Seth

by Lisa Carlisle

  Although his leg slowed him, he enjoyed listening to Hailey too much to want to stop.

  “Liam loves looking up to see the trees, but I love what grows close to the soil as well. All the fern, think of how ancient they could be.” She pointed at the base of a tree. “When we were little, we used to pretend that the moss were the tops of trees of tiny villages. The people who lived there were miniscule. They thought we were giants.” She motioned to a moss-covered rock. “We’d name them, too. Tree village, rock land.” She laughed. “Not very inventive, I know.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe not the names, but the ideas are.” He thought of telling her about the witches on the Isle of Stone who built their homes in trees and connected them with rope bridges. That probably wasn’t a good idea, though. Instead, he asked about the lands. “Your father owns a lot of land. How do the three of you manage to take care of it?”

  “He has help and we plan to hire more people in the future,” she replied. “There’s still so much to do. Liam and I spend as much time as we can working on the land, and we’ve planted hundreds of trees.” She pointed out a number of pine seedlings and smaller trees. “Like these Scots pine,” she said with a proud smile of a parent. “Look at how tall they’ve grown already.”

  “Indeed,” he replied, captivated by her smile.

  “I’ve trained in wildlife management, so one of the things I do is catalog the animals we spot here and try to preserve their habitats. We have fox, grouse, hare, and many more. Liam is trained as an arborist. He can likely identify every tree and plant we have, pine, oak, aspen, birch, and more.”

  They’d walked for so long, he wondered if they’d ever reach the end of the grounds. “Where does your father’s land end?”

  “Way on the other end of the forest. There’s a road that separates our land from a farmer. He’s not keen on the idea of reintroducing lost species, especially wolves, thinking they’d attack his livestock. We’ve had arguments about our difference of opinion.” She spun to the opposite direction. “Down that way our land extends to a loch.”

  Somehow they’d ended up walking so close that her fragrance wrapped around him, dizzying him with a feminine appeal that made him want to emit a guttural groan. He stifled it so as not to scare her off. An urge to take her hand followed. He shoved it aside. That was a crazy idea. It simply had to be the effect of being alone with a beautiful woman in a romantic setting.

  Late that afternoon, they returned to her cottage. She picked some vegetables from a small garden on the opposite side of the flower garden.

  “Hope you like frittatas. We can throw some kale, zucchini, and tomatoes in and eat it with some fresh bread.”

  “Aye.” It came out too much like a grunt so he tried to soften it. “I could help.”

  She had him wash and cut the vegetables while she whipped the eggs with some milk and cheese. With her working so close beside him, he was keenly aware of her presence. As his wariness dropped, a far more primal reaction to her rose. Soon the cottage was filled with the aroma of the cooking dish, which was tempting, but not as much as her natural scent.

  “I have a nice chardonnay that would go well with it.” She pulled out two wine glasses and poured wine. “To—new beginnings,” she said and raised her glass to him.

  “Indeed.” He toasted.

  They each took a sip, and their eyes locked. Something passed between them in that charged moment. Time seemed to slow and everything else morphed and faded into the background. His heart pounded while raw heat simmered between them. His wolf was on edge, watching, waiting, longing…

  After a few heart-pounding seconds, Hailey broke the gaze. “It’s a beautiful evening. Perhaps we should get some fresh air and eat outside.”

  He exhaled with relief, and some disappointment. His wolf whimpered, displeased with the letdown. They’d spent most of the day outdoors, which he didn’t bother to point out. She must have been as affected as he was and needed some space. He could use a moment to regroup, as well. “Sure.”

  They sat in her red Adirondack chairs in the picturesque spot near her flower garden. When the frittatas were ready, they ate as the sun set over the moors, enjoying it with a cool light wine. The flavors lingered on his tongue. Delicious.

  When had he last enjoyed a meal like this? He couldn’t remember one with the pack in recent times, which often included tense discussions on island politics. And when he hunted as a wolf, it was certainly not a relaxing experience, but one powered by predatorial instinct and adrenaline. Yet even his wolf took pleasure in this experience, despite the lack of excitement following a hunt.

  “What a view,” he pointed out. The purple of the moors shimmered with gold as the sun set.

  “I eat out here when I can. It’s a beautiful, clear day today, but it’s mesmerizing in another way when the mists hang low over the trees.”

  He gazed out to the forests, envisioning it. He’d guessed most humans lived cramped in cities. Hailey and her family clearly didn’t fit that mold.

  They lingered outside after they ate, finishing the bottle of wine. She asked him about his life and what it was like growing up on the isle. He deferred most of her questions. Clearly, she was fascinated by his dual nature, but she already knew more about him than he was comfortable with a human knowing. Besides, most of his stories included growing up with Raina and the pack, subjects he didn’t want to think about. Undeterred, she told him stories about growing up in the United States, before turning the questions back to him.

  “What was your mother like?”

  “She was beautiful and kind,” he admitted. “That’s what I remember about her most. The feeling of absolute and unconditional love from another person.”

  She peered at him with concern. “Have you had that type of love since?”

