the house. She kept seeing the similarity to Grant’s home. It was big, and had an open-floor plan with three bedrooms upstairs and one down, plus a den that could be turned into a bedroom. “How many square feet does this have?”
Marge consulted her book. “Thirty-two hundred. I know you said three bedrooms but...”
“No, I’m glad you included this one on the tour.” They’d gotten to the kitchen, and Baylee stopped to admire the cabinets with granite countertops. The floors were tiled throughout the house except for the bedrooms. It would be easy to keep clean around a dog and children.
Marge stayed inside when Grant and Baylee wandered out to the backyard. Grant didn’t have to ask, and he didn’t. “You like this one.”
Baylee smiled up at him. “How could you tell?”
“Well let’s just say you truly don’t have a poker face.” His smile changed, and Baylee could guess that he was thinking of how open her face was last night. He could see her reaction to him. She knew it had all been on her face and in her eyes.
His gaze silently held hers for a minute. She finally looked away so she could find her voice. “It’s too big. And, without a doubt, too expensive. It’s not only the purchase cost. It will take more to maintain.”
“Have you not changed your mind about sharing it with a man yet? It wouldn’t be so big if you did and had two children and...”
His sentence sounded old-fashioned but somehow natural. He sometimes stepped out his modern-day doctor self and into something she couldn’t define.
His voice lowered. “We need to talk.”
She nodded and turned back to the house. Marge stood waiting for them at the door. “Well that’s it for today. Why don’t you think about the houses and give me a call. We can take another look at any of these, or we can try another area.
Baylee thanked her. She appreciated Marge’s style of selling. She didn’t push, and she seemed to work to get just the right house for her clients. She told the agent as much and said, “I will get back to you and let you know. However, I already know the first three aren’t what I’m looking for.”
She motioned back to the house they’d just left. “Now, this one I’ll have to think about. It’s a hundred thousand over what I’d intended to spend, so it’s a lot to consider. Even if we could get it lower, it might still be too much for me right now.”
“I understand.” Marge shook hands with Grant and left them standing in the driveway.
“I think you picked a good agent with this one.”
Baylee opened her door. “I think so, too. So now what, do you still want to run out to the Perkins’s?”
“Sure it’s early and if we go back to your house we won’t talk. This way we’ll have a chance on the drive out, because I’ll have to keep my hands off you.”
She laughed. It felt so good to be with him. She’d always thought she’d be free if she stayed on her own, and not get involved with a relationship, but she was rethinking that now. When she was with Grant, she felt free and complete in ways she’d never felt before.
He caught her looking at him and smiled over at her. “You are so gorgeous. I like your hair a little longer.”
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
“That you like your hair longer?”
Laughter bubbled up, and she said, “No, silly. I was thinking how gorgeous you are.”
Her voice trailed off as she let her gaze roam over hands that looked strong, and yet she knew their gentle touch. Following them up from where he gripped the steering wheel, she stopped to admire his corded forearms. She could look at him all day and not get her fill.
His voice sounded husky. “You need to stop looking at me this way, or I’m not going to be able to think let alone talk.”
“I know,” she whispered back.
Silence filled the car until Grant pulled off an exit. “I need to get something to drink.”
She nodded. She needed more than the drink. She needed to pull herself back together. Grant did things to her emotions she’d never imagined. With a groan, she rested her head against the backseat as he went into a convenience store.
When he came out, he handed her the sodas through the window and got back in the car. “So, how far is this place?”
“Close to an hour. Would you like me to drive for a while?”
“Nope, but no more of those looks. We need to talk.”
Again she nodded. “Okay. How long can you stay?”
She expected him to say he had a flight out on Sunday, probably early afternoon. His answer surprised and delighted her.
“I took two weeks off. I know you probably won’t be able to get off on such short notice, but I want to check out a research project in Berkeley.”
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it.” She wanted to unbuckle her seat belt, climb into his lap, and kiss him senseless.
“So I take it you are happy, and that I can stay with you and...”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh Grant, I have a million things I want to show you.”
He laughed. “Good, because there are a few things I want to show you, too.”
She held up her hands. “And you warned me not to look at you like I was.”
“Sorry, you’re right. Let’s start again. So what’s on your agenda for the next couple of weeks?”
By the time they turned off the freeway, they were laughing and sharing light conversation. Baylee felt herself relax. “This is what life should be. Thank you for looking at houses with me.”
He glanced over at her and winked. “Baylee, I need to talk to you, and sooner rather than later.”
“There’s a park just up ahead. Why don’t we pull in there?”
A few minutes later, Grant pulled into parking place at the little park and turned off the car. “This is nice, close to the river and not crowded.”
Baylee unfastened her seat belt. “Want to walk? There’s a little bridge a ways up the path.”
When they got out of the car, the late afternoon weather felt perfect. Warm but not hot. Grant took her hand, and Baylee’s heartbeat sped up. She bit her lip. What did he want to talk to her about that made him look so tense?
At the bridge, Grant stopped. Turning, he leaned against the railing and put his arms around her. “You remember how we both said we didn’t believe in romantic love. We agreed that the reason for the divorce rate was that couples confused lust for love.”
“I remember,” she whispered.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
She drew in a breath, but he didn’t let her say anything. “I didn’t intend to make love to you that weekend in Seatt
le. Remember I told you they didn’t have suites available?”
She nodded.
“I lied. In fact, I reserved a suite, and then decided that it might be better if we didn’t tempt ourselves, and had the reservation changed to two rooms.”
He paused and pulled her tighter against him. “When I left you at the airport, I almost called you back. I felt miserable all the way home. By the time I called you that night, I knew it was a lot more than sex for me.”
She moved so she could see him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and continued. “Then, when you referred to what we had as casual sex...”
He looked almost feral and yet she didn’t feel any fear. “You almost hung up on me. You sounded so angry.”
“I was, but not at you. I was angry with myself, with the way I was feeling when you obviously didn’t feel the same.”
“I did. I just didn’t want you to think...I don’t know, maybe obligated or something. I thought if I told you or even showed a little of what I felt you’d...oh, I don’t know what I thought.”
A tear slid down her cheek, and she tried to turn so he wouldn’t see it.
“Don’t turn away from me.” He tipped her chin up with the tips of his fingers.
She put her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest. He held her and silently waited. After a few minutes, he again pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “You okay now? I’m not good at this, guess no guy really is, but what I’m trying to say is that I love you and that I’m in love with you. I know this is too soon, and I’ll wait until you catch up, but not long-distance. If I can get on this research project in Berkeley, it will be a two- or three-year commitment. I can get a place.”
Baylee laughed. “You can stay with me. You just told me you love me, and I can’t believe it. How, when...I love you so much.”
Grant’s laugh boomed out, mingling with hers. “We’ll figure out the logistics later. Anything but long-distance. I want to have you with me, beside me. Please say you want this, too.”
“I do, but I don’t think it’s fair for you give up everything and for me not to give up anything.”