by Lynn Lorenz
Could she ever get used to it? She watched Bobby for cues. Calm as can be, Duke’s mother rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Men. Nothing but big boys, always trying to show each other who’s boss.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “You’d think by now you’d both learn. I’m the boss.”
Both men turned and stared at her. Then Duke laughed. “Hate to say it, Dad. She’s right.”
Wilson shook his head. “If Mom’s not happy…”
“No one’s happy,” Duke finished.
Situation diffused.
Sam grinned and made a mental note. They may be alpha males, but Bobby was a strong woman and could handle both the wolves in her life.
Could she ever be that strong? If she married Duke and had his sons, she’d be surrounded by strong men. Keeping them in line would prove a real challenge.
She was up to it. But did she want to take it on? If it meant being with Duke and everything he offered?
“Are you staying for dinner?” Bobby asked them.
“Well, I wanted to show Sam the park.” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and rocked on his feet. “Once it got dark.” Again a look passed between the three of them, leaving Sam to wonder what it was all about and a little jealous that she couldn’t decode the looks. Would that ability come in time?
“Sunset is around five thirty, Duke.” His father gave him a nod and then retreated inside the RV.
Duke checked his watch. “An hour and a half to go.”
“Sit back down. Let me fix you both some sandwiches and get more iced tea.” Bobby disappeared inside.
They sat. Sam stared at Duke. “Old bear?”
“Yeah.” Duke gave her a shrug. “I didn’t say which kind.”
“It isn’t koala, that’s for sure.” She grinned.
“Pure grizzly.” Duke laughed and winked at her. Her heart skipped a beat. He could charm her right out of her socks if she’d let him. Wait, she wasn’t wearing any socks. Out of her panties, then? Oh, good Lord, she was hopeless. He’d opened the flood gates to her wicked side and freed her.
“And what kind of bear are you?” She leaned close and nipped at his ear.
“One hundred percent teddy bear,” he whispered.
She sighed and laid a kiss where his neck met his jaw.
“I’m all yours, Sam.” His head shifted and he caught her lips up with his.
Again, she was swept away on a wave of desire for this man. What would it be like to make love in a forest?
“I like the way that sounds. Teddy bear,” she spoke breathy words into the air next to his ear.
He groaned. “Maybe I need to rephrase that.”
She leaned away from him. “I think I’ve found your pet name.” She giggled.
“No way. Uh-uh. I’m not going to be called teddy bear.” His eyes warned her, but the smile on his face ruined the threat. She ignored him.
Dropping her voice down until her kitten purred, she cooed, “Teddy bear.”
Duke’s eyes shuttered and he swallowed hard. “Oh, hell.” A rush of excitement rippled through her at his reaction. She turned him on, and she loved it.
Where was his button again?
She took his hand, brought it to her lips, and nipped his knuckles. Her tongue made darting sweeps across his skin, soothing her bites.
“Christ, Sam. You’re killing me,” he groaned. His eyes seemed lit from within as he watched her teeth and tongue torment his hand.
“Are you my teddy bear?” she whispered, blowing each word across his fingers.
Duke shuddered. “Oh, fuck, yes,” he rasped.
Their eyes locked and she was pulled under. She tilted her head, leaned in as he gathered her lips in a soul-searing kiss. Toes curled, hair stood on end, and muscles clenched as her female responded to his male, and to the thrust of his tongue in her mouth as it stroked her tongue, soft yet sure, gentle yet insistent.
A new wave of dampness broke out in her undies.
“Break it up, you two.”
Well, that put a damper on their fire. Heat flared across Sam’s cheeks and Duke coughed.
Bobby put a platter down in front of them. Piled up were several sandwiches, turkey, ham, and roast beef, cut in halves.
Duke grabbed a roast beef and bit into it. “Thanks Mom,” he said around his chewing.
“Thanks, Bobby.” Sam picked up a half of turkey and took a more ladylike bite.
