by Amelia Jade
Elle looked around at the buildings. “No, that’s just the way it is now.”
“What do you mean?”
She frowned. “You’ve been here a few months now, right?”
“Yeah, about four. Why?”
“Well, a lot of the residents have left.”
“Where’d they go?”
“Family. Friends. Moving in with the locals. Many of the places are empty now. The population has dwindled heavily.”
“I…I hadn’t realized that,” he admitted, feeling a little silly. One of the major parts of his job was ensuring that the women were looked after and safe. He should have noticed that there was only a fraction of the original number still there. “How many are left?”
“Maybe a third? Some will never leave, of course. But most of us are hoping that, as our kids get older, we can find jobs, start saving up. Doing something like that, you know?”
Braden nodded. He understood the desire to be able to provide for one’s offspring. Thankfully Elle wouldn’t have to worry about that any longer, but the others would. Cadia would look after them for as long as they needed, but he knew that they only received a minimum from his homeland. None of the women were getting rich, that was for sure.
They reached a grassy area between buildings that was piled high with snow.
“Come on!” Elle said, tugging him off the shoveled area and into the snow. “You gotta help me.”
“Of course!” he said, jumping into the snowbank. “But, uh, what am I helping you with?”
“Building a snowman of course, silly!” she said, gently lofting a snowball his direction. “It’s packing snow after all!”
He caught the snowball, spun, and let it sail through the air until it splattered against her arm. Elle laughed and then beckoned for him to come join her as she started clumping snow together to make the base. They worked side by side to pack it in tight.
“There, that should do, right?” she said, standing back and clapping her gloved together hands to rid them of excess snow.
“Should,” he agreed. His hands were uncovered and snow was streaming off them as it melted from the contact, taking droplets of water with it. “On to the next layer?”
“Yeah!”
The snowman ended up being four “stories” high, but neither of them cared. It looked awesome. They found some pinecones for eyes and a stick for a nose and then some bark for a mouth. Three pebbles made up the buttons of the coat.
“A masterpiece if I do say so myself,” he said stepping back to admire their handwork. “Now, stand next to it.”
He pulled out his phone, enjoying the way Elle’s eyes lit up at the prospect of taking a picture. It was one feature of his phone that he’d worked hard to master the use of. Braden still was no expert, but he could use it now, and that was better than most of his peers. Technology and shifters wasn’t really a thing, and even he didn’t totally embrace it.
“Okay, now come take a selfie with us!”
“A what?”
She laughed. “Right, shifters. You flip the camera around, and then hold it out in front of you and take a self-picture. Commonly known as a selfie.”
“Ah. Okay.” He still had no idea how to do that.
“Here,” she said, motioning for the phone with another giggle. He watched her fiddle with it, then hand it back. “You have longer arms. Just hold it out in front of you, and use your thumb to press the big red button on the screen.”
He followed her instructions, and the camera flashed. They looked at the picture, with the snowman sandwiched between them, and smiled.
“That turned out really good!” she said, coming around the front of the snowman and resting both her hands on his chest as he put the phone away. “You’re not bad at the selfie game.”
“Beginner’s luck, I promise.”
Elle laughed and he felt his spirit lift at the sound. She just had the most beautiful laughter; it made him buzz with happiness every time he heard it.
“It’s okay, I’ll make sure you have plenty of practice.”
He smiled uneasily, not entirely sure how to take said comment. It sounded good, but…but… Whatever else he was going to think vanished as his brain suddenly clued in on the fact that Elle was no longer just resting her hands on his chest, but was actually full on leaning into him as he leaned back against the snowman.
Her face was incredibly close to his. He watched as she sort of bounced back and forth a little, looking up at him as she did. It was very…very tempting to just sort of stick his neck out as she came “down” on her bounce and see what happened.
“I’m not very photogenic,” he said, his voice growing a little tighter and dropping a level or two as he spoke.
“Bullshit. You’re the most handsome man I’ve seen, practically ever. You have the bone structure of a model.”
She said the whole thing with a little smile, the corners of her lips curling upward just a bit. It made her look irresistible. His animal growled in his mind, urging him, telling him that now was the time. Braden needed to seize the moment, and just do it. Kiss her, and then the rest would take care of itself. It wanted her, it needed her, and it was tired of him denying it.
His bear wasn’t all that good with telling time, or realizing that it had only been a few days since he met her. That wasn’t very long at all, but it didn’t care about that. Braden did though. He needed to. He had to keep in mind how she would react, and…
She’s leaning on you, looking up at you, and she just tucked her hair behind her ear…
Oh fuck it.
This time Braden’s growl was audible as he leaned forward, not hesitating. His lips touched hers and Elle shivered. His hands wrapped around her waist and he lifted her clear of the ground with casual ease, earning a peep of surprise from her.
But that was all. She leaned in to the kiss with passion, opening her mouth as he explored it eagerly, wanting to know all of her. Her back arched and fingernails dug deep into the skin of his back as she clutched at him while he wrapped one long arm underneath her shapely ass and held her aloft. His arm didn’t even tremble.
