Smiling, Celeste bid her goodbye and hung up. She was about to throw her cell phone back into her purse when she saw the notification for the missed call. She looked at the number but other than the fact that the area code was from Dallas, she didn’t recognize it.
Steps outside the bathroom drew her attention away from the phone. Someone tried to lower the door handle before knocking at the door.
“Just a second,” Celeste said, checking herself on the oval mirror.
When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with a brunette with a belligerent expression. The she-wolf was on the short side, built like a pinup. She would have been pretty if it weren’t for the harsh lines on her face that made her look cruel and tired.
“Excuse me,” Celeste said, moving to the side to let the woman into the bathroom as she left.
“I don’t think so,” the brunette said, pushing Celeste back in and closing the door behind her. “You are the slut sleeping with Milan.”
Her words were laced with so much venom Celeste recoiled at first. It only lasted a moment. She was done letting people walk all over her.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Celeste moved to the door, shoving the brunette aside when the woman grabbed her elbow. “Move that hand if you don’t want me to break it.”
“You think you can come from whatever hole you are from and steal him from me,” the brunette spat, but released Celeste.
Celeste leveled a hard stare at the woman, the pieces of the puzzle falling together as she remembered the same woman sitting in a pickup truck and looking at her and Milan the day before. “Let me guess,” she said. “You’re the bitch who fucked his cousin.”
Her words hit home, because the she-wolf paled. Pain briefly showed on her face, but she bounced back fast. “I’m the bitch who will have him back in no time. Why do you think he came to Angel’s Pass after ten years? He can’t forget me.”
“Tell yourself that. If you repeat it enough, you’ll believe it.” Celeste pushed the door open and burst outside.
One hand pressed against her chest, Celeste walked away lest she throttle the she-wolf. Despite her confident façade, she couldn’t help but brood about the woman’s parting statement. Both she and Milan had lives outside Angel’s Pass’s enchanting bubble, and normality would resume as soon as she boarded that damn plane tomorrow.
Milan and Betty Lou were back at the table, laughing at something he said. When Celeste came near, they both looked her way.
“Are you okay, girl?” Betty Lou asked.
“Celeste, is everything all right?” Milan took her arm, drawing her closer to him.
“Everything’s okay.” She forced a smile. “Thank you again so much for the fantastic meal, Betty Lou.”
“Come back and I’ll cook more for you.” Betty Lou gave her a pointed look.
Milan saved Celeste from having to answer. “We left my friend’s big pooch back at the cottage. I don’t even want to think what he might have done to the furniture if he got bored.”
When Celeste went to hug Betty Lou, the woman said, “Gerri was right about you.”
“You know Gerri?” Celeste asked, leaning away from the woman’s bear hug. How was it possible that everyone knew Gerri? First the nice fairy, now Betty Lou.
“Longtime friends. The woman’s always right. It’s infuriating.” Betty Lou laughed.
“What happened back there?” Milan asked as soon as they were in the Jeep.
Celeste saw the brunette skulking away from the employee entrance. She pointed at the she-wolf. “Your ex cornered me in the bathroom.”
Milan groaned, pinching the arch of his noise with a pained expression. “What does she want now?”
“You.” Celeste studied Milan’s profile, waiting for his reaction.
Milan angled his body toward her and started laughing. “Of course she does.” He sobered and reached for Celeste’s hand. “I’m sorry you met her. The woman’s delusional, and we have already wasted enough time talking about her when all I want is you.” He leaned in and brushed her lips with a feather-like kiss. “I need you so bad it hurts.” He guided her hand over the impressive bulge in his jeans.
They didn’t make it to the cottage but stopped in a secluded area outside town that bordered Placid Lake. Following the cravings of her body, she straddled his lap, and they made love in the Jeep before moving to the tranquil waters for a lazy swim.
The lake was freezing cold, but Celeste found it refreshing after their frantic coupling that resembled a mating frenzy so much it bordered on scary.
