by Dani April
Inside her tent once more, she found she was still tired and ready for more sleep. The outdoors and the thin air of the high elevation did that to her. It was a strange sensation, rather like the time she spent with Luke Wildback.
He had told her that Jason and Kyle would probably come up here for them. She wondered if that foreboded trouble. She also worried about both men. Jason still had his broken leg to recover from. He shouldn’t be hiking out in the woods yet. And Kyle, dear, sweet Kyle, he would argue with Jason the entire trip up the mountain over one thing or another.
She allowed herself to smile into her pillow as she thought about her two lovers. This was what it was like to have two men and no jealousy. It was a strange sensation, but very nice, and extremely erotic.
She might have a future with them. But where in the hell did Luke fit into it all? Even as her mind worked over time with all of the possibilities, sleep overtook her, and her eyes fluttered shut.
* * * *
Arielle woke up again and turned over to look at the time. The fluorescents on her watch showed the time to be nearly three in the morning. The sky still thundered outside the tent, but now the rumbles were nearby. She rubbed some sleep out of her eyes and then climbed out from under the blanket. She had to go to the bathroom.
She didn’t bother to put her shoes on and was quick to unzip the tent and run out to the woods. When she was on her way back she realized just how dark the forest was at night without the light of the campfire to make things bright. She stubbed her toe on a tree branch and hopped on one foot back into the camp. An evil flash of lightning illuminated everything and made her hurry faster.
Back at the outside flap to her tent she was just in time as the heavens opened up and started to pour rain. She crawled in under the flap to get cover from the deluge. Safe from the rain, she stared outside at the campground that got drenched from the storm. Movement on the other side of the camp caught her eye. It came from inside Luke’s tent. He must have been awake. The storm had awakened him, too. Then the next illumination from the lightning told her why. There was a tear on the roof of his tent. Already it sagged under the weight of the water, and rain poured into the tent from the top.
Luke came out of the open flap and inspected the damage to his tent. He wore only his boxers. His body was slick with rain water. It looked like he had just taken another dip in the pond. Arielle held the heavy plastic flap of her tent over her head for protection and stuck out her head.
“Luke!” she called out to him. “You’re going to catch your death out here!”
He motioned to her that it was okay. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m used to this. Go back to sleep. Your tent is new. The roof will hold.”
“I’m not worried about my tent. I’m worried about you. You can’t sleep in there with all this rain.”
He gave another nonchalant shrug. “Don’t worry!”
She held open the flap of her tent for him. “Come on inside with me before you get sick.”
He turned around and regarded her. Another flash of lightning showed his face twisted with all sorts of unknown thoughts. He seemed to reach a decision and loped across the camp and to her tent. The rain chased him as he ran.
She held the flap open wide for him, and he climbed inside with her. As soon as they were both safe and under cover, she closed the flap and zipped up the tent. The night and the sound of the storm were shut out. As he moved past her in the tent, his wet body got her clothes wet and splashed the polyethylene floor.
They both fell to the floor and breathed heavy. She turned on the flashlight by her pillow and was amused by the look on his face. She laughed. “You’re all wet,” she told him. “I think the damage has already been done.” She picked up the blanket and walked behind him on her knees and draped it over his shoulders and his body. This covered him more than his boxers did.
“Sorry I’m getting your tent wet,” he apologized.
“You’re shivering. You’ve probably already caught a cold.”
“Wolves don’t catch cold,” he told her in his best tough-guy voice.
“Yes, they do,” she corrected him. “I’m a vet. I know for a fact they do.”
“It’s my fault. I should have prepared better for this camping trip.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Anyway didn’t you tell me these tents were built for two?”
“But you only have one blanket.”
“I’ll live.”
He reached back to her and pulled her down. He unwrapped the blanket and cradled her in it. The two of them fit smugly under it together. The blanket had gotten wet and at first she scowled at its touch. Then she felt the heat of his body under the cotton fabric with her own body, and she began to relax and get comfortable. He was warm. With his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close to him. She rested her head against his chest and brought her arms around his stomach.
Suddenly things had become real cozy inside that little tent. Arielle didn’t have time to think about it. The rain that beat against the roof and the occasional rumble of thunder in the background added to the effect. “This is better than my tent,” he told her quietly as they both lay down and listened to the sound of the rain outside.
After they were silent for another couple of minutes, she realized the situation she had invited him to. She had not meant to do it. It was just her internal need to nurture that had kicked in when she saw the leak in the roof of his tent and how wet and cold he had become. She had not thought about his gorgeous, nearly naked body or the fact that she had essentially invited him to stay the night with her.
She chanced a glance up at him. He still wore an unreadable and stoic expression. All she had wanted was for his comfort, and she supposed he was more comfortable now. She was surprised to find she was actually more comfortable with him inside with her. The longer they went without words and just lying in each other’s arms and listening to the rain outside, the faster her heart started to beat. She didn’t know what to expect now because she still really did not know him. He was still beside her and as solid as a rock. His arm over her shoulders felt good and gave her comfort.