Bobby refilled their glasses. “I’m going inside for a while and defuse your father.” She winked at Sam, and Sam’s heart jerked. It was that same cocky wink of Duke’s.
“We’ll take off in a little bit. Tell Dad I’m borrowing his flashlight,” Duke said.
“Will do. And Duke? Be careful tonight. You know how crazy it gets on Halloween. Wilson’s been to all the campsites, warning them about fires, and getting lost in the woods.”
“I’m not going to get lost, you know that.”
“Just keep an eye out. There may be people wandering.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
“Dad’s staying in, in case you’re wondering.” She grinned. “Two wolves running loose would be about one wolf too many.” With another wink, she went inside.
Duke and Sam sat and watched the sunset darken the surrounding woods. Through the trees and bushes, Sam could spot the distant glows as the campers started up their fires.
In the distance, she heard children calling “trick or treat!”
“Are they really trick or treating?” she asked.
“Sure. It’s a big deal. When Halloween falls on a weekend, people come out to camp. Spaces are at a premium. The kids get all dressed up and go from site to site begging for candy.”
“I never knew that.”
“It’s neat. But it makes Dad crazy because there’s always someone who decides to toilet paper some trees or another campsite. It’s a pain in the ass to get all that stuff out of the branches, especially if it rains.”
“I can imagine,” she laughed.
Duke reached across the table and took her hand.
The dark thickened. Insects and frogs started their songs. Sam relaxed, enjoying the beauty of the cool evening. His parents had the right idea. Definitely nice. This she could get used to, for sure.
Duke stood and pulled her to her feet.
“Ready for that walk?”
Chapter Eleven
He reached into the doorway of the RV and pulled out a flashlight, then went to the truck, rummaged behind the driver’s seat and came out with a small blanket.
Taking her hand, he led the way down the road.
“The path is over here.” Duke handed her the flashlight. Right. He could see in the dark. They walked about one hundred feet down the blacktop and then stepped off onto a gravel path.
The calling of the kids grew fainter. Pausing, she looked back over her shoulder. Only a few fires could be seen. In a few more yards, they’d be lost to her. She’d step away from one world and entered another.
She turned back and caught up to Duke. He held out his hand and she took it. Together, they continued down the path. All around her the night noises clamored, insects, birds, and frogs all battled for her attention. The scents of the pines, moldy leaves and the faint smell of wood smoke tickled her nose.
Above all that, she could smell his scent, male, musky, heady, the most potent perfume she’d ever inhaled. She wanted him. Wanted to taste his skin, his lips, and his thick maleness waiting for her behind those damn jeans.
She dropped back a little to check out his ass. Playing the light over it, as if she were watching the path, she took in the roundness of each perfect cheek, the strength of his thighs, his narrow hips. Good Lord. She forced the light beam to the ground and illuminated the path.
It wasn’t much of a path now. They must have stepped off it when she’d stared at him. If she became separated from him, she’d be lost. Swallowing down fear, she tried to steady herself before she spoke.
“Where a
re we going?”
“Someplace special.”
“How much farther?”
“Not far. It’s a bit of a hike, but worth it.”
She gave his hand a squeeze and he returned it, pulling her closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her and tucked her under his shoulder. She slipped her arm around his waist. She could walk beside Duke forever, feeling the heat from his body, taking in his scent with each lungful of air.
“We’re here. Turn off the light.”
Sam switched off the flashlight. For a moment, all was black, then her eyes adjusted and she gasped, “Oh!”
They stood on the edge of a glen. Low grass blanketed the ground. Trees and shrubs circled it like a living wall. Only the sky above was open.
Overhead, the second full moon shone down on them, a celestial spotlight.
Duke stepped into the clearing. “They say this is a magical place.” His short shadow moved along with him. Everything was blue and black in the moonlight.
“Magical?” She followed him.
He stopped, opened the blanket, and with a snap, lowered it to the ground.
“Come, sit with me.” He sat and held out his hand.