  No mother figure after she’d died. And definitely not with Raina since she’d run off with a gargoyle. “No.” As she continued to watch him with a curious expression, he added, “You?”

  “If you mean relationship-wise, no.”

  “Why not?”

  “I guess I’m too into my work.” Pushing the chair away from the table with an abrupt screech, she said, “How about dessert? I have some Magnums.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Chocolate-covered ice cream. Oh, so sinful and so good. I shouldn’t buy them as I can’t resist knowing they’re in the freezer. And I could stand to lose a few pounds.”

  He glanced over her body. “That would be a shame.”

  “What?” She peered at him with surprise.

  “I like the way you look. Wouldn’t want you to change at all.” He shouldn’t be so outright about that, but he didn’t want her to change any part of her luscious body.

  She reddened and then went inside, taking their plates. He glanced up. The skies had darkened and stars peered out from hiding. The waxing moon had grown in its intensity, and he felt its pull. Ah, that was what must have gotten into him—that wild, restless drive that had his wolf acting peculiar. It had to be the moon. Without the magical veil protecting him from the moon, he was susceptible to its effects, amplifying his primal needs. Since his hunger was satiated, it focused on something else—pure and simple lust—and she was the only female around.

  He had to ignore it. She’d invited him here to give him shelter and take care of his wound. He couldn’t go and take advantage of that and act like a brute animal.

  “We should head inside,” he suggested. “It’s getting late.”

  He wouldn’t dare reveal the real reason—that he was seeking cover from the moon so he wouldn’t go after her like a wild beast.

  They headed into the cottage and cleaned up from dinner.

  She rolled the sofa out into a bed and covered it with bedding. “Sorry, I don’t have a guest room. Those who come to visit us sleep in the main house. This will do, I hope.”

  “It will be fine.”

  She reached into a closet and tossed a pillow to him, then she hesitate
d. Her gaze dropped from his eyes down his body, before she turned away with an abrupt move, “Goodnight, Seth.”

  Damn, when she looked at him that way, it was difficult to ignore his body’s needs. As she walked to her bedroom, he watched how she moved. That purposeful gait with a feminine sway. And those curves he wanted to touch.

  She entered her bedroom and closed the door. He stared at it. She was gone, but her wondrous scent lingered with that hint of berries and cream. His wolf stirred and moaned.

  Something about Hailey being gone didn’t sit right. He’d barely been apart from her since that morning.

  The way she’d taken care of him today challenged all his preconceived notions of what humans were like. He’d figured they were all alike—manipulative, selfish, destructive, as well as self-destructive, but she didn’t appear to be any of those things. Not only had she treated his injury, but she offered him food, clothing, and even shelter in her house. He doubted many humans would be open to sharing their homes with a stranger.

  Her voice reached him, low and seductive. His name.

  Was she calling to him?

  He climbed from the sofa and strode toward her door, his wolf spurring him on.

  “Hailey?”

  He listened, waiting for her answer, but only heard a sigh. Was she wearing something soft and frilly—or nothing at all? Fantasies shaped in his mind.

  Was she fantasizing about him, as well? Or dreaming about him?

  His hands clenched at his sides as he paced before her door, like stalking prey. But this was different, a wild kind of hunger and a yearning he didn’t recognize.

  He could knock on her door…

  Och, she’d slipped into his head and was driving him insane with thoughts of her. It was simply the moon tormenting him, that was all. She was human, he was a wolf shifter. It was some kind of bloodlust.

  He could control it. He had to control it. If he was going to live without the protection from the moon on the Isle of Stone, he bloody well better learn to adjust to this new world.

  When he plopped on the bed and turned away from her bedroom door, pulling the pillow over his head, his wolf yelped in protest. Seth forced himself to ignore the intense drive to go to her, knowing it was going to be a long, tough night.

  After several more minutes of tossing about, he gave up on sleep. He had to do something to burn off the restlessness. Removing the borrowed shorts, he slipped out of her front door. The moon bathed his naked body with luminescence, drawing out more of the wildness. He gave in to his wolf’s desire to shift but wouldn’t follow the instinct to go to Hailey. He bounded away from her to overcome the urge, running over the moors and through the forests. Although his wolf was satisfied with running free, it protested running from Hailey, and howled in frustration.

  ***

  When the sun crept across Hailey’s face, signaling morning, the developments of the day before returned. The wolf was also a man. He was a type of shapeshifter. What a surreal encounter.

  It had taken her a long time to fall asleep. His presence was too distracting. She’d never had a man stay overnight in the year or so she’d lived in the cottage, let alone someone who looked like Seth. She contemplated going out there, coming up with an excuse to check on him. Had she checked his wound before he’d gone to bed? Did she make sure he knew where the blankets were if he got cold? Had she shown him where the glasses were in case he wanted a glass of water?

  Yes. Yes. And yes.

  Damn. She’d had no excuse out there except to admit to him—and herself—how much she wanted to be near him.

  That was a bad idea. It completely undermined any professional motives she had in keeping him here. It was wrong. Confusing.

