“Hey,” he said as he took a step forward.
“Hey…” she said breathlessly.
He looked down at her and for the first time she was fully aware of how tall he was. He must have been well over six foot, a huge hulking beast of a man with incredible muscles and the sexiest stubble smattered across his cheeks and jaw.
He leaned back and opened the passenger door for her, and then he stood to the side to allow her to climb on in.
When she stepped towards the truck, she immediately saw Lilith sitting in the back seat with a wide smile and her stunningly blue eyes.
“Amanda,” she beamed as she ducked into the front seat and hugged her though the center space.
“Hey Lilith,” Amanda hugged her back. “So lovely to see you again.”
“I’ve been telling my dad that we just had to have you for dinner,” she grinned. “I told him you were awesome and we had the best time at the office yesterday.”
Amanda felt herself smile and the warm feeling that had nestled in her heart was now spreading out throughout her limbs. She didn’t know what it was about these two people, but when she was with Dean and Lilith, it felt like she belonged there.
Dean climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door of the truck closed behind him before he started the engine.
“She’s right,” he said as he looked across at Amanda with a wry smile. “She’s been talking about you constantly… Amanda this, Amanda that…”
“Yes, because I knew otherwise you wouldn’t have the nerve to ask her out,” Lilith chimed in and Amanda burst into laughter.
Dean looked at Lilith in the rearview mirror and raised his eyebrows with amusement, and then he put on his indicator and pulled out into the traffic of Main Street.
As they drove through town Lilith hummed along to the songs on the radio and chirped in now and again to tell Amanda pieces of information about town.
“Have you seen this building yet, Amanda?” she asked as they passed by an old disused cabin at the end of Main Street. “That used to be a hot tourist spot but they had to close it down.”
“Lilith…” Dean said with a mock warning as he looked back up into the rearview mirror.
“Close it down, why?” Amanda asked as she grinned across at Dean.
“Well, the legend goes that one of the original families who lived here in Bridge Hollow are buried beneath it and the place is haunted.”
Dean smirked and shook his head.
“The kids around here love all the legends,” he said. “And believe me there are plenty of them.”
Amanda turned and looked at Lilith over her shoulder.
“That’s one of the things we were talking about yesterday actually,” Amanda smiled. “Wasn’t it, Lilith?”
Lilith nodded her head enthusiastically and sat forward in her chair.
“He’ll tell you if you ask him…” she teased. “Won’t you, Dad?”
Dean leaned forward and turned the radio up slightly so that Lilith’s tiny voice was drowned out in the back.
Amanda laughed.
“You’re mean,” she teased.
“Sometimes you gotta be! She’s a spitfire,” Dean smiled. “She sure knows how to wind up her old man.”
Amanda looked across at him and at how at ease he was with them both. He looked so handsome and incontrol behind the wheel, and as his big, rough hands gripped it and took each bend and turn, she felt herself imagining what it would be like to have them all over her… to feel him lifting her sweater off over her head and unhooking her bra.
She turned to look out of her window and exhaled deeply. This was not the time or the place to be fantasizing about what Dean could do with her if they were alone.
“So where are you whisking me away to anyway?” Amanda said as she gained back her composure. “We seem to be heading quite a way out of town.”
“Not too far,” Dean said. “In fact, not far at all. We’re on the mountain.”
“Mountain, huh…” she smiled. “Nice.”
Dean looked across at her and they both smiled as their eyes met.
The truck moved around the windy roads as they climbed higher and higher. The trees became lusher and greener, and the air seemed more clear and pure. Amanda looked out of her window and took in the amazing scenery, she could see the town unfolding out beneath them as they made left turns, and she saw how picturesque everything looked, it easily could have been a painting in an art gallery somewhere, one she was sure that many people would buy.
As Dean began to slow the truck and they turned into a clearing between some trees, she noticed the stone gateway was flanked by two bear statues as they made their way up a long, bumpy track.
“What’s with all the bears?” Amanda asked as she turned back over her shoulder to try and catch sight of them again.
“What do you mean?” Dean said.
“Just the ones at the end of there, and then the statue in town too,” she probed. “I’m sure I saw them on the sign on the way into town … and to be honest, at the risk of sounding crazy, I’ve been having the strangest dreams since I arrived here.”
Dean gripped the wheel and shrugged his shoulders, not once looking across at her. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road.
“Just part of the legends of the place,” he said. “Every town has their stories, right?”
Amanda nodded.
“Yeah, and I did see the documentary, I mean I’ve heard of this place before and all the weird stuff that is supposed to go down here, but I don’t know why.”
“Oh, it’s a rich, varied, fucked up history,” Dean laughed, lowering his voice to make sure Lilith didn’t hear him curse.
“I’d like to hear about it,” Amanda smiled.
Dean looked at her and shrugged.
“Well let’s see how you fare with my dinner conversation first before we hit onto the hard stuff.”