They swam away from the shore where the water was clear, and it looked like they were floating over the pebbled bottom of the lake. Milan circled her in his strong arms, pulling her close to him until they were skin to skin. The sunset burned orange and red, painting them in pastel tones.
“Celeste,” Milan whispered, so close that Celeste could hear his heartbeats falter alongside hers when he dipped his head to kiss her.
His mouth devoured hers, stealing her senses all over again.
How many kisses could they share before tomorrow?
19
Milan hugged Celeste as if his life depended on it.
The frigid water lapped at their united bodies in a lazy pattern. He was cold but getting back to shore meant joining reality once again, and he wanted to stretch the moment as long as he could.
“This feels right,” Celeste whispered against his neck. “Being here, with you.”
Milan nodded, caressing her back as he slowly kicked the water, keeping them afloat.
“Make love to me one more time,” she said, raising her head to look at him.
The bittersweet note in her request gripped his heart in a tight vise. Instead of answering, he kissed her deeply, his hands cupping her beautiful bottom, urging her legs up and around his waist. The new position opened her to his invasion. United, he poured all of himself into her, hoping Celeste could hear what his body was telling her. She ground against him, building his pleasure to an ache he wanted to ride forever.
Celeste’s low moans echoed in his ears. She threw her head back, her long hair trailing the water as he spun them around slowly. His wolf howled, demanding he latch his growing fangs into the expanse of her exposed skin. The animalistic instinct to make Celeste his in the way of the wolf had only grown stronger with time.
Overwhelmed by the many emotions assailing his heart, Milan drove faster into Celeste’s sweet channel until she tightened around him, pulling him deeper inside her. Her cries of pleasure initiated his release. He lost himself in Celeste, never wanting to emerge, to be only one again.
“Milan,” she murmured, her arms and legs wound around him tight.
He hugged her back as hard as he could without hurting her. The need for more hadn’t abated. No matter how many times he took her, Milan couldn’t satisfy his cravings for Celeste.
If only she didn’t have to leave in a few hours. If only they had more time. If only he could explore this persistent desire to make Celeste his mate.
A long shiver ran across her arm, followed by another. A thick layer of milky-white fog had raised from the water and enveloped them like a wet blanket.
“Your lips are turning blue,” he said. His voice sounded gruff and curt even to his own ears. He dipped to kiss her nose. “Let’s get back to the car.”
Not wanting to let go of her yet, he swam to the shore with his arm firmly anchoring Celeste to his side and propelling them forward with his legs.
“You’re shaking like a leaf.” He took her in his arms when his feet touched the pebbles and emerged from the lake, parting the fog with his body.
Once on the firm ground of the shore, he didn’t release her. His mouth brushed hers as his hands stroked her cold skin to warm her. Without breaking contact, he walked to his Jeep, aware that the kiss needed to end but not wanting it to. Celeste was soft and responsive, just perfect for him.
Eventually, it was Celeste who leaned away
, pressing her hand against him to separate them. She straightened in his arms and dropped her legs to the side. He finally let go of her, and it felt like a blow to his chest.
“I need to go back to my rental.” Celeste stepped away from him, reaching inside the Jeep to grab her sundress.
Milan watched as she dropped the thin fabric over her head and let it shimmy down to her shoulders. Inch by inch the sundress covered her voluptuous body, sliding over the hard nipples and generous hips. He wanted to grab her by her waist, turn her around and bend her over the jeep because he needed to engrave the shape and smell of Celeste in his mind. Instead he remained silent, taking in the sight of the woman who had stolen his sanity.
“Can you drive me back to town?” she asked, climbing into the Jeep. Her dress rode higher up her toned thighs, uncovering her long legs that were still wet. The generous swell of her breasts strained the soaked yellow fabric.
She looked like an erotic dream, and Milan could only think how much he still wanted her.
“Can you drive me to my cottage?” she repeated.
He had heard her the first time but if he acknowledged her request it was over between them. Her soft-spoken words had a finality that chilled him to the bone.