He could feel his body as it started pumping out even more heat, on fire everywhere she touched him. The blood in his veins was burning now, and he longed to be able to take her, to make her his. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she was ready.
Eventually they pulled apart for air, both parties breathing heavily. Elle stared up at him with wide eyes, her pupils dilated to the max. Her lower lip curled up and she bit it in a manner that caused a visible stir below his waist.
“This is fun and all,” she said, still struggling to draw in air. “But I should really be getting back. I don’t want to piss Laura off too much.”
He nodded, letting her down, careful not to drag her over the bulge in his crotch. The last thing he wanted was for her to give him a gentle rub or drag of her fingertips that would send him home with aching testicles. Easier just to not have anything at all.
They walked back to her place, casting covert glances back and forth at one another. Braden smiled and shook his head. “I feel like I’m fifteen again.”
Elle laughed, some of the nervous tension fading. “Yeah. My heart feels like it’s ready to explode.”
He looked at her sidelong. “So I’ll see you again?”
“Maybe,” she said, a twinkle in her eye as they approached the end of the walkway that led to her door.
“Well, that’s better than a no,” he mused, coming to a halt next to her.
Neither of them wanted to stop at the door this time.
“It is, isn’t it?” she teased, jumping up on her tiptoes and pulling his cheek down to her level so she could kiss it. “Call me.”
Then she darted for the door and went inside.
Braden stood around for a moment, his face fighting to stay calm. Once he was sure nobody was watching, he punched the air in front of him several times and pumped his fist, letting out a hissed, “Yes!”
>
Then he straightened up and with a quick look over his shoulders to ensure nobody had seen him, strolled quickly down the gravel road that was the “street” among the complex of buildings.
Life was looking good.
Chapter Eight
Elle
“YOU KISSED HIM?!”
“On the first date?!”
“You little slut!”
“Hey now,” Elle said, rounding on Rachel, who was grinning from ear to ear to show she was just giving her grief for the sake of it. “Don’t go throwing stones in your glass house there,” she shot back.
Rachel just shook her head. “Second date.”
Elle arched an eyebrow. “Nobody believes you, you know that.”
“Let’s not make today about me,” her friend said. “Today is about you. Well, you and Braden.” Then she lowered her voice. “Sittin’ in a tree, K-I—Ooph!” The grade school nursery rhyme cut off as Elle socked her in the stomach with the rolled-up fitness mat she had been carrying in one hand. Not hard, but not soft either.
“That’ll be just enough of that,” she said imperiously, shaking the mat above her head like a sword.
Of course, Rachel had one of them too if she chose to strike back, but the two friends had other things to deal with. One of them being the class that they were about to take part in.
“Okay folks,” Angela said from the head of the room. “Let’s stop gossiping for a moment and take our places.”
Women, strollers, and athletic mats spread out to give themselves enough room to lunge, hop, burpee, bend, and all sorts of other things that would leave her hot, sweaty, and aching by the time it was over. But, she thought to herself, it will also help ensure Braden has something to look at.
Elle had to admit, ever since she’d started coming to the classes, she’d felt more energetic and alive than she had in quite some time. After the first month, that was. The first few weeks had been rough. On more than one occasion she’d almost fallen getting up from the toilet. Then, just as she’d been getting into the groove, Angela had gone and opened up this class, the “advanced” version, and of course she and Rachel were expected to participate in that one.
After the first of those classes she had fallen into the toilet. Sort of. It was a close call, and she’d had to repair the towel rack after, not that she intended to tell anyone about the ordeal. Some secrets were hers alone.
“So, Braden,” Rachel said from next to her as they started their warmup, a series of squats, jumps, and arm movements.
“What about him?”
“Dish.” The word wasn’t a question, it was a command.
“Oh for…you know what, I had a great time,” she said, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. “Just so you all know. Yes, I went on a date with Braden the shifter last night. It was wonderful.”
The entire class seemed to sigh with relief as she spoke. Like they had all been waiting for the details. Now though, a shade of anticipation filled the air.
“And no,” she said with an audible sigh. “Nothing else happened besides the fact that we kissed. No groping, no fellatio, and no getting it on. Absolutely no juicy details for you filthy perverts.”
The women groaned in disappointment. Elle laughed. “Sorry to disappoint. You’ll have to go get your fix from somewhere else.” She paused, then added, “Disgusting. All of you. You’ve all got dirty minds.”
Laughter greeted her ears. “Yes, yes we do,” one of them said. She never figured out who, because at the front of the room Angela raised her hands.
“Okay folks, let’s get this show on the road. Five lunges, right foot, both hands on the stroller.”
Still smiling, she gripped her stroller and rolled it out in front of her as she lowered herself to her left knee, her right foot planted out in front of her and bent to ninety degrees. Then she pushed off with her front foot and returned to a standing position. Only four more to go. She focused on the exercise for the moment.
“So, how come no nookie?” Rachel asked as they paused after the five, waiting for the others to catch up before they did the right foot.
“Right foot!” Angela called, leading the way.
“Well,” Elle said, speaking between lunges. “The main reason is because I kinda sorta just ran inside after.”
“You ran away?” her friend said, shaking with laughter as she pushed off for the last left lunge.
