They walked along in an easy, companionable silence for the better part of an hour. Trevor let his eyes wander over the familiar Redwoods that towered over the path. Ferns of all shapes and sizes grew up in the damp shade of the Redwoods’ shadows, and the sunlight that did seep through treetops lit up everything it touched into a brilliant shade of green.
Magic seemed to ooze into the atmosphere out here. Trevor sometimes came here to shift. He would let his bear loose and run through the forest, breathing in deeply all of the fresh, earthy smells that surrounded him. He hadn’t told anyone else in his clan about this place. Normally, he shared everything with them—especially prime shifting locations. But somehow this place had always felt sacred to him. It was his special, secret place.
As they continued hiking, Bailey started commenting when they passed a particularly large or beautiful tree. Which, out here, happened frequently. Trevor smiled as he watched Bailey’s face lighting up with wonder. This place had a way of healing Trevor’s heart when life became too much to take, and he hoped it would do the same for Bailey. He hoped that being away from the noise of civilization would bring her some clarity.
As the sun rose high in the sky, and the time displayed on Trevor’s digital watch flipped over to 12:00, the trail began to follow the upstream path of a small stream. A faint roar slowly grew louder and louder, until Trevor and Bailey rounded a corner and came face to face with a large waterfall. Crystal clear water cascaded from rocks high above them, catching sunlight to create a dazzling display of sparkling droplets on the way down. A small pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall formed a lagoon in the shape of a perfect half-circle.
“Wow,” Bailey whispered. “This is incredible.” She slowly stepped toward the lagoon and took in the beauty surrounding them. Trevor held back, letting her enjoy the magnificence of what might possibly be his favorite place in the world. She paused for a moment in one of the sunbeams streaming through the treetops, and the light set the silhouette of her hair aglow.
When she turned around and the sunlight hit her face, Trevor felt his dick stiffening, and his bear clawing at his insides. He told himself to remain calm. They’d only spent one morning together so far, and he didn’t want to scare her off. To get his mind off of how much he wanted Bailey, he shrugged off his backpack and started pulling out Tupperware containers.
“What’s that?” Bailey asked.
“Lunch,” Trevor said. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving! All that hiking has definitely made me work up an appetite.”
“Good, let’s eat.”
Trevor sat on the soft, grassy area near the lagoon, and Bailey joined him. He noticed she was shivering a bit, and he pulled off his sweatshirt. “Here, take this,” he said, handing it to her. “I know even this mild California winter starts to feel a little chilly when you sit still in the shade.”
Bailey gave him a grateful look and took the sweatshirt from him. Trevor had to look away for a moment when he first saw her wearing it. He felt himself growing hard again at the sight of his sweatshirt draped over her curves. He focused his attention on opening the Tupperware containers that held their lunch. He had packed grapes, sliced strawberries, and sliced apples, along with an assortment of crackers and cheeses.
“Trevor, this looks amazing,” Bailey said, popping a slice of Brie into her mouth. I had no idea you were so fancy.”
“I’m not sure I’d call packaging artisanal cheeses in Tupperware ‘fancy,’ but I’m glad you like it,” Trevor said. “And I saved the best part for last.”
Trevor pulled a bottle of sparkling wine out of the backpack, along with two plastic cups.
“You’re kidding me! How did you know I like champagne?”
“Lucky guess,” Trevor said with a wink. “I’m not a huge fan of wine myself, but my buddies’ girls all seem to love it.” He popped the cork on the bottle and poured generous servings into each glass. With a flourish, he grabbed a few strawberry slices and threw them into Bailey’s. The wine fizzed around the fruit, and Bailey smiled down at the golden liquid.
“Cheers,” she said, lifting her cup up to Trevor.
“Cheers,” he replied. “Don’t be shy about getting yourself a refill, either. Whatever we don’t finish up I have to dump out, because I can’t really carry an open bottle of wine back with us.”