Amanda laughed and then turned back to face forwards as she watched the forest open out ahead of her. As the trees began to part, she could see the log cabin coming into view. It was huge, much bigger than anything she had seen before, and it looked modern and sleek, as if it had newly been constructed.
“Wow,” she gasped as she leaned forward to take it all in. “Is this your house?”
Dean nodded and pulled up in front of the cabin and turned off the engine.
“Our house,” Lilith chipped in from the back seat. “In fact, it was me who convinced him to take the plunge and do it, wasn’t it dad?”
Dean smiled at his daughter and nodded.
“Right again Lil,” he said warmly. “Sometimes you just need that little push.”
“It looks amazing,” Amanda said as she opened her door and stepped out onto the graveled path.
The house was set back in the trees and it had beautiful landscaping around the edges, with little features scattered here and there which made it utterly unique. She could see Lilith’s bike leaning up against the garage, it’s pink handles glistening with glitter and charm. She could see mason jars hanging from the trees with old candles in them, solar fairy lights dotted through the trees in big, long strings, and strange pictures and mirrors hanging in odd places to create a truly magical outdoor space.
She could see logs that had been chopped to make seating, all arranged in a circle around an old bonfire, and blankets and musical instruments in a basket close by.
“You guys like to entertain?” she asked.
Dean nodded.
“Lil loves having her friends over for camp outs,” he smiled as he closed the truck and locked it up.
“And dad is the best at doing marshmallows on the bonfire,” Lilith said as she wrapped her arms around her father’s legs and hugged him tight.
“Well, I hope I get to see some of that tonight,” Amanda smiled. “I mean you can’t say marshmallows and then not deliver, right?”
Lilith clapped her hands together and jumped up and down on the spot.
“O
h my goodness Dad, yes we have to light the fire and do the mallows! Can we? Can we? I’ll go and look in the pantry.”
Dean rolled his eyes to tease her but then he knelt down and tickled her in the ribs.
“Of course we can,” he beamed.
“Yay! Marshmallows! Marshmallows! Oh my goodness, Amanda, you are going to love it!”
Lilith raced towards the front door and opened it with her own key before she ran inside and disappeared down a dark hallway.
Dean laughed and turned to Amanda.
“I told you, she keeps me on my toes,” he said with a shrug.
“You’re doing an amazing job,” Amanda said quietly. “Truly, she is lovely… and this place…” she looked out and around at her surroundings again. “Just wow…”
He smiled at her and then he nodded towards the main door of the house. Amanda turned to follow him and they went inside, taking the same path Lilith had taken.
The cabin had all been recently redone, and even though it looked rustic from the outside, the interior was something else altogether. The wooden floors were light, and the space was airy, as they wandered down the long hallway towards the back of the house and main living space Amanda couldn’t help but smile when she saw how wonderful the room was.
It was high ceilinged and vaulted, with huge glass windows running all along the back. The view out over the adjoining veranda was insane, it looked right down the mountain towards town, and Amanda knew immediately that this place must have been one of the twinkling lights she had seen on the mountain from her hotel room on that first night.
Lilith was rooting through the cupboards on the kitchen side, pulling out bags and bags of cereals and chocolate.
“We always have marshmallows,” she grinned. “But last week we had my friends here and we ate a lot!”
Amanda laughed.
“But…” Lilith paused. “Yay! We still have some!”
She emerged from the cupboard gripping a big pink bag, full of huge fluffy mallows.
“I guess I better get the fire started,” Dean smirked as he leaned against the kitchen counter and stared at the two girls.
“Yay! Put it on, Daddy, we can cook everything outside.”
Amanda watched as Dean opened the refrigerator and collected a plate of meat and vegetable kebabs.
“Wow,” she smiled. “This just keeps getting better.”
Dean winked and walked back towards the front of the house. Lilith handed Amanda the bag of marshmallows and found some skewers in one of the drawers before the offered her a drink.
“What would you like?” she said as she hauled herself up onto a high stool by the cupboards.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Amanda beamed.
Lilith opened the refrigerator and pulled out a big jug of iced water and lemon and set it down on the side.
“Perfect,” Amanda grinned.
“Come on out!” Dean’s voice bellowed down the hallway and Lilith jumped down and went skipping out towards the door.
Amanda collected the juice and three glasses, and then she looked around again and had to pinch herself. She didn’t know how she had ended up here, but she felt completely at home.
It wasn’t just Dean and Lilith, it was this house too. There was something so familiar about it even though she knew that there was no chance she had ever been there before.
She walked back towards the hallway and followed it along to the front door. Dean was on his knees stacking up wood on the fire and he had a burning torch stuck in the ground all ready to light it.
Amanda stood there in the doorway and watched them for a moment.
If she took nothing else away from her time in Bridge Hollow, it didn’t matter. She realized what she had been missing in her life. She had been depriving herself a future she truly craved. She wanted a man and a family. She wanted to feel safe and protected, and she realized that when she was with Dean, she felt that more than anything.
After years of going it alone, Lilith and Dean had made her see in two short days what she didn’t know she truly needed.