She had to check on him again with another surreptitious glance up his chest. For a moment she thought he might have gone to sleep. But his eyes were still open, and he still listened to the storm noises outside with her.
She had time to compose her thoughts. He gave her time. It occurred to her that in his shifter world, she was supposed to be his mate. So it was only natural that mates would hold each other like this.
Her legs had started to go to sleep on her and she moved them down his body. Her knee brushed the warm edge of what must have been a massive erection inside his boxers. She quickly stilled her movements and felt a flush come to her face. She knew men couldn’t control that reaction, but didn’t want to make him anymore uncomfortable than he must have already been.
If he truly thought of her as his mate it would only be natural for them to do other things now beside merely cuddle. But he remained unmoving at her side. His hand gently stroked her shoulder. After a while his touch calmed her rapid heart rate, and she started to relax with him.
“Luke?” she asked him and partially sat up against his chest. “You don’t talk about us being mates as much as Jason and Kyle do. I actually appreciate that because, not being a shifter, I don’t understand that whole mate thing. It was weird when Jason first brought it up. It put a lot of pressure on me.”
Luke gave her a simple smile. Not the wicked one, just a nice open and honest smile. She snuggled in closer to him. “You know that old mating wives’ tale that shifters live by is something I always found hard to believe,” he told her.
“Really?” Arielle was surprised.
“Yeah. The idea of knowing the woman I was destined to spend the rest of my life with the moment I laid eyes on her always sounded like a crock to me. I guess my parents believed in it, and Jason and Kyle do, too.”
“But you don’t?”
> He gave a laugh. “You know me. Always the misfit.”
She smiled and looked back down at his chest. “You feeling warmer now?” she asked him.
“Yes. How about you?”
“Yes. Me too.” She moved her legs again, careful to avoid his erection that tented the blanket, and ran a hand up his chest to make sure he was dry. “I’m really relieved to hear you say that about our mating. I mean, it’s a romantic notion, and the thought of having a destined love is appealing, but it just isn’t very practical in the everyday world.”
“I agree with you totally. There is something to be said for freedom of choice. Arranged relationships are just too old-fashioned.”
“Absolutely. I agree. In spite of what I have with Jason and Kyle, I think it was just blind luck that I met them. I mean if I hadn’t hit Jason with my car, we never would have met.”
Without any more thought she snuggled tighter against him, and his arms enfolded her body stronger. “So have you ever met a shifter woman who you wanted to hook up with?”
She felt Luke sigh beneath her. “I’ve met a lot of them,” he said. “I’ve been with a lot of human woman, too. I think if it wasn’t for women I would just stay out here in the forest all the time and away from people. But sometimes a man just gets the urge for a woman.”
Arielle shook her head and stifled a smile at his naiveté. “That wasn’t what I meant. I wasn’t asking you how many women you’ve slept with. I wanted to know if you have ever found someone special who you thought about entering a long-term relationship with.”
“I can definitely say no to that one.” He returned her smile and laughed with her. “I don’t think I’m cut out for long-term relationships. That’s why I’m happy you’ve got something with Jason and Kyle. You make them happy. And even though I get as angry as hell at those two goofballs, they are my brothers and I love them. I want them to be happy.”
She smiled as he mentioned the names of her two lovers. “Do you really think I make them happy?” She thought she had made them happy, she had certainly tried hard enough with both of them, but it just felt good to hear him say it.
“I know you do.” He brought her chin up and forced her to look him in the eye. “Do they make you happy?”
“They make me very happy,” she admitted.
“That’s good.” He let go of her chin and put his arm back around her shoulder. “I’m taking us back home tomorrow. When we get there I’m going to pack my things and leave the ranch. I can find work in the city. I want the three of you to be together. That’ll make me happy.”
“Oh…” Arielle was left without anything to say to that. He had said earlier he would leave her alone on the ranch with his brothers if the two of them didn’t click while they were on this trip in the mountains. Apparently he didn’t think they had clicked.
She felt sad and snuggled up closer to him in his arms. She hadn’t really expected this but supposed she should have known it could have happened. She had been incredibly selfish to think she could have a relationship with two fantastic men at the same time, let alone with three.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked him. She wasn’t at all sure that’s what she wanted for him. “Maybe I can leave. Or maybe Jason and Kyle can leave with me. I don’t know what we’ll do. This is new territory for all of us.”
He placed his fingers over her lips to silence her. “Of course it’s what I want. You stay on the ranch with Jason and Kyle and take care of each other. I’ll be fine living in the city. I’ll come back and see you all the time.”
She reached up to him and placed a brief kiss on his lips. Then she nestled back against his chest with his arms around her, and another pang of sadness hit her. “You are truly a gentleman, Luke,” she told him. “You may not believe in the old-fashioned tale of meeting one’s mate, but at heart you are an old-fashioned gentleman.”