They munched on the ample spread that Trevor had brought, enjoying the exceptional food and view. Despite his assertion that he wasn’t a big wine fan, each time Bailey requested a refill, Trevor poured himself a refill as well. He could feel the alcohol starting to lower his inhibitions, and, as their meal continued, he found himself increasingly unable to focus on anything other than how much he wanted to kiss her. She chattered away, seemingly oblivious to his internal struggle. She spent a lot of time telling him about the job she had just left behind. From her stories, it sounded like she hadn’t been kidding when she’d said all she’d ever done was work. It didn’t seem like there had been much sparkle in her life. She asked Trevor about his job, and he shrugged.
“It sounds glamorous, but it’s pretty straightforward. You jump out of an airplane wearing about a million pounds of gear, and try not to hit a tree when you land. Then you spend the next few days basically being a glorified lumberjack. We clear a fire break in the forest, and then set a back fire to burn into the main fire’s path so that they burn each other out. Most of the time, once we’re done with that we have to hike out. And since these fires are during the summer, it’s usually hot as hell. Especially when you’re wearing a heavy jumpsuit and hauling a bunch of gear around. So, basically, it’s one brief, exhilarating moment of jumping out of a plane followed by several sweaty, grimy days of hard physical labor.”
Bailey’s eyes had grown into wide, incredulous circles. “But, still! You get to jump out of a plane.”
Trevor chuckled. “If all you want is to jump out of a plane, you don’t have to be a smokejumper to do that. There are lots of skydiving centers where you can go get your fix.”
“I could never be that brave,” Bailey said.
“I thought that, too. But due to circumstances beyond my control, my only choice if I wanted to continue firefighting was to become a smokejumper. So I sucked it up and learned to jump out of planes. The whole ride up the first time is terrifying. But once you jump and you’re out in all that open air, it’s actually quite an amazing feeling. Almost addictive. Now I love it.”
Bailey shook her head. “You’re so brave.”
“I’m brave? You survived a hotel fire and the death of a friend. Then you told your boss to shove it and basically decided to start your life over. And you’re still sitting here smiling and laughing. I think you’re the brave one.”
Bailey laughed. “Well, thanks. I’m not sure I agree with you, but I’ll admit it’s nice to be complimented by you.”
“Oh, really? Why’s that?” Trevor asked in a flirtatious tone, narrowing his eyes in Bailey’s direction.
She batted her eyelashes at him. “It’s always nice to be complimented by a brave firefighter who saved your life and just so happens to be the sexiest specimen of a man you’ve ever seen.”
Trevor swallowed hard. She was giving him an invitation. Should he take it? His rational side told him to slow things down. They didn’t really know each other, and she had been through so much this week. But looking at the smooth skin of her face shimmering in the sunlight made it difficult to listen to anything resembling rationality.
“Bailey,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Her face grew serious at his pleading tone, and she locked her gaze with his. She parted her lips ever so slightly, and Trevor’s breath caught in his throat. Was she giving him an invitation to kiss her?
He leaned in slowly, and deliberately, giving her plenty of time to pull away if he had misread her signals and this wasn’t what she wanted. But she didn’t pull away. In fact, she leaned in closer to meet him halfway. His lips touched hers, and he felt a th
ousand tiny sparks of electricity shooting through his body. Her lips were warm and soft, and she closed her eyes against his touch. He kissed her tenderly at first, and then started to increase the fervor of his lips moving against hers. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and she moaned as he began to stroke her tongue with his. For what felt like an eternity, they kissed. Connected at the lips by passion and desire, they both took in the feeling of sweet yearning that swelled over them.
Trevor could have kept kissing her forever. He would have loved to undress her right there, taking off his sweatshirt and the sweatpants that hid her naked curves from him. But he managed to maintain a tiny bit of his resolve not to rush things.
“Come on, beautiful,” he said, pulling away from her gently. “Let’s head back to the parking area. I’ve got more surprises planned for the day.”