Amanda wanted love, and she wanted a family of her own.
She smiled at them both as they pottered around the fire setting things up and Dean placed a grill over the top of the flames with all the meats and kebabs laid out.
“This is perfect,” she said quietly, as his eyes lifted to meet hers.
And when he smiled back, she knew that he felt it too.
13.
“Well, that was delicious,” Amanda said as she set down the napkin she had been eating off and rested it on the ground.
Her hands were filthy, covered in the juices from the meat and the charcoal from the grill, but she loved it. It felt like she was going back to basics, and she had enjoyed herself sitting on the damp ground outside in the forest, eating with her hands, much more than she had done in any restaurant in as long as she could remember.
“Compliments to the chef?” Dean asked as he cocked his head to the side and grinned.
“Most certainly,” Amanda giggled.
Lilith yawned and stretched out. It was clear she was getting tired, but they still had their marshmallows to heat up and enjoy.
“Come on Lil,” Dean said as he slapped a hand on his thigh. “Let’s get this show on the road with the mallows or you’ll never sleep.”
Amanda smiled.
Lilith knelt up and shuffled towards the fire on her knees, before she picked up two of the pre-prepared skewers and marshmallows and dangled them over the flames of the fire.
The blue of the little girl’s eyes shone orange with the flames and she looked completely out of this world. Amanda could feel Dean watching her, and the way she was watching Lilith, and when she turned to catch his eyes, he had the intensity that had stunned her into stillness emanating from him again.
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, the rest of the scene around them seemed to blur together and disappear. Lilith was still there, humming and melting her mallows, but to Amanda and Dean, they were the only two people they could see.
“What are you?” Amanda whispered.
Dean smiled and his eyes flashed. He was fixated on her, and deep within her Amanda felt something click. She shivered and she made herself move, breaking their gaze and bringing herself back into reality.
Lilith’s marshmallows were done, and she passed one to Amanda before she took a big bite of her own. Dean watched them both and Amanda was sure she could see sadness behind his eyes. There was so much more t0 him, and although she was nervous about peeling back the layers, she also knew that she wanted to do it more than anything.
The three of them sat by the fire, roasting marshmallows and eating them in silence until Lilith rose to her feet and stretched. She wrapped her arms around Amanda’s neck and hugged her tight and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Thank you for coming to spend time with us,” Lilith breathed into her neck. “It’s been so good having you here.”
Amanda felt her heart swell and tears threaten to spring free. Lilith was such a sweet child, one who was tender and pure, and clearly was missing the guidance of a mother figure in her world.
Amanda hugged her tight and felt a longing of her own. She had spent so much time teaching children, she had almost forgotten how to connect with them in other ways. Just chatting to Lilith about life and not academia, had made her realize all over again how wonderful kids could be, and of what she was missing out on by not pursuing the potential of a family of her own.
“Good night,” Lilith smiled as she stood and walked towards her dad. She wrapped her arms around Dean and kissed him on the cheek, before she turned and headed back to the house.
“She likes you,” Dean said quietly. “I’ve never seen her take to someone so fast.”
“I feel a strong bond with her too,” Amanda admitted. “I mean, I teach kids day in and day out, but it’s different with Lilith. It’s like I’ve known her a long time.”
Dean smiled and looked down at the fire. She could sense that he wanted to speak, to tell her something, but he was holding back.
“And what about me?” he asked finally as his eyes travelled back up and met hers over the flames. “How do you feel about me?”
The hairs on the back of Amanda’s neck stood on end, and her skin began to tingle. His strong gaze held her there captive and her heart began to pound. Between her legs she felt a rush of excitement and she wanted so badly to just go to him, to let him take her there and then, but she knew there was something dangerous about him. Something he was hiding too.
“I think you know how I feel,” she whispered.
Dean breathed out slowly and deeply, and then he licked his bottom lip.
“I do,” he said. “Because I feel it too.”
Amanda’s heart picked up pace again and all she could feel was the blood rushing around her body, sending her dizzy and her head into a spin.
Dean rose to his feet and walked slowly towards her, his eyes fixed on her the whole time as he looked down on her, so tall and imposing, he was like a tree of the forest himself.
He stopped and Amanda barely dared breathe. When he held out his hand towards hers, she didn’t hesitate in reaching up and letting her palms slide into his. He gently pulled her to her feet, and she could feel the power in him. The hot intensity of his hands, the way his eyes glistened when he looked at her.
This man was something else.
Something much more powerful than she had ever dared dream.
He pulled her up against him and grunted, and she gasped, a smile flashing across her lips.
He was so big and strong, she knew that if he wanted to break her, he could, and yet it turned her on more than anything.
She felt the danger and she was becoming addicted to it. Not only was he an amazing father, a genuine soul and a great ranger, he also had a sexuality that could paralyze any woman and stop them in their tracks.
He traced a finger down her jaw line and touched her bottom lip. Amanda gasped and let her hands graze his back, feeling the strong power underneath his shirt and wishing she could hold onto him harder.
Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection Page 9