“Milan?” Celeste’s eyes were big and sad, and he could never deny her anything, that much was clear even after the little he had spent with her.
Without a word, he grabbed his jeans, shirt, and boots, and pulled them on before climbing into the Jeep. Silence hung over them, heavy and dark.
“I need to check on Kurosawa first,” he finally said, turning on the engine.
“Of course.” She lowered her eyes to her lap. “I don’t know how I could’ve forgotten about him.”
As he drove to his place, Milan wondered if she would soon forget about him as well.
20
The road was bumpy, bouncing Celeste in her seat every time the tires hit a root at full speed. She didn’t ask Milan to slow down because she would’ve driven equally as fast if she were at the wheel.
The ache inside her had spread from her heart to the rest of her body, and now, she hurt everywhere. She needed distance from Milan or tomorrow it would hurt much more than it did now.
Milan parked in front of his cottage, and the pain in her chest became stronger. If she left the Jeep and went inside with him, she would see the broken frame on the floor, and that would remind her of the broken bed, and the couch, and the kitchen table. They would end up making love again, and she would be the one begging Milan for it. As she had done at the lake.
As much as Geri Wilder had been right that she would meet someone at Angel’s Pass, she should’ve warned Celeste that the weekend came with a side of heartache. But it was Celeste’s fault after all. Why had she embarked in the harebrained trip to Washington State when she knew that she would never leave Dallas? What was she thinking? She wasn’t, that was the problem.
Deep inside, Celeste had never truly believed that Gerri Wilder would deliver. She had only gone along with it because it had sounded like a fun vacation, and it would make Julia happy. Never in a million years would she have thought Gerri could be the real deal. How terribly wrong she had been. Again. She sure had a knack for misjudging situations and people.
“You go ahead. I’ll stay here,” she said when Milan walked around to help her exit the Jeep.
Milan nodded. He had said maybe a handful of words since leaving the lake, but his silence spoke volumes. After giving her a look that had her shivering, he swung both legs to the side and jumped down. His powerful thighs and back were a sight Celeste could never forget. He disappeared into the cottage, and a moment later, Kurosawa’s joyous barks echoed over the forest’s chirps and whirs. A few minutes passed before they both emerged, the German Shepherd’s tail wagging and tongue lolling to the side, and Milan holding a blanket and looking as if the weight of the universe were on his shoulders.
Celeste wanted to say many things, but Milan had infected her with his same aversion for talking, and the words lingering in her mind wouldn’t come out.
Kurosawa went scouting for the perfect spot to pee, while Milan walked to Celeste’s side. He gently draped the blanket over her shoulders, making sure it covered her front and legs. Celeste gulped down the lump in her throat. He had covered her with the quilt that still smelled like them.
“Thank you,” she managed to say as his hand lingered on her leg.
“You were shivering.” Milan’s eyes were as dark as the night and shone as bright as the stars in the sky above.
The full moon was a day away, but it was a perfect night. A night that would never come back.
A day from now, a year from now, an entire lifetime from now, she would remember this night.
Kurosawa barked, and Milan left to take him back into the cottage.
As she waited for Milan to come back, Celeste made a decision. Whatever happened next, she wouldn’t look back with regret in her heart. Her heart thumped against her ribcage, and her blood thrummed loudly against her ears. She felt elated, and scared, and alive as she had never felt before.
Milan returned, using the grab bar to pull himself into the Jeep. Celeste let him drive for a few minutes, scanning the surroundings for the perfect spot.
When they reached a clearing illuminated by the silvery moon, she placed her hand on his. “Stop the car.”
Milan didn’t question her request. Slowing the Jeep to a halt, he turned to face her. His powerful stare pinned her to the spot, making her feel wild.
“Shift,” she said. “I want to run with you.” She got out of the Jeep and removed her sundress while kicking off her sandals at the same time. Naked, she gave him one last look before shifting into her wolf.