Bailey grinned at Trevor. “Well, well. Aren’t you a mysterious one,” she said.
“Oh you have no idea,” Trevor said. He gave her a quick wink and then started packing up the Tupperware for the hike back.
Chapter Six
Around three-thirty in the afternoon, Trevor and Bailey made it back to the SUV.
“I hope whatever you have planned for the rest of the day doesn’t involve any more physical exertion. I’m beat,” Bailey said as she climbed into the passenger seat.
“Here, take a nap,” Trevor said. He reached into the backseat and handed her a pillow and a blanket. Bailey happily positioned the pillow against the window and snuggled under the blanket. They hadn’t even been on the road for five minutes before Trevor heard the sound of soft snoring coming from the passenger seat. He smiled. The combination of the hike and the alcohol had probably worn her out. Maybe such a long hike hadn’t been a good idea so soon after Bailey had been discharged from the hospital, but she had seemed to handle it well. The fresh air had probably done her lungs some good, anyway.
Trevor drove in silence, not wanting to even turn the radio on for fear of waking her. The blanket rose and fell rhythmically to the beat of her breathing, and her hair started escaping from her hair clip one wavy tendril at a time.
Trevor’s heart beat with anticipation when he looked at her. He wondered if it was possible that she had actually been fated for him. He’d watched over the last summer as everyone in his clan except he and Zach had taken lifemates. He’d begun to wonder if maybe he would never find anyone meant for him. But, as he looked over at Bailey and savored the warmth that had been glowing in his chest since the moment he kissed her, he allowed himself to consider the possibility that he might not spend the rest of his life alone, after all.
Maybe he hadn’t been able to love anyone until now, because, deep down, he had known that he was waiting for someone truly special.
He’d been waiting for Bailey.
She slept the entire hour long ride to a tiny town just outside of Red Valley. Trevor pulled into a parallel parking spot in front of a tiny boutique called The Gilded Thread, and turned off the SUV. When he reached over to give Bailey a gentle nudge, an adorable, sleepy mumble escaped from her lips. She blinked, and looked around in confusion for a moment.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Just outside of Red Valley. We came here to go to this store right here—The Gilded Thread.”
Bailey sat up straight and looked out the window at the boutique. “The Gilded Thread,” she repeated. “It looks like a clothing store.”
“It is,” Trevor said. “This is part of your Valentine’s Day present.”
A small look of surprise passed across Bailey’s face. “I forgot it was even Valentine’s Day today. I mean, I knew it was getting close thanks to the huge displays of hearts in all the stores. But I lost track of the actual day.
“Well, I remembered. I hope you don’t think it’s too forward of me to do something for you for Valentine’s Day. I honestly wasn’t intending it to mean anything more than friendship when I planned this day out. But I can tell you’re a really special person, and I can also tell that you haven’t had many people in your life treat you like you’re special. And you deserve better than that.”
Bailey blushed and looked down at the floorboard, but then looked up at Trevor again with a confused look. “So, you’re getting me clothes for Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, not exactly. I’m taking you to dinner for Valentine’s Day. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think you look amazing in those sweatpants. But I can tell you feel self-conscious about wearing a cheap pair of sweatpants, and I know you’re going to want a pretty dress for the place where we’re having dinner tonight. So, I’m going to hand you my credit card, and I want you to go in that store and spend whatever you want to get whatever you want. Get yourself a dress for tonight, and then get a few outfits so you have something to wear during the week other than those sexy sweatpants.”
Bailey giggled. “That’s really sweet, Trevor. But, I don’t want to take so much money from you. This place looks expensive.”
Trevor shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how much it costs. I’ve got plenty of savings to spare. I want you to have some nice things. It makes me sad to see you walking around so uncomfortable with your clothes. There’s also a beauty shop next door. Go there, too, and get yourself some makeup and perfume…and whatever other smelly stuff girls like to wear.”