She knew she could sleep now in his arms. All he wanted to do was take care of her and his brothers. She felt safe and secure in the tent with Luke, the sound of the storm outside, and the warmth of his body next to her. Suddenly the crazy idea was with her that things might actually work out for her and Jason and Kyle. But even with that happy thought at the forefront of her mind she felt sad. She felt sad for Luke. He seemed so alone. As she snuggled to get comfortable against him her knee would brush his erection. But ever the gentleman, all he did was hold her. Soon she went to sleep peacefully in his embrace.
Chapter Fourteen
Arielle awoke to sun that streamed in the plastic window at the roof of the tent. It was bright, and she had to shield her eyes as she stretched out across the floor. There was an absence of warmth and strength at her side, and she realized Luke had left. She was alone inside the tent again.
She had slept well and felt rested. The storm had passed and a bright-blue sky was overhead. The sun was still low in the sky so it must have still been early in the morning.
When she unzipped the front of the tent, the sound of birdcalls in the forest welcomed her to a new day. She crawled out and got to her feet. She stretched a few more long and lazy arches to get the kinks out.
The ground was muddy against her bare feet as she made her way across the campsite in search of Luke. She found him on the edge of the forest. He gazed off the side of a hill into a mountain valley that shined with the first rays of sun from the new day. It was a beautiful sight, and she came to stand silently at his side and watch the wonder of that valley.
She looked up at him and wanted to ask him if he slept well or if he had caught a cold from his bout with the rain last night, but none of these words would come to her. Somehow she couldn’t speak to him that morning. He didn’t seem to have anything to say either. The two of them together stood side by side and watched the sun rise. He put an arm around her as the wind blew back her hair, and she gratefully placed her head on his shoulder.
When it happened, it happened suddenly.
He bent down to her and took her face in his hands. He brought their lips together and kissed her long and passionately. Her hands were on him in an instant, and she wanted to drink him in. He felt so good. Before she had a chance to enjoy him, he broke their kiss and pulled back to stare into her eyes.
“I want to take you back to the tent,” he told her. It was half a question, and half a command.
Arielle did not have to think about her response this time. It came naturally and with urgency. “I want to go,” she said, and took his hand in hers.
He picked her up in his arms and carried her back across the campsite. She felt like a ragdoll in those big muscle-builder arms, but he carried her gently. He kicked the tent flap out of the way and fell to his knees with her inside the tent.
When he placed her onto the floor, his hands were back on her body in an instant and his lips were on her face. She held onto him and let him take the lead. His fingers went under the straps of her halter and pulled them down her shoulders. He moved his hands down her body and took the halter with them until he got to her shorts. There he paused just long enough to unsnap and unzip them. He removed both her top and her shorts down her legs. She obediently held out her legs to allow him to take them off her. He was still in his boxers, and she wore only her panties.
He was back on top of her body. He trailed kisses around her face, and she sighed into his touch. His tongue found her lips and traced them delicately. He moved lower to her neck and down to her shoulder. He nipped at her with his teeth. Tiny sparks flew in Arielle’s brain at what he did to her, and she closed her eyes and enjoyed.
As he kissed and bit her neck, his hands had roamed her body again, and now his fingers had gone beneath the elastic of her panties, and he tugged on them. Once more she held out her legs and he ran them down to her feet and removed the last of her clothes.
It was her turn to reach out to him. Her hands sought out his cock beneath his boxers. He helped her with the boxers. His cock was so engorged and angry they could hardly get the boxers
over it. Finally he reached inside, and she helped him to reposition his cock just long enough so they could take the boxers down his legs.
He was huge. His cock stood straight out from his fury thatch of pubic hair at his groin and pointed toward her. Finally she had him in all his naked glory, and his body was hers to do with as she wanted.
A brief moment of exaltation came over her, but it didn’t last long as he pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her. She spread her legs for him and reached out to help guide his cock forward toward her pussy. She was wet so there was no need for him to go slow. He propped himself on his elbows above her, and she grimaced as he stabbed himself inside her body.
She opened her mouth and grunted. All the wind had just been taken out of her. He gave another shove into her womb, and she had to stifle a scream. Instead her scream came out as another half-formed grunt.
She closed her eyes, and her body tensed as Luke started to take her quickly. He might have been a gentleman, but in his first sexual coupling with Arielle, he took her without mercy. All of the pent-up tension between them over the last two days was coming out of him now, and he thumped her hard and deep against the plastic flooring of the tent.
She squeezed his arms. She wanted to get his attention, to ask him to take it easy on her, but there was no stopping what had been unleashed. Her body tensed further against his assault.
He was positively pummeling her body, and now her body was starting to betray her. Her pussy could take the attack no longer, and her muscles were scrunched up waiting for relief. She opened her eyes as her body fell into an orgasmic precipice. This was dangerous. If there was any more pressure it would be painful. As it was she was so full with him inside her she could barely breathe.
A wave of orgasms ripped her apart, half destroyed her consciousness and shattered her body. She screamed. The screams wouldn’t deter him, and he kept pounding her pussy ruthlessly until finally his warm spray lit up her insides and he fell on top of her.