  What the hell was she doing with him anyway? Beyond wanting to impress her father, she couldn’t deny her attraction to Seth. But she shouldn’t act on it. She was an advocate of animals, an environmentalist—a sensual response to him seemed wrong. Like she would be crossing some professional boundary. Not to mention, he’d be leaving the estate as soon as he healed. Would it be wise to start a fling with a man who—well, wasn’t always a man? Relationships with men were problematic and time-consuming, which was why she’d avoided them.

  But would one night with no strings attached be so bad?

  She’d rolled onto her belly and had forced herself to visualize other things. The brilliant tapestry the sun made as it rose over the land. The sound of the breeze ruffling the leaves in the forests. The swash of purple as the heather streaked the moors. Eventually, she’d drifted to sleep.

  Now awake, her dreams from last night reshaped in rapid bursts. Many included scalding hot fantasies with him. They were together in a hidden area of the grounds making love under pine trees. They were on the sofa in her living room. In her bed…

  At one point, she’d heard him howl.

  A slow smile spread as she pictured him sleeping out there on her sofa.

  If he was still there.

  He could have left her cottage at any time during the night. Crap.

  She bolted up and put on a robe, the pink one she’d considered yesterday when looking for something for him to wear. When she stepped into the main living area, she exhaled. He was in the kitchen, examining gadgets like they had mystical properties.

  “Good morning, Seth.”

  When he glanced up and flashed an arresting smile, she swore her heart crashed into her ribs. God, he was disarming.

  “Good morning,” he said. His Scottish burr came out low and smoky.

  “Tea?” she said, stepping by him to access the kettle.

  When their bodies passed, mere inches from each other in the confined space, she took in a sharp inhale. Could he read her thoughts? If he had that ability, she’d cringe—some of those fantasies had been quite sordid.

  “Aye.”

  Double crap!

  No, he was answering her question about the tea, not her internal one questioning his ability to read minds. She glanced into his eyes. His smile was genuine. Not teasing, not knowing, like he was attuned to all her secrets.

  Turning on the water, she filled the kettle and tried to get a grip. What was going on with her this morning? They’d spent the entire day together yesterday. What had started with surprise and suspicion had evolved into something else. Something more comfortable, like they could one day be friends, and yet not. That underlying attraction that had simmered between them had grown stronger throughout the day. Her subconscious had played out what they could do if they dropped everything and acted on their desire.

  She had to stop that train of thought. Sleeping with him would not accomplish any of her goals. What would she tell her father when he returned, Oh, so I found this guy, who turned out to be a wolf shifter. Amazing, right? Yes, I thought so, too. Which is why I slept with him.

  Clearly, she needed to slow down.

  She handed him some silverware and bananas. “Bring these to the table, please.” Ach, bananas? Couldn’t she have picked a less phallic fruit?

  “How does your wound feel this morning?”

  “Better,” he said, showing her.

  “Wow, it’s almost healed. How did that happen so quickly?”

  He grinned. “Must have been your care.”

  She scoffed. “Impossible.” She returned with two mugs of tea. “The salt water might have helped, too, but wounds don’t recover that fast.”

  “It’s one of our qualities,” he admitted. “We heal faster than most—human or animal.”

  That might mean he’d leave sooner than she’d hoped. She struggled to hide her disappointment. “That’s not a bad deal.” She took a sip of her tea and peered at him over the mug. “What else can you do?” If he answered read minds, she was bolting.

  “Ah, you’re quite inquisitive this morning,” he teased.

  She tilted her head and tried to sound nonchalant. “Can you read what other people are thinking?”

  After a long perusal, he said, “I wish I could
tell what you’re thinking.”

  She exhaled. That was close enough to a no for her. With what she knew about him so far, he only revealed things that he wanted her to know so there was no point pushing.

  “What would you be doing right now if I wasn’t here?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Checking my email, watching the news.”

  “Don’t let me stop you.”

  She picked up the remote and turned on a news station. Seth became engrossed with what happened on the screen. She checked her email on her phone. Nothing urgent she had to attend to, so it could wait until later that day. The most exciting thing happening in her world was the wolf shifter sitting at her kitchen table engrossed in BBC News.

  “You seem rather fascinated with what’s going on in the world.”

  “It amazes me all the ways humans attempt to destroy themselves. It’s like you’re programmed for self-destruction.”

  “We’re not all that way,” she said. “That’s what the media focuses on, the bad news. There are plenty of us who are interested in the opposite—making us thrive. Creators, artists, scientists, engineers—”

  “Like you?”

  The earlier discomfort with having him so close had faded. “Yes. And my family and colleagues.” What struck her now was how normal it felt with him in her place. She couldn’t understand why. He was a different species, for goodness sake, but spending time with him seemed natural. Like they’d known each other for weeks, not hours.

  “What’s on your agenda for today?” he asked.

  “Thought we’d go for a walk and then figure it out from there.”

  He cocked his head. “Together?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “I’m surprised you want to spend another day with me. I’m sure you’re a busy woman with plenty to do.”

  Seth was her highest priority, especially with trying to convince him not to leave yet. What could she to do delay his departure?

  “My agenda had me in London for the conference,” she said. “Since I cancelled the trip, I’m all yours.”