Bailey looked down at her lap, and Trevor reached over to put his credit card over her hands.
“Our dinner reservation is at seven, so you better get moving if you want to have plenty of time to take a shower and get ready.”
Bailey hesitated, and Trevor thought she was going to refuse, but she finally smiled and took the card. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks. It would be nice to wear something that doesn’t feel quite so frumpy. I’ll only spend a little bit, I promise.”
“Spend whatever you want, seriously,” Trevor said. “I’m going to go across the street to that coffeeshop and let you do your thing. Come find me when you’re done.”
Trevor gave Bailey’s arm a squeeze, and then strode across the street without looking back. If he had looked over his shoulder, he would have seen Bailey standing outside the boutique, holding his credit card in her hand and shaking her head in amazement.
* * *
Bailey watched Trevor amble across the street, his broad shoulders held straight and tall. She felt like her head was spinning. This day had not gone how she had expected. She’d been hoping that maybe after spending a day with Trevor, their friendship would be somewhat cemented. Then, they would agree to hang out again. Maybe some romantic feelings would gradually develop, and after a week or so of slow burn, one of them would be brave enough to admit that they liked the other.
She would never have guessed that Trevor would take her on a romantic hike to a waterfall, and then surprise her with an exceptionally delicious picnic. And she had been shocked when he actually kissed her. She put her fingers to her lips, which still burned with the heat from Trevor’s kiss.
Now, he had brought her here to buy something to wear to dinner tonight. She didn’t know where he had made reservations, but if his planning for the evening was anything like his planning for the rest of the day had been, she knew she wouldn’t be disappointed. She felt guilty using his credit card to get clothes, but she had to admit that she really wanted something other than these stupid sweatpants to wear. She was almost embarrassed to even go into a clothing shop looking like this.
But until she got her passport and credit card—which, hopefully had made it to her today—she had no way of buying anything decent. Even if her credit card was already back at the hotel waiting for her, she wouldn’t have time to get anything before dinner. And, damn it, Bailey wanted to look good for dinner tonight. It had been so long since a man had given her butterflies, but her heart beat faster every time Trevor’s eyes locked with hers. And today was Valentine’s Day. How could you go on a date with your crush on Valentine’s Day and not look amazing?
Bailey marched into
The Gilded Thread. She would find the hottest damn dress she could, and some sexy clothes for the next few days. She was going to show Trevor that she knew how to work her curves. She would swipe that credit card and just consider it a loan. As long as she paid him back, she wouldn’t feel guilty about spending whatever she wanted right now.
She pushed away the little voice in the back of her head telling her that she didn’t have a job and needed to be sensible. She’d spent the last decade being sensible, and look where it had gotten her. Almost killed in a grungy hotel that had gone up in flames, and with a career that was dead in the water. Today wasn’t a day for being sensible. Today was a day for living.
A slender, smiling saleslady looked up when Bailey came through the front door of the boutique. Bailey thought she saw a look of surprise pass over the woman’s face at Bailey’s appearance, but it was gone so quickly that Bailey couldn’t say for sure whether she’d imagined it.
“Good afternoon. Can I help you?” the woman asked pleasantly.
“I hope so,” Bailey said. “I’ve got a date tonight for Valentine’s Day. The first time I’ve had a date on Valentine’s Day in about half a decade, actually. But I’m from out of town and lost all the clothes I have here in a hotel fire a few days ago. I desperately need something to wear that isn’t, well, this,” Bailey said, gesturing down at her baggy outfit.
The woman put her hands over her face. “Oh, my! You poor dear. Was that the hotel fire in Red Valley? I heard it was awful. They said one guy even died.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said, looking down at the floor. “I knew that guy, actually. He was a coworker of mine.”
The woman clucked sympathetically. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Listen, don’t you worry about a thing. We’re going to make sure you look stunning for your date tonight. Come with me.”
Fire Bear Shifters: The Complete Series Page 30