She went to him and took his hand as he pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they stared into each other’s eyes. Duke’s eyes seemed lit from within again, eerie, yet fascinating. His lips parted as he drew her to him. Everything moved in slow motion. His rasp of breath, her own heartbeat, the buzz of some nearby insect in the grass all magnified in her ears.
They kissed. Slow, deliberate, intense. Fire washed over her, her skin tingled, her body leaning, longing.
“Duke.”
She sighed as he parted her lips with his marvelous tongue. His hands delved into her hair, cupped her face as he plundered her mouth.
She wanted his hands on her body.
Duke pulled away, as if sensing her increase in need.
“Magic. Can’t you feel it? You’re a witch, aren’t you?” He grinned, running his finger over her chin, outlining her face.
She shrugged. “According to my sister.”
His brow rose. “Don’t you believe it?”
“Not really. I don’t know.” Could she believe?
“You’ve bewitched me.”
“Then I’m a witch.” Tonight, for him, she’d be anything he asked her to be.
“There’s a full moon, Sam. Be a witch. Dance for me,” he coaxed, his voice deep, the timbre of it reaching inside her to rumble around in her chest.
“Dance?” The word caught in her throat.
“In the moonlight.”
“Naked, right?” She laughed.
“Naked.” He nodded. “Go wild, Sam. Find your powers. You have them, I can feel it. Let go.”
“Powers?” She shook her head. “I don’t have any powers.” She’d spent her life denying, not accepting it.
“Of course you do. You found me.”
“That was just circumstances. Fate.” Could it be true? Could she let go?
“Take the leap, Sam.”
Time froze. Sam stared into the eyes of a werewolf.
Anything was possible on Halloween under a full moon.
A second moon, to boot.
Duke gasped as Sam stood and pulled her sweater over her head. He wasn’t sure she’d do it, but he thanked God she did. Her black bra stood stark against the whiteness of her skin. He shuddered with desire, burned with it.
She unbuttoned her jeans, slid down the zipper and shimmied out of them.
Matching black lace panties.
Christ, she was going to kill him. He’d come in his jeans if he didn’t get some control.
Long white legs, full hips, narrow waist and breasts, full, pouty breasts, pushed over the constraints of the bra. It took everything he had to keep from pouncing on her.
“Hear the music, Sam?” he whispered.
“Yes.” She started to sway to the night’s music, a myriad of notes, a blending of wind, sound and something ethereal. Something not really in this plane.
She reached around, unhooked the bra and it fell to the ground.
Duke moaned. His cock stiffened at the sight of perfection. Dark nipples, peaked and pebbled, on blue-tinged white skin. They bobbed as she bent, hooked fingers in the sides of her panties and pulled them down.
Stepping out of them, she dropped them to the ground.
He could smell her sex. Her panties were soaked with her sweet juices and feminine perfume. He wanted to taste her, all of her.
She was still in heat. Ripe. Fertile. A promise of life, of what was to be. Of a future where they loved and lived until both were very old. Of children yet to be born.
Sam’s swaying became rhythmic, her arms rose, and she stepped into the center of the glen. Turning, swaying, bending, her arms flowed, as graceful as any ballerina he’d ever seen.
The moonlight was her spotlight. He was her captive audience.
She danced for him and him alone.
He loved her. No matter what she decided, he loved her and would until he took his last breath.
Closing her eyes, lost in music only she could hear, her speed increased, her feet moved faster, caught up in a new beat. Her arms moved around her head, circled her body, her fingers making odd, fast gestures.
Tiny lights, like fireflies, danced from her fingertips.
Duke gasped, eyes wide as magic spilled from her, flowed across the meadow, to overtake him.
He called the wolf.
Beneath the second moon, the wolf and the witch danced.
Sam darted and danced as the wolf kept time with her. He was glorious, truly breath-taking, his coat of gray, now silver in the moonlight, his eyes amber jewels lit by the moon.