A moment later, Milan followed her example. When his brown and black wolf emerged, her white wolf let out a bark, sprinting away from him.
She ran as fast as she could, flying over the forest undergrowth, avoiding roots and rabbit holes as she made sure that the path was large enough for the big wolf following her. The she-wolf didn’t need to turn to know he was behind. Her animal senses were already attuned to his in the way of mates.
Celeste had tried to ignore the truth, but her wolf was smarter than her. Where Celeste only knew responsibilities, broken oaths, and broken hearts, her wolf knew that life could be as simple or as complicated as one wanted it to be. The she-wolf lived her emotions fully. Pure joy and contentment filled her heart as the big wolf loped after her, chasing her in the courting game that would unite them forever.
They ran free for a long time, and when the waxing moon floated high above them, they stopped at the edge of Silver Lake, nestled high up in between the mountains.
The she-wolf looked over her rump, inviting the brown and black wolf closer. He threw his head back and howled with all the strength of his powerful lungs before mounting her. When his fangs pierced her shoulder for the mating bite, the she-wolf, too, howled her joy to the moon. The forest fell silent, reverently witnessing the beginning of their forever union.
Finally, they were one in body and soul.
21
Bright sunshine broke through a heavy blanket of clouds, waking Milan. For a moment, he thought the events of the night had been a beautiful dream. Celeste stirred, then, her soft body lying on top of him, confirming it was all true.
Their wolves had mated.
Milan and Celeste would mate, too, sealing their pledges to each other forever. Nothing else made sense but for them to bond.
Milan soaked in the sight of the woman who had changed his world in less than a weekend. Her face relaxed as she slept. Celeste’s long legs lay intertwined with his, her breasts cushioned against his chest. Her hair smelled of jasmine and brushed his shoulder. He would’ve spent a day studying every detail that made her unique, but it wouldn’t be today. Although the fog around the lake was clearing, the sunrays weren’t warm enough to raise the cold temperature, and Celeste was shivering.
He caress
ed her, trying to warm her skin, but only managed to wake her.
“Hey,” she said after opening her eyes. The smile she gave him was worth everything in the world.
“We should go back.” He didn’t want to, but there were things that needed to be done, and they couldn’t wait.
Celeste’s smile dimmed for a moment.
He brushed her lips and hugged her tightly. “I’m coming with you to Dallas,” he said.
Celeste sprang up. “What do you mean?”
“I want you to be mine, officially, but not like this, in a hurry,” he said.
Trying to put into words all the emotions that crowded his heart didn’t come easy to Milan, but for her sake, he would do his best. “I’ll take a few days off to be with you in Dallas. We’ll decide what’s best for us, together. Whatever works for us as a couple, I’ll be onboard. You might not want to leave Dallas, and it’s hard for me to move from Seattle, but I promise you, we’ll find a way.”
Tears welled in Celeste’s beautiful eyes.
“Don’t cry, my love.” Using his large, calloused hand, he wiped the wetness from her cheeks.
“I can’t believe this is really happening.” She snuggled against him once again.
“Oh, this is happening.” He laughed, caressing the swell of her breasts.
She shivered against him, but this time, he knew it wasn’t the cold causing her reaction.
“I have to have you one more time before we go back,” he said, rocking his hips against her.
Her response was to straddle him firmly.
An hour later, they weren’t ready to leave Silver Lake, yet, but the morning was well on its way, and they had a long drive ahead.
“Let’s shift. It’s going to be faster that way,” Celeste said, looking at Milan with smoldering eyes.
They ran in their wolf forms straight to the Jeep where they hastily shifted back and picked up their cold clothes, damp with dew. After finding his shirt missing, dragged off by some forest creature, Milan had no other option but to wear his pants only. He then grabbed his cell phone, but there wasn’t any signal in the middle of the forest.
Paranormal Dating Agency: Her Dream Alpha (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Angel's Pass Wolves Book 1) Page 8