“Kinda. I didn’t want him to think that we were going to sleep together, though I never got the impression he was going for that. But I was also like, I dunno, super excited, you know?”
They started working up the exercises, and for the next forty minutes, the women huffed and puffed their way through a workout, until they were covered in sweat. Elle’s hair was plastered to her face by the end as she sat on the mat, her shoulders heaving. A real fitness freak would have found the class quite easy, she was sure, but for someone who had given birth nine months ago, and never been into fitness before that, it was still quite a challenge.
“So are you going to see him again?” Angela asked, coming over to plop herself down in front of them. Now that the class was over, it seemed that she wanted in on the details too.
“I think so,” she said, looking back and forth between the two of them. “He was really nice, and we had a lot of fun. He made me laugh all the time.”
“And his muscles don’t hurt,” Angela added.
Elle giggled and felt herself going a little red, though she doubted it would show over her sweaty glowing exterior. “And his muscles don’t hurt either,” she agreed, remembering the way they had felt wrapped around her, or pressed up against her, or under her fingers.
Gwenevere began to cry from the stroller above her and Elle sighed. She was too tired to deal with the crying right now, so she just left her. Much to her surprise and relief, Gwen calmed herself back down a minute or so later. She was probably just getting hungry; it was about that time.
Her daughter was closing in on a year old, and she expected her to be walking any time now. That was going to be trouble. Dealing with a walker and then after that a toddler as a single mother? Not something she was looking forward to. Having a second set of hands for something like that would be very much preferred.
Unbidden an image of Braden as a parent snapped into her mind. As a father. She had no idea what he would be like in that sort of situation. Could he handle the fact that Gwenevere wasn’t his by blood? Was that a detail he would care about?
Neither Hector nor Noah seemed to have any issues with Rachel and Angela’s children. In fact, every time she came across them, it was tough to tell that they weren’t blood-related. It was impossible to tell from the way the men acted, that was for certain. They had claimed the young Karlie and Cooper as their own.
Could Braden do the same thing for Gwenevere? Would he do the same thing? She didn’t know. She had yet to introduce him to her daughter.
“Is it too soon?” she asked abruptly, interrupting the others mid-sentence.
“Too early for what?”
She grimaced, feeling silly asking the question. “To introduce Braden to Gwen?”
Rachel laughed. “I’m pretty sure Hector met Karlie right away. Possibly before we even had our first real date.”
Angela nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t long before Noah met Cooper. It’s kind of unavoidable, you know? Gwen is your daughter. You can’t just keep her out of the picture. The sooner you find out whether he’s okay with the fact that you have a child, the sooner you’ll know whether to keep him around.” She shrugged. “It’s a make or break moment.”
“I know,” she said, feeling trepidation about Braden for the first time.
“You look unsure.” Rachel leaned in as she spoke, looking at her with serious eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It is. I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this. He’s never given me a reason to worry about it, you know?”
The others nodded in understandin
g.
“But…I just can’t get rid of this feeling. Maybe it’s because it feels like things are moving so fast? I know that if I were on the other side, I’d be feeling freaked out. So maybe that’s what it is? Maybe I’m scared that things feel so right, and I’m worried that this is where it all starts to explode in my face?”
Angela smiled in patient understanding. “Just go with the flow, Elle. There’s quite literally nothing else you can, or should, do. If he’s the one, then he’s the one. You can’t force it, and trust me, if he’s decided that you’re the one, there is nothing you can do to dissuade him of that notion.”
She frowned. “But what if I’m not sure I want to be his mate? I’ve watched the two of you go through it, and you both seem extremely happy.”
“We are,” Rachel answered for both of them.
“Very,” Angela echoed.
“So that gives me hope. But I still can’t figure out if that’s what I want, you know? If I’m ready for that sort of commitment. We’ve only been on one date, and we’re already talking about, well, forever. That’s scary!”
“Terrifying,” Rachel said.
“But…” she faltered. “Really? You two were both scared?”
“Petrified,” Angela said. “Heck, some days I’m still scared that I’ve made a huge mistake, jumping in to this thing headfirst.”
Elle wasn’t reassured by that, or by the calming smiles that followed.
“That’s just the way it is with shifters though, Elle. They see things differently than us. They look human, but remember, that’s only half of them. They are quite literally half-beasts, with the brain and thoughts of one as well.” Rachel frowned as she tried to convey her point. “They don’t think like us. The idea of partnering up for life after meeting someone a few times is completely natural and normal to them. Like deciding whether you like a certain food, or TV show. You just know whether it’s for you or not. Just like they know.”
Angela chimed in next. “It makes it much easier for you to decide and decipher your own feelings about it all. You know that they aren’t going anywhere, unless you tell them to. That they will do whatever it takes to make you happy.” She paused before looking at Elle again. “I was horrified at the idea of locking myself down to someone so quickly. I doubt myself from time to time even now, simply because of how quickly we’ve moved. But humans do that too. We all know people who have met and are just like ‘Yep, we’re getting married, that’s the way it’s going to be, we’re perfect for each other.’ And that’s how it is here too.”