He circled closer and nipped at her feet. She danced away from him, laughing. Her entire body felt lighter, as if she could leap and float above the ground. Moonlight washed over her, bathing her in its beauty and … power. The gentle tingling she’d felt in her fingers had grown stronger and now her body hummed as some sort of power grew inside her, building in intensity, like water behind a dam.
It pushed on her from inside and if she didn’t let it out, she’d explode. She stumbled, then began to twirl, like a dervish in a trance. The wolf ran around her in an excited circle as she spun faster and faster.
I am a witch.
Power coursed through her. She had no idea what to do with it, or what it meant, but she wasn’t afraid. Despite its unfamiliarity, it wasn’t dangerous or harmful. It was beautiful, liberating, intoxicating.
Letting go of all her restraint, all her doubts about herself, she pushed the power through her body, down her arms, to her hands. With a laugh, she flung her arms upward and freed herself.
Her fingers trailed opalescent sparks that rained down on the wolf. Yipping, he snapped at them in the air, unable to catch them, leaping, twisting, a vision of power and prowess, glorious in all his being.
He was hers. She could no longer deny it.
She’d embraced the witch inside her and with it, embraced Duke and his wolf.
The answer was so simple. Had been all along.
“Yes!” she cried out, still dancing. “Yes, to everything!”
The wolf halted.
Head thrown up to the moon, he howled.
Joyous, beautiful, his cry echoed in their circle and bounced back to reverberate around them.
She fell to the ground on her knees, hands forward, hair falling around her head. With a toss, she flipped it back and leaned forward.
“Duke. Come to me.”
The wolf lowered his head, his tail lowered. Submitting to her.
To his lifemate.
Duke stood in the center of the glade, staring down at Sam. Her body shone with a thousand tiny beads of perspiration and in the haunting light of the second moon, she glowed.
“Christ, you’re so beautiful. I love you, Sam.” He fell to his knees in front of her. “I need you.”
“I love you, Duke. Would you be my lifemate?” Tears welled in her eyes and spilled like small silver pearls down her cheeks.
“Oh God,” he choked out, and pulled her to him. “Tell me again, Sam.” He crushed her against him, afraid if he let her go, she’d disappear, as if this had all been some wonderful, amazing dream he never wanted to awaken from.
“I love you,” she whispered into his ear. “A thousand times, I love you.”
He held her face in his hands, and took her mouth in a kiss.
Sam stretched out on the blanket as Duke undressed for her. With each layer of clothing that fell to the ground, she marveled at his discovered body. Wide strong shoulders, powerful arms, broad chest, dark hair covered the space between his pecs and trailed in a dark line down a rippled belly past his navel.
His cock bulged behind his jeans, and as he freed it, her mouth watered. He stepped out of them and tossed them to the side. He was perfection. Every inch of him, satin smooth skin over rippling muscles.
Lowering himself to her, he stretched out and faced her on his side. He took a tress of her hair in his hand.
“I can’t believe it, Sam. You’re mine.”
She ran her hand over his arm, across his chest, lingered on his nipple. He shuddered as she teased it to a hard point.
“You’re beautiful, Duke.” Like a Greek statue, an ideal of man.
“Men aren’t beautiful.” He grinned.
“Handsome just doesn’t say enough.” She shook her head. “Beautiful.”
“I want you, Sam.” She heard the need in his voice, thick with desire.
“I want you, Duke. Right now.” She ran her hand down to his erection, lying hard and stiff against his belly. She brushed the plump head with her thumb, smearing a drop of pre-cum over it.
Duke whimpered.
She loved that she could make him utter those delicious sounds. She wanted to hear him cry out, call her name, hear his breath come hot and hard as he took her. Good Lord, she was so aroused, if he touched her in just the right place, she’d shatter.
“Now?” He ran his hand over her hip. She shifted onto her back and parted her legs. He dipped his hand between them, searching out her core and brushed her clit, swollen and needy, with his fingers. Gasping, she arched upward.